I love to read. Every developer needs a few of their favorite books sitting on their desk for quick reference or to loan out. It always gives me pause to come across a developer that doesn’t have any books on their desk. One of my favorite interview questions is to ask a candidate to list a book they’ve read recently or to name a favorite author. You can learn a lot about a person based on the books they have read, which gives you more insight into hiring decisions. Recently, someone asked me about books I’d recommend for someone just getting started or in need of a Java/Dev refresher. There are a lot of great books for that situation, but these are some of my favorites: