last book you read

How to Answer: What Is the Last Book You Read?

Asking about recent reads is a common question many interviewers will ask. Sometimes this question will be phrased as “what book would you recommend that I read?” Or perhaps, “tell me about your favorite book.” If you are not an avid reader, do not fear! Here is how to craft a response that is genuine, intelligent, and insightful.

What Is The Purpose?

Talking about books with a potential employer – what is the purpose of this? What are they really trying to find out? There are a few differing opinions on the matter. First, this could simply be a conversation starter. The interviewer wants to get to know you a little bit and is curious about what kinds of books you read. Another purpose of this question could be to see how well-read you are (in other words, how many books you read, and what kind). In some corporate environments, being well-read is really important to the company.

Take Time To Prepare

Regardless of the purpose behind the question, we will help you to answer it to the best of your ability. Having a quick summary and keynotes from your book of choice at the ready can be an extreme advantage during your next interview. The truth is, you can choose to talk about any book you have read in the past, not just your last read. Carefully explore options available in the literary world and find ways to professionally talk about them. If you’re having trouble deciding which book to bring up in conversation, this is the blog for you. Keep reading to learn how to answer: what is the last book you read?

Choose a Book You Have Actually Read

While in theory, it might seem like a good idea to do a quick google search for a complex and scholarly novel, it is best to choose a book you have actually read. Simply reading the SparkNotes version will not give you the ability to intelligently summarize the book and have a conversation on it. What if that happens to be the interviewer’s favorite book, and wants to talk more about it? Nope, better to be honest, no matter what book you choose. Maybe choose a book that shares a little bit about you as a person. If you are interested in airplanes, pick a book that focuses on aviation. If you are a history geek, choose a book that focuses on the era that you are most interested in. This is a great way to spark some interesting conversation and help the interviewer get to know you better.

Example: My father was a piolet so I have always been interested in airplanes. The aviation-based novel I just completed inspired me to get my piolet’s license!

Or: To be honest, I’ve always loved cooking books. I enjoy simply reading them to learn about different recipes and techniques. I read them as someone else would read a novel! 

Why these are good responses:

• You are sharing a unique personal fact about yourself
• These responses sound genuine, truthful, and personal
• Further conversation might spark from your responses

Choose a Book That Teaches a Lesson

If you are still having trouble finding the perfect book to talk about, and are not an avid reader, find a book that teaches a lesson. Pieces of literature that are based around morals, values, and lessons will show your interviewer that you strive to learn. Being interested in growing and learning new things is a great trait that is very attractive to many interviewers. Try looking into The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey. You can order yourself a copy off Amazon, here ! If you like reading YA novels, try to think about one that you learned something from.

Example: The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People has helped me uncover methods to work more productively in a team-based environment. 

Why this is a good response:

• Choosing books that specifically focus on teaching the reader show that you are willing to learn
• Shows that you have a growth mindset
• Communicates that you are committed to teamwork

Find a Success-Based Read

Another fabulous topic you can search for when finding a book to discuss in an interview are success story-based reads. These can be autobiographies or short stories of triumph in any area that interests you. For example, you can choose a book that tells the story of a successful businessperson, inventor, athlete, or artist. Stories that focus on success are a great way to show your interviewer you strive for the best. It can also be a great way to segue into talking about your own personal success stories. If you are looking for a book that is sure to get you inspired, check out Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth. You can find the link to order yourself a copy on Amazon, here !

Example: The book Grit by Angela Duckworth inspired me to never give up on any task I set my mind to. The success stories in this book inspired me to go back to school to finish my undergraduate degree. 

• Shows that you learned something from the book you read
• Communicates that you have been impacted positively
• Segways into sharing more accomplishments and strengths

What if Books Are Just Not Your Thing?

For some people, the thought of finishing an entire book seems almost impossible. If your most recent read was not a book, that is okay, too! Be honest with your interviewer if you prefer to spend your time reading other types of writing. If you are interested in poetry, for example, you can talk about your favorite poet. If you are a movie fan, speak about a script you have read recently and films you have watched that were inspired by your reading.

Even if your answer might sound a little unconventional, it will help your interviewer get to know you and discover if you are a good fit for the company. Sometimes revealing a hobby that is writing-related will allow you to connect further with the interviewer. Even if the only reading you do is the newspaper, that says something about your style, and you should be honest and genuine with the interviewer!

Example: I enjoy reading poetry in my free time, my favorite poet is Edgar Allen Poe. His poetry inspired me to begin writing poems myself. 

• Shows your genuine interests
• Does not seem fabricated/lets the employer know more about you
• Gives you a unique competitive edge to help your interview stand out

More to explore:

• How to Answer: What are your pet peeves? – here
• How to Answer: How do you boost your confidence? – here 
• How to Answer: What salary expectations do you have? – here 

If you follow these tips, you’ll be well on your way to impressing your interviewer. Do you have any book recommendations you would like to share? Let us know!

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How to Answer "What Was the Last Book You Read?" in an Interview

Introduction

Interviews can be interesting & sometimes the interviewer hits you with interesting questions that you haven’t been expecting. Job interviews often include the question, "What was the last book you read?" While it may seem like a simple question,how you answer can be important. 

So, let's prepare to answer this common question, even if your reading habits are missing.

1. Make a List of Your Favorite Books, Articles, and Essays

By preparing a list of books, articles, and essays you are communicating to the recruiter that you are organized and well prepared. This also makes it easy for you to recall the most interesting topic you can touch at the time of interview. Note down a list of books that covers all aspects of the theme like leadership, time management, self improvement etc.

2. Analyze What You Liked and Your Big Takeaways

Every book you enjoy has something special about it. Maybe it's a great story, useful life lessons, or interesting ideas. Take some time to think about what made you like each of your favorite things to read. Was it an exciting story, or did you learn something about dealing with people that helps you at work? These thoughts will help you answer more honestly and convincingly.

3. Relate Your Favorites to Relevant Skills or Lessons

A book is knowledge of the river, lessons that may be relevant to us are following through it. Always try to communicate those key learnings you have utilized in a real scenario if possible. By mentioning your learning and application in practical life shows that you are a productive person and you can use what resources you have available to do your job better.

4. Tell a Story About Your Favorite Reads

Story is a powerful way to communicate. Tell a tale about the book rather than just naming it. Share how a book has affected your life and career. You should have a story that is meaningful  and makes your answer more interesting and memorable. This shows you have good communication & presentation skills.

In job interviews, even simple questions like "What was the last book you read?" can be important. Our reading choices can become a powerful way to show your adaptability, knowledge, and ability to use what you learn in real life. So, the next time you get this question, be ready to share your reading journey and show employers how it can benefit them. By Tapesh Kushmi Tharu

Recruitment Officer, Jobs Sniper Pvt. Ltd. 

How to answer: What’s the last book you read?

Reading is not only a great way to relax and unwind, but it can also be a valuable tool for personal and professional growth. As a job seeker, it’s important to stay informed and continuously expand your knowledge base. One way to do this is by reading books that are relevant to your industry or that can help you develop new skills. So, what’s the last book you read?

Whether you’re actively searching for a new job or simply looking to enhance your career prospects, reading can provide you with a competitive edge. By immersing yourself in books that cover topics such as leadership, communication, or industry-specific knowledge, you can gain valuable insights and stay up-to-date with the latest trends and developments. Additionally, reading can help you improve your critical thinking abilities, enhance your vocabulary, and even boost your creativity. So, don’t underestimate the power of a good book when it comes to your professional journey.

How to Answer a Question: What’s the last book you read?

There are actually several ways to approach this question, but let me break it down for you. First, let’s talk about why interviewers ask it and what a typical answer might be. Then, I’ll share with you what the ideal response should be, as well as what makes a good or even a great answer.

And of course, I’ll throw in an extra tip to help you absolutely nail this question. Sound good? Let’s dive in!

Why did the interviewer ask this?

To understand more about your interests, values, and how you spend your free time.

Typical Answer

[Specific book title].

Wrong Answer

Does the back of the cereal box count?

Good Answer

State the title and give a brief summary or takeaway.

Great Answer

[Specific book title]. I found the insights on [specific topic or theme] particularly enlightening because [personal connection or application].

Last Tip on How to Answer What’s the last book you read?

Be honest. If you don’t read much, share another way you learn or consume content.

If you’re into this tip, you can download 121 Interview Questions and Answers for free! It’s a great way to get more insights on how to answer those common questions in the best way possible.

Practice Your Answers in a Mock Job Interview

Answering this question is a breeze if you know how! But what really counts is practice. The best way to do that? Give mock interviews a shot! You can learn more about mock interviews here , or try out this Free Mini-Interview .

Final Thoughts on the Question: What’s the last book you read?

In conclusion, by following these simple tips on how to answer the question, “What’s the last book you read?”, you will be able to confidently share your reading journey with others. Remember to be honest and authentic in your response, as it will not only showcase your true interests but also inspire others to explore new literary adventures. Embrace the opportunity to engage in meaningful conversations about books, and who knows, you might even discover a new favorite author or genre along the way!

So, the next time someone asks you about the last book you read, don’t shy away from the question. Instead, embrace it as an opportunity to connect with others through the power of storytelling. Share your thoughts, recommendations, and the impact the book had on you. By doing so, you will not only inspire others to pick up a book but also create a ripple effect of curiosity and passion for reading. Remember, every book holds a unique story, and by sharing yours, you have the power to ignite a love for reading in someone else’s life.

Jan Tegze, author of the bestseller “ Full Stack Recruiter ” and “ Job Search Guide: Be Your Own Career Coach ,” has over 15+ years of invaluable experience. Jan’s extensive background in full life cycle recruiting and profound understanding of international sourcing, recruitment branding, marketing, and pioneering sourcing techniques.

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What Would You Like Your Last Read Book To Be?

Susie Dumond

Susie (she/her) is a queer writer originally from Little Rock, now living in Washington, DC. She is the author of QUEERLY BELOVED and the forthcoming LOOKING FOR A SIGN from Dial Press/Random House. You can find her on Instagram @susiedoom.

View All posts by Susie Dumond

There’s a fairly common hypothetical question you may have heard: “What would you like your last meal to be?” It’s morbid, but it’s also a way of thinking about what food means to us beyond sustenance, how it can also be a source of memory, comfort, and pleasure. But anyone who loves reading knows that books can provide those same things and more — food for thought, a glimpse into the lives of others, a practice in empathy, a way to travel the world. So perhaps if you’re like me, someone whose life has been greatly impacted by the books you’ve read, you’ve had this dark but intriguing thought: What would you like your last read book to be?

Of course, this question comes with a lot of unknowns. When are you dying? Under what circumstances? How long do you have to read the book? Will you have time to finish the book? Answering this question may also force you to grapple with another philosophical uncertainty: Would you want to know when and how you’ll die? And would that change your book choice?

I’ve been a voracious reader for as long as I can remember. I read over 100 books a year, and regardless of how many books I finish, my TBR still seems to grow at alarming speed. Nothing makes me confront my own mortality like thinking of all the books I’ll never have a chance to read. And thinking about the last book I read before I die already fills me with anxiety. I feel like it has to be something deeply meaningful, something that can unlock a final level of emotional maturity and worldly wisdom. Should it be a classic, something that’s shaped readers for centuries? Perhaps a thoughtful book on death and the meaning of life. Fantasy might help you expand your imagination, a gift before leaving this earth for the next. Would nonfiction be your last chance to learn something real and true? Or maybe a reread of a favorite book. Rereading would at least ensure you know you won’t hate the ending of your last book.

