Continuing a much-loved annual tradition, former President Barack Obama shared his favorite books, movies and TV shows of the year.
On Saturday, Obama posted his book list, writing, “Here are the books that made the last year a little brighter for me. Most of them came out in 2019, but a few were older ones that were new to me this year. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.”
His recommended reads reflected a diverse range of subjects and included works such as Jia Tolentino’s “Trick Mirror,” Sally Rooney’s “Normal People” and “American Spy” by Lauren Wilkinson.
He followed up with a list of his favorite movies on Sunday, which also included three TV shows that he said he considered to be “as powerful as movies.”
Those three shows were the Emmy-winning second season of Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s “Fleabag,” the Netflix true-crime miniseries “Unbelievable,” and HBO’s “Watchmen” comic book drama.
The former president’s preferred movies included Greta Gerwig’s adaptation of “Little Women”; “Ford v Ferrari,” a sports drama starring Matt Damon and Christian Bale; and the coming-of-age comedy “Booksmart.”
Noah Baumbach’s “Marriage Story” and Martin Scorcese’s “The Irishman” were also on the list.
“Booksmart” director Olivia Wilde was clearly delighted with the shoutout, tweeting “OH MY GOD” along with a copy of Obama’s list.
The Twitter account for “Parasite,” a darkly comedic Korean thriller that also made Obama’s list of best movies, tweeted a simple “thank you.”
“This year’s list includes everything from explorations of class dynamics and relationships, to an inspired reboot of a classic graphic novel, to a portal back to one of the most special places in history — an Aretha Franklin concert,” Obama wrote on his list of films.
He also shouted out “American Factory,” a critically acclaimed Netflix documentary, which he noted was produced by his and his wife Michelle Obama’s own production company, Higher Ground.
Here’s his full list of best movies for 2019:
While in previous years Obama has released his annual favorites in a single go, this year he has staggered the lists. He said to expect a list of his top music for the year in the coming days.