Pop Culture Princess

Pop Culture Princess
especially welcome to extensive readers

Friday, September 23, 2005

Oprah's Book Club hopping

I watched the tail end of the Oprah show to find out what her new Book Club pick was(I've been off from work the past two days and wanted to be in the know before I went back) and was not very
impressed by her "boldness" as she kept loudly proclaiming across the land. The new book is not
a classic but a recent paperback title by a live author. It's Million Little Pieces by James Frey,whose mom was planted in the audience to "surpise" her with the announcement. Lucky
for them,she's a screamer.

I remember when this book came out and actually tried to read it but it has that"Look at me,I'm experimenting with form!"style to it which repulses me on contact. Nothing against trying something new but not everyone is good at it-some people just fall back on that to excuse their
lack of skill(my dad was always peeved at so-called "abstract" artists who thought arranging
broken pieces of dinnerware on a canvas with paint slapped on was talent). From a link at
Jennifer Weiner's blog(you can find it at www.jenniferweiner.com),I read part of a Salon article
in which Frey says things like"Fuck Dave Eggers-I'm writing the book of my generation!" What
a modest fellow indeed.

Also,if you clink the title link above,you can read Miss Snark's(a literary agent who blogs and no,I don't know her-if I had a agent,I'ld be trying to get published,belive you me)entry on
nonfiction writing that may be more fiction than non(Frey is mentioned). I suppose we should
be glad that Oprah's back into the land of the living author but I hope she takes a chance on a
good book and not just promote those who feed into her "bad family" jones and kiss up to her
as the Great and Powerful Oprah.

1 comment:

lady t said...

You are forgiven and I appreciate your noble sacrifice on my behalf:)

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