Oprah picks Follett

According to the Associated Press:

Winfrey called Follett “a best-selling author that everybody has heard of, but this novel is unlike any of his books he’s known for around the world.”

Follett, a 58-year-old native of Cardiff, Wales, is famous for spectacular thrillers such as “Lie Down With Lions,” “Eye of the Needle” and “World Without End,” published last month, and a sequel to “The Pillars of the Earth,” which came out in 1989.

Follett has called “The Pillars of the Earth,” a love story set in England in the 12th century, his favorite novel. According to his Web site, the book still sells around 100,000 copies a year in the United States alone.

A year after “Pillars” came out, Follett was so popular he agreed to a two-book, $12.3 million deal with the Dell Publishing Company. He reportedly has 90 million readers worldwide and recently signed with Penguin Group (USA), which released “World Without End,” for a planned multigenerational trilogy set in the 20th century.