 As Microsoft's co-founder and a philanthropist, world's second richest man Bill Gates is a busy individual. However, despite his busy schedule, Bill Gates makes out time to read one book per week. Just like Warren Buffett and a host of other billionaires, Bill Gates believes that reading is essential for success. In this video, I will show you 13 books that this successful entrepreneur has reviewed and recommended for anyone who wants to attain success. 1. Factfulness 10 reasons we're wrong about the world and why things are better than you think by Hans Rosling. Although author Hans Rosling died in 2017, he leaves behind his new book co-authored by his son and daughter-in-law. Gates describes this book as one of the most important books he has ever read and one of his two favorite books of the year 2018. According to Gates, Hans believed the world was making remarkable progress and he wanted everyone to know about it. Factfulness is his final effort to help people identify areas where things are getting better and spread that improvement. 2. Origin Story A significant history of everything by David Christian. According to Bill Gates, Origin Story is an excellent introduction to the big history. According to him, if you have heard about the big history before, it is a great refresher. Either way, the book will leave you with a greater appreciation of humanity's place in the universe. The book talks about the universe from the Big Bang to today's complex societies and joins insights and disciplines together to form a single narrative. 3. The Man Who Fed the World by Leon Hesse In his review of this book by Leon Hesse, Bill Gates says, Through my work at the foundation, I have been fortunate to meet some amazing people who have had a huge impact on the world. But one person I'll always wish I could have met is Norman Bullock, a remarkable scientist and humanitarian. His work in agriculture has influenced my thinking and the foundation's work with small farmers in the world's poorest countries. Fortunately, there is a great biography of Borlaig, the man who fed the world which I highly recommend. This book is a story of a man who saved hundreds of millions of lives from starvation more than any other person in history through agriculture. 4. The Vital Question by Nick Lane Bill Gates recounts that Trevor Mundell, who runs his foundation's global health work, suggested that he reads a book called The Vital Question. In his words, I have never heard of the book or its author, a biologist at the University College London named Nick Lane. A few months later, I hadn't just read The Vital Question, I had also ordered Nick's three other books, read two of them and arranged to meet him in New York City. Nick's work is an attempt to make right a scientific wrong by getting people to fully appreciate the role that energy plays in all living things. In The Vital Question, Nick explores the latest thinking about the origin of life and argues that the only way we can understand the question about life is first by appreciating energy. 5. Epic Measures by Jeremy Smith Jeremy Smith's epic measure is a combination of some of Chris Murray's work. Bill Gates recommends this book as a highly readable account for anyone who wants to know more about Chris's work and why it matters. According to Smith, it is the story of a huge independent effort and years in preparation to do nothing less than chart everything that threatens the health of everyone on Earth and also make the information publicly available to doctors, health officials, political leaders and private citizens everywhere. 6. The Sixth Extinction and a Natural History by Elizabeth Corbett Natural scientists posit that there have been five extinction events in the Earth's history but in this book, Elizabeth Corbett makes a compelling case that human activity is leading to the sixth. Unlike a lot of people who write about the environment, Corbett doesn't resort to hype. She lays out the facts and wraps them in memorable anecdotes. Bill Gates refers to this book as a sobering but engaging and informative read. 7. Shoe Dog by Phil Knight In this book, Phil Knight tells the tale of how the company Nike began. Bill Gates says that he has read about entrepreneurs following the typical yet misleading storyline that seems smooth and without failure. But for Gates, shoe dog is one of the few refreshingly honest reminders of what the path to business success looks like. It tells of the messy, dangerous and chaotic journey riddled with mistakes, endless struggles and sacrifice faced by Phil Knight. In Gates' exact words, in fact, the only thing that seems inevitable in page after page of Knight's story is his company will fail. 8. The Heart by Mellis the Carangal This poetry disguised as a novel is about three French 20-year-olds who go surfing in the middle of the night. And as they are driving back from the beach just before sunrise, they get in a car accident. Two of them survive but one of them, Simon, dies. And his parents have to decide whether to donate his heart or not. They choose to do it and doctors transplant the heart. According to Bill Gates, his wife, Melinda, recommended the book to him. He asserted that it is not the plot that makes the heart such a beautiful book, but the languages, the way the words were needed together and how it makes you feel connected to the characters. The book makes one reminisce on life, death and the heart. 9. Stress Test, Reflections and Financial Crisis by Tim Gethner In his review, Bill Gates identifies that an irony of stress test is that of Timothy Gethner, who was accused of being a lousy communicator as US Treasury Secretary, penned down a book that is such a good read. The book is Gethner's memoir, narrating what it was like to be fighting a global financial meltdown while at the same time fighting critics inside and outside the administration, as well as his severe guilt over his near total absence from his family. 10. A Full Life by Jimmy Carter This book is a memoir of President Carter. It tells about his growing up in the small town of Plains, Georgia. Gates said he loved to read about Carter's rise to the world's highest office. According to him, the book will help you understand how growing up in rural Georgia, in a house without running water, electricity or insulation, shaped for better and for worse, his time in the White House. He noted that the stories might be from another time, but they carry distinct timeliness as people's trust in political institutions. 11. How to Lie with Statistics by Darrell Hough This book by Darrell Hough was published in 1954. It is an introduction to statistics and a briefing on how they can be manipulated. Bill Gates states that the book is more relevant than ever. According to him, one chapter shows you how visuals are used to exaggerate trends and give distorted comparisons. It is a time to reminder given how often infographics show up in your Facebook and Twitter feeds these days. 12. Seven Eves by Neil Stephenson On a friend's recommendation, Bill Gates picked up this book in 2016. In his review, Bill Gates writes that he is grateful that he read the book. He said one might lose patience with the information gotten about the space flight, but the technical details are lovely. Seven Eves is a hard science fiction novel published in 2015. The story tells of the despairing efforts to keep homocipians in the wake of apocalyptic events on Earth, following the unexplained disintegration of the moon and remarking the human society as a space-based civilization after a severe genetic logjam. 13. Business Adventures 12 classic tales from the world of Wall Street by John Brooks According to Bill Gates, this book was recommended to him by Warren Buffett in 1991. Although published in 1969, the book offers vital insights into the timeless basics of business, such as building a large organization, hiring the right staff, and communication with customers. Gates referred to John Brooks as a masterful storyteller, peppering his articles with compelling portraits of everyone from general-electric executives to the founder of piggly-wiggly groceries. Reading is still the main way that I both learn new things and test my understanding. The statement is the testimony of not only Bill Gates, but many other renowned world leaders and entrepreneurs.