tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38656633.post432077051600761574..comments2024-03-28T09:38:23.219-05:00Comments on Book Chase: Oprah Book Club Stickers and MeSam http://www.blogger.com/profile/17448913705757509608noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38656633.post-77817884543574732172007-05-31T11:31:00.000-05:002007-05-31T11:31:00.000-05:00Your points are all valid ones, John. With Potier...Your points are all valid ones, John. With Potier's book, though, I think it's more a reflection that her target audience probably reads a lot more fiction than non-fiction so she didn't generate the sales numbers that other of her picks have generated. In other words, it is explained more by the genre than anything else, I would bet.<BR/><BR/>I guess it all boils down, for me, to the fact thatSam https://www.blogger.com/profile/17448913705757509608noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38656633.post-8502053812561618092007-05-31T09:43:00.000-05:002007-05-31T09:43:00.000-05:00I probably come across as a major Oprah fan, eh? M...I probably come across as a major Oprah fan, eh? My point is simply that I don't think Oprah is any more or less out of line with her book club or reviews than anyone else. True, with her popularity, there are no doubt more people lobbying her to choose their book than say you or I. But if the low sales of Portier's book are any indication, the readers deserve more credit than they're getting inJohn Mutfordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08730205221787092204noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38656633.post-83788105668762485792007-05-31T08:51:00.000-05:002007-05-31T08:51:00.000-05:00John, I concede that there well might be some snob...John, I concede that there well might be some snobbery involved but I don't think that it's directed at Oprah's fans so much as it is directed at Oprah herself. I'm a born skeptic and I hate to see so much power in the hands of one person. Who is to say, one way or the other, that Oprah is not influenced by personal friendships or other "scratch my back" tactics when choosing her next book for Sam https://www.blogger.com/profile/17448913705757509608noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38656633.post-13292699465218186612007-05-31T07:36:00.000-05:002007-05-31T07:36:00.000-05:00Asides from the aesthetics of the sticker, I'm goi...Asides from the aesthetics of the sticker, I'm going to break the trend here and say I don't mind Oprah's endorsement. People have had these books on their TBR lists, some are classics, so why does Oprah's endorsement cheapen it? And isn't it a little hypocritical that many of us here review books online, yet balk at the idea of Oprah telling someone else what to read? The way I feel about Oprah John Mutfordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08730205221787092204noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38656633.post-61653978966821063932007-05-19T10:19:00.000-05:002007-05-19T10:19:00.000-05:00I'm getting the definite impression that those sti...I'm getting the definite impression that those stickers and imprints are largely counterproductive, Stefanie.Sam https://www.blogger.com/profile/17448913705757509608noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38656633.post-15024846781453077232007-05-18T19:44:00.000-05:002007-05-18T19:44:00.000-05:00I have nothing against Oprah, but count me among t...I have nothing against Oprah, but count me among the many who don't like the stickers and emblems on my books!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38656633.post-11833134613055264332007-05-18T15:18:00.001-05:002007-05-18T15:18:00.001-05:00You beat me to it, Nick...You beat me to it, Nick...Sam https://www.blogger.com/profile/17448913705757509608noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38656633.post-33859595508604277572007-05-18T15:18:00.000-05:002007-05-18T15:18:00.000-05:00Anything to stand out in the crowded market place,...Anything to stand out in the crowded market place, Maggie...and I suppose that it works for lots of readers, new and old ones alike.<BR/><BR/>It's hard on folks like us who just have more taste in books, isn't it? :-)Sam https://www.blogger.com/profile/17448913705757509608noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38656633.post-4617753384890734472007-05-18T15:16:00.000-05:002007-05-18T15:16:00.000-05:00I'm off to take a look at your meme, Amanda. Than...I'm off to take a look at your meme, Amanda. Thanks for playing the game.<BR/><BR/>I think that my problem with the Oprah stickers is largely down to my basic distrust of the lady and her image. I'm just a born cynic, I suppose.Sam https://www.blogger.com/profile/17448913705757509608noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38656633.post-72249517494362102007-05-18T13:15:00.000-05:002007-05-18T13:15:00.000-05:00''these gimmicks..... are key elements in introduc...''these gimmicks..... are key elements in introducing a non-reader or perhaps a lazy reader to an obviously, foreign object--the book.''<BR/><BR/><BR/>Nail on head!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38656633.post-31209564157785533702007-05-18T00:07:00.000-05:002007-05-18T00:07:00.000-05:00If it makes y'all feel any better, these gimmicks ...If it makes y'all feel any better, these gimmicks (award winner ribbons, club stickers, movie poster covers, etc.) are key elements in introducing a non-reader or perhaps a lazy reader to an obviously, foreign object--<I>the book</I>.<BR/><BR/>Our annoyance can be attributed to a higher and aquired taste in books. ;Dmaggie moranhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02462439415973311990noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38656633.post-5025809045597889482007-05-17T21:43:00.000-05:002007-05-17T21:43:00.000-05:00I hate books with Oprah stickers. For one, I don'...I hate books with Oprah stickers. For one, I don't won't folks to think I'm only reading because Oprah said so!<BR/><BR/>My meme is up now!Amanda Roperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10285981792704101992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38656633.post-41628337780176048632007-05-17T15:47:00.000-05:002007-05-17T15:47:00.000-05:00I'm kind of relieved to see that at least some of ...I'm kind of relieved to see that at least some of you guys agree with me about the Oprah stickers. I honestly find it more than a little bit embarrassing to carry one of those stickered books around with me. I had a couple show up on my hold list from the library and I didn't take them out of the house. :-)<BR/><BR/>Y'all hit on another thing that really irritates me...those movie covers. It Sam https://www.blogger.com/profile/17448913705757509608noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38656633.post-13167786204133646732007-05-17T15:25:00.000-05:002007-05-17T15:25:00.000-05:00I always avoid the Oprah stickers, too! Or take t...I always avoid the Oprah stickers, too! Or take them off, if not permanent. And I avoid the movie covers. I don't like the hype, it annoys me. <BR/><BR/>In fact, I remember the first time I noticed the movie cover phenomenon--when I saw an edition of W.H. Auden poems with a "Four Weddings and a Funeral" cover on it (because a character read an Auden poem at the funeral in the movie). I Gentle Readerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09102364083044797155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38656633.post-38159897322317775652007-05-17T14:12:00.000-05:002007-05-17T14:12:00.000-05:00I do the same thing with Oprah and other club embl...I do the same thing with Oprah and other club emblems on books. If it's a sticker I take it off; if it's a permanent thing (which really annoys me), I look for a different version.<BR/><BR/>I do the same thing when they rerelease books with the movie cover. I can't stand that and won't buy that version of the book.Janda/Annehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16754631494233387294noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38656633.post-41355894148634381282007-05-17T14:00:00.000-05:002007-05-17T14:00:00.000-05:00Sam- Loved your post. I read "The Road" before it ...Sam- Loved your post. I read "The Road" before it came her choice and usually ignore her book club choices until they catch my attention on their own.<BR/><BR/>She seems like a nice lady and I admire her philanthropy but I can choose my own books and run my own life.Amyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08134658141375355475noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38656633.post-71284111019972231802007-05-17T09:23:00.000-05:002007-05-17T09:23:00.000-05:00I am absolutely with you on this. I have had a co...I am absolutely with you on this. I have had a couple of books that I've taken off my TBR list once they became Oprah picks. I've since added at least one back, but if I buy it I will be buying it without the Oprah sticker or taking it off before I take it to the cash register.<BR/><BR/>I am what you might call anti-Oprah. I feel like she's trying to save us from ourselves, telling us what is Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com