When you’re the richest man in the world (on and off, for many years now), people want to know what’s going on in your head.

That’s why a lot of people get excited when Bill Gates announces his favourite books. Because if you read them, maybe you’ll become very rich?

Earlier this year Bill mentioned a TV series that he feels you should watch, and now he has announced his top five books for 2018.

In dramatic fashion, I might add, but when you’re worth close to $100 billion you get some leeway to make things a little over the top:

Wow – you wouldn’t blink if Bill walked down Bree Street in that shirt.

We’ve taken the liberty of giving you links to buy each of those books online locally, with the description via Forbes:

Bad Blood – Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup (Hardcover) by John Carreyrou

This book charts the rise and fall of Silicon Valley darling Elizabeth Holmes and her company Theranos, which promised to simplify and expedite blood tests. The company, which attracted high-profile investments from Rupert Murdoch, Larry Ellison and others, ultimately fetched a valuation of more than $9 billion. However, what Holmes wasn’t telling anyone was that its technology didn’t work. “A bunch of my friends recommended this one to me,” writes Gates. “The story is even crazier than I expected, and I found myself unable to put it down once I started.”

21 Lessons for the 21st Century, by Yuval Noah Harari.

This book asks and attempts to answer some of the most important questions of the day, such as “How do computers and robots change the meaning of being human?” and “How do we deal with the epidemic of fake news?” Gates pitches it as something of an antidote for those of us who have been doing a lot of worrying lately. “If 2018 has left you overwhelmed by the state of the world, 21 Lessons offers a helpful framework for processing the news and thinking about the challenges we face.” Harari has also written Sapiens and Homo Deus.

The Headspace Guide to Meditation and Mindfulness, by Andy Puddicombe.

This book is a “perfect introduction” to meditation, says Gates. It is part autobiography and part manual, detailing the author’s own journey to becoming a Buddhist monk and offering up simple meditation techniques that can improve your mental health and reduce your stress. “I’m sure 25-year-old me would scoff at this one, but Melinda and I have gotten really into meditation lately,” writes Gates.

Educated, by Tara Westover.

This is a memoir written by someone who didn’t step foot in a classroom until the age of 17, because her Mormon survivalist parents forbade it, but went on to earn her Ph.D. from Cambridge University. Gates remarks that he and Melinda were touched by her strong “thirst for learning.”

Army of None, by Paul Scharre.

The author, who is a defense expert for the Pentagon, takes a look at the implications of giving machines the authority to make life or death decisions in warfare. His stance: Humans should not be removed from the battlefield. “It’s an immensely complicated topic, but Scharre offers clear explanations and presents both the pros and cons of machine-driven warfare,” writes Gates.

And if you’re wondering which books Bill enjoyed before those ones, here are his favourite books from the last eight years.

We really hope these books improve your bank balance and make you a better person.

[source:forbes]