Oprah book club books .. anyone read them? If so what’s your favourite read?
Oprah book club books … anyone read them? If so what’s your favourite read?
108 Answers
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Loading Please wait
Oprah book club books … anyone read them? If so what’s your favourite read?
I only managed to read Love Warrior by Glennon Doyle
Oh, and also Elie Wiesel’s Night
Did you like them?
I liked the two. Night is heart breaking. Love warrior too is in a way
A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle, A Million Little Pieces by James Frey, The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison are the only ones I’ve read. All were very good.
I had to go look at the complete list. There were about 15 I liked.
Can you name a few?
the pillars of the earth, Wally lamb’s books, Jewel, Tara Road (I never realized this was on the list though), East of Eden though I’d read that years ago.
Most of the ones I’ve read I haven’t liked very much.
I have to agree. I’ve read or tried to read most of them. I just looked at the complete list. There were only about 15 I either enjoyed or made it through.
Deep End of the Ocean
The Pillars of the Earth and Wally Lamb books were good
I’ve read a few of them and I have a few others that I have yet to read. The following is a list of the ones I’ve read. They were all very good.
She’s Come Undone
I Know This Much is True
Midwives
Where the Heart Is
Gap Creek
Drowning Ruth
The Poisonwood Bible
Cane River
Night
A Million Little Pieces
She’s Come Undone is probably my least favorite book of any book I’ve read. To this day, I can’t put my finger on it, but I really just dislike that book! Lol!
Annie,I can see that. I didn’t LOVE it. It was definitely one that I had to push through at times. I think if I had read that one before, “I Know This Much is True” I wouldn’t have read it. But since I read, “I Know This Much is True” first and loved it I gave, “She’s Come Undone” more of a chance.
I read undone 20 years ago now, and I all remember is that I hated her and the book!
@Marie, I read it 11 years ago, and that’s pretty much all of what I recall as well.
The most recent one – Behold the Dreamers – is excellent!
I’ve read many of them. Favorite authors on the list are Wally Lamb, Dickens, and Isabelle Allende. Individual books that stayed with me were A Fine Balance, House of Sand & Fog, We Were the Mulvaneys, A Lesson Before Dying, Stones from the River.
I just finished Drowning Ruth. I didn’t “love it”, but I’m not sorry I read it.
Ditto
The few Oprah books I’ve read I didn’t like. There may be some I haven’t read and I would like.
the 2 that stand out are Fall on Your Knees (super depressing) and White Oleander (very good but sad – really stuck with me)
I’ve read most of them and never come away disappointed! I discovered my favorite author, Wally Lamb, thanks to her, and also read one of my all-time favorites, East of Eden by John Steinbeck, because it was on her list.
I like Oprah, but if she likes a book, I tend to hate it. I don’t know why.
Wally Lamb…..love some of hers….others not so much
I don’t know if anyone remembers but she removed “A Million Little Pieces” by James Frey from the list because he told some lies in the book and said that it happened to him. She actually brought him on the show to call him out on it. I thought it was uncalled for but hey She’s Oprah.
How uncanny …just thinking of that episode with Frey…….
@Barbara It sure was. His mom was on there and it was so embarrassing. I think it made her look more bad. Most of his book was true but she called him out on the part where he was in love and the dental scene with no anesthesiology for having his teeth pulled. That was an awesome book. One of my favorites on her list to be honest.
I’m glad she did it. So many people would have read that book and thought it was true. Only by putting it out there in a way people would remember did word really get around. And hopefully made other authors think twice about doing the same thing.
@Mary That’s true.
I remember that she had him on her show twice. The first time, she believed and therefore allowed the audience to think everything in the book was true. The second time, the lies had been revealed and publicized so she had him back on the show, to correct the misleading representation she had given the book. I loved the book but think it should have been categorized as a fictional memoir, based on a true story.
@Jo I agree all Frey had to do was categorize it differently.
Agreed
A Million Little Pieces was my favorite Oprah book!!
I agree. I thought she was out of line. He was an addict and they’re not always truthful. I just took it all with a grain of salt. It was an enjoyable read for me regardless
Two of my very favorites of all time are on that list: Poisonwood Bible and Middlesex. Because of that, I’ve read at least a dozen others that I mostly disliked and don’t remember any longer. But I will say this, the novels she chooses are definitely gonna introduce you to characters and viewpoints outside of what you already know and challenge your thinking. And many of her best selections are love em or hate em type books, so you could find you love em!
Those are two of my all time favorites!
I did not know she was still suggesting books……where do you find them?
You can Google it and get the complete/up to date list.
The books are not from her club anymore but from Her O magazine.
@Martha thanks!
Am just remembering her interview with Cormac McCarthy after The Road came out….he grants interviews to NoOne…..would love to see it again
@Erin
I read most of them before there was an Oprah’s Book Club, and no I haven’t read them all. Just because someone says a particular book is the best, greatest, and my life would be lacking if I don’t read the book–sometimes the book isn’t a book I want to read.
Yes! A “best seller” is just that, a best seller. It doesn’t make it a “best written” book! Case in point: The “Fifty Shades is Gray” books! It was like they were written by a horny teenager. HORRIBLE writing but they sold millions of copies!
