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Bill Gates Shares His Summer Reading Picks
Tech pioneer, co-founder of Microsoft, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and author Bill Gates is an avid reader who has become known for his excellent book recommendations. As he has for several years now, he's once again sharing his summer reading recommendations with his fellow readers.
You can also get Gates' book recommendations throughout the year and see all the other books on his shelf by following him here.
You can also get Gates' book recommendations throughout the year and see all the other books on his shelf by following him here.
Most of my conversations and meetings these days are about COVID-19 and how we can stem the tide. But I’m also often asked about what I am reading—either because people want to learn more about pandemics, or because they are looking for a distraction. So, in addition to the five new book reviews I always write for my summer book list, I included a number of other recommendations. I hope you find something that catches your interest.
This book is partly a memoir and partly a guide to processing trauma. Eger was only 16 years old when she and her family got sent to Auschwitz. After surviving unbelievable horrors, she moved to the United States and became a therapist. Her unique background gives her amazing insight, and I think many people will find comfort right now from her suggestions on how to handle difficult situations.
This is the kind of novel you’ll think and talk about for a long time after you finish it. The plot is a bit hard to explain, because it involves six interrelated stories that take place centuries apart (including one I particularly loved about a young American doctor on a sailing ship in the South Pacific in the mid-1800s). But if you’re in the mood for a really compelling tale about the best and worst of humanity, I think you’ll find yourself as engrossed in it as I was.
The Ride of a Lifetime: Lessons Learned from 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company
by Robert Iger
by Robert Iger
This is one of the best business books I’ve read in several years. Iger does a terrific job explaining what it’s really like to be the CEO of a large company. Whether you’re looking for business insights or just an entertaining read, I think anyone would enjoy his stories about overseeing Disney during one of the most transformative times in its history.
We’re living through an unprecedented time right now. But if you’re looking for a historical comparison, the 1918 influenza pandemic is as close as you’re going to get. Barry will teach you almost everything you need to know about one of the deadliest outbreaks in human history. Even though 1918 was a very different time from today, The Great Influenza is a good reminder that we’re still dealing with many of the same challenges.
Good Economics for Hard Times: Better Answers to Our Biggest Problems
by Abhijit V. Banerjee and Esther Duflo
by Abhijit V. Banerjee and Esther Duflo
Banerjee and Duflo won the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences last year, and they’re two of the smartest economists working today. Fortunately for us, they’re also very good at making economics accessible to the average person. Their newest book takes on inequality and political divisions by focusing on policy debates that are at the forefront in wealthy countries like the United States.
For years, I was a skeptic about meditation. Now I do it as often as I can—three times a week, if time allows. Andy’s book and the app he created, Headspace, are what made me a convert. Andy, a former Buddhist monk, offers lots of helpful metaphors to explain potentially tricky concepts in meditation. At a time when we all could use a few minutes to de-stress and refocus each day, this is a great place to start.
If you’re looking to work on a new skill, you could do worse than learning to memorize things. Foer is a science writer who got interested in how memory works, and why some people seem to have an amazing ability to recall facts. He takes you inside the U.S. Memory Championship—yes, that’s a real thing—and introduces you to the techniques that, amazingly, allowed him to win the contest one year.
You may remember the movie from a few years ago, when Matt Damon—playing a botanist who’s been stranded on Mars—sets aside his fear and says, “I’m going to science the s--- out of this.” We’re doing the same thing with the novel coronavirus.
The main character in this novel is living through a situation that now feels very relatable: He can’t leave the building he’s living in. But he’s not stuck there because of a disease; it’s 1922, and he’s a Russian count who’s serving a life sentence under house arrest in a hotel. I thought it was a fun, clever, and surprisingly upbeat story about making the best of your surroundings.
