Good advice is worth its weight in gold when improving code

Can you tell an experienced developer from a beginner? I don’t mean that 
 as a put-down. Everyone starts somewhere, and we’re all still learning. You can spot an old hand 
 by looking at their code. Why the code, specifically?

Certain practices and habits make for better code, and there are two ways to pick them up. The first, somewhat 
 painful way is hands-on. You write enough code to realize 
 that the route you took was the wrong one. The second and much more interesting way is to learn 
 from technical articles and books. There’s nothing new in what I’ve just said, 
 but let me take the thought a little further.

A lot of advice is so general that without further explanation it loses 
 all its value. Some Java examples come to mind. 
 Use StringBuffer instead of concatenating strings, 
 honor method contracts such as equals and hashCode, write Javadoc for public APIs,
 and use checked exceptions, among others. You may have heard all these tips,
 but can you explain the reasons for following them?

One source of useful advice I’ve found is Joshua Bloch’s book 
 Effective Java Programming Language Guide, 
 published in Czech as JAVA efektivně, 57 zásad softwarového experta. The original impetus 
 for this post was advice from Robert Simmons Jr.’s book Hardcore Java,
 which is highlighted in the article Seven Low-Cost Ways to Improve Legacy Code.

While we’re on books, is it just me, or do you also wish there were more reviews 
 of Java books?