As an occasionally morbid person with an outsized amount of curiosity, these questions have floated through my head more than once. But they struck me in a much different way earlier this year, as I sat with my book-loving grandmother during the final week of her life.

Connecting Through Books

My grandmother, who I called Guy, has always been an avid reader. She lived her entire life in a small, rural Arkansas town, but she lived vicariously through the books she found at the county library. She also instilled her love of reading in my father and in me. As a child, I remember sorting through antique Little Golden Books with Guy, debating whether to dive into The Poky Little Puppy or The Monster at the End of This Book . When I became obsessed with a certain fantasy series about a boy wizard, she became just as enamored with the story. I would wait in line at midnight at the Little Rock Barnes & Noble for the next book in the series to be released. Then, I would read it as quickly as possible so I could hand it off to my grandmother to read next.

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I didn’t realize just how much my grandmother read until later, as she reached her late 70s and her eyesight deteriorated. The small county library had a limited stock of large print books, and Guy quickly finished all the books available to her. She asked for my help navigating the internet to order large print mysteries and romantic suspense novels, her favorite genres. After helping her order a stack of books, she’d read them in a matter of days and be back on the hunt for new books again. Although I’d moved across the country to Washington, D.C., searching for books was a way for us to connect. For the next Christmas, I bought her a Kindle and showed her how to set the font to a larger size. This opened up a new world of books to her, no longer limited by finding large print physical copies. Her voracious reading only increased from there, especially once I showed her Kindle Unlimited and how to check out ebooks from her library system. In her final years, my grandmother finished a new book almost every day.

Reading in Her Last Days

During the pandemic, I was separated from my grandmother and parents by 1,000 miles and a world of fear, like many others. In spring 2020, at the peak of COVID-19 uncertainty, my grandmother was diagnosed with breast cancer. Knowing that she and my mother were both immunosuppressed, I had to watch from afar as my family navigated the overwhelmed health care system, worried that me traveling to help would bring more health risks into their lives. Reading continued to be a major part of Guy’s life as she went through chemo and surgery, providing her a way to escape her terrifying reality. Over a year later, she was deemed cancer free.

It wasn’t until September 2021 that her health took a major turn for the worse. She was 85, struggling with a variety of problems, some related to the cancer treatments and some not, when my parents called to tell me that she’d been admitted to the hospital and, due to a do-not-resuscitate order, was unlikely to return home. Luckily, the world looked different in September 2021 than in March 2020. We were all vaccinated, and although the Delta variant of Covid was ravaging the mostly unvaccinated state of Arkansas, we knew more about how the disease spread and what precautions could be taken to protect ourselves against it. Although I still feared carrying a deadly virus to my high-risk family, we agreed it was worth the risk to provide support and spend time with my grandmother during her final days. This is a gift I do not take lightly. I know many people lost loved ones during the pandemic without being able to tell them goodbye, and I’m forever grateful for the time I got to spend with Guy and that I had the chance to mourn with my parents.

And the timing was incredibly fortunate. When I arrived, my grandmother was mentally clear and alert. We had several good days together as we moved her from the hospital to hospice care, and I was able to talk with Guy about everything under the sun. She reminisced about her parents and siblings, laughed about my dad’s most embarrassing childhood stories, shared memories of seeing my plays and attending Grandparents Day lunches at my elementary school.

I also got to share something really meaningful to me. I’d called Guy a year earlier to tell her that I’d officially gotten a book deal; my debut novel, a queer romcom, was to be published in June 2022. I’d hoped she’d be able to see her granddaughter’s book on the shelves someday. Although that wasn’t to be, I’d hurriedly texted my editor as I rushed to the airport, asking if she could share the acknowledgements I’d written formally laid out on the page. She came through with that and with the first drafts of potential book covers within a day. I waited for a moment when my grandmother was awake and in good spirits, and I showed her how my last name — the same as hers — was to be printed on the cover. I read her the line in the acknowledgements where I thanked her for sharing her love of books with me. She couldn’t be alive to see my first book published, but this moment, seeing the smile on her face, will always stay with me.

What I Read

As the days went on, Guy grew quieter, ate less, slept more. That meant I spent more time reading at her side. I juggled a strange assortment of books. Some were humorous to lift my spirits, some were fantasy to help me escape the dreary sounds and smells of the hospice center. Other books dealt directly with loss and grief, and although they certainly made me cry, they also made me feel less alone. Seeing Ghosts by Kat Chow, a memoir about Chow losing her mother too soon to an aggressive form of cancer, helped me think about how to connect with other family during such a difficult time and made me grateful for the long life my grandmother had. Afterlife by Julia Alvarez, a novel about a woman experiencing immense loss and changes in her life, prepared me for the long process of grief. While doing some chores at my grandmother’s empty house, I listened to the audiobook of Afterlife and one passage unlocked a new wave of emotion in me. After hearing of terrible tragedies in the world, the protagonist contemplates the loved ones she’s lost:

“At least, Antonia tries to console herself, neither Izzy nor Sam are having to live through these broken times. But they are also missing the swallows, a large twittering flock darkening the evening sky as they flew off the roof of Roger’s barn yesterday; missing the early-morning view outside her bedroom window, the mist dispelling, the far hills emerging, taking shape, having survived the night; missing the intricate spiderwebs on the barbed-wire fence, their dewed filaments jeweled with light; missing the brisk charge in the air as the wind sharpens, the maples turning red and gold, the kids walking to school with their brand new paraphernalia, little battalions of bright colors, their shouts and laughter recalling a childhood world gone by.”

My grandmother wasn’t yet gone, but there was already so much she was missing, so much I knew she wouldn’t be there to see. Books gave me a way to prepare for my own loss, like the tiny moments when a hummingbird, Guy’s favorite, would flitter by and I would always, always think of her.

What She Read

After Guy passed, after the small outdoor funeral ended, after the casserole dishes from thoughtful neighbors were empty, I packed away the books I’d read in preparation for my return flight home. Thinking of how they’d shaped my memories of my last week with my grandmother, I couldn’t help but wonder what books had touched her final weeks. I went to her house and found her Kindle waiting by her favorite chair. I scrolled through dozens of books: psychological thrillers, historical romances, cozy mysteries, paranormal rom-coms. It was genre fiction as far as the eye could see, all the kinds of books that literary elitists would mock. How could these page-turning, entertaining books teach her about the meaning of life? About how to process the end that was coming? About what might lie beyond?

I wondered if these were the books she would have chosen if she’d known the end was coming so soon. Shouldn’t she have chosen something more steeped in philosophical concepts? Something that grapples with our purpose on earth? It’s what I thought I might have picked. Perhaps a heavy, critically-acclaimed, profound book would have given her some final wisdom.

But if I’ve learned anything in the four years I’ve written for Book Riot and engaged deeply with the reading community, it’s that genre fiction has just as much power to transport you — and transform you — as a reader. Reading high-brow literary fiction and academic nonfiction doesn’t necessarily make someone more enlightened or worthy of respect. What matters is reading what you love, and I’m comforted to know that my grandmother spent her final weeks reading books that brought her joy rather than suffering through something she felt pressured to make her last book.

When my time comes, perhaps I’ll have enough warning to make that final book choice. Either way, I’ll take a lesson from what I learned from my grandmother’s Kindle: Always, always read what you love, regardless of other people’s opinions. The end of your life is no time to do something for strangers’ approval. Reading is a private relationship between you and the books that move you. So read what moves you, as often as you can, for as long as you can.

Check out these related posts from Book Riot:

7 of the Best Books About Death and Dying for Tough Times

Best Books on Grief: In Time of Loss, Go to the Literature

An Ode to My First Reading Buddy

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How To Answer “What Is The Last Book You Read?”

Do you have an upcoming job interview? Check out my example answers to the interview question: “ What is the last book you read? ” Other similar interview question are: “What is your favorite book that everyone needs to read?” or “Which book inspired you most, and why?”

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Hiring managers often ask this question to find out if the candidate is truly informed and receptive to new concepts. An employer might be very keen on netting a bookworm because they are often seen as life-long learners. Try to structure your answer so that it matches the company culture and job role.

Example Answer

For job seekers WITH EXPERIENCE

“ The last book I read was ‘Atomic Habits’ by James Clear. It’s certainly my favorite book on forming the right habits, and ditching the bad ones. Basically, the author encourages you to lose unproductive habits and start adopting productive ones. The idea is that 1% change each day adds up to long-term success.

The book also covers other topics like adopting better systems rather than setting objectives, focus on identity rather than outcomes etc. However, the idea of being 1% better everyday really stood out to me. I applied the power of compounding as a [ Job title ] and this technique tripled my productivity.”

For job seekers WITH NO EXPERIENCE

“As an aspiring copywriter, I’ve always been interested in consumer behavior. Recently, I read Seth Godin’s book: ‘This Is Marketing’, to better understand what makes up great marketing. Do you know this title? The idea is that frequent and consistent content outreach, delivered to a target audience, will earn brand awareness, loyalty and ultimately more sales. I highly recommend anyone interested in marketing to read this book!”

√ Do explain why you chose to read that particular book and briefly summarize the book to prove your understanding. Try to highlight some of the learnings that you’ve adopted in your daily life.

X Don’t feel obliged to mention your last read . Choose a book that you actually like (and read) that teaches a lesson. You’ll come across as someone with a growth mindset that is willing to learn.

How to Answer “What Is the Last Book You Read?”

“ What is the last book you read ?” This may come across as an icebreaker or conversational interview question, but it holds the same importance as any other HR interview question. If you’re wondering how keep reading.

In this blog, we’ll not only provide tips to answer, “What’s the last book you read?” But also sample answers as well as common mistakes to avoid.

Why do recruiters ask? What is the last book you read?

Recruiters can ask this interview question in many forms “What book have you read most recently?”/ “What book are you currently reading?”/ “What is the last book you read?”

However, the purpose behind asking this interview question is the same, to know more about the job seeker. The books you read can reveal your characteristics, values, and interests outside of your job.

How to answer – What is the most recent book you have read?

#1. choosing the right book.

When preparing for a job interview, the question “What’s the last book you read?” Comes up often.

This is more than just small talk – it’s a chance to make a lasting impression. So, how do you choose the right book that showcases your strengths and matches the interview context?

Think about relevance, not randomness

First, skip books irrelevant to the job or industry. Choose one that subtly reflects your skills and aspirations. If you’re applying for a creative writing position, discussing a classic novel might be appropriate.

For a data analytics role, refer to a book on statistics or artificial intelligence. It shows your alignment with the company’s values and interests.

Obsession with perfection

Don’t feel pressured to name the latest bestseller. Authenticity is above trendiness. Choose a book that you really enjoyed and that you can discuss with enthusiasm. Your genuine enthusiasm will be contagious and leave a positive impression on the interviewer. They are not looking for literary critics; They’re looking for someone with genuine intellectual curiosity and passion.

Non-Fiction: Friend or Foe?