All three of the Rosie novels made me laugh out loud. They’re about a genetics professor with Asperger’s syndrome who (in the first book) goes looking for a wife and then (in the second and third books) starts a family. Ultimately the story is about getting inside the mind and heart of someone a lot of people see as odd, and discovering that he isn’t really that different from anybody else. Melinda got me started on these books, and I’m glad she did.
I don’t read a lot of comics or graphic novels, but I’ve really enjoyed the few that I have picked up. The best ones combine amazing storytelling with striking visuals. In her memoir The Best We Could Do, for example, Thi Bui gains a new appreciation for what her parents—who survived the Vietnam War—went through. It’s a deeply personal book that explores what it means to be a parent and a refugee.
Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened
by Allie Brosh
by Allie Brosh
On the lighter side is Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things that Happened, by Allie Brosh. You will rip through it in three hours, tops. But you’ll wish it went on longer, because it’s funny and smart as hell. I must have read Melinda a dozen hilarious passages out loud.
Finally, I love the way that former NASA engineer Randall Munroe turns offbeat science lessons into super-engaging comics. The two books of his that I’ve read and highly recommend are What If? Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions and xkcd: volume 0. I also have Randall’s latest book, How To: Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Real-World Problems, on my bookshelf and hope to read it soon. If you’ve read it, let me know what you think in the comments.
Which of these recommendations piques your interest? Let's talk books in the comments!
Check out more recent articles, including:
A New Season of Reading: The Hot Books of Summer
'Beach Read' Author Emily Henry Picks 11 Rom-Coms for the Perfect Escape
Authors Offer Their Summer Reading Recommendations
Check out more recent articles, including:
A New Season of Reading: The Hot Books of Summer
'Beach Read' Author Emily Henry Picks 11 Rom-Coms for the Perfect Escape
Authors Offer Their Summer Reading Recommendations
Comments Showing 101-150 of 160 (160 new)
atom_box wrote: "Mark wrote: "Honestly, who cares what Bill Gates reads?"Not sure where all the negative vibe in this thread is coming from. He's just a person, a human being.
I found the list interesting and r..."
Gates was involved in a simulated pandemic scenario late last year using a fictional coronavirus, before covid-19 happened, and the internet is now full of conspiracy nutjobs that think he caused this and is some evil mastermind trying to commit mass murder and enslave the human race, even though a whole hell of a lot of people have known for decades that this was inevitable and was most likely to be a type of coronavirus. Does that clear it up? Does it make you as depressed as it makes me? Ugh.
Meditation is great, y’all! The calm app is what the kids these days are using. (Me calling myself a kid at 21 hahah)
Sinisha wrote: "Shane wrote: "Do your research on Bill Gates as it's all out there...he doesn't deserve to be given the time of day."Coming from a mystic charlatan author like yourself, that is humorous indeed. ..."
Ha ha. Nice!
Allow me to gush just a moment over your choice of A Gentleman In Moscow. Amor Towles has become a favorite, just wish he would write more. His writing is so beautiful you are part of the emotion being portrayed. I don't think I would mind the insular imprisonment in the Hotel. I've always found them to be magical places, ever since I was a child.
John wrote: "Unsurprisingly, not a very original or 'outside the box' reading list. Clearly reveals Mr. Gates as a very average mind that prefers solidifying its perspective rather than expanding it."My thoughts exactly! Thank you.
I added some of these to my to read list. Thank you! There was a great variety to choose from, all of which I hadn't read yet!
Added several to my “To Read” list. Thanks, Bill!
Why should I care what another rich white man who exploited workers to gain wealth likes to read? Also almost all of these books are by men, gross.
I actively resent that goodreads is choosing to promote the opinions of a rich white man who profits off of exploitation.
Scott wrote: "Well, it looks like the ill informed anti-vaxxer Q idiots have infiltrated Goodreads as well. It amazes me how blinded some have become to the truth. I suggest all of you posting your hate take it ..."You're never going to escape the consequences of what's happened worldwide in the last few months. If anything, that's what I'm sorry about. Our lives are ruined, but it will be much worse for our children and children's children. (Probably not Bill Gates's children though. Do you realize that?)
