OPINION — Though his two terms have ended, it is a tradition that former President Barack Obama has continued: providing his year-end list of favorite books (and films and music). This year, not surprisingly, his book of the year is Michelle Obama’s “Becoming,” already a best-seller. That makes sense, since she is not only his wife and one of America’s favorite first ladies, but also, according to Gallup, the “most admired” woman in the country. Plus, can you imagine the troubles at home if another title topped his list?

But what of our current president?

Through the words of his staff and aides, many of whom have left the building, we know he is not that into reading, whether briefing paper or book, though “Trump: The Art of the Deal” will always have a special place in his heart. And to be fair, with a Democratic majority in the House and anticipated findings in special counsel Robert Mueller’s various investigations, Donald Trump has a lot on his 2019 plate.

But reading is more than a time-consuming chore; immersion in a book can be a relaxing escape, just what the doctor ordered if Trump would think of learning new information as a cure rather than a punishment.

To start, although we know he follows Obama obsessively and takes delight in playing his Bizarro, mirror-image opposite, in one case Trump should steal one of the former president’s favorites. That would be “Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom” by David W. Blight, since last we heard, Trump thought the famous abolitionist and author might still be very much with us, “an example of somebody who’s done an amazing job and is getting recognized more and more.”