OMG, I loved that book! It’s one of my favorites. I’ve read it several times. I love Ken Follett’s stuff.
I think it’s just a matter of literary taste. A lot of people are very disdainful of the Oprah books, but I wonder how many of them have ever actually sat down and read one. They’re not all romance and fluff. The Poisonwood Bible is a good book. Why should you read it? Well, I don’t know. But if you (or anyone) started a thread asking for reading suggestions, I would mention that one since I liked it.
I don’t want an apology. And I don’t want you to like Oprah. And I don’t care if you hate Oprah so much that when she dies you make a daily trip to the cemetary to spit on her grave. For me, Oprah herself is no longer the point.
What I do want is to understand why you are so angry over the fact that people read books because she recommends them. That’s all. Nothing more, nothing less.
Ok, let me rephrase the question; Are you upset because people are reading books based on recommendations by someone (in general. Just any ole body) they don’t know, or are you upset because they are reading books based on what Oprah recommends?
I do want to express my gratitude, by the way, for this being in the pit so I can tell all of you that when I read “I Know This Much is True” I thought it sucked rat cock.
Sorry about disagreeing with those of you who loved it.
I liked some other books that Oprah also happened to like. That warn’t one of 'em.
Had this thread not been in the pit, I’d have had to say something like “That work was something of a disappointment to me.” Sucking rat cock is far more indicative of my true reaction to the book.
Since I liked Pillars of the Earth, and think Oprah is okay, I think it’s time to tackle jarbaby and start a catfight.
pounces
Oops! What’s this? Your bra came undone! curls up into ball to avoid being trampled by male (and female) Dopers rushing into thread to watch
C’mon Pepper, Green Bean, the rest of you. Let’s BRAWL! makes snatch for Pepper’s brastrap
And if I may use Cranky as an example here…I want to ask, is anyone allowed to say “This book was horribly boring” on book discussion day on Oprah (I honestly don’t know) or is all the bad commentary edited out?
This would actually make a big difference in how I felt about it.
Actually jarbabyj the participants are handpicked by Oprah’s assistants. So, in order to get some good discussion going, I have seen a few shows (out of a dozen book discussions I’ve actually watched) where people basically said, “I really hated this book.” Or “I really hated these characters.”
It doesn’t happen a lot, and it’s usually just one lone person, but at least they make an effort once in awhile.
FWIW, Oprah is on right now, and she’s annoying me because she’s getting preachy.
“you need ot have faith to get through the tragedy.”
Well, I don’t have faith, and I’m doing just fine…
Jeez, hate to sound like GD in the Pit,Green Bean, but your response to my post is what? Ya gonna take it like a man or are you going to try to argue that BOMC was Oprah’s inspiration for the book club?
Huh? Maybe it was the inspiration. I’ll take your word for it, okay? Bridges of Madison County still wasn’t a Book Club selection. Sorry I was remiss in my duty in responding to you. I found nothing to disagree with, or even to discuss, in your post.
And, no, I won’t take it like a man, thankyouverymuch.
Like you, jarbabyj, I can’t stand Oprah, for many (but not all) of the reasons you’ve stated. But you know what? Oprah has no power over me. None. Zero. Nada. Zip. Why get flustered over something as inconsequential as her? Why do you watch her show if you can’t stand her? So what if moronic people are glued to her show. In fact, we should encourage these dopes to buy the worthless crap she’s pushing; it helps the economy when people spend money. (multiplier effect, etc.)
I don’t know about that, but if I had been there, I would have really dumped on “Icy Sparks”. I liked the House of Sand and Fog, I like Wally Lamb, I really liked Map of the World, but I must say that as voracious a reader as I am, I couldn’t make a dent in Icy Sparks. One chapter in and I laid it down and never picked it up again. But to get back on topic, I don’t see anything wrong with Oprah recommending books. Most of them have been a decent read. I find Opra herself likeable as well. Give me a thousand Oprah Winfreys to one Dr. Laura.
So, in other words, people who only read books if Oprah reccomends them.
It’s fine to go and get a book you heard about on Oprah, and you’re interested, but to refuse to read a book because Oprah DIDN’T reccommend or mention it, that’s annoying.
For the record, I agree. Guin, who reads everything from V. C. Andrews, to Boris Pasternak, to non-fiction history, to Star Wars novels. Two of my favorite books are A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and Maggie Now, both by Betty Smith.
One of Oprah’s favorite books is A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, too. (I saw that on her website when I was looking for the book list.) Did you ever read Joy in the Morning?
There’s a certain sameness to a alot of her fiction choices that make them sorta predictable after awhile. I think she needs to expand her horizons. Or maybe it’s just the O choices I’ve read.
And it sounds as though people who are irritated with her are less irritated with HER than with her FANS.
Oh, and about Dr. Phil… what you’ve SEEN is the theatre of self-improvement. His BOOK rocks the house right down to the ground. I don’t think there’s a single thing in it that isn’t true. And there’s definitely no touchy-feely stuff.
