Barack Obama's favorite books of 2020

Former President Barack Obama has released his favorite books of 2020, and we'll set this straight before continuing: no, his memoir is not on the list.

We know some readers are eager to see whether their tastes align with Obama's, while others are more likely to demand why sharing his picks is newsworthy.

To the former, we say scroll away; to the latter, we refer back to a piece done in summer 2019 that addresses the interest in this particular Democratic politician's picks versus any other's ... and what his praise might mean, financially, for an author.

• Homeland Elegies, by Ayad Akhtar.

• Jack, by Marilynne Robinson.

• Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents, by Isabel Wilkerson.

• The Splendid and the Vile, by Erik Larson.

• Luster, by Raven Leilani.

• How Much of These Hills is Gold, by C Pam Zhang.

• Long Bright River, by Liz Moore.

• Memorial Drive, by Natasha Trethewey.

• Twilight of Democracy, by Anne Applebaum.

• Deacon King Kong, by James McBride.

• The Undocumented Americans, by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio.

• The Vanishing Half, by Brit Bennett.

• The Glass Hotel, by Emily St. John Mandel.

• Hidden Valley Road, by Robert Kolker.

• The Ministry for the Future, by Kim Stanley Robinson.

• Sharks in the Time of Saviors by Kawai Strong Washburn.

• Missionaries, by Phil Klay.