Bill Gates' 5 Favorite Books of 2014 Recommended to him by Warren Buffett, Gates calls 'Business Adventures' by John Brooks the best business book he's ever read.

By Geoff Weiss

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

JStone | Shutterstock.com
Bill Gates

Looking for an especially entrepreneurial gift idea this holiday season? Bill Gates has got you covered.

In a brand new blog post, the billionaire inventor and philanthropist has shared his five favorite books of 2014 -- many of which touch on today's prevailing economic issues and business trends.

Gates calls Business Adventures by John Brooks, for instance, "the best business book I've ever read." Given to Gates by Warren Buffett, the out-of-print collection of New Yorker articles from the 1960s hones in on different case studies -- price-fixing at General Electric, the flop of the Ford Edsel and missteps at Xerox, to name a few -- in order to teach greater strategic lessons.

Gates also calls How Asia Works by Joe Studwell one of the best -- and most aptly-timed -- reads of 2014. As China recently surpassed the U.S. to become the world's largest economy, Gates says the book aims to answer "why some of the continent's countries [Japan, Taiwan, South Korea and China] grew so fast while others languished."

Related: Bill Gates: Bitcoin Is 'Better Than Currency'

And it would be hard to compile any list of the best business books of the year without mentioning Thomas Piketty's Capital in the Twenty-First Century -- which "sparked a fantastic global discussion this year about inequality," Gates writes. While Gates does differ on certain "secondary points and policy prescriptions" offered by Piketty, he agrees with the book's basic premise: "that inequality is a growing problem and governments should play a role in reducing it."

Rounding out Gates' holiday reading list is Vaclav Smil's Making the Modern World: Materials and Dematerialization, which details "how our ability to make things with less material -- say, soda cans that need less aluminum -- makes them cheaper, which actually encourages more production."

Gates has also included his favorite novel of the year, The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simison, which is a love story. For the full rundown, check out his blog post here.

Related: Bill Gates' Solution to Income Inequality

Geoff Weiss

Former Staff Writer

Geoff Weiss is a former staff writer at Entrepreneur.com.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Leadership

7 Telltale Signs of a Weak Leader

Whether a bully or a people pleaser who can't tell hard truths, poor leadership takes many forms.

Business Ideas

70 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2025

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2025.

Growing a Business

What Our Digital World Is Missing — and How I Turned It Into $100 Million After Dropping Out of High School

I went from high school dropout to $100 million CEO by sticking to one very important learning principle.

Growing a Business

Entrepreneurs Should Invest in Service, Not Just Sales — Here's How to Build a Customer-First Business

A customer-first business strategy that prioritizes exceptional service, empowers employees and leverages feedback can transform satisfied customers into loyal advocates, driving sustainable, long-term growth.