I ask you a question: why has Bill Gates become ubiquitous at precisely this moment of time? How did that happen? I had gone several years without thinking much about or seeing him AT ALL, and now I see him everywhere. Why are you not asking why?
GoodReads must have known they were inviting controversy by extending Bill Gates's ubiquity into this realm (ubiquity and a half). There is no neutral space for this man any more and as far as I can tell he has brought this on himself. For my part, I will not pretend GoodReads is a politically neutral space after the appearance of Bill's reading list. (Now of all times.)
Sadly, I agree with your comment this place should be about books. Please address it to the administrators who allowed this to happen.
Yusef wrote: "Scott wrote: "Well, it looks like the ill informed anti-vaxxer Q idiots have infiltrated Goodreads as well. It amazes me how blinded some have become to the truth. I suggest all of you posting your..."Bill Gates is a humanitarian. This is a humanitarian crisis. He and his wife's charity have stepped up to donate to this crisis. On that side, you're seeing him brought into the conversation.
On the other side, you are seeing the anti-vaxxer conspiracy theories coming out bringing him into the conversation accusing him of some asinine things any logical mind would dismiss. This is evident by the posts in this thread.
His reading list would be of interest to a lot of people just like the reading list from President Obama is very popular every year. There is no need for the attacks on them. If someone I don't care for were to have a reading list, that is perfectly fine. I would choose not to look at the list or to comment on the books. It's that simple. The fact that some of the comments above don't have anything to do with the books is the problem. That is not what Goodreads has been for all this time and I hate seeing it going in this direction like the other social media outlets. It's sad to see.
"The Choice" by Egar is one of the best I've read in a long time.It's a true story and you understand that the author's life is inspirational in many ways. I loved it!
Jannik wrote: "Jeez. The crackpots have even invaded the Goodreads comment section :/Is there no tinfoil hat free zone anywhere on the web?"
LOL!
Anthony wrote: "i couldn't care less"Shane wrote: "Do your research on Bill Gates as it's all out there...he doesn't deserve to be given the time of day."
Shane wrote: "Do your research on Bill Gates as it's all out there...he doesn't deserve to be given the time of day."
Interesting suggestions Bill. Reviewing "A Gentleman in Moscow" you said "The main character in this novel is living through a situation that now feels very relatable"
I would have to agree! Just like during The Russian Revolution you now have a group of unelected "experts" using fear and pseudoscience in an attempt to re-engineer society. It's actually frighteningly similar to see Americans turning each other into their local authorities for perceived crimes against the collective derangement.
The Soviets could not have even dreamed of the powers now available to those currently in power. Contract tracing and forced vaccination are just simply rebranding for an omnipresent Orwellian Surveillance State.
"If you want a vision of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face - forever." - George Orwell
Ty Anthony wrote: "Interesting suggestions Bill. Reviewing "A Gentleman in Moscow" you said "The main character in this novel is living through a situation that now feels very relatable"
I would have to agree! Just ..."
That's funny. Bill says the main character in this novel is living through a situation that now feels very relatable. The main character is under house arrest and it sounded as if Bill found that relatable to our situation now because we're all under house arrest! Probably, though, Bill meant to emphasize as relatable the way the main character makes the best of his difficult situation. Perhaps that's why Bill also describes a book about a man under house arrest as "surprisingly upbeat."
I have a question and my intention is civil and hopefully calm. Do you really believe Bill chose these books, read them, and then wrote these reviews? Do you believe he checks back here now and then to see our comments?
Bill had "co-authors" for his 1995 book, The Road Ahead, Microsoft executive Nathan Myhrvold and journalist Peter Rinearson. It was Bill's first book. Peter Rinearson won a Pulitzer Prize in 1984 for his work on the development of the Boeing 757.
(I'm talking about books and their content, aren't I? If not, why not?)