Non-fiction can be a great choice, especially for roles requiring specific expertise. Citing a professional biography or industry-related book shows your active learning and knowledge base. Just make sure it’s a book you can discuss engagingly while avoiding dry technical jargon.

Remember, the book is just the hook

While the book itself matters, it is just the opening line. Be prepared to dive deeper. Share what attracted you to the book, what insights you gained, and how it relates to your career goals or personal values.

This personalized narrative reveals your critical thinking, communication skills, and overall passion for learning.

Bonus Tips:

Don’t panic if you can’t think of the perfect fit! Turn the conversation to your reading habits, mention your favorite genres, or highlight how you prioritize continued learning. The key is to genuinely demonstrate your intellectual engagement and curiosity.

#2. Building structure

The moment comes. “What is the last book you read?” Echoes in the interview room. Breathe easy, bookworm! We have a winning framework to turn this question into your bridge to success.

Three pillars:

• foundation: Start strong with the book title and author. This creates instant context and piques the interviewer’s curiosity. Briefly summarize the main theme or plot of the book without revealing spoilers. Think of it as a movie trailer that piques their interest without revealing the ending.
• Bridge: This is where your book becomes your bridge to the interview. Share what attracted you to the book, what impressed you, or how it surprised you. Did it challenge your perspective? Did it provide valuable insights? Weave your experiences and ideas into the narrative, demonstrating your critical thinking and ability to connect ideas.
• Destination: Now, gently connect your book to the interview context. If it’s a leadership book, highlight how a particular leadership theory matches your perspective. If it’s historical fiction, mention how it relates to company values or industry challenges. It demonstrates your ability to apply knowledge and think strategically.

Remember, this isn’t a book report – it’s a conversation. Avoid dry academic jargon and embrace your natural enthusiasm. Use anecdotes, personal thoughts, and even humor to make your answer engaging and memorable.

Practice your answers! Practice with a friend or in front of a mirror, perfecting your structure and making sure your passion shines through.

#3. Adding depth and intrigue

“What’s the most recent book you read?” The title and author are on the tip of your tongue, but the interview deserves more than that.

Here’s how to add depth and intrigue, turning your book choice into a conversation starter that reveals your unique talents.

Go beyond the surface

Don’t just leave the name. Share what attracted you to the book – a captivating review, a personal recommendation, or a specific topic that matches your current interests or career goals.

This shows your curiosity and initiative. Did you find the writing style surprising? Did the plot take an unexpected twist? Share these discoveries while demonstrating your critical thinking and ability to analyze information.

Connect the dots

Weave your book into the fabric of your interview. Does any character’s leadership style match your own? Does a historical event shed light on a current industry challenge?

These connections demonstrate your ability to apply knowledge and think strategically. If the book is relevant to the company’s values or mission, subtly highlight the similarities, demonstrating your alignment and understanding of their culture.

Personalize your journey

Don’t be afraid to share personal experiences or anecdotes related to the book’s themes.

Do any fictional character’s struggles reflect your own? Did any chapters give you valuable advice that you’re applying in your career? These personal touches make your answer relevant and demonstrate your growth mindset.

Remember to include the interviewer! Ask them about their thoughts on the book or related topic. This shows your interest in their perspective and fosters genuine conversation, making the interview feel more like a natural conversation than a grilling session.

Prepare some “pocket questions” related to your chosen book, ready to lead further discussion if needed. This demonstrates your preparedness and keeps the conversation flowing.

Common mistakes to avoid while answering What is the most recent book you have read?

Never try to fabricate your reading habits. This is easily exposed and can damage your credibility. Choose a book you really enjoy and can discuss enthusiastically.

2. To babble

Stay focused and concise. Keep your answer within a reasonable time limit (1-2 minutes) and avoid rambling.

3. Name-dropping

Don’t try to impress with trendy bestsellers or obscure titles you don’t fully connect with. Choose a book that reflects your true interests and values.

4. Technical Jargon

If referring to a non-fiction book, avoid dense academic language or technical jargon. Explain complex concepts concisely, demonstrating your ability to communicate effectively.

5. Negativity

Don’t criticize the book or its author, even if you didn’t enjoy it. Focus on the positive aspects of your reading experience or politely turn to another book you would recommend.

6. Overconfidence

Avoid being arrogant or pretentious. Acknowledge your learning journey and be open to the interviewer’s perspective on the book.

7. Spoilers

Do not reveal major plot twists or character endings. Keep your answer free of spoilers and focus on the overall themes and messages of the book.

8. Lack of connection

Don’t just name the book and leave it hanging. Connect it in some way to your life experiences, career goals, or interview context.

9. Answer in one sentence

Don’t give a one-word response like “a novel” or “I don’t read.” Show genuine interest and engagement with the question.

10. Missing out on conversations

Remember, the goal isn’t just to say the name of the book, but to engage in conversation. Ask follow-up questions, respond to the interviewer’s thoughts, and continue the dialogue.

By avoiding these common mistakes, you can answer the question “What’s the last book you read?” An opportunity to showcase your intellectual curiosity, communication skills, and engagement with literature.

So, choose wisely, speak confidently, and most importantly, enjoy the conversation!

Check Out More Tips:

• How to Accept an Offer Letter?
• Tell Me About Yourself “Sample Answers for Freshers”

Sample answer What is the most recent book you have read?

Sample answer 1:.

“The last book I finished was ‘Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind’ by Yuval Noah Harari. This blows my mind!

I’ve always been fascinated by history, but this book takes it to a whole new level by exploring the big questions about human evolution, our impact on the planet, and what the future holds. It left me with a lot to think about and I couldn’t stop talking about it with my friends.”

Sample Answer 2:

“I recently read Carroll Dweck’s ‘Mindset: The New Psychology of Success.’ As a [Your Job Title]I am constantly looking for ways to improve and push myself.

This book resonated with me in explaining the power of believing in your growth potential. The way I deal with challenges has changed and it has already benefited my work [Specific Example],

Sample Answer 3:

“I’m currently reading ‘Cloud Atlas’ by David Mitchell. It’s a wild ride, weaving together six interconnected stories at different points in time and space.

Each chapter is a whole new world to explore, from a 19th-century musician to a dystopian future. It’s challenging, but it’s also very imaginative and inspiring. It’s made me think differently about storytelling and the interconnectedness of things.

Sample Answer 4:

“I just finished listening to Stephen King’s ‘On Writing’ audiobook. I’m not a writer myself, but I’ve always admired King’s storytelling ability.

This book was like a masterclass with him, sharing his insights on craft, character development, and the importance of facing your fears. It was insightful, fun, and surprisingly inspiring.”

Sample Answer 5:

“I recently enjoyed the book ‘The House on Mango Street’ by Sandra Cisneros with my friends. It is an empowering story about a young Latina girl growing up in Chicago.

It raised important issues about identity, belonging, and community which led to interesting discussions with my friends. It reminded me of the importance of diverse voices and the power of stories to connect us.”

Remember to adapt these examples to your interests, personality, and the context of the situation. We hope these samples and tips help you answer the question “What’s the last book you read?”

This will inspire you to prepare your own unique and attractive answer. Always remember to practice beforehand so that you don’t miss the interview and can answer confidently.

Also, practice these Basic Interview Questions and Answers Be fully prepared for your upcoming HR interview.

Best Wishes!

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• Questions , Questions & Answers

What is the last book you read and enjoyed?

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Table of Contents

What is the last book you read and enjoyed 13 answers.

From International Taxation by Richard L. Doernberg to The Art of Happiness by Dalai Lama, here are 13 answers to the question, “What is the last book you read and enjoyed?”

International Taxation by Richard L. Doernberg

The intelligent investor by benjamin graham, the alchemist by paulo coelho, the giver by lois lowry, how not to die by dr. michael greger and gene stone, the seven husbands of evelyn hugo by taylor jenkins reid, the nix by nathan hill, the comfort book by matt haig, the hard thing about hard things by ben horowitz, murder on the orient express by agatha christie, the truth about green business by gil friend, the army of the potomac by bruce catton, the attic by danilo ki, the four winds by kristin hannah, personal finance for dummies by eric tyson, the art of happiness by dalai lama.

International Taxation by Richard L. Doernberg details the logic of international taxation and is full of noteworthy information on the world of corporate finance. I enjoyed this book because it is uniquely structured in an informative and creative manner to make the topics of finance more fresh and intriguing. Taxation has become a key element of cross-border activities as well as intra-country activities, so it was a welcomed source of insight.

Cody Candee , CEO, Bounce

The last book I read and enjoyed is The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham . The book was truly an inspiration to me. It did not only teach me the necessary things about business and investment but also how to make sound decisions about life The book gives a detailed description of what everyone needs in order to become a successful investor. The book highlighted that someone wishing or desiring to invest does not require inside information or a high IQ about business to succeed.

All that is needed is a strong mindset for decision-making and the strong ability to guide your emotions in order not to corrode your intellectual framework Following the business and behavioral principles that are written in the book, you increase your chances of becoming a successful investor.

Peter Bryla , Community Manager, ResumeLab

The last book I read and enjoyed was The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho . It is a beautifully written and thought-provoking novel about a shepherd named Santiago who embarks on a journey to find his personal legend and fulfill his dreams. Along the way, he encounters various challenges and meets interesting characters who teach him valuable lessons about life, love, and purpose.

I particularly enjoyed the book’s themes of following one’s heart and dreams and the idea that the universe conspires to help us achieve what we truly desire. The writing is poetic, and the story is both inspiring and entertaining. Overall, The Alchemist is a must-read for anyone seeking guidance and motivation on their own journey towards self-discovery and fulfillment.

Brian Clark , Founder, United Medical Education

The Giver by Lois Lowry was the last book I read and enjoyed. The book is a dystopian novel set in a futuristic society in which all citizens live in a seemingly perfect world free of pain and suffering. The main character, Jonas, is chosen to be the Receiver of Memory, which means he is the only person in the community who can remember the past. As Jonas learns more about the world he lives in, he begins to question society’s beliefs and norms.

Readers are taken on a journey of self-discovery and understanding of society, as well as the power of choice and the importance of making decisions, through Jonas’ journey. The Giver is a powerful and thought-provoking story that encourages readers to reflect on their own lives and the social structures that surround them.

Connie Glover , General Manager, Product & Market Development, Bfx

The book How Not to Die: Discover the Foods Scientifically Proven to Prevent and Reverse Disease by Dr. Michael Greger with Gene Stone provides readers with an evidence-based guide to living a longer, healthier life. It is based on years of scientific research and expert advice from doctors and nutritionists, making it an invaluable resource for anyone looking to understand the science behind staying healthy.

The book talks about how diet is one of the most important factors in predicting our health, and it reveals which foods we should be eating more of and which ones to avoid. Anyone who is looking to make positive changes to their diet and lifestyle will benefit from reading this book.

Burak Özdemir , Founder, Online Alarm Kur

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo was the last and best book I’ve read to date. The writing style and story line had me intrigued from the first page all the way to the last. It’s unlike anything that exists to date and the ending is something you’ll never see coming. The rave for this book is incredibly real and is a must-have.

