- The list also includes the late Toni Morrison's Nobel Prize acceptance speech.
- He recommends both fiction and nonfiction works, though it's clear he especially enjoys mystery novels.
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18 books (and 1 speech) Bill Clinton thinks everyone should be reading this year
Former president Bill Clinton released a list of books he thinks everyone should read.
bill clinton reading
Bill Clinton, like other successful individuals, likes reading.
Clinton tweeted out a list of his favorite pieces of writing in 2019 so far. Most of them are books, but the former president also included a speech by the late Toni Morrison.
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While Clinton doesn't usually release his reading recommendations like he did on Wednesday, former president Barack Obama has an annual list of the best books and music he consumed that year. Bill Gates who says he reads 50 books a year recommends books routinely .
Here's what former president Bill Clinton has been reading this year, along with an Amazon summary and a short comment about the books the former commander-in-chief included within the recommendation.
Tony Morrisons Nobel Prize Speech
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This isn't a book, but Clinton said he read it "two or three times." The iconic American writer died on August 5.
Read it here.
"This America: The Case for the Nation" by Jill Lepore
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Amazon summary: At a time of much despair over the future of liberal democracy, Jill Lepore makes a stirring case for the nation in "This America," a follow-up to her much-celebrated history of the United States, "These Truths."
Clinton's thoughts: "Short powerful call for inclusive nationalism."
Get it here.
"How Do We Look: The Body, the Divine, and the Question of Civilization" by Mary Beard
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Amazon
Amazon summary: Conceived as a gorgeously illustrated accompaniment to "How Do We Look" and "The Eye of Faith," the famed "Civilisations"shows on PBS, renowned classicist Mary Beard has created this elegant volume on how we have looked at art.
Clinton's thoughts: "How we see things."
Get it here.
"The Widow of Washington" by Martha Sexton
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Amazon summary: "The Widow Washington"is the first life of Mary Ball Washington, George Washington's mother, based on archival sources.
Clinton's thoughts: "George's mother bore the burdens and strained at the confines of womanhood in 18th century Virginia."
Get it here.
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"Fantasyland: How America Went Haywire - A 500-Year History" by Kurt Andersen
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Amazon summary: In this sweeping, eloquent history of America, Kurt Andersen shows that what's happening in our country today this post-factual, "fake news" moment we're all living through is not something new, but rather the ultimate expression of our national character.
Clinton's thoughts: "An irreverent look at our long embrace of fantasy for better and worse."
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Get it here.
"Beyond Charlottesville: Taking a Stand Against White Nationalism" by Terry McAuliffe
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Amazon summary: In "Beyond Charlottesville," [former Virginia governor Terry McAuliffe] looks at the forces and events that led to the tragedy in Charlottesville, including the vicious murder of Heather Heyer and the death of two state troopers in a helicopter accident.
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Clinton's thoughts: "On that fateful day, he spoke for America."
Get it here.
"The Fifth Domain: Defending Our Country, Our Companies, and Ourselves in the Age of Cyber Threats" by Richard A. Clarke and Robert K. Knake
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Amazon summary: This is a book about the realm in which nobody should ever want to fight a war: the fifth domain, the Pentagon's term for cyberspace.
Clinton's thoughts: "Read this and you'll see what we're all up against in cyberspace."
Get it here.
"One Good Deed" by David Baldacci
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Amazon
Amazon summary: When a murder takes place right under Aloysius Archer's nose, police suspicions rise against the ex-convict, and Archer realizes that the crime could send him right back to prison
Clinton's thoughts: "One of his finest books. Great character, great story, great portrait of an era."
Get it here.
"The New Girl" by Daniel Silva
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Amazon summary: At an exclusive private school in Switzerland, mystery surrounds the identity of the beautiful raven-haired girl who arrives each morning in a motorcade fit for a head of state.
Clinton's thoughts: "Gabriel Allon never fails and this one explains Israel's view of the neighborhood."
Get it here.
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"The Wolf of Sarajevo" by Matthew Palmer
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Amazon summary: Twenty years after the Srebrenica massacre that claimed the life of his friend and colleague, Eric Petrosian is back in Sarajevo at the American embassy, and the specter of war once again hangs over the Balkans.
Clinton's thoughts: "Compelling tour of Bosnia by a seasoned diplomat and first-class storyteller."
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Get it here.
"Unsolved" by James Patterson and David Ellis
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Amazon summary: To FBI special agent Harrison "Books" Bookman, everyone in the FBI is a suspect particularly Emmy Dockery (the fact that she's his ex-fiancee doesn't make it easier).
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Clinton's thoughts: "America's storyteller keeps finding good ones to tell."
Get it here.
"The Inn" by James Patterson and Candice Fox
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Amazon summary: The solitary inhabitants of the Inn will have to learn, before time runs out, that their only choice is between standing together or dying alone.
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"A Better Man: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel" by Louise Penny
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Amazon summary: The air is unbearably tense as Armand Gamache returns to the Sret du Qubec for his first day of work since his demotion from its command to head of homicide. Amid blistering personal social media attacks, Gamache sets out on his first assignment - to find a missing woman.
Clinton's thoughts: "She never gives up on Gamache and he keeps coming through."
Get it here.
"The Dry" by Jane Harper
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Amazon summary: A small town hides big secrets in "The Dry," an atmospheric, page-turning debut mystery by award-winning author Jane Harper.
Clinton's thoughts: "This book makes the Australian Outback come alive and breeds respect for its survivors."
Get it here.
"The American Agent" by Jacqueline Winspear
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Amazon summary: Beloved heroine Maisie Dobbsinvestigates the mysterious murder of an American war correspondent in London during the Blitz in a page-turning tale of love and war, terror and survival.
Clinton's thoughts: "Maisie Dobbs is aging well."
Get it here.
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"Conviction" by Denise Mina
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Amazon summary: The day Anna McDonald's quiet, respectable life exploded started off like all the days before: Packing up the kids for school, making breakfast, listening to yet another true crime podcast. Then her husband comes downstairs with an announcement, and Anna is suddenly, shockingly alone.
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Someone Knows by Lisa Scottoline
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Amazon summary: Best-selling and award-winning author Lisa Scottoline reaches new heights with this riveting novel about how a single decision can undo a family, how our past can derail our present, and how not guilty doesn't always mean innocent.
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The Last Widow by Karin Slaughter
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Amazon summary: New York Times best-selling author Karin Slaughter brings back Will Trent and Sara Linton in this superb and timely thriller full of devious twists, disturbing secrets, and shocking surprises you won't see coming.
Get it here.
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The Better Sister by Alafair Burke
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Amazon summary: From Alafair BurkeNew York Timesbestselling author of the runaway hit,The Wife comes another twisty tale of domestic noir. When a prominent Manhattan lawyer is murdered, two estranged sistersone the dead man's widow, the other his exmust set aside mistrust and old resentments ... but can they escape their past?
Clinton's thoughts (regarding the last four books): "In different ways, all these books deal with both current and age-old challenges women face. The characters and plots are good, and there are some interesting takes on the role of social media in shaping our perceptions of reality."
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Get it here.
See Also:
SEE ALSO: 17 financial perks of being the president of the United States
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