Richard and Judy pick book club list
Sunday, January 7 2007, 19:15 GMT
Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan have picked new titles for their influential television book club.
The Channel 4 presenters’ previous choices have been sent shooting up the bestsellers list – inlcuding last year, when Kate Mosse’s Labyrinth and Victoria Hislop’s The Island were the first and second most popular. The 2006 list included 21 by authors featured on the show.
For the beginning of this year, the hosts have selected Half of a Yellow Sun, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, James Robertson’s The Testament of Gideon Mack William Boyd’s Restless, The Girls, by Canadian Lori Lansens, Catherine Ryan Hyde’s Love in the Present Tense, A M Homes’s This Book Will Save Your Life and a childhood autobiography by comedian-turned-presenter Griff Rhys Jones.
Amanda Ross, executive producer for Richard and Judy, explained how the titles, which can now look forward to near-guaranteed success, were picked.
“Our choices each year are based on instinct, but we try to include something we know our viewers will enjoy reading and discussing,” she said. “I am confident that once again there really is something for everyone. Even if people don’t like every book we recommend, we’re sure they’ll get something out of it and see why we chose each book.”
Presenter Richard Madeley added: “Book club has nailed the lie that daytime TV is for dimwits and bored housewives. We demonstrated that our viewers are intelligent people who relish the opportunity to read and discuss books.”
Perhaps but they could also add more challenging books to the list than the ones they do have sometimes.