Lindsay Malu Kido , CEO, Empower Pleasure

Nathan Hill’s debut novel, The Nix , is an absolute journey. It’s timeless, tender, and brimming with empathy. If you decide to read it, get ready for the emotional rollercoaster. This unforgettable book will make you laugh, make you cry, and make you think. It is wonderful to the very last page.

The Nix tells the story of Samuel. Of the man he is in 2011 – an English professor obsessed with video games – and of the boy who became him. Abandoned by his mum as a child, adult Samuel searches for her secrets. When a vanished woman suddenly reappears on every TV screen in America, the man is given the chance to write a book about her. The Nix is a multilayered novel about a lot of things – politics, the hippie movement, gaming, unresolved traumas, new beginnings, second chances. And, primarily, about how we are haunted and sometimes defined by an unexplored past.

The past molds us, breaks us, and never lets us go. But there’s always hope. I recommend this fantastic book to anyone!

Agata Szczepanek , Community Manager, LiveCareer

Have you ever wondered what would it be like to have the correct advice stored in a book? If you did, The Comfort Book by Matt Haig is the right pick. It would give you comfort, as the name says, during difficult times. I definitely felt this when I read this book. It made mundane things much clearer, in terms of the context we see them. Like, we would never imagine using a life raft until we are in a position to do so. If you think of this in a larger context, you could pick and choose things in your own life itself. Moreover, it teaches about the importance of living in the moment and caring for yourself it’s prime. So, a worthy read.

Shawn Mahaffey , Founder, Wingit

The book I read most recently was The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz. One of the most well-liked businessmen in Silicon Valley is Ben Horowitz. The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz pulls the curtain on the realities of what it’s like to lead a great business through hardship.

Horowitz provides helpful advice for any business leader in his book, written in his plain way with a couple of his trademark references to the world of rap aficionados. It’s a must-read for both novice and experienced readers, but it’s especially helpful for those making adjustments to challenging conditions with challenging hurdles.

Samrudha Salvi , Founder, Buildfba

Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express was the most recent novel I read. What more could a mystery junkie want than a despised murder victim discovered aboard the opulent Orient Express with numerous stab wounds, thirteen possible suspects, an incomparably brilliant investigator in Hercule Poirot, and the most inventive crime ever devised? What justice is, the book’s topic. Where should the line be drawn? This is supported by the fact that the victim, in this case, was the perpetrator of multiple sophisticated crimes against innocent youngsters.

Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None is another book with a similar topic. This book was fantastic. I was never bored for a second, and no matter how exhausted I was, I had to finish the book to solve the mystery.

David Reid , Sales Director, VEM-Tooling Co. Ltd.

The Truth About Green Business (2009) by Gil Friend is the most recent book I have read and it was a truly engaging and informative experience. The book takes an in-depth look at how business leaders can make their companies greener through detailed case studies, inspiring stories, and thought-provoking analyses. It provided me with valuable new insights into the increasingly important topic of sustainability, showing how real change can happen on an organizational level if forward-thinking techniques are implemented.

The author offers practical advice while also placing the importance of green business into the larger framework of environmental stewardship, offering key lessons that will stay with me well after I have finished reading it.

Peter Jones , Sustainability Consultant, Carbon Accounting

I’m finishing up a 3-volume history of the Civil War by Bruce Catton called The Army of the Potomac . It’s fascinating reading, but one especially poignant lesson that stands out is what a mess the war was, and how much the leadership had little clue what they were doing. I’ve seen the same dynamic in many organizations and situations. We like to think our leaders know what they’re doing, but more often than not they’re flying by the seat of their pants and making it up as they go along. For me, that’s comforting, because it means I’m not alone and if anyone can make anything work, maybe I can make some things work out as well.

Josh Steimle , Founder, MWI

The Attic by Danilo Ki is a novel about a young man’s quest to learn the truth about his father’s background. The novel is renowned for exploring memory and identity as well as the nuanced dynamics of family connections. The book is full of references to poems, artworks, and mythology, so it’s fun to try to connect particular words to stories you may already be familiar with to what’s in the book.

I enjoyed The Attic because it showcases the types of personalities I don’t really see in my day-to-day life. I like books that show me something unfamiliar! It’s hard to even describe the book as having a good plot; the story doesn’t really go anywhere. But the way the emotional states are described was just so fascinating to me that I couldn’t stop reading. And when I finished, I immediately went to read it again.

Miroslav Munitlak , Technical Manager, Ask Gamblers

I recently read The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah and thoroughly enjoyed it. The novel tells the story of a young woman living in Texas during the Great Depression and the challenges she faces during the Dust Bowl. The characters were well-developed and the historical setting was vividly depicted. The novel also touched on important themes such as family, love, and resilience.

Through reading this book, I learned about the impact of the Dust Bowl on the people living in the Great Plains region of the United States and the resilience and determination of those who were able to overcome these challenges. Overall, it was a poignant and thought-provoking read.

Anirban Saha , Founder & Editor, TechBullish

Personal Finance for Dummies by Eric Tyson is the best finance book I read recently because it is written in a very simple way. It taught me the basics of budgeting and saving money, as well as reducing debt and maximizing government benefits. The best thing that this book taught me is how to evaluate and manage my finances, as well as improve my credit score. No other book can holistically explain everything in a very simple way. Hence, I really enjoyed this book.

Sharon  Dylan , Co-Founder, Management

The last book I read and enjoyed was The Art of Happiness by Dalai Lama. As a lifelong learner, it provided me with some valuable insights into how to lead a more meaningful life. It taught me that the most important thing is to focus on achieving inner peace and developing values of compassion and altruism.

The book inspired me to be more mindful in my daily life, encouraged me to think critically about various aspects of life, and gave me a better understanding of the social dynamics at play. The beautiful writing style of the author kept me captivated until the very end and I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for an inspirational read.

Haya Subhan , Management Executive, Sheffield First Aid Courses

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Interview Question and Answer: What Was the Last Book You Read?

Have you ever been asked this interview question during a teaching job interview?  What was the last book you read.. or what book are you currently reading? Why did you choose to pick it up?

Interviewers ask this question because they want to learn how you spend your spare reading time. Or find out if you enjoy reading and what are your reading interests.

If you happen to be reading a book at the moment that may not impress an interviewer, don’t discuss that particular one. Choose to discuss a book you’ve read previously if it would be more applicable. Don’t pick a controversial book.

Personal or Professional Book

When answering this question, you can choose to go one of two ways. Either go with a book that you are reading for pure enjoyment, say a fictional novel, a biography, or a memoir. Or, choose a book you may be reading to aid in your professional development.

It might be a book on a new teaching technique , classroom management , integrating technology , or more specific to your teaching area like ESL (English as a Second Language) methods.

A professional book can be broader than this, though, as reading up on a topic you may teach later, or new topics in your subject matter will aid in your learning . The interviews would view this as researching for your class. If you happen to go the route of choosing a book you read for your self-study, then answering the follow-up question of “why did you pick it up” will be easy to answer.

If you are currently reading a book for pleasure, tell them what it is, the author, and describe why you decided to read it. Maybe the author is one of your favorites, the genre is your favorite, the subject matter was intriguing to you, or you had heard that it was an excellent read.

If some of the books you read are on the “spicier” side

Try to avoid choosing a controversial book or topic. You want your choice to be seen as purely positive and, if it’s not professional development related, as light reading material that can’t be construed in a negative light.

For these reasons, it is a fabulous idea to choose which book you would discuss before the job interview, so you aren’t forced to think of a book on the spot and risk picking an inappropriate one.

No matter what type of reading material you are reading, stress the importance of reading and learning through literature and non-fiction. School principals want their teachers to value literacy, as it is much easier to pass these values onto your students when you hold them yourself.

What book are you currently reading, and why did you choose to pick it up? Please comment below on how you would answer this question in an interview.

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What was the last book you read? – Question 11

VIDEO COMING AFTER THE LIVE CONVERSATION ON YOUTUBE – COME AND JOIN US!

Woodward English Conversation Question 11

What was the last book you read? What was it about?

• The last book I read was ….
• It was about …

Fiction or Non-fiction – What is the difference?

Was the book fiction or non-fiction?

fiction ( not real , created from the imagination of an author) e.g. a book about a princess and a dragon

non-fiction ( real , provides us with facts and/or events based on real people or true events) e.g. a biography, history books, 1001 facts about a topic

• What do you like to read?

I like to read…

• short stories
• online articles
• motivational stories
• self-help books
• biographies
• encyclopedias / wikipedia
• non-fiction books

Where do you like to read?

• in bed at night
• in a library
• on a blanket in a park
• in a quiet place
• on a beanbag

More questions about reading

• Do you like to read?
• Why do people like to read?
• What type of books don’t you like to read?
• What book have you read many times?
• What motivates you to read?
• How can you motivate someone to read? (E.g. a child)
• Why do some people not like to read?
• What book or story do you remember as a child?
• Do you ever read in public or only at home?
• Are you part of a book club?
• Do you prefer reading a physical book or a digital version?
• How do you choose a book to start reading?
• Do you always finish every book you start?
• What will be the next book you are going to read?
• What would be the title of the book about YOUR life?
• On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is reading in your daily routine?
• Do you think more people are reading nowadays?
• Do you think people have a problem with reading comprehension?
• Have you read any books with poetry? Why? Why not?

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English Conversation

English conversation questions 10-19.

• What is your favorite movie? Why do you like it? - Question 10
• What was the last book you read? - Question 11
• What is important for a healthy relationship? - Conversation Question 12
• What would be an ideal date for you? English Conversation Question 13
• How would you describe yourself in three words? Question 14
• Why are you learning English? Q15
• What is your country famous for? Q16

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What books are you currently reading? Sample interview answers

Traditional education is slowly dying . Schools can teach us a lot of things, but we won’t use the majority of them in our jobs . At least that’s the experience of most graduates. Careers in healthcare and law are perhaps the only exception to the rule.

A good non-fiction book, however, written by someone with real life experience in this or that field, can help us to learn a skills or gain a knowledge we will benefit from in our work. A biography of someone who attained success, in business, sport, science, or any other field, can inspire us to aim higher in our own career.

And an inspirational true story (or even a novel), of someone who overcame adversity and walked away a better human being, can motivate us to step out of our comfort zone , or to start fighting our own demons, and live a better life.

Summarized and underlined, it makes sense to read good books . But what to say in an interview when they ask you about the books you are reading? And how to answer this question in a case that you do not read any books ? Let’s have a look at 7 sample answers to this interesting interview question. They should help you find your perfect answer.

