Bill Clinton reads Jacket Copy, among other things

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On July 4, I posted about the literariness of former President William Jefferson Clinton. You might have missed it -- understandable. A lot of people aren’t reading blogs on the Fourth of July.

But someone was on the computer and told someone, and so on, and shortly thereafter Bill Clinton made his way to Jacket Copy. This was before, I assume, he was called on to help bring two journalists home from North Korea. In a window when he wasn’t working with his foundation, taking meetings about the global economy, supporting Harlem businesses and doing all the other things he does. Heck, he used to be president: I have no idea where he finds the time to read a book blog. I’m just a blogger and I can barely find time to do laundry.

But read it he did. How do I know for sure? Because he offered a correction: His dinner with Bill Styron was in 1994, not 1999. Thanks, Mr. President. It’s fixed now.

The main part of his note was to let me know what he’s been reading lately. And I think that he wouldn’t mind if I share that list with you. Here’s a list of books Bill Clinton has been reading lately, from his own pen:

1. Steven Johnson’s ‘The Invention of Air’ and ‘The Ghost Map,’ esp. #1
2. Tom Zoellner’s ‘Uranium’
3. Malcolm Gladwell’s ‘Outliers,’ his best book.
4. John Bogle’s ‘Enough’
5. Selden Edwards’ ‘The Little Book’
6. Richard North Patterson’s ‘Eclipse’
7. Andrew Greeley’s ‘The Cardinal Sins’ (now almost 30 years old)

If I had to guess, I’d wager the reason he made time to read a book blog was because Clinton, an author in his own right, really enjoys books. In that way -- even though he used to be president -- he’s just like us.

-- Carolyn Kellogg