File photo of Vladimir Putin. [Photo/Xinhua]

Russian President Vladimir Putin told media he loves two categories of books: One is Russian and world classics such as works by Fyodor Dostoevsky, Anton Chekhov and Leo Tolstoy; the other is biographies and historic books, for example about Peter the Great and Catherine II. He also loves Ernest Hemingway's novels, including The Old Man and the Sea and A Farewell to Arms but dislikes works about himself because he said he is just ordinary person and doesn't like hype.