Harking back to a simpler time when presidents enjoyed reading (and, to rehash the decade’s best conspiracy theory, knew how to read), Barack Obama unveiled his annual list of his favorite books on social media. As Michelle Obama’s Becoming was a late 2018 edition, the former president instead took a few laps around Books Are Magic to give shoutouts to buzzy titles that include Jia Tolentino’s Trick Mirror, Sally Rooney’s Normal People, and Bernardine Evaristo’s Booker Prize–winning Girl, Woman, Other, in addition to his other recommendations for sports fans. “As we wind down 2019, I wanted to share with you my annual list of favorites that made the last year a little brighter,†Obama wrote. “I hope you enjoy these as much as I did.â€
Obama dropped a still-in-progress 2019 book list earlier this year, which included faves such as Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall, Toni Morrison’s collected works, and Min Jin Lee’s Pachinko. Put all those holiday gift cards to use!