This book is one of the highest rated Java books in existence.  The main reason that I chose to read this book is because one of my colleagues highly recommended it.  Needless to say, I have to jump on the bandwagon and join in with all of the hoopla and praise that’s associated with this book.   It is simply fantastic on several latitudes.  This includes but is not limited to the scope, depth, and writing style of this piece of work .  The concepts are presented in bite-sized items which often cross reference one another.  These chunks are then grouped into chapters for broader topics such as “Generics”, “Exceptions” and “Enums and Annotations” just to name a few.  All items are presented in a practical manner that will help real developers on the job immediately.  You’ll go to work the next day and be able to quickly identify code that should be improved by applying the principles in this book.  Included code samples are clear, concise and contain comments that highlight the relevant parts of the code.  Every item is gold and the constant supply will have you reading it from cover to cover with little interruption. 

It should be of no surprise that this book is not for beginners.  In fact, I would argue that it’s targeted to advanced Java developers looking to obtain “Expert” status.  (“Guru” status come after one reads both the Java and JVM specifications in their entirety and grow a worthy beard).  If you’re a curious Java developer looking for some of the more interesting aspects of the language or a Java veteran determined to take your understanding to the next level, Effective Java is the book you need to have.

Rating: 4.75/5