Yusef wrote: "Do you believe he checks back here now and then to see our comments? "I don't know which is funnier to imagine, either goodreads actually paying somebody to delete any wrongthink in the comments or Bill Gates sitting at home flagging these himself.
Yusef wrote: "Scott wrote: "Well, it looks like the ill informed anti-vaxxer Q idiots have infiltrated Goodreads as well. It amazes me how blinded some have become to the truth. I suggest all of you posting your..."Thank you Yusef - 'nailed it.
Yusef wrote: I have a question and my intention is civil and hopefully calm. Do you really believe Bill chose these books, read them, and then wrote these reviews? Do you believe he checks back here now and then to see our comments? I choose to give Gates the benefit of the doubt regarding reading the books & writing reviews. I do doubt he checks back here to see our comments even though the last comment (if I recall correctly) on the post says" Ok now let's talk about the books" (paraphrasing of course).
Hi Bill Gates, I have begun reading A Gentleman From Moscow by Amor Towles. Thanks for the recommendations.
Rpmgrace wrote: "Anthony wrote: "i couldn't care less"Shane wrote: "Do your research on Bill Gates as it's all out there...he doesn't deserve to be given the time of day."
Shane wrote: "Do your research on Bill ..."
That’s all truth
Ty Anthony wrote: "Yusef wrote: "Do you believe he checks back here now and then to see our comments? "I don't know which is funnier to imagine, either goodreads actually paying somebody to delete any wrongthink in..."
👍🏻🤣
Yusef wrote: "Scott wrote: "Well, it looks like the ill informed anti-vaxxer Q idiots have infiltrated Goodreads as well. It amazes me how blinded some have become to the truth. I suggest all of you posting your..."YES YES YES I CONCUR
I read the trilogy of Rosie books from your suggestion as I have an adult autistic child. Laughter is the key. I suggest these reads to all patents of autistic children.
My name is Rosie so the Rosie books were a natural for me! Loved them... We all sort of.stumble.our way through life at times so we.can identify with Our Hero and his search for True Love.
You cant please all the people all the time. What great accomplishments have you achieved? Do you think anyone here is bothered that you do not approve of Bill Gates? Hope you feel better now you have shared your 2 cents. Live long and prosper. V
Chuck wrote: "You cant please all the people all the time. What great accomplishments have you achieved? Do you think anyone here is bothered that you do not approve of Bill Gates? Hope you feel better now you h..."Yeah that's right. We just want to beat up on Bill Gates to make ourselves feel better. We are, too, jealous of the man, especially of his great accomplishments, and this helps us feel less so. There's not a single shred more to our responses. We're the little men, the hollow men, the stuffed men, leaning together, headpiece full of straw.
"Live long and prosper"
To you as well.
And yet in my opinion, for you to do so will involve bothering to be fully informed as to the potential risks and rewards of taking Mr. Bill's vaccine into your body. Maybe you'll get some of that information from here at Goodreads. (It doesn't look like it is on Mr. Bill's reading list, though.)
Love to hear you speak about current issues need more voices like Yours in todays world . I found " Mindfulness Made simple" by Elisha Goldstein PhD A good read and how to manual on bringing mindfulness and meditation Into 1's life.Also "Anxious for Answers" by Dr.Ilene S. Cohen for those who are or who know anxiety sufferers, is a user friendly guide to navigating anxiety and applying techniques for a fuller happier life.
I look forward to a book filled summer! Read on!!
RBuff
Thank you! John Rooney You may enjoy "Bleachers in The Bedroom" By my father John Rooney PHD and US Navy flight instructor about Surviving the Great Depression!
How about reading "Plague of Corruption" by Dr. judy Mikovits and Kent Heckenlively, JD.
Amazing choices. Added a few books into my wishlist.
