As accurately observed by boycottchapter27 in the hub The Power of the Oprah Winfrey Book Club, once a book goes on the list, it becomes extremely popular... maybe too popular... You can even search for her picks on sites like Barnes & Noble by typing in "Oprah's Book Club Series." You know you must be good when you can recommend a book and people - mostly women - nationwide scramble for it.

My mom is one of the middle-aged women who will only buy books endorsed by Oprah (she never reads them, though). They all have the big O stuck on the front cover.

It's this O that I avoid.

Almost very book I've read that happens to be an Oprah's Book Club selection has been a book I haven't been too fond of. The endings are always... interesting, such as in Pearl S. Buck's The Good Earth, which was a good book, but one of those books that are just too good to the point that I didn't feel good after reading it. The same with A Light in August by William Faulkner; I enjoyed this book, and the end caught me offguard a little, though it's probably my favorite of the list.

I read East of Eden and wondered what had happened. I enjoyed the other Steinbeck novels I've read, especially Of Mice and Men, but East of Eden didn't leave me with much other than Biblical references.

I did like The Poisonwood Bible and the bits I learned about African culture and politics. It's sad when I can pick and choose which I did like so sparingly, ha ha.

Many of the books I read in high school, including A Lesson Before Dying. The others? I saw them on film, or they seem like they could be chick flicks, like Where The Heart Is.

I suppose that the selections are rather varied. I think I'm one of the few people who aren't too keen on her picks. I mean, A Million Little Pieces was on the list, and she had even invited author James Frey onto her show, before everyone found out that parts of the novel were fudged.

Many commend Oprah for being able to bring a few classic books to light for many who don't make the effort to find them themselves. This is true; many women will do most anything she suggests. She also helped bring fame to many authors, and boost sales of books old and new.

It just seems like if I wanted to find a good book to read in my minimal spare time, I would look somewhere other than the list of an entrepreneur and a talkshow host.