
All 80 of Oprah’s Book Recommendations So Far
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Every time my copy of O Magazine turns up in my postbox, I flip straight to the book section. Sometimes, that’s the only thing I read – I love the magazine, but life is short, and time gets away from me every month, long before I can get around to doing and reading everything I wanted to do and read. The pages showcasing books recommended by Oprah are a non-negotiable must – when it comes to book picks, Oprah Winfrey is a woman of sterling taste, and the book world takes notice of her opinions. I love reading Oprah’s book recommendations to add yet more titles to my TBR on Goodreads and get some idea of what we’ll be selling at the bookstore where I work.
Oprah’s wildly popular TV show was very influential. So influential, in fact, that there’s a business term for it: the Oprah Effect. A mention by Oprah can be the making of a previously unknown brand, and books recommended by Oprah see their sales soar. Of the 70 books she recommended on her show between 1996 and 2011, 59 made it onto the USA Today Bestseller List. 22 hit number one – including Tolstoy’s classic, Anna Karenina. Her most-recommended author was Toni Morrison – many of us are so grateful that Oprah helped spotlight her incomparable books.
This phenomenal, inspiring memoir by the former (and forever in our hearts) First Lady is the latest pick by Oprah. “I want the whole world to read this book,” she said. “It is Michelle Obama’s story, of course, but I know it’s going to spark within you the desire to think about your own becoming.”