Hey, Meredith here, Managing Editor at Pix Media, dropping in to introduce you to the new monthly addition to Pix Plus: Worth the Read: Book Club Diaries with Leigh Haber!

We are THRILLED to welcome Haber, a seasoned publishing executive who spent a decade overseeing Oprah’s Book Club and book coverage for O Magazine and Oprah Daily, where she served as VP, Books. She is currently the VP, Executive Director of Communications and Special Projects at Sourcebooks.

She has worked with some of the biggest names in publishing and renowned authors (including Al Gore, Steve Martin, Terry Gross, and Alice Walker, to name a few), and now she's bringing her incredible expertise, insider knowledge, and love of books to Pix Plus each month. Happy reading!

Welcome to Worth the Read: Book Club Diaries! This year marks the thirtieth anniversary of Oprah’s Book Club. Thrillingly, I was director of Oprah’s Book Club (OBC) for a decade, from 2012 until 2022, which was pretty much a book nerd’s fantasy come true. I vividly remember the first time Oprah called me to discuss a novel I’d sent her for OBC consideration–it was The Twelve Tribes of Hattie, by Ayana Davis. I tried to sound professional, but I was sweating bullets. That anxiety eased over the years, and eventually we talked books almost as one would with a close friend. I caveat “almost” because that sonorous voice is unmistakably Oprah’s, and she has a way of inhabiting space even when she isn’t even in the room—that is the very definition of presence. I’ll never forget the speech she made at Toni Morrison’s memorial service at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, and how she absolutely owned that cavernous, sacred space.

I haven’t worked for Oprah in nearly four years, which is hard for me to believe, yet whenever I read, I still automatically think about what she would think and whether we would agree. Luckily, I can still reach out and ask her, and we’re still usually on the same page–though not always! Happy Birthday, Oprah’s Book Club!

After ten years guiding Oprah’s Book Club—which is the OG, the gold standard for all the book clubs that have emerged since—I’ve thought long and hard about what makes a book ripe for discussion, and thus an engaging book club selection.

A classic example of a novel that is perfect for book club, in my opinion, is Miranda July’s All Fours. Why do I say that? Because readers have such strong opinions about it! I found the book discomfiting, exhilarating, liberating. But some of my closest friends and fellow readers completely disagree, and found that it made them squirm in an unpleasant way. Unpacking why makes for great conversation, and reveals a lot about how we feel deep down about sex, motherhood, love…and motel rooms!

Why was Belle Burden’s Strangers such an enormous bestseller, and a favorite among local book clubs? Yes, there is the notion of a woman who seemingly has everything being blindsided by her husband’s betrayal, but it was also buzzy because readers were divided over whether it was worthy of such attention and praise. In other words, while some readers rhapsodized over it, others saw in it another example of the rich getting richer, a story that was only being embraced because it was a wealthy white socialite who is its protagonist.

And then there are books like Caste, by Isabel Wilkerson, a non-fiction book so brilliant that it forever shifts the way, in this case, the way you think about race, class, and the very founding of our country. Communing around such books feels like activism and enables connection with others. And that’s what great books do: nurture connection, empathy, and enlightenment.

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Each month, I’ll be sharing new releases that ignite conversation, set our brains on fire, or simply captivate with their ability to provoke, entertain, and enthrall. I hope you’ll read along with me, because there is nothing better when you’re a book lover than comparing notes, sparring about what an author’s intention is, or just oohing and aahing over gorgeous sentences. I think these new books deserve a spot on your TBR pile, and I hope you’ll join me in falling in love with them.

Barbara Kingsolver’s Partita is such a departure from Demon Copperhead, which was an OBC selection and won the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, and as such is a delightful surprise. I’ve read that Kingsolver has a hard time starting novels, and there was a moment at the beginning of this one where I wondered if she was going to pull off the grand experiment she was embarking on. I should never have had a shadow of a doubt. The book is a marvel. 

