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.

learn more about Geoff Weiss

By Geoff Weiss

JStone | Shutterstock.com
Bill Gates

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

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.

Related Topics

Editor's Pick

Everyone Wants to Get Close to Their Favorite Artist. Here's the Technology Making It a Reality — But Better.
The Highest-Paid, Highest-Profile People in Every Field Know This Communication Strategy
After Early Rejection From Publishers, This Author Self-Published Her Book and Sold More Than 500,000 Copies. Here's How She Did It.
Having Trouble Speaking Up in Meetings? Try This Strategy.
He Names Brands for Amazon, Meta and Forever 21, and Says This Is the Big Blank Space in the Naming Game
Travel

6 Secret Tools for Flying First Class (Without Paying Full Price)

It's time to reimagine upgrading. Here's how to fly first class on every flight, business or personal.

Business News

These Are the Most and Least Affordable Places to Retire in The U.S.

The Northeast and West Coast are the least affordable, while areas in the Mountain State region tend to be ideal for retirees on a budget.

Business News

TikTok Influencer Reveals She Makes $350,000 a Month on OnlyFans. 'Absolutely Unreal.'

When Tara Lynn promoted her OnlyFans page on TikTok, she saw her income more than double.

Marketing

Why It's Important to Incorporate Twitter Into Your Business's Marketing Plan

How businesses are using Twitter to market their brand in unconventional ways.