At the end of each year, the 44th president of the United States announces his top-picks in literature.
Obama addressed his 552,100 followers on the social media platform X saying: “I always look forward to sharing my annual list of favorite books, movies, and music.”
“Today I’ll start by sharing some of the books that have stuck with me long after I finished reading them.
“Check them out this holiday season, preferably at an independent bookstore or library!”
Sally Rooney’s fourth novel Intermezzo was published in September 2024 by Faber & Faber and was positively received by critics.
The book explores the complex relationship between brothers Ivan and Peter in the aftermath of their father’s death.
The book, like most of Rooney’s work, also features modern couple dynamics with themes of loss, age and existentialism.
The 33-year old author from Co Mayo reached worldwide recognition after her second novel Normal People was adapted into a twelve-part TV series in 2020.
The show, released on RTÉ One, BBC Three and the American streaming service Hulu was an immediate success and saw its leads, Daisy Edgar-Jones and Paul Mescal, nominated for BAFTA and Golden Globe Awards.
Since then, she has been hailed as the voice of a generation due to the topics addressed in her books.
Speaking during the An Post, Irish Book Awards held in Dublin last November, after having been named Author of the Year she reiterated her support for the people of Palestine.
“Once you have the voice, the access to some space in public discourse for me there is a certain duty that comes with that,” she said.
“Tonight I want to stand in solidarity with the people of Palestine.”
Other books on the list were, The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt, The chair Pride by Arlie Russel Hoschshild, Someone Like Us by Dinaw Mengestu and Patriot written by former Russian opposition leader and political prisoner Alexei Navalny.
The Sunday Times bestseller is a posthumous memoir authored by Navalny which details his life and career until his death in February 2024.
Navalny began writing the memoir in August 2020 in the aftermath of his poisoning with the nerve agent Novichok.
His final entry was written in January 2024, a few weeks before his death.
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