Bill Gates travels the world to all sorts of exotic places and probably gets to meet with pretty much anyone he might have an interest in. But through books, the Microsoft co-founder said he is truly transported.

As is the billionaire philanthropist’s custom this time of year, Gates has shared his recommendations for great books that he read over the previous 12 months, and a new blog post details five of the “amazing” titles that indulged his curiosity.

But before getting to his list, Gates managed to make it eight books he thoroughly enjoyed, by mentioning “Black Flags: The Rise of ISIS,” by Joby Warrick; “Turtles All the Way Down,” by John Green; and “The Color of Law,” by Richard Rothstein. Add those to the pile left over from the five titles he recommended back in May for summer reading.

Regardless of whether you can keep up with Gates’ pace and squeeze these into what’s left of the year before 2018 — and more new lists! — here are the five that he thinks would be great for curling up with next to the fireplace. The short synopses are all by Gates and each title links off to a longer review written by him.

“The Best We Could Do,” by Thi Bui. “This gorgeous graphic novel is a deeply personal memoir that explores what it means to be a parent and a refugee. The author’s family fled Vietnam in 1978. After giving birth to her own child, she decides to learn more about her parents’ experiences growing up in a country torn apart by foreign occupiers.”

“Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City,” by Matthew Desmond. “If you want a good understanding of how the issues that cause poverty are intertwined, you should read this book about the eviction crisis in Milwaukee. Desmond has written a brilliant portrait of Americans living in poverty. He gave me a better sense of what it is like to be poor in this country than anything else I have read.”