We shift back and forth in time throughout the novel—in musical terms, it’s a contrapunto. Its protagonist, Livia, is looking back on a younger version of herself with curiosity, yearning, and empathy. She set out to be a concert pianist—which, by the way, is what Kingsolver originally enrolled in college to study—but her ambition gets derailed by the powerful feelings she develops for a man, and that relationship essentially undoes her. It’s such a sensual, wistful, wise read, and the way Kingsolver uses the language of music as a love language is just truly remarkable.

Book Club Worthy: There is so much to unpack here about first love; about the disadvantages women face and overcome; about mother/daughter relationships; about class disparities; and what constitutes contentment, especially as we age. Also, what can we forgive ourselves for as we look back? And then there is the relationship between sensuality and music...

For fans who have been eagerly awaiting the next Emily St. John Mandel project (and if you haven’t read her yet, I’m jealous. You have hours and hours of pleasure in store), there’s the ingenious Exit Party, which also recently landed on the New York Times bestseller list. When it comes to writers, the word “brilliant” may be overused, but in the case of St. John Mandel, it’s perhaps an understatement. 

Exit Party is not an easy read. First of all, it takes place in two parallel universes: different versions of the United States in 2031. The novel opens in an America where civil war has broken out, and many warring factions have emerged. In L.A., for the first time in years, the fighting has quieted, and a curfew has been lifted, which is why Ari and her roommate, Gloria, venture out to attend a party. The partygoers are giddy and raucous and the setting feels magical, but then things take a turn. Ari spots several doppelgangers–dead ringers for each other, each dressed differently, and with personalities that distinguish them one from the other. Then the party’s host, Kareem, seems to evaporate into thin air. In the alternate version of America, Ari’s double works for the authoritarian state. In this variant of the U.S., there is no chaos—no civil war—because the tightly run surveillance system quickly identifies and punishes anyone who appears to be on the verge of dissent or disloyalty. 

This novel is too complex to adequately summarize, but suffice it to say that St. John Mandel’s character development, navigation of timelines and proficiency at world-building and building suspense are second to none. And it explores some very profound questions without being overly political or philosophical. It’s a wow.

Book Club Worthy: I could spend hours talking about why Emily St. John Mandel is a gamechanger. Her plots are as complex as spider webs, but as we weave through them, she gives us the tools to synthesize. She also tackles profound questions about climate change, politics, and what it means to be human without being preachy. And here's a question to mull over with your group: is this book prescient, or dystopic or both?

My third pick is very different from the other two, but I love it equally. It’s essentially a shaggy dog story in which the dog, in the words of the book’s editor, Knopf’s Jordan Pavlin, holds “the skeleton key to the narrative.” Luna, Phoenix, Queen by Julie Orringer, is a tour de force. The love story at its center is at first unexpected, but it’s also radiant and singular. The dog in question is a rescue who has at various times been named Luna, Phoenix, and Queen. She has a kind of superhero’s ability to communicate with humans, not unlike the dog in Lessons In Chemistry, Six-Thirty, or in Bonnie Garmus’s new novel, Peck & Peck, Batter. But Orringer is also writing about the way women are overlooked and exploited, about pride and betrayal, and about theft—in this case, by a man who claims another’s work as his own. I don’t want to give away any more, but trust me: Luna, Phoenix, Queen is a must-read.

Book Club Worthy: A famous writer may have exploited his wife—who has early-onset dementia—to benefit his career. A friendship develops into something more. A dog who can read people's feelings and communicate back to them. Need I say more?

Leigh Haber is a seasoned publishing executive who spent a decade overseeing Oprah’s Book Club and book coverage for O Magazine and Oprah Daily, where she served as VP, Books. Her wide-ranging career has included roles as an editor, publicity director, producer, speechwriter, and book reviewer, and she has worked with authors including Al Gore, Steve Martin, Terry Gross, and Alice Walker.

Currently reading: East of Eden by John Steinbeck. The Netflix series was so good, I had to go back to this American classic to read it through the eyes of my adult self.