Books have the power to fuel your imagination, to inspire you to do better things, to introduce you to a completely new emotion that you did not know you had, and sometimes books make you a better person too.
While most of us read books as a hobby and for leisure, some of us read them to become a better person. These people look for books that help them gain an insight into becoming successful in life.
And you know what the best part is? You can read the same book your role model has read.
Let’s take a look at the books that adorn the bookshelves of some of the most inspirational people on the planet.
1. Barack Obama
I do not know where he gets time to read, but he does read quite a bit, and I was delighted to see that he loved Jhumpa Lahiri’s The Lowland.
 Some of the other books he loves –
Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End by Atul Gawande.
Cartwheeling in Thunderstorms by Katherine Rundell.
Nuts To You by Lynn Rae Perkins.
2. Narendra Modi
A workaholic by nature, he rarely finds time to read anything I bet. But during a recent event he did recommend a book that children should read.
 Some of the other books he loves –
Books by Aurobindo and Vivekananda.
Reads a lot online in the form of e-books.
3. J K Rowling
One always wonder what books do the successful authors read? Do they even read, after all they are so accomplished in writing themselves, why would they bother to read anything else?
 Turns out, they do love to read other works, and J K Rowling has listed some of her favorites –
Macbeth by William Shakespeare.
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott.
The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling.
The Story of the Treasure Seekers By E. Nesbit.
4. Malala Yousafzai
Malala has gone through a lot for her age, and her wisdom does show in the way she speaks during interviews.
And her preferences of books do reflect her mind –
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.
Parvana’s Journey by Deborah Ellis.
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking.
5. Angela Merkel
Angela Merkel is one of the most important decision-makers in the whole of Europe. She doesn’t really get much time to read, but she does read the Bible religiously.
Apart from the Bible, she also reads –
Cookery books.
6. Jeff Bezos
What does the owner of Amazon itself read? And how does he order his books? Through Amazon, or…..
Anyways, Jeff Bezos has transformed Amazon from just a simple order-and-deliver website to one of the most successful business models in the world.
Here is what he reads –
The Remains of the Day’ by Kazuo Ishiguro  – his favorite.
Creation: Life and How to Make It by Steve Grand.
The Stopwatch Gang by Greg Weston.
7. Mark Zuckerberg
Mark Zuckerberg is currently doing his A Year Of Books challenge, and hence it is easier to keep a tab on what he reads. The challenge itself is a daunting one as we can imagine, because Mr. Zuckerberg leads a very hectic schedule.
But all credit to him for taking time out to read –
Gang Leader for a Day: A Rogue Sociologist Takes to the Streets by Sudhir Venkatesh.
Creativity Inc: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration by Ed Catmull.
Dealing with China by Hank Paulson.
Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card.
8. Elon Musk
If Mark Zuckerberg is busy, Elon Musk is super-duper-busy. He handles 3 companies for God’s sake. But Elon Musk has always read books from his childhood, and obviously reading is a hard nabi to kick.
He recommends the following books he absolutely loved –
The Lord Of The Rings by J R R Tolkein.
Structures Or Why Things Don’t Fall Down by J.E Gordon.
Superintelligence: Paths Dangers Strategies by Nick Bostrom.
9. Will Smith
One of the most bankable stars in Hollywood reads quite a bit. While reading fiction may be so dull for him after he reads innumerable scripts put in front of him daily, looks like he reads books that inspires him to keep himself motivated for success –
He recommends-
Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki, Sharon L. Lechter.
10. Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi has only read one single book in his entire life.
And that is –
11. Benedict Cumberbatch
You do not become so sophisticated without reading a few books.
And, Mr. Cumberbatch has read more than a few –
12. Bill Gates
Like Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates also keeps his followers updated on the books he reads.
The latest books he has read are –
Thing Explainer: Complicated Stuff in Simple Words by Randall Munroe.
Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck.
Eradication: Ridding the World of Diseases Forever? by Nancy Leys Stepan.
13. Sergei Brin
The co-founder of Google leads a life away from the spotlight.
But he did list a couple of books he loved –
Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson.
14. Sheryl Sandberg
The bestselling author of Lean In and the current COO of Facebook is famous for being an astute businesswoman and inspirational to everyone.
She has an interesting group of favorites –
Bossypants by Tina Fey.
Queen of Fashion by Caroline Weber.
The Lean Startup by Eric Ries.
15. Robert Downey Jr.
Yes, our beloved Robert Downey Jr. does read. One of the books was understandably for the research, the other is a completely weird choice –
His favourites include-
The Evolution Of Astrology by Steven Forrest.
16. Priyanka Chopra
Priyanka Chopra is one of the current global stars India has produced. She is an actress who almost everyone loves. Obviously, she has time to read during her travel time between locales, because she has read quite a bit.
She recommends the following books –
Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare.
Tell me your Dreams by Sidney Sheldon.