Former President Barack Obama on Saturday continued his tradition of sharing his annual lists of favorites, starting with a rundown of books that made the past year "a little brighter for me." Barack Obama releases list of his favorite books of 2019 Author Toni Morrison is awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Obama at the White House in … In keeping with his annual tradition, the former president shared a list of his favorite books from 2019 … Here are Obama’s recommended books for summer reading: “The collected works of Toni Morrison”. Your 2020 reading list has arrived, courtesy of Barack Obama. “The Nickel Boys” by Colson Whitehead.