Reading on the Vineyard...

or, President Obama's summer reading list:

* "Lush Life" - Richard Price
* "Plainsong" - Kent Haruf
* "The Way Home" - George Pelecanos
* "Hot, Flat and Crowded" - Thomas Friedman
* "John Adams" - David McCullough

Two of the five - "Lush Life" and "Plainsong" - are books I regularly pick up as I wander the bookstore in search of the next great read....will this be the impetus I need to read either one?

McCullough may sound familiar:the Pulitzer Prize winning author's book was adapted to TV as the very successful mini-series of the same name, starring Paul Giamatti & Laura Linney.

I'm a fan of crime novels so George Pelecanos' name rings a bell however I don't know if I've ever read any of his work. This endorsement from the Washington Post makes a compelling case for me to try his style - and soon: "His books will burn into your brain like no others". Powerful.

As for Friedman, here's a primer on his title far better than what I would give you, courtesy of his employer, The NY Times: http://www.thomaslfriedman.com/bookshelf/the-world-is-flat

Thanks to the Daily News for sharing Obama's ambitious reading list; I'm sure chain and local bookstores are changing their display tables even as I type!

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2009/08/24/2009-08-24_on_marthas_vineyard_president_obamas_summer_reading_includes_few_beach_reads.html