If you like very sad depressing books her bookclub is for you. I read a couple, didn’t like them at all with the exception of We were the Mulvaneys by Joyce Carol Oates which was great even before she put it on her list.
I’ve like the few I’ve read. They didn’t seem sad or depressing but as I said only read a few
I loved Poisonwood Bible & Midwives, which introduced me to Chris Bohjalian, whom I love! I was actually in the audience when she handed out Midwives as her then current pic! And I loved A Million Little Pieces till I found out the author made up some of the stuff in the book.
I would love to be in a tv audience. Sounds fun! My first pick would be Graham Norton.
Midwives was great!
I’ve onky read Night and I really enjoyed it
Too depressing choices…but I did love The Help.
I agree.
Im not a Fan of Oprah but this was one of her books and I did love it. East of Eden by John Steinbeck.
East of Eden was a classic and wonderful, so don’t think oprah can take credit for choosing it. Millions have chosen it for years.
Exactly!!!
Fall On Your Knees – but not because it was on her list. It definitely is a love it or hate it book. I loved it. It was quite the ride. -by by Ann-Marie MacDonald
I was thinking of this book just this morning. I just started The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne. The pathos is quite similar.
One of my all time favourite, read it in a weekend. Her other books did not measure up.
I was wondering about her other books, if they were as good. Good to know.
Read The Story of Edgar Sawtelle and White Oleander. Liked them both.
I read where the heart is. Quite liked it
Me too ?
One of my all time favorites from long ago.
I loved the movie, i didn’t realise it was book?
Is this the same one?
@Crystal the movie has Ashley Judd in it
The road is the only one I’ve read. Very depressing, but beautifully written and thought provoking. I enjoyed it.
I read several before she picked them. Once her name went on the book I just couldn’t get myself to buy them.
Why is that?
@Barbara Not a fan so have no respect for her opinions. Also don’t think she needed more money for endorsing books.
@Kathy exact opposite. Have loved almost all of her choices. She has helped the sales for many authors whose books otherwise would have remained on the shelves
@Kathy what do her opinions have to do with the quality of literature…….
If I remember correctly, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter is on the list and that’s one of my favorite books ever.
Also both of the Faulkner’s I love, Night is heartbreaking and great, One Hundred Years of Solitude is a masterpiece.
I used to work in a bookstore, and it was amazing how some would be disdainful of Oprah’s selections …..curious since they included icons of American literature (Faulkner, Steinbeck, etc) as well as Pulitzer winners of our time (Mc Carthy, JC Oates etc). And Dickens to boot!
Some people just hate/dislike/disagree with Oprah for sport!
I admire and like oprah always have but I don’t like most of her book list.
I personally don’t care for the woman at all, but I don’t take it out on the books. There’s some good reads on that list.
Oprah recommends quality books. People’s taste in books varies. I’ve liked almost all of the ones she’s recommended. Including A Million Little Pieces.
I LOVED that book…true or exaggerated it was a great read!
She’s come undone by wally lamb
Really liked that
Read most of her recommendations. I think she encouraged people to read.
Edgar Sawtelle was my fave but I really liked each one .
I Know This Much is True was my favorite!
I have read many of her suggestions and enjoyed most of them. That was also before the internet where you can get tons of suggestions now.
I have read many of her recommendations, love anything that helps people discover good books and authors! A small list of my favorites – She’s Come Undone, Midwives, Stones to the River, The Reader, White Oleander, Daughter of Fortune, The Bluest Eye, Night, Middlesex, The Road, Love in the Time of Cholera, The Invention of Wings, The Underground Railroad, Behold the Dreamers, Wild, The Poisonwood Bible. All great books!
She ‘s Come Undone,a good read, I think most were, Oprah helped many writers and exposed us to them.
I just read Open House by Elizabeth Berg. Easy read…not sure about the ending…I wanted a little more.
I always feel that way about Elizabeth Berg. But I do like her writing and I will read more of it.
@Jan – This was only my second book by her….I’ll definitely read more…and be prepared for the endings!! 🙂 I was reading on my kindle, swiped, and said “What?” Ha ha! I still liked the book very much.
Thank you for this post and thank you for all of the answers. It helped me with the 2018 reading challenge.
Too many good ones to choose
Color Purple!
On her list on Goodreads I have read 29 of the books, many more are on my TBR list. Every book on that list I liked or loved.
Love that she encourages people to read
She Came Undone by Wally Lamb,
I read most of the books suggested by her and I found them to be so eclectic. Enjoyed most of them and found new authors too.
Drowning Ruth
I loved all her books. I’ve been reading her recommendations since I was in high school.
They are all depressing but on topics we need to know and read about.
I have read a few and liked them all. Trying to finish up the version 2 books before going back to the original selections. Absolutely love both the Wally Lamb books.
White Oleander by Janet Fitch and Gap Creek I think is what it was called? I read Gap Creek when I was probably WAY TOO YOUNG.
I LOVED Gap Creek!
Love that she promotes reading, but she and I have VERY different taste in reading material. I’m at the point where I pretty much know if she suggests it, I won’t enjoy it ?
Agree. I like oprah but we don’t have the same tastes in books.
I loved White Oleander and Midwives. I think Elizabeth Berg’s Open House was also an Oprah Book Club selection…the publicity helped me get hooked on a lot of authors.