Once anointed, one author remains Oprah-worthy, another perhaps not

Oprah Winfrey picked two authors to join her book club: Christina Schwarz and Billie Letts. Two other former Oprah's Book Club authors have new novels: Breena Clarke, Stand the Storm (Little, Brown, 321 pp., $24.99). Her River, Cross My Heart was a 1999 Oprah pick. In Stand the Storm, two freed slaves struggle to make new lives in Civil War-era Washington, D.C. Bret Lott, Ancient Highway (Random House, 241 pp., $25). His Jewel also got the Oprah seal of approval in '99. His Highway follows three generations of a family beginning in 1925, as a boy in Texas hops a train and heads for Hollywood. By Jocelyn McClurg Authors who have been crowned by Oprah's Book Club would seem to have it made for life: guaranteed sales, acclaim and sometimes a movie deal. Two former Oprah authors —Christina Schwarz (Drowning Ruth, a 2000 club... [read full story]