Oprah’s book club list is a celebrity book club list that includes classics and/or longer, more dense books with diverse themes and heavy topics.
Here, you’ll not only get the fully updated list. You’ll also benefit from helpful details about the latest pick and top recommendations, plus you’ll get a printable PDF to track your book club reading in this celebrity book club. Let’s get literary!
Oprah’s Latest Book Club Pick
From Here to the Great Unknown is a memoir by Elvis Presley’s daughter (now deceased) and granddaughter. After Lisa-Marie’s death, Riley secured her tape recordings for the book and finished writing it.
They touch on so many famous moments in the rock star’s daughter’s life, from, well, being his daughter to her relationship with Michael Jackson and all of the addiction, grief, and life events in between. Uniquely told by a deceased mother and her daughter, it’s a story of healing.
Best of Oprah’s Book Club
Several books have seen massive success through Oprah’s Book Club. as Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver won the Pulitzer Prize, and Becoming by Michelle Obama sold more than ten million copies.
(They make great book club picks for your book clubs too!)
TOP PICKS
Becoming: (My review: ★★★★★; also a popular non fiction book recommended by Barack Obama) Popular with readers worldwide. This is the moving memoir of the first African American First Lady of the United States. She tells her story in a way that’s both inspiring and relatable, and she tells it very well.
Behold the Dreamers: 
The Bluest Eye: (My review: ★★★★★) While Toni Morrison’s books are difficult in many ways, everyone should read her work. This is a great place to start. A young Black girl prays for blue eyes — a symbol of a better life. Indeed, there’s trauma behind this seemingly simple dream. It unfolds before the reader in a haunting and unforgettable way.
Demon Copperhead: (My review: ★★★★★) A character-driven, coming-of-age story about a modern Appalachian man. He grows up in a world of poverty, the foster system, and addiction. Through this empathetic and colorful protagonist who experiences blow after blow in life and must fight for his own survival, the reader sees the struggles facing many Appalachian Americans today.
East of Eden: (My review: ★★★★★) This was my all-time favorite book for several decades of my life. It’s a page-turner. It retells the story of Cain and Abel. It does so through the Hamilton and Trask families. They share the theme of good versus evil.
Hello Beautiful (My review: ★★★★★) My favorite book of 2023. This modern family saga nods to Little Women. Through masterful literary fiction and characters who feel alive, it explores themes of family, love, forgiveness, and so much more.
Night: (My review: ★★★★★) This Holocaust memoir is simply one of those books everyone should read.
Olive, Again: (My review: ★★★★☆) Popular with readers of The Literary Lifestyle. If you like character-driven fiction, you’ll love Olive. She’s a curmudgeon you can’t help but love. She touches on major life themes in short snippets of her real life.
The Sun Does Shine: (My review: ★★★★☆) Popular with readers of The Literary Lifestyle. A man falsely convicted of murder spends 30 years on Death Row before his release. It’s an unforgettable memoir.
Wild: (My review: ★★★★☆) This memoir has become a modern classic. A writer tackles the 1,100-mile Pacific Crest Trail alone. She does so while coping with grief over the death of her mother, with whom she had a complicated relationship.
Full Oprah’s Book Club List in Order
Below is the complete (and updated) list in chronological order. It starts with the oldest pick and ends with the most recent Oprah’s book club pick (from 1996 to the present).
I’ve added star ratings in parentheses after the titles for the ones I’ve read.
The Deep End of the Ocean by Jacquelyn Mitchard
Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
The Book of Ruth by Jane Hamilton
She’s Come Undone by Wally Lamb
Stones From the River by Ursula Hegi
The Rapture of Canaan by Sheri Reynolds
Songs in Ordinary Time by Mary McGarry Morris
The Heart of a Woman by Maya Angelou
A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines
Ellen Foster by Kaye Gibbons
A Virtuous Woman by Kay Gibbons
The Meanest Thing to Say by Bill Cosby
The Treasure Hunt by Bill Cosby
The Best Way to Play by Bill Cosby
(Note: I listed Bill Cosby’s books to be factually accurate, but I’m choosing not to link them for purchase based on his criminal convictions.)
