Things To Read

I’m a little suspicious of lists put out by booksellers of books I ought to read.

I’m especially suspicious when it’s a list of 100 “books to read in a lifetime” being suggested by Amazon.  But, when Matt Mullenweg, founder of Automattic and one of two founding developers of WordPress, I have to admit, I pay a little closer attention.  For one thing, I’ve heard spectacular things about him from at least one of his old high school buddies and for another, I respect what he’s managed to do with a basically abandoned open source project.  I figure he’s smart enough that he’s worth paying attention to when he suggests something.  Also, looking at the list, I’m surprised at how many I’ve read already, and how many more sound interesting.

That being said, if you want a shorter list of suggested books to read this year, you can try the 6 Books Bill Gates wants you to read presented by Inc., magazine.  Not surprisingly, no fiction listed here, but in six books he manages to cover some science and some history, as well as business and more general sociology.  Again, say what you will about Bill Gates, he is a genius and I am seriously considering reading these books this year.

So, now that I’ve given you a list of recommended reading to choose from this year, what will you choose?  Or do you have something else entirely you suggest we all read?