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On previous visits to Martha's Vineyard, President Obama has topped off his summer vacation with a stop at 

. This year, he skipped it. So we have lost one clue to the president's summer reading list.


The oversight comes at a sensitive time in Obama's relations with the nation's booksellers.  Earlier this summer he raised their hackles by visiting an Amazon.com distribution center  in Tennessee and speaking admiringly of the work it does during the holiday rush. People who make their living by selling books in stores said they felt slighted by the visit and the president's remarks. Publisher's Weekly 

under the headline, "Does President Obama Hate Indie Bookstores?"


We do not know the president's attitude toward independent booksellers, or whether the skipped bookstore visit was a deliberate snub, or what's on his summer reading list. But we do know that there's a good bookstore, 

 just 5 miles from the White House. It's about an 18-minute drive, in light traffic (and even less time when traveling by motorcade). We talk with the owner and a book critic about what the president might want to read if he can find the time. 

"Ordinary Grace" by William Kent Krueger


"The Guns of August" by Barbara Tuchman 


"The Emperor's Children" by Claire Messud


"The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood


"A Constellation of Vital Phenomena" by Anthony Marra


Books from callers that didn't make it to air:

" by Khaled Hosseini                                                


Gallery

The president skipped his usual bookstore visit. It's not clear how much we should read into that.

With a little summer left, what's on your summer reading list?

Go Deeper.

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