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Cay Gibson
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| Posted: March 28 2007 at 8:30pm | IP Logged
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My oldest dd (will be 17 this May) was an eager reader all through elementary. Then she became a dancer and ate and breathed dance.
She'll be a senior next year and has begun reading constantly again.  I'm thrilled. She recently read "The Scarlet Letter" and is now reading Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird" and I've already read both books so we get to talk and share. It's great.
But....today I found her camped out in the living room watching Oprah and Sidney Poitier. Then it clicked in my head why she had asked if she could read "A Million Little Pieces".
I guess next she'll be asking to read Sidney Poitier. 
Okay, she's fixing to be 17 and I'm excited that her thirst for reading has renewed itself. And I definitely plan to buckle my seatbelt and enjoy the ride with her.
My question is, how safe is Oprah's selections and commentary? Kayleigh will be going to college following her senior year so I think we're beyond filtering and censoring what she reads.
I'm just curious about Oprah's selections. As a mother (and to balance our conversations) I want to be "in the know". 
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Cay Gibson
"There are 49 states, then there is Louisiana." ~ Chef Emeril
wife to Mark '86
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Cajun Cottage Under the Oaks
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Marybeth
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| Posted: March 28 2007 at 9:34pm | IP Logged
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Well,I am glad you want to be "in the know" because Oprah can sure pick 'um!
She does like the books set in the south and many of her books are very depressing reads. They have been many which have been thought provoking and haunting,but for a 17 year old I would be wary. I think now with her more classic take it would be better.
For example...Wally Lamb...long books and very adult themes...I remember one book had a lesbian scene and attempted suicide.
Now again,I am going on her former book club selections so this might not be what you are inquiring about and just wanting specifics on the newer reads.
"Rebecca" is a great read and one I think Kayleigh and you would both enjoy. Just a shameless plug....I'm not Oprah but do live in Chicago!! 
Happy Reading!
Mb
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Jen L.
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| Posted: March 28 2007 at 10:05pm | IP Logged
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I can't remember one "Oprah book" that I've read that I liked. Like Marybeth said, depressing and disturbing. Poisonwood Bible - yuck. I thought I'd heard that she is picking "classics" now. (And I'm assuming that your daughter knows that "A million Little Pieces" is better described as "A million little lies"?)
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Natalia
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| Posted: March 28 2007 at 11:32pm | IP Logged
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Really? I liked Poisonwood Bible. It was bizarre but I actually enjoyed it. What didn't you like about it?
Regarding Oprah, I don't follow her suggestions but I know she recommended Night ( I think that is the title-the book about the holocaust). My dh just finished reading and found it a very thought provoking book. I haven't read it yet though. What other books have she recommended?
Natalia
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Cay Gibson
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| Posted: March 28 2007 at 11:55pm | IP Logged
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We have all read Night and give it five  .
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Cay Gibson
"There are 49 states, then there is Louisiana." ~ Chef Emeril
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Cajun Cottage Under the Oaks
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Chari
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| Posted: March 29 2007 at 12:09am | IP Logged
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Natalia, my 18yo dd liked Poisonwood Bible, too. I hesitated to let her read it, but, she promised to be discerning.......she was 17yo and it was given to her by her Eng professor.
Cay, I don't care what Oprah is recommending.......I would not trust the woman, seriously.
Find a title, bring it to us.........someone is BOUND to have read it and can tell you.
Anne just read Rebecca and loved it and now Matthew cannot put it down. I am left out  , as usual.
Happy reading!
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Dh Marty 27yrs...3 lovely maidens: Anne 24, Sarah 20 & Maddelyn 17 and 3 chivalrous sons: Matthew 22, Garrett 16 & Malachy 11
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Jen L.
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| Posted: March 29 2007 at 9:38am | IP Logged
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Well I won't be giving Poisonwood Bible a second chance, but maybe my view is tainted with "how" I read the book. It was several years ago - I was in a book club with very liberal, secular people (I know there's a better word to describe them, but I don't know it in this moment  ) Anyway, I felt compelled to be ready to talk about the Christian church, the apocrapha etc. So while reading, I was also researching.
I was frustrated that the preacher was portrayed as a Baptist but had beliefs all over the map (you could say she did this on purpose, but I'm not so sure). And you never hear his "voice" -- adds to his one-dimensionality.
Reading it did compel to pick up some history books about the Congo. Her book is presented as historically accurate but it's really not. She has an agenda and uses the novel to sell it - Anti-Christian, pro-rebel (terrorists).
I guess when I read a novel, I don't want to be preached to, read facts that aren't, or leave depressed. (especially if they are 600 page books!)
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Jen L.
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| Posted: March 29 2007 at 9:42am | IP Logged
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Chari wrote:
Find a title, bring it to us.........someone is BOUND to have read it and can tell you.
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The best advice!! (The "4Real Bookclub" is SOOOOO much more reliable than Oprah!)
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Jen
dh Klete,ds (8/95),dd (12/97), dd (11/00), and ^2^ in heaven
"...the best state in which to glorify God is our actual state; the best grace is that of the moment..." St. Peter Eymard
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Cay Gibson
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| Posted: March 29 2007 at 9:49am | IP Logged
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Thank you. This gives me a lot to go with.