7 sample answers to “What books are you currently reading?” interview question

• I’m currently reading Guerilla Marketing from J.C. Levinson, the updated version. In my opinion it’s an excellent introduction into a variety of marketing techniques, and the most effective way in which a business or an individual can benefit from them. I am making a lot of notes while reading the book , and honestly believe that the lessons will help me in my first job of a Marketing Specialist. Once I am done with Levinson’s book, I have three other titles from successful marketers on my reading list.
• To be honest, I am not reading any book at the moment. I’ve been focusing on my job search in the last 30 days, trying to prepare for the interviews, spending a lot of time reading content on InterviewPenguin.com, and also on some other websites. But I am receiving monthly newsletter from two websites that specialize in accounting and in latest changes to tax law, in order to keep my knowledge up to date, and also because I really like my field of work.
• I am reading The Power of Now from Eckhart Tolle. It is probably the most powerful book I’ve ever read, and it changed the way in which I see the world and my position in it. What’s more, I learned, and also tried already, that to be present in your work is actually the most you can do for your employer, customer, and also for yourself. Because when you give your full attention to the present moment , to the task at hand, your work instantly gets another quality. You do not see it as a mean to an end anymore, for example to a salary you will get each month. That changes everything, and you can immediately feel the difference it makes in your everyday life.
• I’m currently reading a variety of books in French , mostly simple non-fiction books and books for children. I do it because I want to learn the language –I understand how important it is for a flight attendant to speak languages. What’s more, I know that your airline operates regular long distance flights to Paris, and it would be a dream come true if I can attend the passengers flying from US to Paris and in the opposite direction.
• It’s been quite a while since I read the last book . I’ve been too busy with work, family, and everything else, trying to juggle the roles of a husband, father, and employee. I love books and know that I can learn a lot from them, gain inspiration, knowledge, and that a good book can sometimes changes person’s life. But my children are very young right now. When not working, I prefer to spend time with them, playing, talking, being present . I know the crucial role such behavior plays in the early childhood. Once they grow older, I will definitely return to books and also to other hobbies I used to do before the birth of our first daughter. Maybe in two or three years when they start going to school it will be possible again.
• I’m currently reading The Alchemist from Paulo Coelho. I must confess that I find many similarities between the journey of Santiago, the boy form the book, and my personal journey. I’ve been also searching for “treasure”, for meaning, pursuing happiness in life. It is one of the reasons why I applied for a job in your NGO. I’ve grown tired of the work of a corporate rat, doing the same simple tasks on a computer each day, never really seeing any impact of my work . Working for your organization I’ll have direct contact with people. I’ll be in the field, and see directly the impact of my work. That’s the meaning I’ve been searching for, and I hope you will give me a chance to find it.
• I’m reading Dervish and Death from M. Selimovic at the moment. The language, the syntax, the thought process of the author is just incredible. I have never read something similar before, and I honestly believe it will help me a lot in my editing work , which I hope to do for your publishing house. To be honest, I believe you have to read a lot before you can write a good book, or even edit one. That’s what I’ve been doing for years, and I hope one can feel it when reading a book I edited…

Connect your reading with your work

The best thing you can do while answering this question is identifying a connection between the book you are reading and the job you are trying to get. As you can see in our list of 7 sample answers, there are many ways to describe such a connection.

The most straightforward is when you read the book from your subject. For example a book from a successful marketer when you pursue a career in marketing (sample answer no. 1).

Another one is when you work on your language skills or communication skills while reading books, skills that are vital in the job you try to get. See sample answers no. 4 and no. 7 as a great demonstration of this principle.

You can also talk about an inspirational book that helped you to find the meaning in life, or perhaps inspired you to make a career change (see answer no. 6). This is a perfect answer especially when you apply for a job in a field new to you, when you are changing your career.

If you do not read books, explain why

Reading books is great, but it should not be our first priority in life. As long as you can explain why you are not reading (and watching Netflix or wasting time on Facebook for 5 hours a day is not a good explanation ), hiring managers will be happy about your answer.

If you have small children, for example, you try to be with them, and decided to put books aside for a while , until they grow a bit. See sample answer no. 5 as a good demonstration of this attitude. Family should come first, and most hiring managers will give you extra points for your attitude.

You can also say that you’ve been focusing on your job search lately , trying your best to prepare for the interviews, and spent your free time reading online guides and learning more about your prospective employer(s). Once you succeed, and get a great job, you will resume your reading habits. Check sample answer no.2 as a good example.

Do not be afraid to talk about a philosophy book

Harry Potter, or some books from John Grisham may entertain you, and you may relax while reading them (which is also important, because we need to relax), but they won’t really teach you any important lesson, or challenge your ideals and perception of life .

Some other titles, however, books from writers like Tolle, Nietzsche, Hesse, Heideger, Gandhi or other thinkers, can have a profound impact on your life, and consequently also on your job.

If you can demonstrate this in an interview (see sample answer no. 3 as a great example), you can have an extremely powerful answer , one that can challenge your interviewers intellectually, one they will remember a long time after the end of the interviews . Which should be your goal after all–to stand out , to remain in the minds of the interviewers once the interviews end, and they decide about the winner…

Even if it doesn’t happen, however, reading such books is never a waste of time,  which can’t be said about the majority of books that make the bestseller list in the US….

Ready to answer this one? Check also 7 sample answers to other tricky interview questions:

• Tell me one thing about yourself you wouldn’t want me to know .
• What is the biggest mistake you’ve made in your career?
• How do you define quality?
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Bill Gates included a British spy thriller in his 2024 summer book and TV round-up. Here's the full list.

Posted: May 24, 2024 | Last updated: May 24, 2024

• Bill Gates unveiled his annual summer read and watch list.
• Gates said the four books and one TV show all "touch on the idea of service to others."
• "Slow Horses," a British spy thriller series on Apple TV+, made the list.

Bill Gates unveiled his annual summer reading and TV list, saying this year is all about altruism.

Gates shared his recommendations in a blog post . The Microsoft cofounder says he reads about 50 books a year.

"The books and TV series on my summer list all touch on the idea of service to others — why we do it, the things that can make it difficult, and why we should do it anyway," Gates wrote.

The Microsoft cofounder wrote that he didn't intend to center the list around service, but it's "certainly as relevant today as ever."

"At a time when wars dominate the headlines and our politics is becoming more and more polarized, it's inspiring to appreciate those who help others and think about how we can be more generous in our own lives," he wrote.

Here are the four books and one TV series that Gates said will enrich your summer.

"The Women" by Kristin Hannah.

The historical fiction novel centers on a young US Army nurse who served two tours in the Vietnam War before returning home to political tension and the anti-war movement.

Gates wrote in a separate blog post that "The Women" changed his perspective on the Vietnam War, adding that the story highlights female Vietnam veterans.

"Enough time has passed that most people acknowledge the individual heroism that took place in Vietnam, even though history doesn't look kindly on the war itself," he wrote. "People over there did things that we can — and should — be proud of. That's one reason why I'm glad to see a book like 'The Women' doing so well. It's a beautifully written tribute to a group of veterans who deserve more appreciation for the incredible sacrifices they made."

"Infectious Generosity" by Chris Anderson.

Chris Anderson's "Infectious Generosity" is a non-fiction novel that explores how people can use the internet to maximize generosity. Anderson is the curator for TED Talks .

"Chris's central argument is that communications technology creates both an opportunity and a responsibility to give more," Gates wrote in a blog post. "When we can witness the hardships of others firsthand, even from the other side of the planet, our instinct to help is activated. And the internet makes it easy to act on that instinct."

"Slow Horses" on Apple TV+.

"Slow Horses" is a British spy thriller with three seasons on Apple TV+ that debuted in 2022.

The show is about a group of undercover agents at Slough House working to protect England from nefarious forces. Slough House is where "people get sent to when they mess up badly, but not quite badly enough to get fired," Gates wrote in a blog post.

Gates, who said he binge-watched the series, added that it's "up there with the best spy stuff I've seen."

"Brave New Words" by Sal Khan.

"Brave New Words: How AI Will Revolutionize Education (and Why That's a Good Thing)" is a deep dive into artificial intelligence and how that technology could influence classrooms worldwide.

"Sal argues that AI will radically improve both outcomes for students and the experiences of teachers, and help make sure everyone has access to a world-class education," Gates wrote. "He's well aware that innovation has had only a marginal impact in the classroom so far but makes a compelling case that AI will be different."

Gates added: "No technology is a silver bullet for education. But I believe AI can be a game changer and great equalizer in the classroom, the workforce, and beyond."

"How to Know a Person," by David Brooks.

The last book on Gates' list is "How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen," which is a guide to helping readers foster deep connections.

Gates wrote that Brooks' advice can be applied to all facets of life and help people build their social skills.

"As someone who has always been more comfortable making software than small talk, I found this idea both refreshing and informative," Gates wrote.

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26 Memorial Day Weekend Travel Deals, From Half-Price Cruises to Discounted Island Villas

By Kyler Alvord

All products featured on Condé Nast Traveler are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

It's that time of year again—spring is finally turning into summer and travelers are excitedly planning their next great vacation. As we celebrate Memorial Day weekend, the last hurrah before the official beginning of the summer season, we can't forget about the many great travel deals that are popping up this week. From PLAY's Memorial Day flash sale to Cruise Croatia 's 20 percent off savings for active and retired military, there is no shortage of great deals.

This season, rental car companies are doling out major savings, airlines are beefing up their getaway deals, and countless hotels and resorts are slashing room rates to compete for your attention. Think 25 percent off an upgraded Avis or Budget rental car and flights starting at just $14. Plus, Holland America Line has extended its anniversary sale of nearly half-price cruise fares to the end of May, Rocky Mountaineer is offering couples $1,000 off its scenic train expeditions, and some of Bermuda's best island properties and resorts are going for 30 percent off . Jump on these deals while they’re hot.

Flight deals

Train deals, hotel deals, cruise deals.

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All listings featured in this story are independently selected by our editors. However, when you book something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission. This article has been updated with new information since its original publish date. Additional reporting by Jamie Spain.

Lufthansa airline plane on the tarmac

College students save big on Lufthansa flights and baggage fees

Verify your student status with Lufthansa and immediately reap the rewards, unlocking a host of discounted economy flights between the United States and Europe, India, Africa, or the Middle East. Students also earn one free piece of checked baggage and the option to get a refund without fees. The program only applies to students in college who are over the age of 16.

Cut costs big time with Frontier Airlines’ shockingly cheap one-way flight sales

Spring sales are in full swing at Frontier Airlines , where travelers can currently snag one-way flights as cheap as $14 between select locations on select dates. This option works best if you’re flexible with dates and destinations—you won’t have a lot of wiggle room with these deals. If you’re feeling restless, on a budget, or are eager to get out of town, consider Frontier for an affordable start to your getaway.

Icelandic airline Play taking flight

Get fares as low as $99 during PLAY's flash sale

Icelandic airline Play serves up regular specials to entice Americans to explore the other side of the Atlantic. Right now is an extra-great time to book that spur-of-the-moment trip you’ve been dying to take thanks to the Memorial Day sale. From now until May 27, fares at PLAY are as low as $99 from the US to Iceland, and start at just $129 to Copenhagen, Berlin, Dublin, Amsterdam, London, Paris, Dusseldorf, and Hamburg. The deal is valid for flights taken between August 2024 and December 2024. You can also take advantage of the Weekend Break flight specials which include a number of dual-continent itineraries at unbeatable prices—some clocking below $150 each way—departing from cities like New York , Baltimore, Toronto, Washington, DC, and Boston, and ending at all the major hotspots from London to Amsterdam .

Save up to 30 percent on vacation packages with Spirit Airlines

The budget airline is making it a cinch to save big not just on airfare, but hotels and more with its vacation packages , which are currently up to 30 percent off when travelers book a combination of flights, hotels, or rental cars together. Several of the top deals offer trips to Las Vegas and Cancun from cities like Chicago , Houston , and Atlanta , starting at surprisingly low prices that include flights and a hotel.

