The thought of it is simple, but actually doing it is taxing. Why? Because programming books are big, full of jargon, complex, long, and boring. Nothing like a good novel. They are textbooks, and who has fun reading that?

I’ve come to appreciate that the fun isn’t in reading but in learning something.

Sometimes I fall asleep while reading lol, other times I completely zone out while staring at the words in the book.

I haven’t had a difficult time figuring out how to get the most out of technical books, but I have picked up a few things as well as made mistakes along the way.

How I choose which books to read

The first and most important step. I don’t want to waste my time on a book that I will not get anything out of or one that I cannot read. There are so many programming books available and the key is to choose one that has what I am looking for, easy to understand, and that I can stay focused on. I go for the books with a conversational style of writing and illustrations in form of doodles or pictures because they are structured in an engaging way. Even the writers know that these books can be boring so they write in a way that will hold the reader’s attention for several pages. You can tell a lot about a book by glimpsing at the pages.

Not all programming books are good. Before settling on one, I search for reviews on it or ask some programmers I know who read to get their opinion. If other readers have good things to say about it, then I’m sold!

What I read

There is really no need to finish the entire book. Not all the material in a book is need-to-know. The best way to know what is relevant and what is not is to code along-side reading. I usually have a simple project where I apply what I learn from the book onto building it. For instance, if my goal is to learn a new language like C (which I’m currently doing), then I will read about the basics of the language like keywords, decision making, looping instructions, data storage.

Reading word for word, cover to cover may make you look like the smartest pea in the pod but there is really no point. The human mind never remembers everything read in a textbook. It only remembers what you use and gets rid of the information that is not used. What’s the point of unnecessary info occupying useful memory space in your brain.

How I read

The point is to stay with knowledge. Keep what you learn with me. I don’t rush or drown myself in the information. Like I used to do when I’d read for exams. As soon as I begin reading a textbook, I already have a goal of what I expect to achieve, a personal project I am working on and I do the programming exercises as well as examples in the book. Program more, read less.

I have learned that if you just read, you will learn very little, and even less will stick. But if you read and practice at the same time, then you’ll be proficient faster than you can finish an entire book.

When I read

Technical books are not like novels. They are not read when feeling exhausted, or to unwind. They need concentration, focus, note taking and all these are when the mind is still fresh. In my experience, reading after a full day of work, programming, etc, is not the best time for any of these. I use a couple of hours on weekends, or my days off to focus on my reading. Not all workdays are intense though, lucky for me. On these days I am able to take up maybe half an hour to an hour in the evening.

The secret is not to read for many hours but to keep it consistent.

How I make it stick

Whenever I learn some concept or programming language and use it just once then pack it up for a while, I will not be able to remember it when I need to. This means relearning it which is a waste of time because I could have stopped this if only I kept practicing. Practice definitely makes perfect.

Reading programming books is definitely a way to improve programming skills and a sure way to grow in your career. Identify what you want to learn and take your time on it. 

I have written reviews on some programming books I have read and I think would be extremely beneficial to anyone looking to start with something gentler.

Some people may prefer using youtube videos other than reading. Here is a comparison I made on the two

Pick a book and use these tips to get through it!

Happy reading 😀