[mtlynch]

I like Code Complete by Steve McConnell. It was popular at Microsoft when I worked there in the late 2000s.

I re-skimmed it recently, and it still held up, but the advice has influenced a lot of other writers so it may not feel as profound as it was then, but I think it's sound advice in terms of software craftsmanship.

It's also worth noting that Code Complete biases toward processes that work for a large company where there's lots of cross-team collaboration. The advice is good in general, but you should weigh certain parts less if you're working on a smaller company and especially a fast-moving startup.

Also Joel Spolsky's blog is fantastic.