--- description: They gain insights into the physical world and human beings title: These Are the Best Books of 2015 According to Bill Gates image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- * [Ideas](/section/ideas/) ## Ideas Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Books](/tag/books/) ## Books Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # These Are the Best Books of 2015 According to Bill Gates by [Bill Gates / GatesNotes.com](/author/gatesnotes-com/) ## Bill Gates / GatesNotes.com Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Dec 15, 2015 8:55 PM CUT by [Bill Gates / GatesNotes.com](/author/gatesnotes-com/) ## Bill Gates / GatesNotes.com Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Dec 15, 2015 8:55 PM CUT When Bill Gates isn’t [convincing the world’s billionaires](http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/11/30/457900449/bill-gates-and-other-billionaires-pledge-to-take-on-climate-change "undefined") to give their fortunes away, he’s known to curl up with [a good book or ten](http://www.gatesnotes.com/Books "undefined"). For the past several years the philanthropist and Microsoft co-founder has published [a year-end list](http://qz.com/308144/bill-gates-five-favorite-books-of-2014/ "undefined") of favorite books on his personal blog, and this year he’s been [no less voracious](http://qz.com/407956/its-here-bill-gates-summer-reading-list/ "undefined") as a reader. In 2015, Gates found his reading selection oriented toward “how things work”—whether it’s an explanation of how physical processes unfold, or how humans developed our values. Drawing on nonfiction reads published from 2006 to 2015, Gates [presents his picks and reviews from this year](http://b-gat.es/1QUJvBn "undefined"): ### [_Thing Explainer: Complicated Stuff in Simple Words_](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0544668251/ref=as%5Fli%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timecom-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=0544668251&linkId=d5f4eab2eda7289dbceb195bea8ee974 "undefined") by Randall Munroe  Courtesy of GatesNotes.com Randall Munroe, creator of the popular [xkcd webcomic](https://xkcd.com/ "undefined"), explains difficult processes and concepts with the 1,000 most commonly used English words. Gates, who’s [a longtime fan](http://www.gatesnotes.com/Books/What-If "undefined") of Munroe’s work, writes of his own struggle with jargon: (Read an excerpt of [_Thing Explainer_](http://qz.com/558571/how-to-explain-an-iphone-using-only-the-1000-most-common-english-words/ "undefined").) [**_Read it now_**](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0544668251/ref=as%5Fli%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timecom-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=0544668251&linkId=d5f4eab2eda7289dbceb195bea8ee974 "undefined") ### [_Being Nixon: A Man Divided_](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0812985419/ref=as%5Fli%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timecom-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=0812985419&linkId=415ec33075b3210a513bbccfb3c7459f "undefined") by Evan Thomas  Courtesy of GatesNotes.com Gates praises Evan Thomas’s balanced and nuanced approach to the oft vilified Richard Nixon. In addition, he writes: [**_Read it now_**](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0812985419/ref=as%5Fli%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timecom-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=0812985419&linkId=415ec33075b3210a513bbccfb3c7459f "undefined") ### [_Sustainable Materials With Both Eyes Open_](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1906860076/ref=as%5Fli%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timecom-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=1906860076&linkId=700981b2f9178628a3f728bccd62d155 "undefined") by Julian M. Allwood and Jonathan M. Cullen, et al.  Courtesy of GatesNotes.com The academic book on rethinking our use of commodities like steel and aluminium, which account for nearly 30% of global emissions, was eye-opening for Gates. How we consume is not the only important question in fighting climate change: [**_Read it now_**](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1906860076/ref=as%5Fli%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timecom-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=1906860076&linkId=700981b2f9178628a3f728bccd62d155 "undefined") ### [_Eradication: Ridding the World of Diseases Forever?_](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0801456843/ref=as%5Fli%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timecom-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=0801456843&linkId=a8e1350584466f6bc691ad5b86f91794 "undefined") by Nancy Leys Stepan  Courtesy of GatesNotes.com Epidemiology and vaccines are a big focus of the Gates Foundation, so it’s not surprising that Gates should read historian of medicine Nancy Leys Stepan’s book on Fred Soper, who tried to eradicate yellow fever, typhus, and malaria throughout his career. He writes: [**_Read it now_**](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0801456843/ref=as%5Fli%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timecom-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=0801456843&linkId=a8e1350584466f6bc691ad5b86f91794 "undefined") ### [_Mindset: The New Psychology of Success_](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345472322/ref=as%5Fli%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timecom-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=0345472322&linkId=db2f82e002c99af2d747b44a3c93fd03 "undefined") by Carol Dweck  Courtesy of GatesNotes.com [Carol Dweck](http://qz.com/502300/your-attitude-is-ultimately-more-important-than-your-iq/ "undefined")‘s classic psychology book, _Mindset_, presents the concepts of growth mindsets versus fixed mindsets. Gates writes: [**_Read it now_**](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345472322/ref=as%5Fli%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timecom-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=0345472322&linkId=db2f82e002c99af2d747b44a3c93fd03 "undefined") ### [_The Road to Character_](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0812983416/ref=as%5Fli%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timecom-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=0812983416&linkId=6a34620ae60884fae57350a82067f3aa "undefined") by David Brooks  Courtesy of GatesNotes.com Reflecting on his 60th birthday, Gates writes admiringly of this quote in Brooks’s book, by the novelist Frederick Buechner: “At what points do my talents and deep gladness meet the world’s deep need?” Says Gates: [**_Read it now_**](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0812983416/ref=as%5Fli%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timecom-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=0812983416&linkId=6a34620ae60884fae57350a82067f3aa "undefined") _Bill Gates is co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation_ _This_ [_article_](http://www.gatesnotes.com/About-Bill-Gates/Best-Books-2015 "undefined") _originally appeared on_ [_GatesNotes.com_](http://www.gatesnotes.com "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4150170/bill-gates-best-books-2015/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4150170/bill-gates-best-books-2015/"},"headline":"These Are the Best Books of 2015 According to Bill Gates","datePublished":"2015-12-15T20:55:10.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T05:00:44.965Z","description":"They gain insights into the physical world and human beings","url":"https://time.com/4150170/bill-gates-best-books-2015/","keywords":["Books","Bill Gates"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Bill Gates / GatesNotes.com"}],"articleSection":"Ideas","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/ideas/","name":"Ideas"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/books/","name":"Books"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4150170/bill-gates-best-books-2015/","name":"These Are the Best Books of 2015 According to Bill Gates"}}]}] ```