I Read 52 Books This Year. Here Are My Top Picks.

In a 2016 interview with The New York Times, Bill Gates shared that he reads about 50 books a year. And he’s not alone. Elon Musk used to read two books a day when he was growing up, according to his brother. Other well-known bibliophiles include Barack Obama, Oprah Winfrey, and Warren Buffett. In fact, Buffet even once recommended, “Read 500 pages…every day. That’s how knowledge works. It builds up, like compound interest. All of you can do it, but I guarantee not many of you will do it.”

While we may not all get to 500 pages, reading just a bit every day could help contribute to our overall success. And there’s data to back it up. Tom Corley, author of Change Your Habits, Change Your Life, conducted a five-year study where he interviewed self-made millionaires about their daily habits. He found that one of the common denominators of those who were the most financially successful was reading. In the study, 88% of his wealthy respondents spent at least 30 minutes every day on reading and self-education. 63% listened to audiobooks during their commutes.

While reading may or may not ultimately boost our bank accounts, it unquestionably helps us learn, think differently, and exposes us to new ideas and perspectives. So last year, I thought I’d make it one of my 2021 goals: read 52 books by the end of the year—one for each week. I tried to read a broad range of books—fiction and non-fiction, international and domestic—with a diverse set of authors and genres.

All in all, I read 52 books and listened to 8 audiobooks. I decided not to count the audiobooks in my overall tally because I feel there’s something inherently different about reading than listening. (I’m sure there are plenty of people who will disagree.) In any case, as 2021 comes to a close, here are a few of my favorites from the year.

*Click on the image to check out the book on Amazon.