Save up to 40 percent on hotel stays with Etihad Airways’ Stopover Package

Stopover packages are a great way to add another destination to your journey without spending too much extra cash. Travelers who want to experience Abu Dhabi can take advantage of Etihad Airways’ discounted Stopover Packages , which currently include up to two free nights in select three- or four-star hotels, or 40 percent off two- or four-night hotel stays at premium properties. The offer also comes with discounts on restaurants and other experiences, as well as amenities like 24-hour check-in and complimentary Wi-Fi. Travelers must make bookings at least three days in advance before arriving in Abu Dhabi.

Rocky Mountaineer is famous for its incredible views of the North American West

Ride out Amtrak’s range of ongoing sales

Amtrak is always offering some good longer-lasting deals. Students aged 17–24 can enjoy up to 15 percent in savings on train rides booked at least a day in advance, trimming costs on a variety of routes that range from coast to coast with no change fees. Plus, on most journeys, seniors save 10 percent on ticket costs—that means travelers 65 and over for qualifying domestic trips and ages 60 and up on cross-border expeditions. And, Amtrak has sweetened the savings on its children’s discount , so little ones between two and 12 years old may travel for 50 percent off with an accompanying adult.

Save 10 percent on Grand Canyon Railway getaway packages

The Grand Canyon Railway & Hotel, home to one of the most scenic train routes in the US , will cover all the bases with its two- and three-night getaway packages that include lodging, meals, and—of course—a train ride through the Southwest’s most-visited national park. The bundles are currently 10 percent off the usual price for an undetermined amount of time, meaning if there was ever a moment to jump on the full canyon experience, it’s now.

Plan a large group outing and earn the seventh spot free

Looking to take your next family reunion to a new level? Get the ol’ college friends back together? Go on a quadruple date? Whatever the occasion, EF Go Ahead Tours’ Group Travel Program caters to large groups, allowing you to handcraft your next experience and save some money along the way. For every six people who sign up, you’ll get a seventh tour spot for free. You can view this as buy six tickets, get one free; or buy 12, get two free; or buy 18, get three free—you get the point. There’s no cap to the number of free spots you can earn. Why not go all out?

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Save on select Ace Hotel properties, including its Brooklyn location

Get up to 20 percent off at Ace Hotels when you pay early

Ace Hotel’s Greetings From the Future deal rewards guests who book—and pay—at least two weeks in advance by trimming up to 20 percent off the reservation price. The discount, cleverly branded as “paying it forward for future you,” applies at multiple Ace locations and can be secured by booking through the deal webpage.

Book a suite with Loews Hotels and get extra on-site perks

Loews Hotels is sweetening its suite experience by giving travelers up to $125 daily for food and drink—the credit amount varies by location—plus free Premium Plus Wi-Fi. Currently, the hotels offering the largest dining credits are Loews Miami Beach and Loews Regency New York , but other properties still put up a good fight. Check out the offer page to find out what you can expect at your dream Loews destination.

Bundle flights with an Atlantis Bahamas resort stay and save up to $300

Guests can save up to 40 percent when booking flights and rooms at the same time through Atlantis Paradise Islands’ website, plus up to $300 in resort credit based on the length of the stay. All five of Atlantis’ Bahamas resorts are honoring the special, and the only conditions are that guests stay a minimum of two nights at the resort and pay the flight and hotel costs in full at the time of booking. You can also take advantage of the summer sale and see savings of up to 25 percent off and up to $400 in resort credits when you book now through June 19. Sales are valid on stays of four nights or more at The Coral, The Royal, The Reef, and The Cove.

The Davenport Hotel Collection

Take up to 40 percent off at The Davenport Hotel Collection

If you’re heading up to the Pacific Northwest this summer, consider taking a trip to Spokane, Washington, where you can stay in one of the five Davenport Hotel Collection properties for up to 40 percent off. The city has over 76 lakes nearby, making it the perfect summer destination to enjoy a variety of lakeside water activities.

Get a sweet, suite deal at Mondrian Los Angeles

Level up your LA vacay with discounted suites at Mondrian Los Angeles—they’re currently 20 percent off and also come with a $25 daily in-room dining credit and guaranteed late check out of 1 p.m. (early check-in is based upon availability; the deal also is subject to availability, and blackout dates may apply). The suites offer travelers a spiffy home base right in the heart of West Hollywood, and the property’s dreamy rooftop pool is a perfect way to wind down after a day of sightseeing and celeb spotting.

Hop on a free catamaran cruise in Jamaica with Beaches Resort

If you’re looking for a dreamy island getaway, look no further. Those who book a Jamaican trip with Beaches to either Beaches Negril or Beaches Ocho Rios can expect a free catamaran cruise on bookings of five nights or more. Stay seven nights or more to also get $250 in resort credit. Use the code JJAM2024 to secure the deal.

Save 15 percent or more on spontaneous bookings with Booking.com

Booking.com loves a getaway deal , which comes in handy if you’re still not sure where you’re staying for that last-second trip you’re trying to pull together. The site promises at least—not “up to”—15 percent off qualifying hotels of all price ranges, which are sorted by destination on the site to help guide you to a decision.

Wyndham Grand Rio Mar Puerto Rico Golf & Beach Resort

Unlock up to two free nights at thousands of Wyndham properties worldwide

From now until August 31, Wyndham rewards members have the chance to earn up to 15,000 bonus points (worth two free nights). Stay two consecutive nights at a Wyndham property to earn 7,500 bonus points, three consecutive nights to earn 12,500 bonus points, and four or more consecutive nights to earn 15,000 bonus points. Rewards members can also expect savings of up to 20 percent off or more when they book a stay for three or more consecutive nights between May 22 and July 15, 2024. Stays must be redeemed by September 30. You can join Wyndham’s rewards program for free here .

Save 20 percent at Omni Hotels on three-night stays

Omni’s Spring Savings offer is crystal clear: At the chain’s participating hotels and resorts, guests can now save 20 percent on bookings of three nights or longer. Book directly through the offer page and the deal is done, no additional effort required.

Take up to 15 percent off properties at Extra Holidays

Whether you’re looking for a sunny summer destination like Daytona Beach or the US Virgin Islands , or want to experience city life in Atlanta or Las Vegas , Extra Holidays has tons of great hotels to choose from. Guests will see savings of up to 15 percent off at properties from Club Wyndham, WorldMark by Wyndham, Margaritaville Vacation Club, and more, as long as they book between now and July 8. There is also a flash Memorial Day sale running through May 30 where guests can book a three-night stay and get the fourth night free.

Take up to 30 percent off hotels and resorts in Bermuda

Take a much-deserved trip to Bermuda this summer and get up to 30 percent off select properties like the Coco Reef Resort and Rosewood Bermuda through the HellOOO Summer Sale . Remember to book by June 15 to secure your savings and enjoy Bermuda’s pink sand beaches.

Hurtigruten Expeditions cruises

Take 45 percent off Holland America Line cruise fares

Holland America Line is extending its Anniversary Sale through May 31 in honor of Memorial Day. The highlight of the deal is snagging up to 45 percent off fares for cruises between May 2024 and April 2025, but you can also get up to $300 in onboard credit, a 50 percent reduced deposit, and—on select cruises—you can bring third and fourth guests for free.

See up to 15 percent in savings and up to $2,200 in ship credit on select Seabourn voyages

Take to the waters with Seaborn to “sea” some really great savings on select 2024 and 2025 trips. Guests can save up to 15 percent on select voyages when they book between now and June 25, 2024, like an 18-day trip through Chile and Antarctica , or a cruise through the Panama Canal . Guests can also take advantage of the “More Moments on Us” promotion which offers up to $2,200 in ship credit per suite that can be applied to a variety of activities include shore excursions, spa services, and Wi-Fi packages. (The promotions must be used separately.)

Enjoy all-inclusive amenities on a yacht-style Windstar cruise for $89 per day

Windstar Cruises’ all-inclusive fares allow guests to upgrade to a luxury ocean experience for only $89 more per day per guest, if booked by June 30 and more than five days before departure. This means you’ll get Wi-Fi access plus unlimited alcoholic beverages with gratuities included. Windstar’s yacht-style cruises tour a variety of areas , from the Mediterranean and northern Europe to Tahiti and Central America.

Sail the seas with nearly half off Hurtigruten Expeditions cruises

It’s still wave season and you can expect deals on all of your favorite cruises to destinations around the world. For those that book their next Hurtigruten Expeditions trip between now and June 30, savings of up to 45 percent are in your future. You can expect to see these huge discounts on 2024 and 2025 expeditions to Antarctica , Alaska , Greenland , the Galapagos Islands , and plenty more.

If you miss the cutoff for the 45 percent offer, there’s hope for you yet. With some extra planning, travelers can still slash 40 percent off 2025-2026 cruises , and for a limited time, solo travelers can join select cruise itineraries without paying the single supplement fee .

A Cruise Croatia ship sailing the gorgeous Dalmatian Coast

Cruise Croatia is offering 20 percent off for active and retired military in honor of Memorial Day

If you’ve seen the photos of Dubrovnik and Split, you know that a visit to the Dalmatian Coast deserves to be on everyone’s bucket list. With Cruise Croatia ’s current deal, active and retired military members can get 20 percent off on select departures this summer when they book between May 24–28. Those who aren’t military can still save when booking early for cruises departing in May 2025—expect to receive $80 of bar credit per cabin as well as a complimentary traditional village dinner on the Island of Korcula. You can also see savings of up to 40 percent off on last minute voyages .

See Greece in a new light with big savings on trips from Celestyal Cruises

For wave season this year, Celestyal Cruises is taking you on the trip of a lifetime to Greece. A seven-night Greece and Greek Island cruise is going for as low as $679 per person right now, and you’ll find other Greek cruise fares for as low as $279 per person. Your wallet will certainly thank you for taking advantage of Celestyal’s promotions.

Solo travelers get a room to themselves for cheap with Uniworld Boutique River Cruises

Traveling alone is a freeing experience, but can come at a steep price if you wind up paying double to secure a room to yourself. Fortunately, solo travelers can now book two-person rooms on select Uniworld river cruises for the price of just one guest, aiming to break down the financial barriers that often deter independent explorers from planning their dream getaway. Current itineraries eligible for the discounted rate last anywhere from 8 to 16 days and span all over Europe— Paris , Amsterdam , Venice , Lisbon —they’re all yours to see.

Holland America Line cruise

Take your family on a Disney cruise with a 25-percent-off special

Family-friendly Disney Cruise Line is offering between 20 and 25 percent savings on select cruises from ports like Civitavecchia, Italy; Barcelona, Spain ; Galveston, Texas; and Port Canaveral, Florida. The cruises on offer include routes all across the globe, on a variety of ships.

Even more travel deals

Earn one free day when you rent an electric vehicle through hertz.

Hertz is rewarding customers for conserving energy this spring, offering one free day for any electric vehicle bookings lasting three or more days. EV reservations that begin on or before June 1 are eligible for the promotion, which requires the code 211326 at checkout. Book at least 24 hours in advance to qualify.

