8 Books that make you smarter and intelligent

The growth mindset by Carol Dweck actually presents a case that you are not born smart but rather become one. Read our list of key takeaways from The Growth Mindset by Carol Dweck to see how you can be smarter.

The book by Randall Munroe stands up to it claim of "Serious scientific answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions". Randall Munroe is the creator of the famous xkcd blog. This book also appears in the list of books highly recommended by Bill Gates.

Although written by the Chinese general Sun Tzu in the 5th centry B.C. as a military treatise, this has become a go to book for many in business, politics, careers, as well as their personal lives. Check out list of key takeaways from The Art of War by Sun Tzu to understand how you can improve all aspects of you life by following these age-old principles that are still relevant today.

In this book, Nobel prize winning economist Daniel Kahneman suggests a fast and a slow system to let you be quick on your feet, but at the same time not rush in to decisions that need more thinking time.

Bill Bryson explains nearly everything that lead to us to where we are today, from a scientific perspective, with a lot of detail in physics, chemistry, and biology.

This is both a how-to-book, and also inspiration for people who wish to write. Writing is a a very intellectual process and you will notice that writers are typically deemed intelligent. Make writing a crucial part of your life.

The book and the TV series that brough science and scientific thinking to the masses. Carl Sagan not only explains what the universe is, but also provides insights into how humbling our existence is.

Malcolm Gladwell explains why some people turn out to be extraordinary successes or outliers, while others stay on the sidelines. What you will find surprising is that in a lot of cases, the whole ecosystem worked to the benefit of those who were successful, and there was nothing that the others could have done to overcome their circumstances.