Bill Gates and his daughter ‘loved’ this mystery romance novel—and he advises that you read it too

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Phoebe Adele Gates, Bill Gates, and Melinda Gates attend the Goalkeepers 2017.

Bill Gates is an avid reader and it appears that his youngest daughter Phoebe is as well.

In a recent blog post, the billionaire reveals that his latest literary favorite is a romance mystery novel. He reveals that his wife and daughter are actually mega-fans of both the book and the author John Green.

Titled “Turtles All the Way Down,” Green’s novel follows the story of Aza Holmes, a high school student in Indianapolis. Holmes and her best friend embark on a quest to find a missing billionaire in hopes of receiving a $100,000 reward for information on his whereabouts.

However, the protagonist must plow through her mental disorders (obsessive-compulsive disorder and severe anxiety), which make the mission extremely difficult and are a major obstacle in her social life.

Readers may find the “claustrophobic” description of her “mental swirl” difficult to read, writes Gates, but the author does a stellar job of showing what it’s like to live with OCD, a condition from which his daughter suffers.

Romance also makes an appearance in the book — when Holmes falls head over heels for the son of the missing billionaire. And although the plot centers around a fellow billionaire, Gates hopes that he’s nothing like him, referring to the missing character as “morally bankrupt.”

However, Gates thinks that his kids can relate to some of the billionaire’s experiences, noting that the character wants to give all of his money away to his pet lizard.



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While Gates does not plan on leaving his vast wealth to an animal, he also will not hand over his entire fortune to his three children. Both he and his wife have repeatedly stated that they will leave a majority of their estimated $89.8 billion net worth to philanthropic causes.

In the blog post, Phoebe adds her own “mini-review” of the book and explains that the plot hit home for two reasons: She struggled with OCD for years and she sees herself in the billionaire’s son Davis.

“Never has a book been able to capture so well what it is like to live in the shadow of someone else’s legacy,” writes Phoebe. “This story shows how Davis struggled to find his own identity outside of his father’s fame and wealth.”

Phoebe also notes that she has a voracious appetite for books, much like her father. In fact, Gates reads about 50 books a year and has a tendency to share his annual favorites.

Last year, his two favorite books were “One is ‘Enlightenment Now” by Steven Pinker and “Factfulness” by Han Rosling. Gates describes both books as “amazing,” during a recent Reddit “Ask Me Anything” session. “They are both very readable and explain that the world is getting better,” he writes.

As for his newest 2018 favorite, the billionaire thinks that the book will be enjoyable for readers of all ages. “It’s a fun, moving story filled with quirky but relatable characters,” he writes.

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