Comment by rramadass

The problem you mention is rather common to senior/experienced developers. One way to get back the "joy of programming" is to study the programming language domain as a whole including Programming Language Theory, Formal Methods, Programming Paradigms and Techniques etc. Most people just focus on the needed mechanics of Programming (because job) without really bothering to look behind the curtain and hence quickly get bored/disillusioned. You have to really motivate yourself to dig deeper. But once you do this, you will begin to look at programming languages in a whole different light.

I found the following useful to get back (ongoing) my "joy of programming";

1) Advanced Programming Language Design by Raphael Finkel.

2) Concepts, Techniques, and Models of Computer Programming by Peter Van Roy and Seif Haridi.

3) Understanding Formal Methods by Jean-Francois Monin.

4) Design Concepts in Programming Languages by Turbak and Gifford.