2469 recommendations from 411 linked sources · 287 books picked by two or more people
If you want to think like Bill Gates, read the books they recommend.
Discover books recommended by Barack Obama, Bill Gates, Stephen Fry and 298 other interesting people. Every pick comes with receipts: a link to the exact page where they said it.
Learn a skill
What do you want to get better at?
Say it in your own words. You get the books people here recommended, matched to that skill.
301interesting people
2016books worth your time
2469recommendations, all sourced
0ads or affiliate links
The overlap
When great minds agree
287 books were recommended independently by two or more people. Start here.
- 1Man's Search for MeaningMaria Popova, Shane Parrish, Tony Robbins, Chris Guillebeau, Darius Foroux, Mark Manson, Matt D'Avella, Jordan Peterson, Sam Parr
- 2The War of ArtDerek Sivers, Ryan Holiday, Chris Guillebeau, Darius Foroux, Dickie Bush, James Clear, Mark Manson, Matt D'Avella, Chris Williamson
- 3Poor Charlie's AlmanackPatrick Collison, Shane Parrish, Naval Ravikant, Eric Jorgenson, Codie Sanchez, Daniel Ek, Matt Mullenweg, Drew Houston
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8recommendersSapiens 8 recommendersDerek Sivers, Reid Hoffman, Sebastian Junger, James Clear, Mark Manson, Naval Ravikant, Daniel Ek, Matt Mullenweg
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7recommendersFoundation 7 recommendersStewart Brand, Daniel Suarez, Orson Scott Card, Paul Krugman, Adam Gazzaley, Mark Manson, Matt Mullenweg
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7recommendersMeditations 7 recommendersStewart Brand, Shane Parrish, Ryan Holiday, Darius Foroux, James Clear, Mark Manson, Naval Ravikant
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7recommendersPrinciples 7 recommendersNat Eliason, Mark Manson, Eric Jorgenson, Codie Sanchez, Matt Mullenweg, Kevin Systrom, Tony Robbins
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7recommendersThe 4-Hour Workweek 7 recommendersDerek Sivers, Darius Foroux, Ali Abdaal, Mark Manson, Matt D'Avella, Thomas Frank, Blake Mycoskie
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6recommendersInfluence 6 recommendersDerek Sivers, Dan Ariely, James Clear, Samy Kamkar, Mark Manson, Sam Parr
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5recommendersAntifragile 5 recommendersDerek Sivers, Shane Parrish, David Perell, Nat Eliason, Mark Manson
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5recommendersDemocracy in America 5 recommendersPatrick Collison, Francis Fukuyama, Karl Rove, Robert Reich, Mark Manson
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5recommendersDune 5 recommendersStewart Brand, Christopher Paolini, Arkady Martine, Mark Manson, Brandon Sanderson
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5recommendersEndurance 5 recommendersChris Guillebeau, Nat Eliason, Mark Manson, Chris Williamson, Sam Parr
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5recommendersMindset 5 recommendersDarius Foroux, Bill Gates, Mark Manson, Codie Sanchez, Tobi Lütke
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5recommendersThe Iliad 5 recommendersStewart Brand, Neal Stephenson, Stephen Fry, David Bowie, Mark Manson
People
Whose shelf will you raid?
- Barack Obama44th President of the United States50 books
- Bill GatesCo-founder of Microsoft; philanthropist71 books
- Stephen FryBritish comedian, actor, writer, presenter, and activist5 books
- Neil GaimanEnglish writer (born 1960)5 books
- Mary BeardEnglish classicist (born 1955)5 books
- John KerryAmerican politician and diplomat (born 1943)5 books
- Thomas PikettyFrench economist (born 1971)5 books
- Brian EnoMusician, producer and visual artist12 books
Lists
Read like a billionaire, a president, an author…
- Billionaires119 books · 8 people
- Millionaires5 books · 3 people
- Authors1510 books · 196 people
- Presidents55 books · 2 people
- Entrepreneurs724 books · 43 people
- Investors94 books · 10 people
- Politicians168 books · 25 people
- Journalists501 books · 68 people
- Podcasters156 books · 18 people
- Scientists245 books · 47 people
- Actors202 books · 21 people
- Musicians176 books · 16 people
- Athletes13 books · 7 people
- Comedians25 books · 6 people
Topics
Pick a subject, find a shelf
- Fiction & literature611 books
- Politics & society383 books
- Philosophy & how to live371 books
- History345 books
- Psychology & decisions191 books
- Economics & progress162 books
- Business & investing159 books
- Science154 books
- Science fiction108 books
- Writing, art & ideas108 books
- War & violence75 books
- Computing & software71 books
Why trust it
No source, no recommendation.
Plenty of "books recommended by" lists are hard to check. Here, every claim has to point to something you can open and read.
Read the methodology- 01
One claim, one source
Each pick links to the exact post, interview or list where the person named the book. Not a homepage. Not a rumour.
- 02
Evidence, labelled
Explicit recommendation Year-end favourite Prize or best-of list Canon selection Books someone merely mentioned or was photographed with are left out.
- 03
Re-checked, dated
We re-read every source and confirm the book is still on the page. Each card shows when we last checked.
Seen a great recommendation we're missing?
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