(CNN) - The White House has said President Obama plans to play golf and spend time with his family during his week away from Washington.
But it appears the president also wants to get some reading in: a lot of it.
White House spokesman Bill Burton told reporters Monday Obama's vacation reading list comprises five books, including tomes from New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman and historian David McCullough.
In all, the books on Obama's list total around 2,300 pages - meaning the president would have to read close to 300 pages each day of his week-long vacation to polish off the list.
Should Obama prefer to listen to the books on his iPod, four are available in audio format with a total running time of nearly 40 hours.
Full list according to the White House:
"The Way Home" by George Pelecanos
"Hot, Flat, and Crowded" by Thomas Friedman
"Lush Life" by Richard Price
"Plainsong" by Kent Haruf
"John Adams" by David McCullough
From CNN Politics
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Most republicans are still trying to read"My Pet Goat".
Wish he would read "Atlas Shrugged."
I am impressed that Haruf's book is on his reading list. It's not flashy, but is so poignant and moving. Come to think of it, it is amazing that our president even knows that it exists. That speaks volumes about the quality of our president on so many levels. I would love to sit down and discuss this book with him, but that will never happen. Oh well. Try and relax, Mr. President, you deserve it!
Perhaps, while reading "John Adams," Mr Obama should keep in mind that one of the principal causes of the American Revolution was excessive taxation, along with other crimes by the government such as establishing "a multitude of New Offices, and [sending] hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance" and "For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent."
Can you share that list with W? How about Sarah Palin?
I think John McCain knew John Adams, so it may not be as relevant for him. (just joking on the last line).
Mr. Obama,
You are a Great President.
You are doing a Good Job.
You Deserve a Vacation.
How much time off does Obama need? The only thing he's done since he got elected was go on a world apology tour, have a beer with a professor and a cop, and come up with an insanely stupid health care plan. And what's with the "obstructionist" Republicans? Last time I checked, Democrats held the majority in both houses of Congress, so they could pass anything they wanted. But guess what DUMBOcrats? It's people in your own party that don't want this plan. Even they don't agree with it. So I guess Republicans have gone from the party of NO to the party of reason! Ha ha. Take that dumbocrats.
how about reading the health care bill you fool
My Pet Goat rules.
OB should read "How to be a sucessful president"
Here's my suggestions:
The Constitution
Atlas Shrugged
Maybe then we'd have some "hope" for some real "change".
Five books in one week, a wife and kids, the pressure of being POTUS. This is pretty impressive. The only downside is, is that more people (namely republicans) will become jealous of him.
Isn't it great to have an intelligent president who reads?
As we saw in the campaign, Obama is a guy who takes advantage of short vacations and returns invigorated with new ideas. God knows we could use some of those. Working someone 24/7 doesn't get the best productivity in the long run (look at your fellow workers if you doubt this). It is well worth the tiny amount of tax money it costs.
Here, take a dime and call someone who cares>>>>>
Hey, that goes to show how behind the times you are, everyone knows a call is now at least .50 or more.....
OK, now you just how much I don't care!
"Bush read "adams"over 4 years ago…What was progressive Barrack doing…going to hear the Rev?"
Funny, I didn't know they published that book in a Pop-Up version?
Ah yes....the Repub's "....whaa whaa whaa"
...complain about everything. What miserable lives you lead. Even when the non-sentence completing nimrod named "W" was in office, we all just hoped for the day he would do something for the american people. NOT CHANCE!
This president is working for everyday americans and you hate it. Grow up!
Maybe uh uh uh uh we uh uh uh could get him to read a book on how to not say; uh uh uh uh
Fortunate then that GWB cannot read, according to the liberals on this chat room. That way he can't be too badly stung by such sharp political commentary.
Oops, fact check time. On this same chat room, liberals previously criticized GWB for reading too many books (reported in an article about the contests he had with members of his administration).
Oh well, keep making things up when the facts don't suit your agenda.
I'm a publican and I was told to say he ought to read "Altas Shrug" because it's about how you can stop the whole country from doing anything if enough people just belong to a party of no. Also dont kill my granma.
Yeah this is so trivial who cares. Just something for the Republicans to whine about nothing again.
He should read the Health Care bill!
Gee what a wonderful article about NEWS.
im not a fan of obama but no prez ever gets a vacation. they get briefings each and every day. so let him enjoy it. perhaps with congress and the prez on vacation no more harm will be done to our once proud country.
The Way Home looks like an excellent read. His picks says alot about who he is as a person. He seems to have an interest in the human plight.
He could read "The End of America" by Naomi Wolf along with everything else that has been suggested. I thought all his world wide trips were vacations too???