Read by Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Mark Manson and 4 others
What books does Bill Gates recommend?
Few public figures review books as publicly as Bill Gates, the Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist whose Gates Notes write-ups routinely move copies off shelves, and this page collects 38 of his book recommendations. Nearly all trace back to Gates Notes itself, including his summer and holiday reading lists and his running commentary on new releases. The subjects mirror his working life: society and politics, science and technology, human behavior, history, and the memoirs of people he has come to admire. The standout is The Better Angels of Our Nature by Steven Pinker, which Gates called "one of the most important books I've read, not just this year, but ever." Around it sit choices as varied as Doris Kearns Goodwin's Team of Rivals, Hannah Ritchie's climate primer Clearing the Air, and Yuval Noah Harari's Nexus, about which Gates conceded, "I would basically say he's right and I was wrong."
Last updated January 2026 · Every recommendation cited to its original source.
The Better Angels of Our Nature
Why Violence Has Declined
bySteven Pinker
2011832 Pages“One of the most important books I’ve read—not just this year, but ever.”
— Bill Gates
Source: Gates Notes
Read by Bill Gates
Who Knew: My Story
My Story
byBarry Diller
2025352 Pages“I’ve known Barry for decades, but his memoir still surprised and taught me a lot. He’s one of the most influential figures in modern media.”
— Bill Gates
Source: Gates Notes, Holiday Reading List, Nov 2025
Read by Barack Obama, Bill Gates, Jamie Dimon and 3 others
Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln
The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln
byDoris Kearns Goodwin
2005944 Pages“I can’t read enough about Abraham Lincoln, and this is one of the best books on the subject.”
— Bill Gates
Source: Gates Notes
Read by Bill Gates
Clearing the Air
A Hopeful Guide to Solving Climate Change — in 50 Questions and Answers
byHannah Ritchie
2026296 Pages“One of the clearest explanations of the climate challenge I’ve read... She structures it around 50 big questions... and answers each one in concise, accessible language.”
— Bill Gates
Source: Gates Notes, Holiday Reading List, Nov 2025
byRobert A. Heinlein
1961408 Pages“Paul Allen and I fell in love with Heinlein when we were just kids, and this book is still one of my favorite sci-fi novels of all time.”
— Bill Gates
Source: Gates Notes
Nexus
A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI
byYuval Noah Harari
2024528 Pages“He makes fun of people like myself who saw more information as always a good thing... I would basically say he's right and I was wrong.”
— Bill Gates
Source: Book Blurb / Review, Sep 2025
Co-Intelligence
Living and Working with AI
byEthan Mollick
2024256 PagesSource: Recommended on social media/GatesNotes (2024/2025)
Read by Bill Gates
Slow Horses
Slough House Series, Book 1
byMick Herron
2010400 Pages“I'd put Slow Horses up there with the best of them.”
— Bill Gates
Source: GatesNotes Summer Reading List (May 2024)
Read by Bill Gates
Mendeleyev's Dream: The Quest for the Elements
The Quest for the Elements
byPaul Strathern
2019320 Pages“The best book about the periodic table... It’s a fascinating look at how science develops and how human curiosity has evolved over the millennia.”
— Bill Gates
Source: Gates Notes
Read by Bill Gates
Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story
40 Songs, One Story
byBono
2022576 Pages“The best memoir by a rock star... It was a great model for how I could be open about my own challenges.”
— Bill Gates
Source: Gates Notes
Read by Bill Gates
How the World Really Works
The Science Behind How We Got Here and Where We're Going
byVaclav Smil
2022336 Pages“Another masterpiece from one of my favorite authors... It’s a tour de force.”
— Bill Gates
Source: Gates Notes
Read by Bill Gates
Remarkably Bright Creatures
A Novel
byShelby Van Pelt
2022368 Pages(1,245,796)
“The perfect way to start my next decade of life... I loved this terrific novel about Tovah, a 70-year-old woman who works night shifts cleaning an aquarium.”
— Bill Gates
Source: Gates Notes
Read by Bill Gates
Not the End of the World
How We Can Be the First Generation to Build a Sustainable Planet
byHannah Ritchie
2024352 Pages“Everyone who wants to have an informed conversation about climate change should read this book.”
— Bill Gates
Source: Gates Notes, Holiday 2023
Read by Bill Gates
When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows...
Common Knowledge and the Mysteries of Money, Power, and Everyday Life
bySteven Pinker
2025384 Pages“A must-read for anyone who wants to learn more about how people communicate... it made me see everyday social interactions in a new light.”
— Bill Gates
Source: Gates Notes
byGabrielle Zevin
2022401 Pages“I really related to the story—in fact, it reminded me a lot of my relationship with Paul Allen and our work together at Microsoft.”
— Bill Gates
Source: Gates Notes, Summer 2023
Abundance
How We Build a Better Future
byEzra Klein, Derek Thompson
2025304 Pages“This book is a sharp look at why America seems to struggle to build things and what it will take to fix that.”
