Clean Code : a Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship / Robert C. Martin ; [with] Michael C. Feathers … [et al.], Prentice Hall, 2009
The programming gods have spoken, and this is the way and the light. The example code is in Java, but the rules and practices should be applied where possible to all languages. 400 pages.
Agile Principles, Patterns, and Practices in C♯ / Robert C. Martin, Prentice Hall, 2007
Developers will want to read this book. With a foreword by Erich Gamma, of Eclipse fame. Hardcover, 700 pages.
The Art of Agile Development / James Shore, O’Reilly, 2008
XP programmers and team leaders will find this book useful. 400 pages.
Agile Software Development : the cooperative game / Alistair Cockburn, Addison-Wesley, 2007
Programmers and team leaders can read this book to become better communicators. 400 pages.
The Productive Programmer / Neal Ford, O’Reilly, 2008.
Programmers will find this excellent book useful. It is a companion to `Apprenticeship Patterns`. It stresses the power of the command line. Legendary O’Reilly quality, 200 pages.
Apprenticeship Patterns : guidance for the aspiring software craftsman / David H. Hoover, O’Reilly, 2010
If you are planning a career in Agile Software Development, then this book contains good advice. The foreword is by Ward Cunningham. See also the author’s site. 125 pages.
Emergent Design : the evolutionary nature of professional software development / Scott L. Bain, Addison-Wesley, 2008
Here is a textbook on software development. If you can get past the use of the word ‘emergent’, this is a good book. 350 pages, hardcover.
Agile Project Management : creating innovative products / Jim Highsmith, Addison-Wesley, 2010
Written by a co-author of the Agile Manifesto, this book is an excellent discussion of software project management. 400 pages.
Test driven : practical TDD and acceptance TDD for Java developers / Lasse Koskela, Manning, 2008
TDD (Test Driven Development) takes a surprising amount of thought to do it right. Here are the techniques that lead to better software faster. 500 pages.
Agile web development with Rails : a Pragmatic guide / Dave Thomas, Pragmatic Bookshelf, 2006
This book is not ‘recent’ but it is the best Rails book in the library. It is very readable and practical, with many examples. 500 pages.