Oprah's latest book club pick, which reaches waaaay back to Charles Dickens, may bring a new audience to his works.
Oprah billed the choice as "A Date with Dickens" in picking both "At Tale of Two Cities" and "Great Expectations." In announcing the choice -- #65 for her club -- she said she was going "old school." And she had a confession for her audience: "Normally I only choose books that I have read, but I must shamefully admit to you all that I have never read Dickens." (I'd like to have a chat with her high school English teachers!)
Penguin has combined the two books into a single paperback for Oprah's book club. But you can also get the books online for free at various websites, including iBooks and literaturepage.com. No less a talent than Jonathan Franzen, who was appearing on her show, praised her choice, calling TOTC "a "total page-turner." I don't think I'll have the time to knock out "Great Expectations" (I've read TOTC) this holiday season. But I can see re-reading another Dickens classic, "A Christmas Carol," as a treat.
Oprah also made a broad pitch for reading. She said, "Books do matter. We're still going to be holding books in our hands for years to come."