I'm pretty excited about it, to say the least. I should explain by sharing something you, my readers, likely don't know about me...
I have a bucket list, like most people. Number 18 on that bucket list is to read all of Oprah's Book Club novels. I've put a decent dent in the pile, but am nowhere near completion.
Another confession is that I simply adore Oprah. I grew up watching her with my mom. My mom was once even on her show. I got an autographed picture. Awwww...
I'm not big on celebrities. Typically, I could care less what they're doing. But Oprah? She's been my biggest celebrity inspiration. Sure, I haven't agreed with her 100% all the time, but I appreciate and respect what she stands for and how she lives her life. She's selfless, caring, a role model, and an inspiration.
Anyway, in honor of the return of the book club (which really just adds to my bucket list goal), I'm going to list below what books I have read on her list:
The ones listed in black, I have not yet read.
Those listed in pink, I have on my bookshelf but have not read
Those with the
1996:
The Book of Ruth by Jane Hamilton (own, have not read)
Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
The Deep End of the Ocean by by Jacquelyn Mitchard
1997:
The Meanest Thing to Say by Bill Cosby
The Treasure Hunt by Bill Cosby
The Best Way to Play by Bill Cosby
Ellen Foster by Kaye Gibbons
A Virtuous Woman by Kaye Gibbons
A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines
Songs in Ordinary Time by Marry McGarry Morris
The Heart of a Woman by Maya Angelou
The Rapture of Canaan by Sheri Reynolds
Stones from the River by Ursula Hegi
1998:
Midwives by Chris Bohjalian
Breath, Eyes, Memory by Edwidge Danticat
Black and Blue by Anna Quindlen
Here on Earth by Alice Hoffman
Paradise by Toni Morrison
1999:
A Map of the World by Jane Hamilton
Vinegar Hill by A. Manette Ansay
River, Cross My Heart by Breena Clarke
Tara Road by Maeve Binchy
Mother of Pearl by Melinda Haynes
The Pilot's Wife by Anita Shreve
Jewel by Bret Lott
2000:
House of Sand and Fog by by Andre Dubus III
Drowning Ruth by Christina Schwarz
Open House by Elizabeth Berg
While I Was Gone by Sue Miller
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
Back Roads by Tawni O'Dell
Daughter of Fortune by Isabelle Allende
Gap Creek by Robert Morgan
2001:
A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry
The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen
Stolen Lives: Twenty Years in a Desert Jail by Malika Oufkir
Icy Sparks by Gwyn Hyman Rubio
We Were The Mulvaneys by Joyce Carol Oates
2002:
Fall on Your Knees by Ann-Marie MacDonald
2003:
Cry, The Beloved Country by Alan Paton
2004:
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez
The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck
2005:
As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner
The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner
A Light in August by William Faulkner
2006:
2007:
The Measure of a Man by Sidney Poitier
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez
The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
2008:
A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski
2009:
Say You're One of Them by Uwem Akpan
2010:
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
As you can see, there are currently (before the new list comes about) 70 books on Oprah's Book Club List. I have read 15 of them, so a mere 21%. I definitely plan to join in on Oprah's Book Club 2.0 (that's the title of her new one). I may be a few months behind in the readings, but I'll get them done.
Most of these books I've read have really revolutionized my life. For example, my top 2 favorite books of all time are on here: The Poisonwood Bible and She's Come Undone. There are a few I didn't care for too much, but for the most part, Oprah and I are on the same wavelength when it comes to books.
I'm excited to, again, have a list of books I will likely rate 4-5 stars and enjoy a lot.
I hope you all are having a great Sunday and are as excited by this news as me!
Oprah is definitely an inspiration. I've never been a follower of the specific books she picks, but I really admire her ability to get so many people reading. I worked at a bookstore when she started the club and I remember the waves of people who would show up when the show was over to get the books. For the first 3 or 4 titles, she didn't release the title to the bookstores in advance, so we'd have 3 or 4 copies of whatever book it was on hand, and end up ordering dozens more.
ReplyDeleteI had no idea she had a book club again. Off to check it out. That is a great bucket list idea. :)
ReplyDeleteI've read perhaps three from the list you have. I wonder if there is a reading challenge out there regarding Oprah's Book Club? Perhaps someone should make one with different reading levels like... sign up for 5-10, 11-20, 21-30, etc in stages for those of different reading levels. I'd probably join it if there was one. :)