Get 20 percent off all-inclusive resorts at Priceline when you bundle hotels and flights

Summer is in full swing for Priceline. See savings of 20 percent off or more for guests who bundle hotels and flights when booking top all-inclusive resorts. You can also save 20 percent off or more on trending city hotels, 40 percent off of Florida hotels with express deals, and up to 40 percent off theme park destinations when you bundle hotels and flights. From now through May 27, guests will also enjoy up to 10 percent off in extra savings when they use the code SUMMER10.

London home on onefinestay

Head to London with onefinestay and get a $635 voucher for your next trip

Book a two-bedroom home with vacation rental platform, onefinestay, by May 31 to get a $635 voucher that can be applied to your next stay with the company. The offer is only available to travelers who book two-bedrooms in London, and must be redeemed by the end of 2024.

Get up to 25 percent off a car rental—and a free upgrade—when you pay ahead

Avis and Budget’s spring sales mean drivers can get rewarded for paying up front when they book a car rental. The deal applies at the sister brands’ participating locations between now and the end of the year; travelers will get 25 percent off the time and mileage charges on their bill, and a free upgrade. To redeem, mention the coupon codes on the deals page and watch the perks pour in.

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Trump Convicted on All Counts to Become America’s First Felon President

A Manhattan jury found that he had falsified business records to conceal a sex scandal that could have hindered his 2016 campaign for the White House.

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By Ben Protess ,  Jonah E. Bromwich ,  Maggie Haberman ,  Kate Christobek ,  Jesse McKinley and William K. Rashbaum

• Published May 30, 2024 Updated May 31, 2024, 12:20 a.m. ET

Donald J. Trump was convicted on Thursday of falsifying records to cover up a sex scandal that threatened to derail his 2016 presidential campaign, capping an extraordinary trial that tested the resilience of the American justice system and transformed the former commander in chief into a felon.

The guilty verdict in Manhattan — across the board, on all 34 counts — will reverberate throughout the nation and the world as it ushers in a new era of presidential politics. Mr. Trump will carry the stain of the verdict during his third run for the White House as voters now choose between an unpopular incumbent and a convicted criminal.

While it was once unthinkable that Americans would elect a felon as their leader, Mr. Trump’s insurgent behavior delights his supporters as he bulldozes the country’s norms. Now, the man who refused to accept his 2020 election loss is already seeking to delegitimize his conviction, attempting to assert the primacy of his raw political power over the nation’s rule of law.

The Trump Manhattan Criminal Verdict, Count By Count

Former President Donald J. Trump faced 34 felony charges of falsifying business records, related to the reimbursement of hush money paid to the porn star Stormy Daniels in order to cover up a sex scandal around the 2016 presidential election.

As Mr. Trump learned his fate on Thursday, he showed little emotion, shutting his eyes and slowly shaking his head while a hush descended over the courtroom. But when he emerged, holding his jaw tense, the former president spoke to the assembled television cameras. He declared that the verdict was “a disgrace” and, with a somber expression, proclaimed: “The real verdict is going to be Nov. 5, by the people,” referring to Election Day.

The judge overseeing the case, Juan M. Merchan, released Mr. Trump on his own recognizance and set his sentencing for July 11, just days before the Republican National Convention convenes and anoints him as the presidential nominee.

Alvin L. Bragg, the prosecutor who brought the case, declined to reveal Thursday whether he would seek a prison term. The judge could put Mr. Trump behind bars for up to four years, but the former president could receive probation instead, and may never see the inside of a prison cell . His appeal could drag on for months or more, and he will remain free to campaign for the presidency while he awaits his punishment.

The 12 New Yorkers who composed the jury needed nearly 10 hours to decide a case stemming from Mr. Trump’s first White House run, when, prosecutors say, he perpetrated a fraud on the American people. The case — colored by tabloid intrigue, secret payoffs and an Oval Office pact that echoed the Watergate era — spotlighted months of scheming that begot a hush-money payment to a porn star and a plot to falsify documents to bury all trace of that deal.

“Guilty,” the jury foreman declared into a microphone 34 times, one for each false record, before he and his fellow jurors, whose names were withheld from the public for their safety, filed out of the Lower Manhattan courtroom.

Over weeks of testimony, the jury had met a varied cast of characters, including a tabloid maestro , a campaign spokeswoman and the porn star, Stormy Daniels. Their testimony built to an epic showdown between the men at the heart of the case: Mr. Trump, a real estate mogul turned reality-television impresario who exported his smash-mouth instincts to presidential politics; and the star witness against him, Michael D. Cohen, the do-anything fixer whose loyalty he lost.

In the waning days of the 2016 campaign, Mr. Cohen paid Ms. Daniels $130,000 to silence her story of a sexual liaison with Mr. Trump, who then agreed to “cook the books” to reimburse his fixer, prosecutors said. Defense lawyers attacked Mr. Cohen’s credibility — they noted that he once pleaded guilty to lying — and argued that Mr. Trump had never falsified any records.

But in closing arguments, one of Mr. Bragg’s prosecutors said that Mr. Cohen had told his lies for Mr. Trump. “We didn’t choose Michael Cohen to be our witness; we didn’t pick him up at the witness store,” said the prosecutor, Joshua Steinglass. The former president, he said, had hired Mr. Cohen “because he was willing to lie and cheat on Mr. Trump’s behalf.”

Mr. Trump, who repeatedly violated a judge’s order barring him from attacking Mr. Cohen and the jury, attended every day of the trial in a courthouse that had long ago lost its majesty , a fading hulk with cracked wood paneling and yellowed fluorescent lighting that suited the case’s seedier elements . There, in the center of a city justice system that accommodates all manner of mayhem, the former president glowered, muttered and often closed his eyes, spending much of the trial either in a meditative state or apparently asleep .

Mr. Trump still faces three other indictments in three other jurisdictions, but with those cases mired in delays, this was likely to be his only trial before Election Day. The other prosecutions concern loftier issues — Mr. Trump is charged with mishandling classified documents in Florida and plotting to subvert democracy in Washington and Georgia — but this trial sprang from the seamy milieu that had made him famous, if not notorious, as a New York gossip-page fixture.

The conviction, a humiliating defeat for a man who has dwelled in legal gray zones for decades, brings the nation’s highest office to a new low: Mr. Trump is the first president to lose, or even to face, a criminal trial.

The prosecution unfolded against the backdrop of a politically polarized nation, and reactions to the verdict could reflect that divide. Mike Johnson, the speaker of the House, called the verdict a “shameful day in American history” while President Biden urged people to vote, saying, “There’s only one way to keep Donald Trump out of the Oval Office: at the ballot box.”

Mr. Trump’s adversaries have long hoped a conviction would wipe the former president from the political map. For them, the case could represent a rare moment of catharsis: comeuppance for a man who, in their minds, poisoned the institution of the presidency.

Yet nothing in the Constitution prevents a felon from serving in the White House. And to Mr. Trump’s base, he remains not just a man but a movement. The more legal tumult he endures, the more his supporters revere him.

On the campaign trail, Mr. Trump is expected to harness that image of an outlaw idol, using his conviction to paint himself as a political prisoner and the victim of a Democratic cabal. During the trial, he cast the jurors as 12 angry liberals from a hometown that had turned against him, even though they were participating in a tradition so central to American democracy that it is older than the presidency itself. And he attacked Mr. Bragg, the elected district attorney, falsely claiming he was an extension of President Biden’s campaign.

Mr. Trump’s lawyers seized on the novel nature of Mr. Bragg’s case. In New York, falsifying records is a misdemeanor, unless they were faked to hide another crime. To elevate the charges to felonies, Mr. Bragg argued that Mr. Trump had falsified the records to conceal an illegal conspiracy to influence the 2016 election.

The defense argued that Mr. Bragg was stretching the law, deploying a little-known state statute in a case involving a federal election. That approach could, they argue, lay the groundwork for an appeal.

Mr. Trump’s lead lawyer, Todd Blanche, also sought to play down the importance of the case, deriding the false records as mere “pieces of paper.”

Yet the verdict is a career-defining victory for Mr. Bragg, who had characterized the fakery as an affront to New York, the financial capital of the world.

“Our job is to follow the facts without fear or favor, and that’s what we did here,” Mr. Bragg said at a news conference in the wake of the verdict. He then paused for a moment. “I did my job. We did our jobs.” And while he said he anticipated a cacophonous reaction to the conviction, he added that “the only voice that matters is the voice of the jury, and the jury has spoken.”

The Conspiracy

Five years ago, when Mr. Bragg announced his run for district attorney, he vowed to shake up the criminal justice system in Manhattan. No more, he said, would there be two systems — one for the rich and one for everyone else. He then brought a difficult case against the 45th president, charging Mr. Trump, as he would any other defendant, with the innocuous-sounding crime of falsifying business records.

Mr. Trump was convicted of 34 felony counts of that charge, one for each document he falsified as he reimbursed Mr. Cohen for the $130,000 hush-money payment to Ms. Daniels. The records included 11 invoices Mr. Cohen submitted, 12 entries in Mr. Trump’s ledger and 11 checks sent to the former fixer.

Mr. Trump signed nine of the checks from the White House, his own outsize Sharpie signature sealing his fate.

The documents, prosecutors argued, disguised the nature of the repayment to Mr. Cohen. There were no references to the hush money, only to ordinary legal expenses that arose from a “retainer” agreement.

Mr. Blanche argued that the records were accurate — Mr. Cohen, after all, was a lawyer who had expenses — but the prosecution showed that the expenses and the retainer were both fictional. Mr. Blanche also sought to minimize the election plot, asserting that “every campaign in this country is a conspiracy.” But Mr. Bragg argued that the American people were victims, deprived of important information about the candidate, and that the tactics of Mr. Trump’s 2016 campaign were not only distasteful, but unlawful.

Mr. Bragg’s prosecutors, eliciting lurid testimony of sex and scandal, persuaded the jury that Mr. Trump had orchestrated a conspiracy with Mr. Cohen and David Pecker, the former publisher of The National Enquirer, to buy and bury stories that could have upended his candidacy. It began with a meeting in summer 2015 at Mr. Trump’s Midtown Manhattan headquarters — prosecutors called it “the Trump Tower conspiracy” — and ran through Election Day 2016.

Mr. Pecker, the prosecution’s leadoff witness, nonchalantly explained to the jurors how the co-conspirators had soon confronted salacious stories about the candidate’s sex life.

The first came from a doorman at a Trump building who had heard a false rumor that Mr. Trump had fathered a child out of wedlock . Another belonged to a former Playboy model who said she had carried on a monthslong affair with Mr. Trump. Mr. Pecker bought both of those stories and never published them, a practice known as “ catch and kill ,” a dark art in the supermarket tabloid world.

After the election, Mr. Pecker testified, Mr. Trump summoned him to Trump Tower. There, the president-elect, having just met with the head of the F.B.I., thanked Mr. Pecker for burying the stories.

Mr. Trump was supposed to repay Mr. Pecker, and prosecutors played a surreptitious recording that Mr. Cohen had made of Mr. Trump, who wanted to buy all the dirt that The Enquirer had accumulated on him over the years, in case something happened to the publisher or his tabloid.

“Maybe he gets hit by a truck,” Mr. Trump said, instructing Mr. Cohen to “pay with cash.”

The Porn Star

Mr. Pecker ultimately refused Mr. Trump’s payment, worried that it might implicate him in a crime.

