Which is best book for learning java for beginner?

I have 0 previous coding experience and I am in the middle of "Java: A Beginner’s Guide by Herbert Schildt".

pros :

-Challenging. Very quick jump from "hello world" to nested loops and things of this nature;
-writing style is relatively easy to understand for the most part;
-you can download code sheets used in the book;
-self-test at the end of each chapter;

cons :

-it actually doesn't seem to be aimed at begginers at coding because often times, the author makes  references to other programming languages. I assume the book is meant for begginers in Java in particular, not for beginners in CS/coding;
- it moves fast so, at least for me, it was necessary to practice a lot with every new concept learned. I have been constantly inventing exercises for myself. Also, recently I've been struggling with some concepts and had to ask for help on this very forum. I am not sure if this book is that good for self-learners
- apparently it doesn't cover some important topics like LinkedLists but I can't really make a judgement on it with my current skills.

Head First Java written by Kathy Sierra & Bert Bates

SA: welcome to the Ranch

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BT: welcome to the Ranch

I have not read the other suggestions that have been recommended.

I have had some exposure to Java while learning Selenium but I only knew what I barely needed.  

I'm reading murach's beginning Java with Eclipse.  I like the format. The Even Number pages on the left side page speaks in detail.  The right side (Odd numbered pages) show examples.  What works for me is reading the first paragraph of the left side page to know what will be discussed.  I then look at the examples on the right side.  Then I read the rest of the details on the left side.

On the Murach.com site you can find a list of errors in the book.  You may want to go through the book and make the dozen or so changes before reading the book.

At the end of each chapter there are some examples to try.  There was one example where I needed to count the number of words in a string. Arrays and split were not taught yet.  The logic was not assisting me in learning the points of the lesson.  I found that the answers are included in the download file.  Sometimes if you are struggling with the exercise it might be worth taking a peek at the answer to see that you are on track to the solution.

I did not understand Interfaces after reading the chapter.  But I don't understand it even after reading other books so it is probably me.

I can only read one chapter a day and work on one or two exercises a day.  I don't absorb much more after that amount of information.  

There is an advanced book on Java in the series.

Thanks,

Kevin

Hello,
Java is one of the most widely used programming languages. You will find java based applications everywhere, from embedded systems to web applications. Android programming is built on top of java, which is used in billions of smartphones, tablets, etc.

So if you want to build your career as a Java professional, having good core java knowledge is a must. If you are good at Core Java, learning all other java based frameworks is not that hard. That’s why, even after working in the IT industry for 10 years and using several Java, Java EE frameworks; I value Core Java most.

There are a lot of online tutorials that you can follow, but nothing can replace a good book. Here I am sharing 5 Core Java Books that you should read, I am sure that you must have read at least one of these books.

Head First Java: Head First Java was the first java related book that I read, almost 9 years ago. This is a great book and you should read it. The best part of Head First Java is the simplicity of the book and how easily it relates java programming concepts to real life.
Java: A Beginner’s Guide (Sixth Edition): As the name suggests, it’s a good book for someone with basic knowledge of programming wanting to learn java programming language. It’s written by “Herbert Schildt” and covers all the basic concepts of Core Java.
Effective Java 2nd Edition: This is not the beginner’s book but I think this is a must-have book for every java programmer. The book contains 78 best practices that you should follow when writing java programs. I think it should be read in parallel with other java books so that you follow these best practices right from the start.
Core Java Volume I — Fundamentals (9th Edition): This is again a reference book that contains a detailed explanation of different features of Core Java. I like it better than the Complete Reference because of several reasons, it’s simple to read and under 1000 pages.
Java: The Complete Reference (Ninth Edition): This book contains everything you need to become a master of java programming language. You can keep this book as a reference. Although I think it’s not a good book for complete beginners because it’s more than 1200 pages long. But if you want to learn beyond the basics, then this is the book I would recommend. you can also refer to the book of mala Gupta.

I hope this will help to  you

I agree that Horstmann's book is much better than Schildt, but Horstmann didn't write an introductory book. His book is intended for experienced people.

There are a lot of online tutorials that you can follow . . .

Would you like to recommend some tutorials? I have seen few on‑lline tutorials I would actually recommend to anybody.
Which Mala Gupta book would you suggest? She has written several.

I read the Murach book and did the exercises.    I learned a lot.  I also wrote to the author and he responded which made me like the book more.

I have been using the Head First book for over a year.   The explanations are fun !  I often lost the main idea of the topic and had to keep asking for assistance on Code Ranch.  After getting advice from the Ranch,  I had to go back and read the chapter again.  I thought the book was going to "hold my hand" and make sure that I get concepts correct.  Unfortunately, the only way I know that I missed understanding something was when future information was no longer making sense.   I made it to page 399 of 700.   I am going to review many of my old Ranch posts and replies.  A lot of it makes more sense now that I know other concepts the thread is discussing.  Also, I don't want to ask the same question over and over.    

I don't like the exercises in the book where it asks the user to unscramble lines of code.   I was typing them into an IDE and getting them to run.  It would be nice if the authors supplied the lines of code on line so I don't have to type them.  I think that I"ll go back to these exercises after I reach the end of the book.

Thanks,

Kevin