Someone starting with J2EE ask me which were the books to read on the subject.
I’m sharing the answer with you. This is my list of must read book for J2EE developer

Best book to start with is definitely “Thinking in java” from Bruce Eckel. In this book you’ll find:
– A good introduction to object oriented programming
– How to use the most important java API
– Not only “how” but also “why” you should use them this way (most book fail on this part but Bruce Eckel is brilliant on the subject)

Java or not you can’t do Object Oriented programming if you don’t know the “Design Pattern” from the Gof. Everyone make references to “Design pattern”. You have to read it. Warning, this not an easy read. I try to read it again every year. With experience you get a better understanding of all those important patterns.
If you like design pattern (and you should) you can go on with “Core J2EE pattern” and “Patterns of Enterprise Application Architecture” From Martin Fowler.

Can’t recommend this book to beginners but if you have some experience with the java platform this is a must read: Rod Johnson “Expert One-on-One J2EE Design and Development”. I’ve been working with java for 5 years, this book synthesize most (and much more) of the things I have learnt during these years. I haven’t read his last book yet but I guess it’s also a gold mine. (“Expert One-on-One J2EE Development without EJB”)

Read these books and you’ll know why Martin Fowler, Bruce Eckel and Rod Johnson are call “guru”.
I could go on with more books to read but “Thinking in java”, “Design pattern” and “Expert One-on-One J2EE Design and Development” are my top 3. Got other books you feel are must read too? Let me know in the comments.