21 books Bill Gates says you should read this summer

The billionaire co-founder of Microsoft and chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation reportedly reads around 50 books a year, and he chronicles his literary adventures on his blog, Gates Notes.

Gates' book recommendations have included historical accounts like Walter Isaacson's biography of Leonardo Da Vinci, poetic works of fiction like Maylis De Kerangal's "The Heart," and complex yet fascinating nonfiction works like Gretchen Bakke's "The Grid," which is all about our energy infrastructure.

Reading Gates' top picks is guaranteed to make you smarter.

The following list is culled from four years of Gates' summer reading lists and book reviews, and it's presented in no particular order.

Although Labor Day may signal the start of fall to some people, there are still a few weeks of summer — the first day of autumn isn't until September 22.

So it's not too late to enlighten yourself with these 21 Gates-approved reads:

"Everything Happens for a Reason" by Kate Bowler

Kate Bowler was diagnosed with an incurable form of colon cancer at the age of 35. In her book "Everything Happens for a Reason," Bowler takes on her diagnosis with a surprising amount of humor, which clearly had an effect on Gates.

In a blog post published May 21, he wrote:

"

"Leonardo Da Vinci" by Walter Isaacson

"Origin Story: A Big History of Everything" by David Christian

Gates said in a May blog post that historian David Christian's "Origin Story" will leave you with a "greater appreciation of humanity's place in the universe."

Christian teaches an online course based on the book, called Big History, which tells the story of the universe from the Big Bang through the modern era.

Gates said "Origin Story" pairs perfectly with the course as a "great refresher" of the material.

"Lincoln in the Bardo" by George Saunders

George Saunders' most recent novel, "Lincoln in the Bardo," made Gates "rethink" what he knew about President Abraham Lincoln.

"Factfulness" by Hans Rosling

an overly emotional view

Gates wrote on his blog in May that he's been recommending this book since "the day it came out."

Rosling passed away last year. Gates said on his blog that the book is "a

"Hillbilly Elegy" by J.D. Vance

"A Full Life" by Jimmy Carter

His memoir

"Born a Crime" by Trevor Noah

Gates said he's a longtime fan of "The Daily Show" host Trevor Noah.

On his blog last year, Gates wrote, "

"The Heart" by Maylis De Kerangal

While Gates seems to mostly read nonfiction, he said he loved Maylis de Kerangal's "The Heart."

"

"String Theory" by David Foster Wallace

The late David Foster Wallace is known for his clever essays and novels, many of which are replete with footnotes and tangents.

His "ability to use language is mind-blowing," Gates wrote in a 2016 review of "String Theory," Wallace's meditation on the sport of tennis.

"He’s an artist who approaches a canvas with the exact same oil paints everyone before him has used and then applies them in breathtaking new and creative ways," Gates said.

"Shoe Dog" by Phil Knight

Phil Knight is a one-of-a-kind CEO. In "Shoe Dog," Knight tells the story of how he built Nike into a multibillion-dollar, globe-spanning business.

Gates recommended the book in 2016.

"He doesn’t fit the mold of the bold, dashing entrepreneur. He’s shy, introverted, and often insecure," Gates wrote. "And yet, in spite of or perhaps because of his unusual character traits, he was able to realize the 'Crazy Idea,' as he calls it, to do something different with his life and create his own shoe company."

"The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

Siddhartha Mukherjee, a professor at Columbia University's School of Medicine, is a "quadruple threat," according to Gates.

"

"The Myth of the Strong Leader" by Archie Brown

Author Archie Brown's 2014 study of history's greats leaders yielded some surprising results, Gates wrote in his 2016 review of "The Myth of the Strong Leader."

"B

"The Grid" by Gretchen Bakke

Gates is a proud nerd, and that is evident in his enthusiastic praise for Gretchen Bakke's book about our electrical infrastructure.

"

Since blogging about the book, Gates and a group of other billionaires including Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg announced an investment in two energy-storage startups through the fund Breakthrough Energy Ventures.

"Homo Deus" by Yuval Noah Harari

Yuval Noah Harari, an Israeli historian, is one of Gates' favorite authors. Gates previously recommended Harari's first book, "Sapiens," and said on his blog last year that "Homo Deus" is a "smart look at what may be ahead for humanity."

"

"Seveneves" by Neal Stephenson

In a 2016 post on his blog, Gates said that reading "Seveneves" inspired him to "rekindle his science fiction habit."

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"How Not to Be Wrong" by Jordan Ellenberg

Mathematician and writer Jordan Ellenberg wants you not to be wrong. Knowing math — really understanding how the underlying principles of numbers define everything we do — is the best way to be right, Ellenberg writes in his book.

Gates, himself a proponent of mathematical thinking, recommended Ellenberg's book on his 2016 reading list.

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"The Vital Question" by Nick Lane

In "The Vital Question," British biochemist Nick Lane attacks the black hole at the heart of biology: how complex life first began.

Lane posits that energy produced by the mitochondria in our cells is what caused bacteria to make the jump to complicated, multi-cellular organisms over 1 billion years ago.

"More people should know about this guy’s work," Gates said on his blog.

"The Power to Compete" by Ryoichi Mikitani and Hiroshi Mikitani

The Mikitanis are an enviable father-son duo. Ryoichi, the elder one, was the first Fulbright scholar to the US from Japan, and he spent a chunk of his career teaching economics at Yale. His son Hiroshi went to Harvard Business School and founded Rakuten, an e-commerce company that has made him a billionaire.

In the "The Power to Compete," the father and son use their respective disciplines to investigate why Japan's booming tech economy of the 80s and 90s has stagnated.

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"Enlightenment Now" by Stephen Pinker

Psychologist and writer Stephen Pinker is one of Gates' favorite authors. In fact, Pinker's newest book, "Enlightenment Now," isblog

takes a sweeping look a history and comes to the optimistic conclusion that we are living in the most peaceful era humans have ever enjoyed.

He analyzes 15 indicators, like literacy, quality of life, and safety, and compares data to show how these have changed over time.

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"Capitalism Without Capital" by Jonathan Haskel and Stian Westlake

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Gates explains:

According to Gates, this trend has huge ramifications for the global economy. For example, GDP calculations don't account for spending on branding and market research, yet many major companies are centered around those intangible assets.

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21 books Bill Gates says you should read this summer

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