5 books I loved in 2018 | Bill Gates 01/01/19, 18(10

5 books I loved in 2018

Bill Gates

If you’re like me, you love giving—or getting!—books during the holidays. A
great read is the perfect gift: thoughtful and easy to wrap (with no batteries
or assembly required). Plus, I think everyone could use a few more books
in their lives. I usually don’t consider whether something would make a
good present when I’m putting together my end of year book list—but this
year’s selections are highly giftable.

My list is pretty eclectic this year. From a how-to guide about meditation to
a deep dive on autonomous weapons to a thriller about the fall of a once-
promising company, there’s something for everyone. If you’re looking for a
fool-proof gift for your friends and family, you can’t go wrong with one of
these.

Educated, by Tara Westover. Tara never went to school or visited a doctor

until she left home at 17. I never thought I’d relate to a story about growing
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5 books I loved in 2018 | Bill Gates 01/01/19, 18(10

up in a Mormon survivalist household, but she’s such a good writer that

she got me to reflect on my own life while reading about her extreme
childhood. Melinda and I loved this memoir of a young woman whose
thirst for learning was so strong that she ended up getting a Ph.D. from
Cambridge University.

Army of None, by Paul Scharre. Autonomous weapons aren’t exactly top of

mind for most around the holidays, but this thought-provoking look at A.I.
in warfare is hard to put down. It’s an immensely complicated topic, but
Scharre offers clear explanations and presents both the pros and cons of
machine-driven warfare. His fluency with the subject should come as no
surprise: he’s a veteran who helped draft the U.S. government’s policy on
autonomous weapons.

Bad Blood, by John Carreyrou. A bunch of my friends recommended this

one to me. Carreyrou gives you the definitive insider’s look at the rise and
fall of Theranos. The story is even crazier than I expected, and I found
myself unable to put it down once I started. This book has everything:
elaborate scams, corporate intrigue, magazine cover stories, ruined family
relationships, and the demise of a company once valued at nearly $10
billion.

21 Lessons for the 21st Century, by Yuval Noah Harari. I’m a big fan of
everything Harari has written, and his latest is no exception. While Sapiens
and Homo Deus covered the past and future respectively, this one is all
about the present. 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.

The Headspace Guide to Meditation and Mindfulness, by Andy

Puddicombe. I’m sure 25-year-old me would scoff at this one, but Melinda
and I have gotten really into meditation lately. The book starts with
Puddicombe’s personal journey from a university student to a Buddhist
monk and then becomes an entertaining explainer on how to meditate. If
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5 books I loved in 2018 | Bill Gates 01/01/19, 18(10

you’re thinking about trying mindfulness, this is the perfect introduction.

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