If reading a book or two this summer is still on your bucket list, former U.S. President Barack Obama recently shared a few of the book titles he has personally managed to tackle in his down time. The books, by authors who've won literary prizes and topped best-seller lists, are ones you might want to check out.
"One of my favorite parts of summer is deciding what to read when things slow down just a bit, whether it's on a vacation with family or just a quiet afternoon," Obama wrote in a Facebook post Sunday. "This summer I've been absorbed by new novels, revisited an old classic, and reaffirmed my faith in our ability to move forward together when we seek the truth."
During his eight years in the White House, Obama turned to books to find balance, "slow down and get perspective."
This latest list includes both fiction and non-fiction books, with many featuring gripping human stories of perseverance touching topics such as health, race and education.
These five book titles are in addition to a list of five nonfiction titles Obama shared earlier this summer.
With just more than four weeks until the end of summer, there's still time to pick up some good reading habits and a good book.
Here are the five new books Obama added to his summer reading list.
1. "Educated" by Tara Westover
"Tara Westover's 'Educated' is a remarkable memoir of a young woman raised in a survivalist family in Idaho who strives for education while still showing great understanding and love for the world she leaves behind," Obama wrote.
2. "Warlight" by Michael Ondaatje
"Set after WWII, 'Warlight' by Michael Ondaatje is a meditation on the lingering effects of war on family," Obama noted. Ondaatje's previous bestselling novel, "The English Patient," was made into a hit movie in 1996 and won nine Academy Awards.
3. "A House for Mr Biswas" by V.S. Naipaul
"With the recent passing of V.S. Naipaul, I reread 'A House for Mr Biswas,' the Nobel Prize winner's first great novel about growing up in Trinidad and the challenge of post-colonial identity," Obama wrote. The book was one of many in which Naipul explored the cultural elements he felt tied to as a man of Indian ancestry, born in Trinidad and raised in England.
4. "An American Marriage" by Tayari Jones
Obama described "An American Marriage" as a "moving portrayal of the effects of a wrongful conviction on a young African-American couple." The book tackles topics such as mass incarceration and intricate family relationships and was selected to Oprah Winfrey's esteemed book club this year.
5. "Factfulness" by Hans Rosling
"Factfulness," Obama said, "is a hopeful book about the potential for human progress when we work off facts rather than our inherent biases."
Obama called Hans Rosling "an outstanding international public health expert," and highlighted the author's optimism for the future of civilization.
Earlier this year, billionaire Bill Gates gifted copies of the e-book to students graduating in the class of 2018.
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