I listened to the audiobook version of "Moonwalking with Einstein" two years ago. Fascinating how humans can turn ANYTHING into a competition. I was also happy to learn that Cumberbatch's Sherlock character wasn't just mumbling random things when he made reference to his mind palace - it's an ancient technique and the basis for the skill described in this book. I believe the lists of images where a lot more "digestible" in audiobook form than in written form - I likely would have just glossed over them.
I had never read a graphic novel until I bought this one:"They Called Us Enemy" by George Takei (of StarTrek fame).
It's a memoir about his time in American concentration camps during WWII. Very enlightening, particularly for those of us not from the west coast and not familiar with the discrimination against the Japanese which took place there.
Since my initial comment was deleted without notice or explanation, I'll repost my thoughts in the form of a question- can anyone who has read the book on this list "The Great Influenza" comment as to whether or not this book acknowledges the evidence regarding the pandemic as being caused by vaccines? Similarly, does it also cover the history of how the panic led to forced vaccinations on the innocent people of the Philippines and the resulting mass injuries and deaths? I have not read the book and am curious to know.In a similar vein, if Mr Gates is interested in scientific books regarding pandemics and viruses, I highly recommend to him the following titles which I found to be quite educational:
Vaccination, Social violence, and Criminality by Harris Coulter
Plague of Corruption by Kent Heckenlively and Judy Mikovits
Mark Of The Beast: Hidden in Plain Sight by Dr Patricia Jordan
Vaccine Science Revisited by James & Lance Morcan
Vaccines: A Reappraisal by Richard Moskowitz
I think I want to read them all! I'll start with The Choice. Thank you for the recommendation, Mr. Gates.
So pleased you have Cloud Atlas on your list. David Mitchell is one of my favourite authors and I have all his books. Every one is so different, and every one is thought provoking. I didn't enjoy them all, but all of them made me think. Can also recommend Ruth Ozeki. Another favourite and thought-provoking author.
The Great Influenza -- My grandma died from this while giving birth to my uncle Joe. My mother was only 22 months old. It actually gave me the most loving, caring mother. I m excited to read this book. Thanks
Brennen wrote: "[ WORK AT HOME ]If You Are On A Lookout For A Way To Earn Your First Dollar Online You Can Stop Searching! Start Now With This Award Winning Program And Receive Your First Paycheck Within A Week..."
Quit advertising! This is not GR’s purpose.
Sonicplus Team wrote: "Mark wrote: "Honestly, who cares what Bill Gates reads?"I think that’s actually pretty mean."
Each to their own but I don’t think so. I’m not a fan of BG.
"The Great Influenza" by John M. Barry is a must read! Glad I decided to educate myself by reading it during Covid-19. I understand a little more about the human reactions I'm watching now as people scramble to relieve themselves of fear by either hiding or pretending it's just a "conspiracy theory". Believe me, pandemics are no conspiracy theory: they are real, they are deadly, and we expect miracles from our doctors. Reading this helped me have more compassion for doctors and regular folks during this pandemic. I hope we don't keep our mouths so shut about this one that our grandchildren don't even know about it, as I was left in the dark though my grandmother graduated from High School the year this occurred. Very well researched and very well written.
Always looking for something different to read. Thank you for your recommendations.
I mean...maybe? Anything is possible. Personally I doubt someone putting Hyperbole and a Half on their list cares about cultivating some precious, perfect image of an enlightened intellectual. It's low-brow meme internet humor originally from a blog and aimed at people half his age. The fact that he liked it and put it on here says volumes about his genuineness. In fact, most of his recs are ridiculously mainstream, they just happen to be largely science/history rather than fiction, which is actually the typical reading taste for a 50s-60s american male (women of all age groups read far more fiction than men). If that's all it takes to make people cynically suspect somebody is trying to "look smart," that says more about the accuser than the accused, imo.
On another note, sad to see fake news, anti-vax garbage making its way onto goodreads. I would've thought my fellow book lovers were smarter than that. Should've known better. Hard to accept that facts and verified sources hold no meaning anymore but this is the world we're living in so I better get used to it. Le sigh.