Obama holiday reading: 300 pages a day

Martha's Vineyard: President Barack Obama unveiled on Monday perhaps the most ambitious goal of his presidency to date - a holiday reading list that works out at 300 pages a day.

The president arrived with his family on Sunday for a week-long break on Martha's Vineyard in which he hopes to devote his time to golf and family. The White House disclosed that he had taken five titles to read at the secluded private estate where they are staying.

In total, the five books come to 2,300 pages. At the serious end are Hot, Flat And Crowded - Why We Need A Green Revolution And How It Can Renew America by Thomas Friedman and John Adams, a biography of the second US president by David McCullough.

McCullough lives down the road from where the Obamas are staying. The novels are The Way Home by George Pelecanos, a crime thriller set in Washington DC, Lush Life by Richard Price, a crime thriller set in New York, and Plainsong by Kent Haruf, a worthier tale about small-town life on the Colorado plains.

The 23-mile long island is a popular destination for successful African-Americans and many have made sure they are on the island to coincide with the Obamas' visit.