Obama releases his summer reading, music lists

Former President Obama has released his yearly summer reading list and music playlist. 

In a series of tweets on Tuesday, Obama shared some of his favorite books of the year as well as his top tunes for the summer.

His summer music playlist consists of 44 songs, some from current popular artists, including Drake and Rihanna’s “Too Good,” Tems’s “Vibe Out,” Beyoncé’s “Break My Soul,” Koffee’s “Pull Up,” Burna Boy’s “Last Last,” Kacey Musgraves’s “Keep Looking Up,” and Vince Staples and Mustard’s “Magic.” 

Older picks include D’Angelo’s “Spanish Joint,” Otis Redding’s “I’ve Been Loving You,” Wyclef Jean and Lauryn Hill’s “Guantanamera,” Prince’s “Let’s Go Crazy,” Rakim’s “When I B On Tha Mic,” and Aretha Franklin’s “Save Me.” 

“Every year, I get excited to share my summer playlist because I learn about so many new artists from your replies—it’s an example of how music really can bring us all together,” Obama wrote.

Obama’s book list includes Lan Samantha Chang’s “The Family Chao,” Ezra Klein’s “Why We’re Polarized,” Yascha Mounk’s “The Great Experiment: Why Diverse Democracies Fall Apart and How They Can Endure,” Antoine Wilson’s “Mouth to Mouth,” Charmaine Wilkerson’s “Black Cake,” and Sports Illustrated writer Chris Herring’s bestselling book “Blood in the Garden: The Flagrant History of the 1990s New York Knicks.”