The books I remember reading and that I think are important enough to mention are all listed below. I made an effort to sum them up quickly and offer suggestions for readers who might be interested. This list is by no means complete and never will be.
Distributed Systems - 📖 2021
✍️ M. van Steen & A. S. Tanenbaum
Provides very good background knowledge and basic principles of distributed computer systems. Covers many topics including general advice and paradigms which suit every distributed system.
👍 recommended for: People who’d like to get familiar with distributed architectures from the ground up. Many samples and real-world distributed system organizations alongside sample code in Python.
Pro Git - 📖 2021
✍️ Scott Chacon and Ben Straub
What is Git, how does it work and how do I use it in a productive manner? This book covers every aspect of Git from the ground up. Most insightful to me were the history and Git internals.
👍 recommended for: Every developer which is using or planning to use Git It is not required to completely read through the book - you can just select the parts you’re interested in (therefore also recommended for experienced Git users).
Serious Cryptography - 📖 2021
✍️ Jean-Philippe Aumasson
How are crypto-algorithms designed and how does the math behind it work? Why is RSA easy to understand (the basic principles) and hard to implement? This book gives you everything you need to know about cryptography.
👍 recommended for: Advisable for any people who work in IT and are likely to design and implement secure systems. Useful for any Dev and Ops who care about security and want to understand its principles and origins.
Über Leben - 📖 2021
✍️ Reinhold Messner
In his book, Reinhold Messner describes his way of living and his personal view of crucial things for alpinism. He also shares much of his life experience and his background.
👍 recommended for: For people who like adventures and beeing in the mountains as I do.
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind - 📖 2021
✍️ Yuval Noah Harari
In his book, Harari talks about how humankind developed into what it is today - and above all why. The author clarifies things that most people think they already know. He talks about how religions, societies and capitalism evolved (just to name a few).
👍 recommended for: The book opened my eyes in many ways and showed one thing above all: life is never fair and it doesn’t always get easier. I recommend it for everyone who believes one can learn from history.
Astrophysics for People in a Hurry - 📖 2020
✍️ Neil de Grasse Tyson
Covers everything that has something to do with astrophysics. Clearly formulated and made understandable for everyone without a lot of physics background. Covers a very diverse field of topics in a short way.
👍 recommended for: Another must-read for any astrophysics enthusiast! Maybe the quickest introduction into all fields of astrophysics - dark energy, dark matter, time and origin of the universe.
Permanent Record - 📖 2020
✍️ Edward Snowden
The exposer of the US mass surveillance program talks about the intelligence community, and how he helped to set this system up and destroy it afterward when it became too big.
👍 recommended for: People who think that if one has nothing to hide, and mass surveillance is therefore not a problem.
The Intelligent Investor - 📖 2020
✍️ Benjamin Graham
The most successful book on value investing written by Benjamin Graham, who’s student Warren Buffet was. Published the first time in 1949 but nevertheless a standard reference for long-term private investors.
👍 recommended for: Everyone who is looking forward to take care of his financials and is willing to invest at the Wall Street.
The Power of Habit - 📖 2019
✍️ Charles Duhigg
This book discusses the origins of habits and why they work the way they do. It also explains how to get rid of bad habits and build new ones. It shows why they are an important part of every person, society and business.
👍 recommended for: For anyone who wants to understand and build or break habits. Good for filling the mind with habits to create the best version of yourself.
Brief Answers to the Big Questions - 📖 2018
✍️ Stephen Hawking
In his post-mortem book, Stehpen Hawking addresses ten difficult questions from ‘Is There a God?’ up to ‘How do we shape the Future?’. Though questions and tougher answers.
👍 recommended for: His enthusiasm about science and solving humanity’s biggest problem is clearly astonishing and therefore a must-read for every science person out here.
The Go Programming Language - 📖 2018
✍️ Alan A. A. Donovan
The standard reference and swiss-army knife for every Go programmer. Goes form zero to hero and covers every topic including background knowledge. In addition, it shows how to solve real-world problems with Go.
👍 recommended for: For developers who at least know a higher-level language and want to learn Go. Does not require any prior Golang knowledge.
A Brief History Of Time - 📖 2017
✍️ Stephen Hawking
One of the smartest scientists explains the most complex topics of modern physics in a relatively simple way. In addition to explaining the universe and its origins, Stephen Hawking also does not hesitate to reveal all the theories behind it.
👍 recommended for: A must-read for any astrophysics enthusiast! It really made my craving for knowledge explode, since it was the first book about science I’ve ever read.