Bill Gates: Book Blogger

According to the New York Times, Gates reads about 50 books a year

Who knew that the infamous Bill Gates (and I say "infamous" only because I still can't quite forgive this guy for all the misery I suffered via Windows before I finally made the move to an iMac) is a book blogger just like the rest of us? I see from this new New York Times interview with Gates that he not only blogs about books, he does it for pretty much the same reasons the rest of us do it.  Here is a sample of what Gates has to say:

What made you decide to start the books blog and write reviews?

I have always loved reading and learning, so it is great if people see a book review and feel encouraged to read and share what they think online or with their friends...

How do you choose the books you read? Recommendations from family/friends/media?

It’s a mix of things. Melinda and I will sometimes exchange books we like. I also get recommendations from friends. After I finish something great, I will often try to find other books by that author or similar ones on the same subject.

Earlier this year Melinda and I saw the musical “Hamilton,” which inspired me to read Ron Chernow’s biography.

Is there one book that was an unexpected choice for you that you unexpectedly loved? 

...I don’t read a lot of fiction but was surprised by how much I loved the novel “The Rosie Project,” by Graeme Simsion. Melinda read it first and kept stopping to recite parts of it out loud to me. Eventually, I decided to take a look.

I started it one night at 11 p.m. and stayed up with it until 3 a.m. It is very funny, while also showing a lot of empathy for people who struggle in social situations.

After I sent it and the sequel (“The Rosie Effect”) to dozens of friends and wrote about it on my blog, I heard from a lot of people who were touched by it. There is talk of turning it into a movie, which I hope happens. Rosie and Don Tillman would make a great on-screen couple.

There's a lot more to the piece, so do take a look.  I'm now curious enough to take a hard look at Gates's blog to see just how much time and effort he puts into it. Could be fun.