Friday, June 12, 2009

Oprah's Reading List

Several years ago I decided Oprah and I had nothing in common in our reading tastes. So many of her choices were full of misery for hundreds of pages and then resolved into cheer in the last three pages. I was determined not to fall into her trap
again!

I broke my resolution for Julie, who said I must read A Million Pieces by James Frey. She was right. It was compelling, if not exactly true, as was later discovered.

Oprah called it right when she chose Ken Follett's Pillars of the Earth, as that is on my all time, all time best book list, having read it ten years before she chose it. But it did lead me to the follow up book, World Without End.

OK, a little more credence in her corner. Then she picked Edgar Sawtelle, which definitely did not follow her formula. There was fascination for hundreds of pages before the horrible let down at the end. It was pointed out to me, that my angry reaction to the ending (for days on end) only meant that it was a book I was passionate about.
I have to agree.

Well now comes her summer reading list, '25 books I won't be able to put down:
oprahsreadinglist
I was absolutely sure The Help would be first on the list. No where to be seen...
I hope some of you readers will check it out and tell me I'm wrong, but not one appealed to me. Help...

2 comments:

Willie said...

Only did a cursory glance at her list, but I think I have to agree with you!

Davielle (aka, Princess Magpie) said...

Ann, I usually agree with you about Oprah and her reading lists (blech! too dark & dreary & 'hard', then, as you said, maybe 3 pages of "sunshine" at the end - MAYBE). So I read thru her list with trepidation.

I found TEN books out of those TWENTY FIVE that I think I might like to read this year (if not this summer). They are:
HEROIC MEASURES
YES, MY DARLING DAUGHTER
WHAT I THOUGHT I KNEW
THE FOOD OF A YOUNGER LAND
PLAN BEE (I blog often about the plight of the honey bees, so this grabbed me!)
STORMY WEATHER (I have a bi-racial grandchild, so Lena Horne's story is intriguing me ... although my Kiara is not light-skinned at all)
EYE OF MY HEART
A MOVEABLE FEAST (I have always meant to read this ... now, in its more original-to-the-way-Hemingway-intended-it, I will do so!)
CAMILLA (set in Paris - how could I not read this?)
and
PROVENANCE (loving antiques & art, this appeals to me, too).

So - I may read TEN of those 25 and I'll let you know if I do --

Hugs - Davi