Tomorrow Oprah is expected to announce her final selection for Oprah's Book Club. Hooray! Now we authors won't have to cringe at the frequent question, "When are you going on Oprah?" (As if it were just a matter of picking a date!)
The blogosphere is guessing Jonathan Franzen's Freedom is the pick. Too bad O couldn't use her PR machine to give some worthy unknown novelist a shot. But we can't be too surprised really. Her job is to get eyeballs on the screen. Franzen and Winfrey making nice will get people to tune in.
If I had a show that millions of people watched and could only recommend one more book for them all to read, it would be hard. But for many reasons, I'd go with This Side of the Sky by Elyse Singleton. It's a great story and available in paperback and on e-readers, so it's affordable. About everything from the Jim Crow south to WWII to women's friendships, mothers and daughters and interracial relationships, it has lots of stuff for book clubs to discuss.
And, ahem, it's been a little while since O has selected a female author. Just sayin'.
If you were Oprah, what would your last book club selection be?
16 comments:
I'm not really sure what book I'd pick, but I like your recommendation. I'm going to check it out.
You may not have a million viewers, but I bet if you picked one book a year (or something) for folks to read, they'd do it. Some of us would anyway.
no woman since 2004.
i'm just sayin'.
Carleen you are the reason I'm going to be broke and literate. Between your books and all the recommendations you give, I'll be lucky to pay off one year of student loans ;)
I'm with evelyn, if you picked one book that everyone should read, I would do it (sort of like what Cheryl is talking about here http://chavelaque.blogspot.com/2010/07/one-great-way-to-stand-up-to.html )
So I want to read This Side of the Sky because it deals with Black people and WWII. And partly takes place in France, win! I'm fascinated by the experience of Black expatriates, especially those in France.
Aw, y'all are trying to tempt me! I've been thinking about this a lot. This author is doing something similar. Wonder if we could pull it off with a new release next year? Tayari Jones' has one coming.... http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=113149048727107
In the meantime, read THIS SIDE OF THE SKY!
OMG!! You so have me with this oprah deal, and yeah, I'm going to read freedom, but not because I am compelled to do so by all the publicity it is receiving. I want to know of which I speak when I argue with folks about how unfair media (including oprah) are when it comes to female authors. And 2006? According to one of your posters as the last year a female author was selected by oprah is criminal!
I also heard that oprah doesn't rec romance - deliberately. Just literary fiction. Well, there are fabulous books and authors in the romance category. And millions of romance readers who watch her show I bet. So now I'm on a tear. Lol!
Whoops, I forgot to mention - I'm definitely reading your rec! And be tempted, please, to rec more often:)
I bought that book around the same time as 'The Time Traveller's Wife.' Not to knock TTTW, but I never understood why it did so well, when 'This Side of the Sky' is so under-read. Have a tough time getting a copy these days. I know. Tried to buy one for my mother.
@Tiah, Actually This Side of the Sky came out some years before Time Traveler's Wife. For the record, I like them both, but I definitely agree that This Side of the Sky deserves to be read more. It did win a Colorado Book Award and was the Aurora, CO One Book/One City read.
But I did just see that it's official, Freedom is the choice for Oprah's Book Club. I'm like you though, I think there are so many less well known authors who could benefit far more from Oprah's backing. He was gonna sell a gazillion copies without her endorsement.
The GOOD news is that this isn't her last book club pick and she is going to continue her book club even when she goes to her own network. So, there is still some hope for us after all! :)
I've been seriously thinking about reading Freedom just because there's been so much buzz and I want to know what all the stink is about. But I'm starting to fall on the Jodi Picoult/Jennifer Weiner side of the arguement--enough with the Freedom crap already! :)
Maybe you don't have a million viewers, but I'll read the book you recommended! Not a big Jonathan Franzen fan anyway.
Oprah, why not Dolen Perkins Valdez's Wench?! Now, that would be amazing.
Wench would be a great selection for Oprah!
I would love to try something like that. I don't know if it would work for YA but I would get behind it for adult fiction, pick one book to read and have people spead the word. It would be fun :)
Carleen, This Side of the Sky was an excellent read and is always at the top of my list for books recommended. So, great choice! I'm glad to hear it's available as an e-book too because it's one I think everyone should read.
I loved it and hope Elyse Singleton writes another book soon.
As for which one book I'd recommend, wow, I'd have to think on that. Having to pick just one is a hard, hard thing! I'm going to look through some of my 5-star reads from the lat 5-6 years and see what I come up with. (More than likely, I still won't be able to pick just one.)
-Tee
So if I throw on a dress and some pumps and tip successfully while carrying my book, will you intelligent ladies consider mine? :-) Just kidding. My name is Jamal Story and my cousin Rosalyn Story (also a writer) recommended I check out this blog page. I LOVE IT! Thank you Carleen for doing your thing and thank you ladies for the enlightenment.
Jamal
www.jamalstory.com/Book.html
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