Readers Unite.

Though critics were bemoaning the decline in quality of the books on bookstore shelves, reading became more popular in the 1990s than it had been in decades. By 1999 there were approximately five-hundred thousand readers' book clubs in the United States, nearly double the number that existed in 1994. Even before the formation of Oprah Winfrey's Book Club in 1997, the popularity of book clubs had begun to soar. Winfrey's promotion of books and reading on her television show had a major impact on the trend. As Shelly Minton Bostwick, a member of two book-discussion groups in Madison, Wisconsin, explained, "Until Oprah Winfrey's focus, book discussion clubs and groups had always been there, but in a quieter way. Now, thanks in huge part to the power and publicity she commands, everyone has learned about us. Many new people have discovered the joys of reading...