The world’s richest man, Bill Gates, is known to be a voracious reader and he is out with a list of six books for 2015 that he recommends everyone read.
Gates said his favorite books of the year are, along with his description of each:
1. The Road to Character by David Brooks
"The insightful New York Times columnist examines the contrasting values that motivate all of us. He argues that American society does a good job of cultivating the 'résumé virtues' (the traits that lead to external success) but not our 'eulogy virtues' (the traits that lead to internal peace of mind.”
2. Thing Explainer: Complicated Stuff in Simple Words by Randall Munroe
"The brain behind XKCD explains various subjects--from how smartphones work to what the U.S. Constitution says--using only the 1,000 most common words in the English language and blueprint-style diagrams."
3. Being Nixon: A Man Divided by Evan Thomas
Gates called the book "a more balanced account" of a man who is often portrayed as a simple crook. "I wouldn't call it a sympathetic portrait--in many ways, Nixon was a deeply unsympathetic person--but it is an empathetic one.”
4. Sustainable Materials With Both Eyes Open by Julian M. Allwood, Jonathan M. Cullen, et al.
“How much can we reduce carbon emissions that come from making and using stuff? The answer:Quite a bit. The book shows how we could cut emissions by up to 50 percent without asking people to make big sacrifices.”
5. Eradication: Ridding the World of Diseases Forever? by Nancy Leys Stepan
"Stepan's history of eradication efforts gives you a good sense of how involved the work can get, how many different kinds of approaches have been tried without success, and how much we've learned from our failures.”
6. Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck
"Through clever research studies and engaging writing, Dweck illuminates how our beliefs about our capabilities exert tremendous influence on how we learn and which paths we take in life. The value of this book extends way beyond the world of education. It's just as relevant for businesspeople who want to cultivate talent and for parents who want to raise their kids to thrive on challenge.”