All books are good. Some books are good enough to be recommended for reading. And while everyone is looking for a perfect New Year gift, our colleagues have shared a list of the best books that help them develop and grow in their professions.

Mariia Diachkova, HR Specialist (Dnipro)

"Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High", K. Patterson, J. Grenny, R. Mcmillan, A. Switzler

The book draws attention to those defining moments that shape our lives, our relationships, and our world and gives examples and useful pieces of advice on how to navigate difficult conversations. It will be handy for everyone, regardless of specialization. For instance, it helped me better understand and control my body gestures when I am overwhelmed with emotions, decipher my dialog partners' body language, and concentrate on building a constructive dialogue. I also find its tips useful in various life and work situations. It can help you become more confident and persuasive in unexpected situations.

"Critical Thinking: Your Guide to Effective Argument, Successful Analysis and Independent Study" by Tom Chatfield

Definitely, this book is a must-read for everyone. It shows how to sharpen your critical thinking by developing and practicing a specific set of skills to avoid manipulation and dishonesty. Having read that book, I can notice various means of manipulation, analyze multiple situations, and ask more questions.

"New Rules of Business Emailing" by M. Illiahov, L. Sarichova

Need to create numerous business emails? This book is for you. It gives various examples of unsuccessful business emails and provides rules to improve them.

Oleksii Goncharenko, Software Development Engineer (Sumy)

"Jedi Techniques of Personal Effectiveness" by M. Dorofeev

This book clearly explains the concepts of "mental strength" and "fuel for thoughts" and helps in maintaining mental health. It focuses on how not to run yourself ragged or waste your time waiting for an upsurge of inspiration and motivation. The author calls himself a procrastinatologist, so he knows full well what he is talking about. If you want to find peace of mind at work, the book might help you do that.

"The Pragmatic Programmer: Your Journey to Mastery" by D. Thomas, A. Hunt

I read this book ten years ago, so I don't quite remember the details. But I do remember that it impressed me and motivated me to always evaluate my professional ambitions and skills very soundly.

"Think Like a Mathematician. How to Solve any Problems Faster and More Efficiently" by B. Oakley

This book is not about math; it's about how our mind functions. I think the first section is the most insightful. From this book, I've learned that occasional rounds of motivation and your talents are not as crucial as the persistence you apply when performing your regular activities.

Ruslan Karapenko, Software Development Engineer (Dnipro)

"Effective C++, More Effective C++, Effective STL, Effective Modern C++" by S. Meyers

Meyers' bestsellers are probably the first books you are recommended to read once you are familiar with the syntax of C++. Why? Because they help you step up from knowing the basics to understanding how to use the syntax effectively and safely. Although the first three books are not exactly modern (they cover the standards of up to C++11), the pieces of advice they contain are still relevant. Effective Modern C++ describes the features added to C++11 and C++14: move semantics, lambda expressions, smart pointers, concurrency, and much more. The books are written as recommendations. Each recommendation deals with a particular problem. The chapters are concise and quite easy to read.

Kyrylo Nazarov, Software Development Engineer (Lviv)

"Mathematics for 3D Game Programming & Computer Graphics" by L. Eric

This book is crammed with math for computer graphics. It also contains decent examples. It's one of the books we recommend the candidates who apply for geometry vacancies to read before the interview in the Possible Questions section on our website. And for good reason too, I reckon. If you are interested in the topic, I do recommend reading this book as well as all the other ones by this author.

"Computer Graphics and Geometric Modeling" by M. Agoston

The book consists of two parts: Implementation and Algorithms and Mathematics. The parts combined amount to the best book I've ever read on computer graphics.

"Curves and Surfaces for CAGD" by G. Farin

It's a classic book on CAD geometry. There are several books I could recommend on the topic, but this book is one of the best for grasping the subject in general.

Mariia Manoilo, Software Development Engineer (Dnipro)

"Code Complete: A Practical Handbook of Software Construction" by S. McConnell

This great book contains the best coding practices. The author doesn't take you by the hand and spoon-feed you the solutions. He challenges you to take into account all the pros and cons. I see this book as a true source of programming wisdom.

You Don't Know JS (series) by K. Simpson

It's impossible to keep up with all the technologies and frameworks. Nor is it necessary. Understanding the fundamentals is much more valuable. Knowing what's going on under the hood makes learning new things easier. So, if you are looking for JavaScript fundamentals, dive deep into this book.

Vasyl Berezhnyi, Integration Engineer (Lviv)

"Troubleshooting Techniques of the Successful Technologist", S. Litt

It's a good book to help you hone your thinking style into finding and understanding the reasons behind malfunctions in virtually anything, not only technology. I recommend reading it because it contains many interesting ideas for work and life. I've already started actively using them in practice.

Daria Denisova, Technical Writer (Sumy)

"Write, Edit. Create Text that Works" by M. Illiakhov, L. Sarycheva

This one's easy: want to declutter your writing? This book will teach you clarity and conciseness.

"Surrounded by Idiots: The Four Types of Human Behavior and How to Effectively Communicate with Each in Business (and in Life)" by T. Erikson

It's a book about four major personality types, their distinctive features, and communication strategies. I recommend it to anyone who wants to understand others better and looks for tips on handling difficult situations. Particularly if you are struggling with someone seemingly insufferable.

A Year of Personal Efficiency (series) by Smart Reading

This four-book series contains the take-aways points of 48 world bestsellers on cognitive, interpersonal, social, and existential intelligence. It's a great time-saver: you learn the best stuff faster and can cherry-pick the books you want to go back to and read in full. If you are interested in human intelligence and ways to boost yours, the series is a good read.

Volodymyr Ivakh, Systems Engineer (Lviv)

"Operating Systems: Principles and Practice", T. Anderson, M. Dahlin

I recommend the book to everyone looking for a holistic understanding of operating systems. It contains everything you need to know, from kernel to file systems.

Ella Yankovets, Regional Manager (Lviv)

"The Art of Recruitment. How to Evaluate a Person in an Hour" by S. Ivanova

Does a candidate fit the position? What questions is it better to ask in a short interview time, and how to interpret the answers correctly? The author of the book gives answers to those and many other questions, for instance, methods of staff recruitment, approaches to their evaluation, and so on.I recommend the book to everyone, who, in one way or another, interviews people and helps them to find an interesting job.

Oleksandr Kudryk, Graphic Designer (Dnipro)

"Photoshop for Professionals" by D. Margulis

This book brings knowledge of color correction to an essentially new level! Here you will find interesting stories from the author's practice. The book will be of use to photographers and designers.

"Typographie: A Manual for Design" by E. Ruder

This book will help to choose a font and design the page layout. It will be useful to desktop publishing specialists and web designers.

Mariia Semenova, Content Manager (Lviv)

"The Joy of Work. 30 Ways to Fall in Love With Your Job Again", B. Daisley

This book will be of use when it seems impossible to cope with the avalanche of tasks and stay calm. The author gives 30 pieces of advice on how to get the work culture back on track and to fall in love with the job you've consciously chosen once again.

"It Doesn't Have to Be Crazy at Work" by J.Fried, D. Hansson

This is another of my work-life balance favorites. Love of work is not about working 24/7 without breaks and days off. It's about the rational separation of work and leisure. "It Doesn't Have to Be Crazy at Work" advises how to keep the delicate balance and ruins the stereotype that workaholics are the best workers.