— Bill Gates
Source: Gates Notes
byNaomi Alderman
2016341 Pages“Reading The Power, I gained a stronger and more visceral sense of the abuse and injustice many women experience today.”
— Bill Gates
Source: Gates Notes, Summer 2022
Personal History
A Memoir
byKatharine Graham
1998688 Pages“Her story offers more than just insights into a fascinating chapter of American history—it also reveals valuable lessons about courage, leadership, and finding strength in vulnerability.”
— Bill Gates
Source: Gates Notes
byEzra Klein
2020336 Pages“The book is fundamentally about American politics, but it's also a fascinating look at human psychology.”
— Bill Gates
Source: Gates Notes, Summer 2022
Read by Bill Gates
byNicholas D. Kristof
2024480 Pages“His book made me think: The world would be better off with more Nick Kristofs.”
— Bill Gates
Source: Gates Notes
Read by Bill Gates
Educated
A Memoir
byTara Westover
2018352 Pages“Tara beautifully captures that process of self-discovery in this unforgettable memoir.”
— Bill Gates
Source: Gates Notes
Born a Crime
Stories from a South African Childhood
byTrevor Noah
2016304 Pages“In this book, and in his comedy, Trevor uses his outside perspective to his advantage. His outlook transcends borders.”
— Bill Gates
Source: Gates Notes
Read by Bill Gates
byDoris Kearns Goodwin
2024480 Pages“Doris is such a talented writer that the chapters about her love story are just as engaging and enlightening as the chapters about the Kennedy assassination and the Vietnam War.”
— Bill Gates
Source: Gates Notes
Business Adventures
Twelve Classic Tales from the World of Wall Street
byJohn Brooks
2014464 Pages“Business Adventures is a neglected classic, and it's still my favorite business book ever.”
— Bill Gates
Source: Gates Notes, Favorite Business Book
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Frequently asked questions
What books does Bill Gates recommend?
From 38 recommendations, frequently cited titles include The Better Angels of Our Nature by Steven Pinker, Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin, Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari, Educated by Tara Westover, and Business Adventures by John Brooks.
What is Bill Gates's favorite book?
One of his most emphatic picks is The Better Angels of Our Nature by Steven Pinker, which he called "one of the most important books I've read, not just this year, but ever." He has separately named Business Adventures his favorite business book.
Where do Bill Gates's book recommendations come from?
Almost all originate on his blog, Gates Notes, including his seasonal summer and holiday reading lists and reviews of individual books, with a few drawn from book blurbs he has written.
Has Bill Gates written any books?
Yes, five. They include How to Avoid a Climate Disaster, How to Prevent the Next Pandemic, the memoir Source Code: My Beginnings, Business @ the Speed of Thought, and The Road Ahead.
What genres does Bill Gates read most?
His lists lean toward society and politics, science and technology, and psychology and human behavior, with steady attention to history and to biographies and memoirs, and occasional detours into literary fiction.
All 38 Books Bill Gates Has Recommended
- The Better Angels of Our Nature · Steven Pinker
- Who Knew: My Story · Barry Diller
- Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln · Doris Kearns Goodwin
- Clearing the Air · Hannah Ritchie
- Stranger in a Strange Land · Robert A. Heinlein
- Nexus · Yuval Noah Harari
- Co-Intelligence · Ethan Mollick
- Slow Horses · Mick Herron
- Mendeleyev's Dream: The Quest for the Elements · Paul Strathern
- Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story · Bono
- How the World Really Works · Vaclav Smil
- Remarkably Bright Creatures · Shelby Van Pelt
- Not the End of the World · Hannah Ritchie
- When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows... · Steven Pinker
- Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow · Gabrielle Zevin
- Abundance · Ezra Klein
- The Power · Naomi Alderman
- Personal History · Katharine Graham
- Why We're Polarized · Ezra Klein
- Chasing Hope: A Reporter's Life · Nicholas D. Kristof
- Educated · Tara Westover
- Born a Crime · Trevor Noah
- An Unfinished Love Story: A Personal History of the 1960s · Doris Kearns Goodwin
- Business Adventures · John Brooks
- The Anxious Generation · Jonathan Haidt
- Engineering in Plain Sight · Grady Hillhouse
- The Coming Wave · Mustafa Suleyman
- The Women · Kristin Hannah
- Infectious Generosity: The Ultimate Idea Worth Spreading · Chris Anderson
- Brave New Words: How AI Will Revolutionize Education (and Why That's a Good Thing) · Salman Khan
- How to Know a Person · David Brooks
- A Gentleman in Moscow · Amor Towles
- All the Light We Cannot See · Anthony Doerr
- The Great Influenza · John M. Barry
- The Code Breaker · Walter Isaacson
- Cloud Atlas · David Mitchell
- Factfulness: Ten Reasons We're Wrong About the World--and Why Things Are Better Than You Think · Hans Rosling
- Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind · Yuval Noah Harari