What’s the president reading on vacation?

This week, White House Deputy Press Secretary Bill Burton was asked what President Obama was reading on his summer vacation in Martha’s Vinyard. Burton responded with a list of five books:

• The Way Home by George Pelecanos
• Hot, Flat, and Crowded by Thomas Friedman
• Lush Life: A Novel by Richard Price
• Plainsong by Kent Haruf
• John Adams by David McCullough

Two interesting notes. First, I think it’s fascinating that three of the president’s five books are novels. Second — and even more interesting — two of the three novels are written by authors (Pelecanos and Price) who also served on the staff of The Wire.