APRIL 1997
Haven't heard from your favorite author in a while? Curious to know if another book is on the way? Send us a note (email and snail mail address below) and we'll see what we can find out for you. Each month the BookPage Burning Questions staff goes to the ends of the Earth and back again to find the answers to our readers' most burning questions. The answers are printed each month, both online as well as in our print edition. Go ahead, try to stump us!
Conspiracy corner
Dear Burning Questions:
How does Oprah Winfrey pick the books for her book club? Is there some kind of conspiracy going on here?
Vivienne Jones
Bethesda, MD
BQ:
It is one of the great mysteries of the universe how Oprah picks her books. So far, it's all fiction of a fairly recent vintage. And it's believed that she's simply picking the fiction she likes. Her influence is such that once she anoints a book, it becomes an instant smash bestseller, much to the delight of the publisher and author.
The only problem is that publishers were at first caught short-handed when they hit Oprah Lotto -- they didn't have enough stock to fill demand. Now, swearing the lucky author to secrecy, she calls early enough that the publisher can book time at binderies to make more books.
But now that you mention it, BQ has noticed some strange things going on with la Winfrey and her book choices:
- So far she has picked novels by Toni Morrison, Jacqueline Mitchard, Jane Hamilton, Wally Lamb, and Ursula Hegi. If you put their initials together you get TMJMJHWLUH, which backwards is HULWHJMJMT, which practically says "I pick books based on their cover art."
- The publishers for those books were Plume, Anchor, Washington Square Press, Viking, and Scribner. PAWSPVS. See the pattern? "I pick books by the number of pages in them."
- She has picked no dead authors, but Jacqueline Mitchard sounds kind of like Jacqueline Kennedy, who was married to . . . mmhmm.
What's doing in Cincinnati (which is just two states over from Chicago)?
Dear Burning Questions:
When can we expect a new Harry Stoner novel from Jonathan Valin? His last adventure featuring the Cincinnati PI was Missing (Dell) in 1995. Does he plan to leave the detective in limbo for now?
via the Internet
BQ:
Valin's publisher Dell says nothing is scheduled for publication in the next 12 months. This is not to say that he has suspended the series, but it does appear that Harry will be in limbo for a while yet.
For children, for adults, for the adult at heart (but not yet read by Oprah)
Dear Burning Questions:
Many students and staff have really enjoyed reading Philip Pullman's new book The Golden Compass. What I can't find on the publisher's home page, is when books 2 and 3 of The Golden Compass will be out.
Library Assistant
EMS Middle School
BQ:
Pullman's publicist at Alfred A. Knopf tells us that Book 2, The Subtle Knife, will be out in September 1997 and book 3 will arrive the following fall.
Deepak Oprah
Dear Burning Questions:
I love Deepak Chopra. When is his next book coming? I can hardly wait.
Elsa Quincy
Boulder, Colorado
BQ:
There's Chopra all over the place this month: Overcoming Addiction: The Spiritual Solution continues Dr. Chopra's Perfect Health Library. And don't forget Boundless Energy (achieved by balancing one's behavioral patterns) and Perfect Digestion, in which he writes about the potential imbalances in one's Ayurvedic body type.
Skepticism corner
Dear Burning Questions:
I think you're making up all those questions. Quit snowin' us.
via the Internet
BQ:
Oh, all right. April Fool!
Wondering why your favorite writer doesn't call, doesn't write anymore? Want to send us e-mail no. 9,001 about Jean Auel? Inquire with us, and we'll try to find out what's up: Burning Questions, 2501 21st Ave. South, Suite 5, Nashville, TN 37212. Or better yet, e-mail us at Burning_Questions@bookpage.com.
Alas, we regret that personal replies are not possible.
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