Reading something into Obama's Book Bag

I just read an article online about what President Obama is reading while on his vacation in Massachusetts this week, and what can be learned about the man from his vacation reading. No much as far as I can tell.

There are five books, all by white men. But that is neither surprising nor alarming. (What is alarming is that he doesn't have one of my books. I'd send him the material to read. I have got to get him to read DEATH AT THE JUNGLE-BUNNY JOURNAL.) I can't discern anything about him from the list, which includes:

THE WAY HOME, a crime thriller set in Washington written by George Pelecanos.
LUSH LIFE by Richard Price. It is a story about race and class in Manhattan's Lower East Side.
Environmental revolution is covered in HOT, FLAT AND CROWDED by Tom Friedman.
Kent Harut's PLAINSONG.
And my favorite is JOHN ADAMS by David McCullough.

McCullough's book is the only one I have read, and also enjoyed. It was years ago when I was still living in Philadelphia. It was long before the HBO film series by the same title, which I also enjoyed.

If I were president, which I wanted to be when I was 17, what would I take? Probably much of what I took on vacation two weeks ago (except a book on writing). There was a mystery, a general fiction, one history, one on baseball and a book on writing.

The only one I finished that week was the mystery. (It was the 14th book on Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series. I need to get the 15th book.) The only one I didn't touch was on the one on history.

Reading is essential for a writer. What can be discerned by my vacation reading list? Probably no more than can be learned from the president's reading list.

Thanks for reading and don't give up on writing.