And he wanted nothing to do with purchasing the third and most troublesome story — Ms. Daniels’s account of sex with Mr. Trump. She was shopping it at a vulnerable moment for the Trump campaign, just as the world heard a recording in which he boasted about grabbing women by the genitals. The tape, from the set of “Access Hollywood,” sent the campaign into a frenzy, according to testimony from Hope Hicks, its former spokeswoman.

Ms. Hicks, who teared up on the stand, took jurors behind the campaign’s scenes as Mr. Trump careened from one crisis to the next. He denied Ms. Daniels’s story, telling Ms. Hicks it was “absolutely, unequivocally untrue.” (He denies it still, and Mr. Blanche portrayed Ms. Daniels as an extortionist.)

The week after Ms. Hicks testified, Ms. Daniels showed up to contradict Mr. Trump from the stand, offering a graphic recounting. In riveting testimony , she described how he had summoned her for dinner inside a palatial Lake Tahoe, Nev., hotel suite in 2006. She returned from the bathroom and found Mr. Trump in his boxer shorts and T-shirt, she said. Then, they had sex.

“I was staring up at the ceiling, wondering how I got there,” she told the jury, adding that the act was brief and that Mr. Trump did not wear a condom.

Ms. Daniels said that when she asked Mr. Trump about his wife, he told her not to worry, that they didn’t even sleep in the same room — testimony that prompted Mr. Trump to shake his head in disgust and mutter “bullshit” to his lawyers. His outburst was loud enough that it later drew a rebuke from Justice Merchan, who called it “contemptuous.”

The former president’s lawyers, cross-examining Ms. Daniels, sought to paint her as an opportunist capitalizing on a fiction, noting that she had sold “Team Stormy” T-shirts, a $40 “Patron Saint of Indictments” candle and even a comic book dramatizing her clash with the former president.

“You’re celebrating the indictment by selling things from your store, right?” a defense lawyer asked.

“Not unlike Mr. Trump,” Ms. Daniels replied, perhaps a reference to his prolific merchandise-peddling.

The sordid elements of her testimony had little bearing on the charges of faked business records. Her payoff did. In a crucial passage of testimony, Ms. Daniels confirmed that she had “accepted an offer” from Mr. Cohen to stay silent.

The Showdown

Even that did not prove that Mr. Trump had falsified records to disguise his reimbursement of Mr. Cohen. For that, the prosecution needed Mr. Cohen himself.

During his decade as a Trump henchman, Mr. Cohen distinguished himself with his volatility. On the stand, however, he was mostly steady , and he offered jurors the only direct link between the former president and the false records.

Mr. Cohen testified that, just days before Mr. Trump’s inauguration in January 2017, he had met with the president-elect at Trump Tower. There, he said, Mr. Trump gave his blessing to a simple way to hide the payoff while making Mr. Cohen whole: pretend the reimbursement was for legal work. Mr. Trump’s chief financial officer, Allen H. Weisselberg, handled the details, but as was customary, Mr. Cohen testified, “the boss” granted permission.

During closing arguments, the prosecution sought to corroborate Mr. Cohen’s account, producing what one prosecutor called “the smoking guns” of the case: Mr. Weisselberg’s handwritten notes about the reimbursement. The jotting appeared on a copy of Mr. Cohen’s bank statement — the very one showing that Mr. Cohen had paid off Ms. Daniels.

“Did Mr. Weisselberg say in front of Mr. Trump that those monthly payments would be, you know, like a retainer for legal services?” Susan Hoffinger, one of the prosecutors, asked Mr. Cohen.

“Yes,” he said.

“What, if anything, did Mr. Trump say at that time?” she also asked.

“He approved it,” Mr. Cohen replied, noting that Mr. Trump had then added: “This is going to be one heck of a ride in D.C.”

The plot reached into the Oval Office, where Mr. Cohen said he met again with Mr. Trump, who promised that a check would soon arrive.

A year later, they had a falling-out after the hush-money deal came to light in The Wall Street Journal, and Mr. Cohen pleaded guilty to federal crimes involving the hush money. Mr. Trump washed his hands of Mr. Cohen, who turned on the man he had once idolized.

During Mr. Cohen’s testimony, Mr. Trump brought his campaign to the courtroom, summoning an entourage of supporters to sit in the rows behind the defense table. The guests included the speaker of the House and other members of Congress, his adult sons, the actor Joe Piscopo and a former leader of the New York chapter of the Hells Angels motorcycle gang.

With Mr. Cohen on the stand, Mr. Blanche assailed his credibility, highlighting his criminal record, his pattern of lies and his obsession with exacting revenge on Mr. Trump. Mr. Blanche also argued that Mr. Cohen had profited from his hatred for Mr. Trump with two books and a lucrative podcast deal. He played the jury an excerpt from the podcast in which the former fixer sounded nearly maniacal as he reveled in the news of Mr. Trump’s 2023 indictment in the case.

“I truly hope that this man ends up in prison,” Mr. Cohen said giddily.

On the stand, Mr. Cohen was more subdued. He bent, but did not break under the pressure. And when the prosecution questioned him a second time, he stuck to his testimony that Mr. Trump had approved the scheme to falsify the records.

“When you submitted each of your 11 invoices,” Ms. Hoffinger asked, “was that true or false?”

“It was false,” Mr. Cohen confirmed.

And the check stubs that reflected a supposed retainer?

Mr. Blanche argued that Mr. Trump had signed the checks without paying them much mind, and that Mr. Cohen was responsible for the invoices. But the prosecution highlighted evidence that portrayed Mr. Trump as a micromanager who would never miss that sort of detail, including Mr. Trump’s own books, which contained a chapter called “How to Pinch Pennies” and the advice “always question invoices.”

The criminal conviction capped a brutal stretch of legal defeats for Mr. Trump in New York. He started the year in a federal courthouse, where a jury found him liable for defaming the writer E. Jean Carroll when he claimed he hadn’t sexually abused her, and ordered him to pay her more than $80 million . The next month, a judge concluded that Mr. Trump had fraudulently inflated his net worth to win favorable financial deals, and imposed a judgment of more than $450 million .

While those cases delivered devastating personal financial blows, only Mr. Bragg’s trial could send the former president to prison, and America into an era of uncertainty.

“This is long from over,” Mr. Trump declared on Thursday, minutes after his conviction.

Wesley Parnell and Michael Rothfeld contributed reporting.

Ben Protess is an investigative reporter at The Times, writing about public corruption. He has been covering the various criminal investigations into former President Trump and his allies. More about Ben Protess

Jonah E. Bromwich covers criminal justice in New York, with a focus on the Manhattan district attorney’s office and state criminal courts in Manhattan. More about Jonah E. Bromwich

Maggie Haberman is a senior political correspondent reporting on the 2024 presidential campaign, down ballot races across the country and the investigations into former President Donald J. Trump. More about Maggie Haberman

Kate Christobek is a reporter covering the civil and criminal cases against former president Donald J. Trump for The Times. More about Kate Christobek

Jesse McKinley is a Times reporter covering upstate New York, courts and politics. More about Jesse McKinley

William K. Rashbaum is a Times reporter covering municipal and political corruption, the courts and broader law enforcement topics in New York. More about William K. Rashbaum

Our Coverage of the Trump Hush-Money Trial

Guilty Verdict : Donald Trump was convicted on all 34 counts  of falsifying records to cover up a sex scandal that threatened his bid for the White House in 2016, making him the first American president to be declared a felon .

Next Steps: The judge in the case set Trump’s sentencing for July 11, and Trump already indicated that he plans to appeal. Here’s what else may happen .

Reactions: Trump’s conviction reverberated quickly across the country and over the world . Here’s what Trump , voters , New Yorkers , Republicans  and the White House  had to say.

The Presidential Race : The verdict will test America’s traditions, legal institutions and ability to hold an election under historic partisan tension , reshuffling a race that has been locked in stasis and defined by a polarizing former president.

Making the Case: Over six weeks and the testimony of 20 witnesses, the Manhattan district attorney’s office wove a sprawling story  of election interference and falsified business records.

Legal Luck Runs Out: The four criminal cases that threatened Trump’s freedom had been stumbling along, pleasing his advisers. Then his good fortune expired .

Connecting the Dots: As rumors circulated of Trump’s reported infidelity, two accounts of women  being paid to stay silent about their encounters became central to his indictment.

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Eric bolling departs newsmax after three year run, skydance sweetens offer for paramount global.

By Jill Goldsmith , Anthony D'Alessandro

David Ellison ‘s Skydance has sweetened its offer to acquire Paramount Global, Deadline has learned, in an attempt to make it more palatable to the company’s Class B stockholders after they trashed the outlines of a previous deal and threatened to sue.

Ellison’s original offer was to buy out Par’s controlling shareholder Shari Redstone for a significant premium, resulting in a windfall for her, and then merge Skydance into Paramount keeping the combined company public. Stockholders wanted to be bought out at a premium as well.

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The parameters of the revised bid couldn’t be learned immediately but Deadline understands that Skydance is putting more money in and restructuring the deal to make it more palatable to the Class B folks.

As the Skydance exclusive talks ended with no deal, Sony jumped in for a $26 billion cash bid with private equity giant Apollo, which was later downsized in some fashion as Sony signed a non-disclosure agreement with Par about two weeks ago that would let SPE access Par’s books and talks to start in earnest. Those conversations were not exclusive, however, and Skydance remained very much in the mix, continuing to talk with Par as well.

The issue for Sony is not shareholders but regulators. Foreign ownership rules likely prevent Sony from owning CBS broadcast assets, which is probably why its offer became more targeted. But it might not be a cakewalk to merge two major studios either. Skydance is safer, more certain on the regulatory front and wouldn’t require a prolonged review amid possible opposition that can drag a deal out and sometimes end without one.

Par hasn’t said whether the three had continued to serve actively on the committee after their pending departures were announced, or what the committee composition is now or will be after the meeting where shareholders vote for directors among other issues on the agenda and can ask questions. There’s speculation the committee maybe needed to wrap up and present options by the annual meeting but that may not be the case. The committee in any case is just there for a recommendation, with Redstone the decider and, some feel, a wildcard.

Says one source with knowledge of the dealings, “At the end of the day, whatever the committee recommends to Shari, it’s up to her to decide. A deal’s not a deal without her.”

Hollywood insiders favor a Skydance deal over a Sony/Apollo takeover of Paramount Global. The reduction of a major studio strikes fear throughout the exhibition sector that fewer event films would exist in the long run, the sector currently weathering the aftermath of Covid, two strikes and a Disney-Fox merger which has reduced the supply of movies at multiplexes.

Skydance’s last offer included a sweetened $3 billion cash injection — up by at least $1 billion contemplated previously. What’s key as a priority is Paramount holding enough cash on its balance sheet for an investment grade status with big ratings agencies. It included some premium sweetener for a percentage of non-voting Class B shares. Redstone would take an unspecified haircut compared with the initial offer terms where Skydance had proposed buying out Redstone’s controlling Class A voting shares and some other assets for about $2 billion. 

Paramount’s all stock acquisition of Skydance, planned as a second step in the transaction, valued the Ellison studio at about $5 billion, which also irked investors who called it too high and said it would dilute their holdings. It’s not clear if that part of the offer has changed.

Par shares are up 2% to about $12.

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