What do Olympians do to help take the edge off and cut the stress during the games? The Australian women’s swim team has been reading E.L. James‘ popular erotica novel 50 Shades of Grey, as a way to help them turn off and relax at night.

The International Business Times has more: “200m individual medley silver medalist Alicia Coutts said that she became hooked on the book after picking it at a service station when she and the 20 other members of the team traveled from their training camp in Manchester to the Athletes Village in East London.” Coutts told The Herald Sun: “Most of the swimming girls are reading Fifty Shades of Grey. We’re all talking about it.”

Before the Olympics began, Australian swimmer Stephanie Rice tweeted a photo of herself reading the book (embedded above), writing “Have heard a mixed review on the book. What’s ur opinion?? I’m just starting it #fiftyshades.” What other books would you recommend to Olympians?

For his vacation on Martha’s Vineyard this week, President Barack Obama has packed a long list of books to read.

If you want to build a presidential reading list, we’ve put together Obama’s five reads with links to free samples of each title.

1. 1. The Bayou Trilogy by Daniel Woodrell Publisher Mulholland Books describes this work: “The Bayou Trilogy highlights the origins of a one-of-a-kind author, a writer who for over two decades has created an indelible representation of the shadows of the rural American experience and has steadily built a devoted following among crime fiction aficionados and esteemed literary critics alike.” Read more

Are you getting ready for a big July 4th trip and need something to read on the cheap? We’ve put together a list of books that are on sale this week for your holiday reading enjoyment.

The list includes titles for grownups and kids. If you are looking for book apps, over at eBookNewser, we made a list of book apps on sale this week.

Five Books On Sale For Your Holiday Reading:

1. Claire DeWitt and The City Of The Dead: Powell’s Books has this new thriller from Sara Gran on sale for $16.80. The first in a series, the book chronicles the adventures of a pot-smoking, psychic detective in post-Katrina New Orleans.

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