1. "Prepared" by Diane Tavenner
Most of Gates's reading is focused on nonfiction — especially topics related to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Diane Tavenner's book focuses on the story of Summit Public Schools, a group of middle and high schools determined to educate differently than other public schools. Tavenner founded the first Summit school in 2003, and since then, the system has grown to 15.
Summit schools teach children real-world skills as opposed to lessons that are focused on preparation for state tests. And, judging by their college acceptance rates (99%, according to the book's blurb), Summit schools are making an impact.
2. "Loonshots" by Safi Bahcall
Gates is no stranger to radical ideas. From redesigning toilets to eradicating malaria, Gates has focused on tackling global issues since leaving his post as Microsoft's CEO 19 years ago.
"Loonshots" focuses on how those seemingly "crazy" ideas are accepted or rejected by group behavior. Safi Bahcall, a physicist and biotech entrepreneur, looks at how groups can change their collective minds at a moment's notice.
Gates isn't the only one reading Bahcall's book: Economist and Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman said one of the book's strengths is its "convincing analysis" of how ideas evolve.
3. "These Truths" by Jill Lepore
Harvard history professor Jill Lepore has written books about the history of the Tea Party, New York City, and Wonder Woman.
With "These Truths," Lepore delves into the history of the United States while asking critical questions about the nation. Lepore's interpretation of American history seeks to dispel myths about everything from Christopher Columbus to immigration to slavery.
"The past is an inheritance, a gift, and a burden," Lepore writes. "It can't be shirked. There's nothing for it but to get to know it."
4. "Every word" David Foster Wallace has ever written
Although Gates devotes less time to reading fiction, he told the Journal that he plans to read "every word" David Foster Wallace has ever written before embarking on the novelist's masterwork, "Infinite Jest."
Wallace is known for writing essays, short stories, and novels about everything from tennis to lobsters. The late author's second novel, "Infinite Jest," is an epic comedy about a film — itself called "Infinite Jest" — that is so enjoyable anyone who watches it will become addicted to it, even watching it until they die.
"I don't start books without finishing them, so starting a 1,600-page book with massive footnotes is daunting even for an ambitious reader," Gates told the Journal. "There are books like that that go around the world several times before I open them up."
