Building great software isn’t just about the code – it’s about the systems they live in, the people who build them, and the speed at which we can validate our ideas.
Continuing our series on the literary influences behind the leadership at Appliscale, we sat down with our Head of Engineering, Kamil Kubacki. While our previous lists explored high-level strategy and technical history, Kamil’s selection provides a more pragmatic roadmap for the modern engineer.
Kamil’s list is a blend of “engineering bibles” and entrepreneurial manifestos, designed to help developers stop over-engineering and start delivering value.
Here is the essential reading list from Kamil Kubacki:
1. Million Dollar Weekend by Noah Kagan
“Start doing things” – that would be the perfect summary of this book. If you are looking for a boost of motivation to finally kick off a project you’ve been sitting on, Kagan’s message is the fuel you need.
As engineers, we often get stuck in the “planning phase.” This book pushes you to ship something tangible immediately and see the market’s reaction. It’s a masterclass in overcoming the fear of starting and focusing on what actually moves the needle.
2. Designing Data-Intensive Applications by Martin Kleppmann
Widely considered one of the most important books for modern software engineers. In an era of buzzwords, Kleppmann brings incredible clarity to the complexity of large-scale, distributed systems.
It’s not just a technical manual; it’s a deep dive into the trade-offs of reliability, scalability, and maintainability. This book continues to heavily influence how I think about system architecture and long-term technical strategy. If you want to understand how the “black boxes” of modern tech really work, this is the one.
3. The Culture Map by Erin Meyer
At Appliscale, we operate in a global environment. The Culture Map provides an essential overview of different cultures and how they perceive the same problems – from feedback loops to decision-making.
If you work in a multinational environment, this book is a cheat code. It helps you navigate cross-cultural nuances that you might not even realize exist, allowing you to build stronger, more empathetic partnerships with clients and colleagues around the world.
4. Start Small, Stay Small: A Developer’s Guide to Launching a Startup by Rob Walling
Shifting from perfecting code to validating ideas is a difficult mindset change for many engineers. We want things to be elegant and “correct,” but in the world of products, “done” is often better than “perfect.”
Walling’s book has been a valuable guide for me in reframing how to build products with more entrepreneurial thinking. It focuses on the transition from a pure developer to a product creator who understands marketing, niche selection, and execution.
5. Enterprise Integration Patterns by Gregor Hohpe and Bobby Woolf
Communication is hard – and that applies to both people and systems. This book is a practical reference that helps simplify and standardize the way applications talk to each other.
Even with the rise of modern cloud-native tools, the patterns described here (like messaging, routing, and transformation) remain the foundation of robust integration. It provides a common language for engineers to describe how data flows between disparate systems, reducing the “ad-hoc” chaos that often plagues growing architectures.
6. Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams by Tom DeMarco and Tim Lister
Peopleware continues to shape how I think about engineering culture and the physical and mental environment needed for deep work. It’s a reminder that a leader’s job isn’t just to manage tasks, but to protect the team’s ability to focus and collaborate.
What book would you add to this essential reading list? Let us know in the comments below!