And, Chari, you are so wise (as always ). I will always bring the book selections here because I trust all of you so much more than Oprah.
I can't seem to find "Rebecca" though I Googles it under Oprah's book club. Is that the title? Who's the author?
Seems like a good one to start with since several of you have read and liked it.
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Cay Gibson
"There are 49 states, then there is Louisiana." ~ Chef Emeril
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Cajun Cottage Under the Oaks
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Jen L.
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| Posted: March 29 2007 at 9:57am | IP Logged
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This is almost off-topic but did anyone else enjoy The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon? (It was a Today Show bookclub book.)
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Cheryl
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Cay,
I was just talking with my dh this week about how my sister lost books I loaned her years ago. I told him the only one I would want to read again was Rebecca. I only remember that I loved it. I don't know if Rebecca was an Oprah pick.
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theogles
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Hi Cay,
Yes, I would definitely bring the selections here first! I have read most (definitely not all) of the selections and I can honestly say that some are worth a 17yo's time but several are not.
I would definitely put off "A miilion little pieces" as long as you can. Some very mature themes (even for me ). And it definitely has lots of imagery that can be extremely offensive and damaging!
I can't think of the "appropriate" ones right off the top of my head. I'll take a look and Oprah's list and let you know which others I have read that would be good.
Good luck!
Therese
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Chari
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| Posted: March 30 2007 at 2:14am | IP Logged
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Cay, Rebecca is a classic easily found at your library
Daphne du Maurier is the author,
was it Jennifer who recommended it on the 2007 reading list
Welcome to the boards, Therese! Thanks for your input! See Cay, we have you covered! Told ya so!
Jen.......I love our book club! That is why we all read the same books ..as for Poisonwood.........I can see no matter what you did, that book was doomed to have a bad taste in your mouth
Reading blessings to all of you!
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Dh Marty 27yrs...3 lovely maidens: Anne 24, Sarah 20 & Maddelyn 17 and 3 chivalrous sons: Matthew 22, Garrett 16 & Malachy 11
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Chari, I'm so pleased your dd loved Rebecca! It is one book that has lived in my head for years after reading it.
Cay, since you and yours adore Night, check out what Oprah has put together for the book club. Does it sound like it agrees with you or is it completely off-base? She has a Teacher's Guide, and a Bookmark as well as Message Boards and a special DVD, lots of goodies!
Here's the Archive of past selections.
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Cay Gibson
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| Posted: March 30 2007 at 8:54am | IP Logged
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Okay, I'm checking into Rebecca. I see it's a "gothic". Kayleigh has already told me she doesn't like dark, dreary books. That's exactly what comes to mind when I hear the word "gothic", though I will admit to loving "Phantom of the Opera" which is more a story about virtures and love than horror.
Also, I was right! I know my daughter so well ...she asked last night if she could read "The Measure of a Man" by Sidney Poitier.
Has anyone read that???
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Cay Gibson
"There are 49 states, then there is Louisiana." ~ Chef Emeril
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Chari
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Cay,
have you READ the BOOK of Phantom of the Opera???
The original story IS a horror story and Eric (the phantom) is evil
I do not know if Rebecca is dark and dreary....I will have to ask Anne.........jennifer, what say you?
Is it considered Gothic because that was the time period it was written in? or is it the genre?
Has your Kayleigh read Jane Eyre or Wuthering Heights, and enjoyed or hated them?
She may want to give Rebecca a chance, she may never know what she is missing.............I am sad to say that I MISSED SO much good literature when I was her age...for similar reasons.....and now, I have SO much catching up to do!
......later, book buddies
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Dh Marty 27yrs...3 lovely maidens: Anne 24, Sarah 20 & Maddelyn 17 and 3 chivalrous sons: Matthew 22, Garrett 16 & Malachy 11
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marihalojen
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I think it is labeled Gothic because of its undertones of Jane Eyre with a brooding man, house as a character, a madwoman. But honestly, my impressions of the book are mostly sunny Mediterranean/Cornwall impressions, eeirily similar to my IRL Isle of Wight memories! The main character spends alot of time walking across gorgeous lawns lined with blooming bushes to the crashing coastline and in sunny morning rooms...Jamaica Inn by Daphne has a much darker impression in my mind, fog bound with perpetual rain, with lots of action in the dark of night. The weather in Rebecca does play a major part though, with storms during points of high tension.
I'm not sure I've explained it well, Rebecca was mentioned in the 2007 Books Thread and I linked here, great page that is fun to explore.
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St. Ann
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But after reading REBECCA, watch the Laurence Olivier movie of the same title!
I also read Rebecca as a teen, but only after seeing the movie. I definitely recommend it and "Wuthering Heights", also the Laurence Olivier movie of the same title 
Can you tell that I was in love with Laurence Olivier? At 12 years old!
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Cay, I realize I am just seeing this, but I wanted to tell you that I tried to read a Million Pieces, and I had to put it down. Fiction or Fact I don't care, it is trash!
Therefore I am forever biased about Oprah's "selections"! I don't much care for her opinions in general, so little wonder I would have difficulty reading her book choices.
I apologize if I come off harsh, I feel strongly that there are so many good books to read why waste our precious time on garbage Not to mention our souls 
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4Real Forums : Book Club
Topic: Oprah’s Book Club
