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Oprah's Book Club List (2026): Standout Picks and How Long They Take to Read
Oprah Winfrey has publicly recommended these 12 books; reading them all takes about 86 h 38 min at the average 238 words per minute.
Oprah's Book Club has run since 1996 and has become one of the most influential book recommendation platforms in publishing, regularly turning a pick into a bestseller within weeks of the announcement.
The selections below are a cross-section of recent and notable picks, each tied to the original Oprah.com announcement for that book so you can see exactly when and how it was chosen.
Picks are sourced from official Oprah's Book Club announcements on Oprah.com, spanning 1996 to 2024.
Last reviewed 17 July 2026.
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Books on this list
12
Total reading time at 238 WPM
86 h 38 min
At 400 WPM that drops to 51 h 33 min.
Demon Copperhead
Barbara Kingsolver · 2022
Oprah's Book Club pick, October 2022
How long does it take to read Demon Copperhead? About 10 h 47 min at the average reading speed of 238 words per minute (560 pages), or around 6 h 25 min at a trained 400 WPM.
Source: Oprah.com, Oct 2022
The Covenant of Water
Abraham Verghese · 2023
Oprah's Book Club 101st pick, 2023
How long does it take to read The Covenant of Water? About 14 h 10 min at the average reading speed of 238 words per minute (736 pages), or around 8 h 26 min at a trained 400 WPM.
Source: Oprah.com, 2023
Hello Beautiful
Ann Napolitano · 2023
Oprah's Book Club 100th pick, March 2023
How long does it take to read Hello Beautiful? About 7 h 39 min at the average reading speed of 238 words per minute (397 pages), or around 4 h 33 min at a trained 400 WPM.
Source: Oprah.com, Mar 2023
Small Things Like These
Claire Keegan · 2021
Oprah's Book Club 109th pick, 2024
How long does it take to read Small Things Like These? About 2 h 16 min at the average reading speed of 238 words per minute (118 pages), or around 1 h 21 min at a trained 400 WPM.
Source: Oprah.com, 2024
Tell Me Everything
Elizabeth Strout · 2024
Oprah's Book Club 107th pick, September 2024
How long does it take to read Tell Me Everything? About 6 h 17 min at the average reading speed of 238 words per minute (326 pages), or around 3 h 44 min at a trained 400 WPM.
Source: Oprah.com, Sept 2024
An American Marriage
Tayari Jones · 2018
Oprah's Book Club pick, 2018
How long does it take to read An American Marriage? About 6 h 28 min at the average reading speed of 238 words per minute (336 pages), or around 3 h 51 min at a trained 400 WPM.
Source: Oprah.com, 2018
American Dirt
Jeanine Cummins · 2020
Oprah's Book Club pick, January 2020
How long does it take to read American Dirt? About 7 h 42 min at the average reading speed of 238 words per minute (400 pages), or around 4 h 35 min at a trained 400 WPM.
Source: Oprah.com, Jan 2020
Song of Solomon
Toni Morrison · 1977
Oprah's Book Club pick, October 1996
How long does it take to read Song of Solomon? About 6 h 29 min at the average reading speed of 238 words per minute (337 pages), or around 3 h 52 min at a trained 400 WPM.
Source: Oprah.com, Oct 1996
The Underground Railroad
Colson Whitehead · 2016
Oprah's Book Club pick, September 2016
How long does it take to read The Underground Railroad? About 5 h 54 min at the average reading speed of 238 words per minute (306 pages), or around 3 h 30 min at a trained 400 WPM.
Source: Oprah.com, Sept 2016
Deacon King Kong
James McBride · 2020
Oprah's Book Club summer pick, 2020
How long does it take to read Deacon King Kong? About 7 h 24 min at the average reading speed of 238 words per minute (384 pages), or around 4 h 24 min at a trained 400 WPM.
Source: Oprah.com, 2020
Let Us Descend
Jesmyn Ward · 2023
Oprah's Book Club 103rd pick, 2023
How long does it take to read Let Us Descend? About 5 h 52 min at the average reading speed of 238 words per minute (305 pages), or around 3 h 30 min at a trained 400 WPM.
Source: Oprah.com, 2023
Long Island
Colm Toibin · 2024
Oprah's Book Club 105th pick, 2024
How long does it take to read Long Island? About 5 h 40 min at the average reading speed of 238 words per minute (294 pages), or around 3 h 22 min at a trained 400 WPM.
Source: Oprah.com, 2024
How Long Would the Whole List Take?
Based on 1,237,225 total words across every book on this list.
| Reading speed | Speed band | Total time |
|---|---|---|
| 200 WPM | Slower than average | 103 h 6 min |
| 238 WPM | Average adult (Brysbaert, 2019) | 86 h 38 min |
| 400 WPM | Fast reader | 51 h 33 min |
| 600 WPM | Trained speed reader | 34 h 22 min |
Most people can roughly double their reading speed with practice. Take the 2-minute speed test to see where you are.
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Oprah Winfrey Reading List FAQ
How many books are on Oprah Winfrey's reading list?
This list covers 12 books Oprah Winfrey's recommended, drawn from on-the-record sources rather than second-hand claims.
How long does it take to read Oprah Winfrey's book list?
Reading all 12 books back to back comes to roughly 86 h 38 min at the average adult reading speed of 238 words per minute (Brysbaert, 2019). Your own time will vary with your reading speed and how closely you read each book.
Where do these recommendations come from?
Every pick on this page is sourced directly, quoted from official Oprah's Book Club announcements on Oprah.com, spanning 1996 to 2024. Each book card links to the original source so you can verify the recommendation yourself.