Barack Obama has bestowed upon us his annual list of favorite books.

"Here are the books that made the last year a little brighter for me," the 58-year-old wrote on Instagram on Saturday. "Most of them came out in 2019, but a few were older ones that were new to me this year. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did."

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Over the next few days, I’ll be sharing my annual list of favorites — books, films, and music — with all of you. This has become a fun little tradition for me, and I hope it is for you, too. Because while each of us has plenty that keeps us busy—work and family life, social and volunteer commitments—outlets like literature and art can enhance our day-to-day experiences. They’re the fabric that helps make up a life—the album that lifts us up after a long day, the dog-eared paperback we grab off the shelf to give to a friend, the movie that makes us think and feel in a new way, works that simply help us escape for a bit. To start, here are the books that made the last year a little brighter for me. Most of them came out in 2019, but a few were older ones that were new to me this year. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

A post shared by Barack Obama (@barackobama) on Dec 28, 2019 at 1:17pm PST

The list brings together a mix of nonfiction books and novels, as well as two selections for sports fans.

His choice of nonfiction books includes The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power. Written by Shoshana Zuboff, the book details the challenges posed to society as digital companies continue to collect personal information from individuals. Another nonfiction book named to Obama's list wasThe Heartbeat of Wounded Knee: Native America from 1890 to the Present by David Treuer. The book captures the trials and tribulations of Native Americans over the years.

The remainder of Obama's nonfiction picks are: Anarchy: The Relentless Rise of the East India Company, Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud, and the Last Trial of Harper Lee, How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy , The Yellow House, Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland, Solitary and Trick Mirror: Reflections on Self-Delusion

The 44th U.S. president's fiction choices included Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo and Lost Children Archive by Valeria Luiselli. Evaristo's book captures the stories of Black women in Britain, while Luiselli writes about a married couple who are trying to make a life together with their two kids from previous relationships.

The rest of Obama's fiction choices were Lot: Stories, Normal People, The Orphan Master’s Son, The Topeka School, Trust Exercise and We Live in Water: Stories.

The 58-year-old also favored two sports books: A Different Way to Win: Dan Rooney’s Story From the Super Bowl to the Rooney Rule by Jim Rooney and The Sixth Man: A Memoir by Andre Iguodala.

The Nobel Peace Prize winner followed up his list of favorite books with a list of his favorite movies and TV shows.

"Next up are my favorite movies and TV shows of 2019," he wrote on Twitter. "Of course, there’s also American Factory, a film from our own production company, Higher Ground, that was recently shortlisted for an Oscar."

Next up are my favorite movies and TV shows of 2019. Of course, there’s also American Factory, a film from our own production company, Higher Ground, that was recently shortlisted for an Oscar. Here’s the full list: pic.twitter.com/PEcgwotcxm

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) December 29, 2019

The Hawaii native plans to continue with his list of favorite music from 2019.

"Over the next few days, I’ll be sharing my annual list of favorites — books, films, and music — with all of you," he wrote on Instagram. "This has become a fun little tradition for me, and I hope it is for you, too. Because while each of us has plenty that keeps us busy—work and family life, social and volunteer commitments—outlets like literature and art can enhance our day-to-day experiences."

According to The Guardian, Obama started the tradition of publishing lists of book recommendations in 2015. The former president also released another list of his favorite books earlier this year, Variety reported. That list included the work of the late Nobel prize-winning author Toni Morrison.

Best-of-2019

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