Oprah books contemporary writers
The book world heaved a happy sigh yesterday at news that daytime TV doyenne Oprah Winfrey has decided to resume her selections of contemporary books for ''Oprah's Book Club," part of ''The Oprah Winfrey Show."
Winfrey's first choice of a book by a living writer since 2002 is James Frey's 2003 memoir of drug addiction, ''A Million Little Pieces." The selection was announced on the program Thursday. In a trademark dramatic touch, Frey's mother was in the studio audience, but did not know ahead of time that her son was to be chosen.
''It's great news," said Paul Aiken, executive director of the Authors Guild, about the return of contemporary writers to the book club. ''She reaches writers in a way that few others have been able to. Her recommendations were incredibly powerful, and she elevated authors whom the greater public had largely not known of."