Paradise by Toni Morrison
Here on Earth by Alice Hoffman
Black and Blue by Anna Quindlen
Breath, Eyes, Memory by Edwidge Danticat
I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb
What Looks Like Crazy on an Ordinary Day by Pearl Cleage
Midwives by Chris Bohjalian
Where the Heart Is by Billie Letts (My review: ★★★☆☆)
Jewel by Bret Lott
The Reader by Bernhard Schlink
The Pilot’s Wife by Anita Shreve
White Oleander by Janet Fitch
Mother of Pearl by Melinda Haynes
Tara Road by Maeve Binchy
River, Cross My Heart by Breena Clarke
Vinegar Hill by A. Manette Ansay
A Map of The World by Jane Hamilton
Gap Creek by Robert Morgan
Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende (My review: ★★★☆☆)
Back Roads by Tawni O’Dell
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison (My review: ★★★★☆)
(Related Post: Best The Bluest Eye Quotes)
While I Was Gone by Sue Miller
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
Open House by Elizabeth Berg
Drowning Ruth by Christina Schwarz
House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus III
We Were the Mulvaneys by Joyce Carol Oates
Icy Sparks by Gwyn Hyman Rubio
Stolen Lives by Malika Oufkir and Michèle Fitoussi
Cane River by Lalita Tademy
The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen
A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry
Fall on Your Knees by Ann-Marie MacDonald
Sula by Toni Morrison
East of Eden By John Steinbeck (My review: ★★★★★)
Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton (My review: ★★☆☆☆)
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez (My review: ★★★☆☆)
The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy (My review: ★★★★☆)
Related Post: Best Quotes from Anna Karenina | Anna Karenina Book Review
The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck (My review: ★★☆☆☆)
As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner
The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner (My review: ★★★★☆)
Light in August by William Faulkner
A Million Little Pieces by James Frey
Night By Elie Wiesel (My review: ★★★★★)
The Measure of a Man by Sidney Poitier
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez
The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski
Say You’re One of Them by Uwem Akpan
Freedom by Jonathan Franzen
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
Wild by Cheryl Strayed (My review: ★★★★☆)
The Twelve Tribes of Hattie by Ayana Mathis
The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd (My review: ★★★☆☆)
(Related Post: Books Set in Charleston)
Ruby by Cynthia Bond
The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead (My review: ★★★★☆)
Love Warrior by Glennon Doyle (My review: ★★☆☆☆)
Behold the Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue (My review: ★★★★★)
An American Marriage by Tayari Jones (My review: ★★★☆☆)
The Sun Does Shine by Anthony Ray Hinton (My review: ★★★★☆)
Becoming by Michelle Obama (My review: ★★★★★)
The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Olive, Again by Elizabeth Strout (My review: ★★★★☆)
American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins
Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of An American Family by Robert Kolker
Deacon King Kong by James McBride (My review: ★★★★☆)
Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson (My review: ★★★★☆)
Gilead (Gilead Book 1 of 4) by Marilynne Robinson
Home (Gilead Book 2 of 4) by Marilynne Robinson
Lila (Gilead Book 3 of 4) by Marilynne Robinson
Jack (Gilead Book 4 of 4) by Marilynne Robinson
The Sweetness of Water by Nathan Harris
The Love Songs of W.E.B. DuBois by Honoree Fanonne Jeffers
Bewilderment by Richard Powers
The Way of Integrity by Martha Beck (My review: ★★☆☆☆)
Finding Me by Viola Davis
Nightcrawling by Leila Mottley
That Bird Has My Wings by Jarvis Jay Masters
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver (My review: ★★★★★)
(Related Posts: Demon Copperhead Book Club Questions | Book Review for Demon Copperhead | Demon Copperhead Summary and Ending Explained | Demon Copperhead Character Guide)
Bittersweet by Susan Cain (My review: ★★★★☆)
Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano (My review: ★★★★★)
(Related Posts: Review of Hello Beautiful | Hello Beautiful Discussion Questions)
The Covenant of Water by Abraham Vergese (My review: ★★★★★)
(Related Post: The Covenant of Water Review)
Wellness by Nathan Hill
Let Us Descend by Jesmyn Ward
The Many Lives of Mama Love by Lara Love Hardin
Long Island by Colm Toibin
Familiaris by David Wroblewski
Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout
From Here to the Great Unknown by Lisa-Marie Presley and Riley Keough
Printable PDF Checklist of All These Books
OPRAH’S BOOK CLUB CHECKLIST
Get instant access to the full Oprah’s Book Club printable checklist when you subscribe to The Literary Lifestyle’s free email newsletter community.
About Oprah’s Book Club
about
Oprah’s first book club pick in 1996 was The Deep End of the Ocean by Jacquelyn Mitchard. Oprah continues to announce book club picks at random a few times per year.
Oprah Winfrey selects classics and/or books with diverse themes and heavy topics, like slavery, incarceration, and addiction.
You can watch episodes of Oprah’s Book Club on AppleTV+.
Recap
Oprah’s book club list includes a decades-long collection of great books. They don’t shy away from difficult reads. They have classics, long books, diverse themes, and heavy topics.
SHOP THE POST
To recap, if you’re wondering where to start, below are the best Oprah Winfrey book club book recommendations.
More Celebrity Book Club Lists
- GMA’s Book Club List
- Reese’s Book Club List
- Read with Jenna Book Club List
- Fallon Book Club List
- Netflix Book Club List
remember, it’s a good day to read a book. – jules
This latest book sounds amazing! I starting reading along with Oprah when she first started with The Deep End of the Ocean and I loved it. I fell off for awhile though. Looking at your favorites, it appears we have the same taste! I too, loved Behold the Dreamers, Night, Wild, and Becoming.
I’m glad to hear it! You may want to also check out Oprah’s pick, The Sun Does Shine, as the author of her latest pick (The Many Lives of Mama Love) was the ghostwriter for it. Sounds like you’ve been a long time fan of the club.
Do you have any idea where I can find the entire list? I’m looking for a book that’s about two sisters. One was a school teacher and one was one of the first black female doctors in the US. They were on the show. I can’t remember the title and would like to read it again.
Thank you.
This is the entire list of book club selections. If you can’t find it here, perhaps they were on the show but not a book club selection.
@Sally, maybe you’re looking for this one:
Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters’ First 100 Years by Sarah L. Delany (Author), A. Elizabeth Delany (Author), Amy Hill Hearth (Author)
Thank you for the summaries and star ratings on the books. I really appreciated this . Very helpful!
You are SO welcome!
I’ve actually read some of the older ones on the list that were quite good – Black and Blue , What Looks Like Crazy on an Ordinary Day, Midwives, Middlesex, The Pilot’s Wife, White Oleander, Tara Road, etc.
I definitely want to catch up on those.