很多人對比爾蓋茨的印象還停留在微軟創始人、億萬富翁。近幾年，蓋茨把很多精力放在慈善事業上，忙碌程度絲毫不亞于以前。不過即使再忙，他還是會花大量的時間閱讀。不信你百度一下蓋茨和讀書之類的關鍵詞，就會看到很多諸如《頂級成功人士的習慣》這樣的雞湯文章。

雞湯歸雞湯，但蓋茨確實是一個avid reader。他的狂熱達到什么程度呢？他在一次采訪中說到自己每年讀完大約50本書，而且是紙質的。忙的時候每周同時看一到兩本，度假的時候每周多達四到五本。

Mr. Gates says he reads about 50 books in a year, eschewing digital readers for old-fashioned books on paper. When he is busy with work, he reads about a book or two a week, but will consume four or five in the same period while vacationing with family.

他自己還建了一個博客網站GatesNotes，詳細羅列了每年的書單和書評。

蓋茨每次推薦一本書，這本書便會立馬登上暢銷榜，這種現象還專門有個詞叫“The Bill Gates Bump”，就是蓋茨“頂過”的書。有人會質疑：出版社不會跟蓋茨商量好了吧？事實還真不是這樣。曾經就有出版社的人聯系過蓋茨的團隊，不過負責人表示：我們無法決定蓋茨讀哪本書，我們只能把書堆在桌上。

As publishers have become more aware of Mr. Gates's reviews… they have tried to figure out how to get their new books in front of him.

Stephanie Kim... hustled her way into a connection with someone on Mr. Gates's team only to be told, "'We don't have any say over what Bill chooses,'" she said "'We just leave it on his desk and he reads what he wants to read.'" Ms. Kim lucked out.

作為一個年過六旬的“極客”，蓋茨的書單也頗有規律，一般是非小說類居多，比如在今年的書單里，”百科類“的作品比較多。

I just looked over the list of books I read this year, and I noticed a pattern. A lot of them touch on a theme that I would call “how things work."

看看一個資深“極客”今年都推薦了哪些書吧：

The Road to Character, by David Brooks

作者是《紐約時報》的專欄作家David Brooks。在書中作者講述了兩種美德，一種是“簡歷美德”，一種是“悼詞美德”。顧名思義，“簡歷美德”是指那些你自己會寫在簡歷上的優點，這是一種在市場中生存的技能。“悼詞美德”是指那些會在你的悼詞中，別人提到的話。所以哪一種是你更看重的呢？書中作者列舉了很多歷史人物。

蓋茨評語：The insightful New York Times columnist examines the contrasting values that motivate all of us. He argues that American society does a good job of cultivating the "résumé virtues" (the traits that lead to external success) but not our "eulogy virtues" (the traits that lead to internal peace of mind). Brooks profiles various historical figures who were paragons of character. I thought his portrait of World War II General George Marshall was especially enlightening. Even if the distinction between the two types of virtues is not always crystal clear, The Road to Character gave me a lot to think about. It is a thought-provoking look at what it means to live life well.

Thing Explainer: Complicated Stuff in Simple Words, by Randall Munroe

這本書的作者是NASA的機械師。就像書名說的那樣，作者用最多不過1000字的簡單詞匯解釋一些科技發明的工作原理，從生活中常見到的洗碗機，到核電站的工作原理，相信看了之后會大有啟發。真正內行的人才可以做到幾句話把事兒說明白吧。

蓋茨評語：It is a brilliant concept, because if you can't explain something simply, you don't really understand it. Munroe, who worked on robotics at NASA, is an ideal person to take it on. The book is filled with helpful explanations and drawings of everything from a dishwasher to a nuclear power plant. And Munroe's jokes are laugh-out-loud funny. This is a wonderful guide for curious minds.

Being Nixon: A Man Divided, by Evan Thomas

作者不僅講述了美國前總統尼克松的政治生涯，也講述了尼克松一生的故事，從出生到死亡。這是一個睿智、有缺陷、糾結的人物。

蓋茨評語：I wouldn't call it a sympathetic portrait—in many ways, Nixon was a deeply unsympathetic person—but it is an empathetic one. Rather than just focusing on Nixon's presidency, Thomas takes a cradle-to-the-grave approach and gives you sharp insights into the inner workings of a brilliant, flawed, and conflicted man.

Sustainable Materials With Both Eyes Open, by Julian M. Allwood, Jonathan M. Cullen, et al

在蓋茨的書單里可以看到不少這樣關注人類重大話題的書，對于普通人來說這樣的書太枯燥了，蓋茨也承認“the topic can be dry as a desert”，不過他還是覺得這本書豐富的插圖和推演過程值得一看。另外這本書可以在作者的網站免費下載喔，感興趣的同學可以去找一下~

蓋茨評語：Although the topic can be dry as a desert, the authors keep it light with lots of colorful illustrations and clever analogies without sacrificing clarity or rigor. I learned a lot from this thoughtful look at a critical topic.

Eradication: Ridding the World of Diseases Forever?, by Nancy Leys Stepan

很多年過六旬的中國人主要關注養生學，而蓋茨關注的點還是人類的一些重大話題。這本書對于普通讀者還是顯得晦澀難懂，不過一旦你下了功夫去讀，還是會獲益良多的。

蓋茨評語：Stepan's history of eradication efforts gives you a good sense of how involved the work can get, how many different kinds of approaches have been tried without success, and how much we've learned from our failures. She writes in a fairly academic style that may make it hard for non-experts to get to her valuable arguments, but it's worth the effort. You come away from it with a clearer sense of how we can use the lessons of the past to guide future efforts to save lives.

Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, by Carol S. Dweck

蓋茨今年推薦的書單里也不盡是剛剛出版的新作，比如這本07年問世的舊書。書中作者提出了兩種思維模式：僵固式思維模式（fixed mindset）和成長式思維模式（growth mindset）。前者傾向于認為人的能力無法改變，而后者則認為人的基本品質可以通過努力不斷提高。 無論是精明商人還是普通父母，都能從這本書里受益。

蓋茨評語：Through clever research studies and engaging writing, Dweck illuminates how our beliefs about our capabilities exert tremendous influence on how we learn and which paths we take in life. The value of this book extends way beyond the world of education. It's just as relevant for businesspeople who want to cultivate talent and for parents who want to raise their kids to thrive on challenge.

The Vital Question, by Nick Lane

最后蓋茨還把“榮譽獎（honorable mention）”給了The Vital Question，這本書講述了線粒體和地球生命的起源。

Inc.com的資深編輯Geoffrey James回憶說，多年前采訪蓋茨的時候，他聊的都是技術、商業類的話題，而如今的蓋茨儼然成為了一名人生導師。

When I interviewed him back during his Microsoft years, he was all about the business of technology. Today, he's like the mentor we all wish we had. So much energy in business today is all about the push-push-push for success, so it's refreshing to see an icon of entrepreneurship who no longer needs to posture or preen but instead wants to share, wisely and well, what he's acquired and learned.

本來靠退休金就能好好享受人生的人還這么努力，你還有啥理由不多讀書？

（來源：英語環球 編輯：丁一）