Oprah Winfrey recommends 4 books for a holiday weekend: From a chilling nanny tale to a story set in Bengaluru

Books are not just a passtime, but an escape to a world beyond our imagination. For Oprah Winfrey too, books have been an important part of her life. It helped her navigate loneliness, find words for feelings she failed to often express and challenege ideas. In one of her blog posts, Oprah turned to four very different books for a holiday weekend reading list. Her picks move from a psychological tale about a seemingly perfect nanny to an unexpected friendship in Bengaluru, a tense Norwegian novel and a collection exploring women’s desires, relationships and emotional boundaries.

Oprah Winfrey on why books matter to her

In a blog post, Oprah Winfrey reflected on the lasting influence books have had on her life. “When I want to seek higher ground, I open a book,” she wrote. She recalled how books helped her understand that she was not alone, “even when I’m at my loneliest”. They also gave her the language to articulate emotions she had struggled to express.

According to what she wrote on Oprah Daily, reading helped loosen the constraints of tradition and narrow-mindedness, giving her room to grow as a person, entrepreneur and teacher. She described teaching as the role she cherishes most. Reading, she explained, also helped her evolve beyond narrow ways of thinking and contributed to her journey as an entrepreneur, teacher and media leader.


Meanwhile, on Oprah.com, she shared four books that she considers suitable for a holiday weekend read. The list spans psychological suspense, memoir, literary fiction and short stories.

The Perfect Nanny by Leila Slimani

The first recommendation takes readers into a seemingly perfect family arrangement that gradually becomes unsettling. According to Goodreads, the story follows Myriam, a French-Moroccan lawyer who decides to return to work after having children. She and her husband begin searching for someone to look after their two young children. They eventually find Louise, a nanny who initially appears almost too good to be true. She is quiet, polite and devoted to the children. She sings to them, cleans the family's stylish Paris apartment, stays late without complaint and even organises impressive children's parties. But the relationship begins to change as the family becomes increasingly dependent on Louise.

Jealousy, resentment and suspicion slowly enter the picture, eventually destroying the idyllic image the family had created.

The Milk Lady of Bangalore: An Unexpected Adventure by Shoba Narayan

Oprah's list then takes an unexpected turn towards Bengaluru, where an unusual encounter involving a cow becomes the beginning of a lasting friendship. According to Goodreads, Shoba Narayan had recently returned to India with her husband and two daughters after spending years in the United States when she encountered Sarala, a woman who sells fresh milk near her apartment building.

The friendship begins with an unforgettable sight: a cow standing inside an apartment elevator. Sarala explains that the cow is being taken upstairs for a housewarming ceremony. The bizarre encounter leads Narayan to ask whether the cow could bless her own apartment too. What follows is much more than a simple exchange between a customer and a milk seller. Narayan and Sarala bond over family, food, cows and everyday life.

When Narayan agrees to help Sarala find a new cow, their search turns what began as a simple economic transaction into a much deeper friendship, with plenty of humour along the way. Goodreads describes the book as an exploration of the culture, customs, myths, religion, sights and sounds of Bengaluru, where the modern and ancient coexist. At its heart is a story about “bridging divides”, understanding different perspectives and the connections humans can form with one another and with animals.

Love by Hanne Orstavik

The third recommendation moves from the bustle of Bengaluru to a cold, isolated setting in northern Norway. Hanne Orstavik's Love follows Vibeke and her young son Jon, who have recently moved to a small village. It is the day before Jon's birthday and a travelling carnival has arrived. Jon heads out to sell lottery tickets for his sports club, while Vibeke plans to visit the library. The two then spend the night on separate journeys, with an increasing sense of unease hanging over the story.

The novel explores the emotional distance that can exist even between people who are close to one another. According to the book's description, Love examines how language can create separate realities, allowing a mother and son to inhabit entirely different worlds. That distance can exist not only between people but also within an individual, with potentially devastating consequences.

Back Talk by Danielle Lazarin

The final book on Oprah Winfrey's holiday weekend list is Danielle Lazarin's Back Talk, a collection centred on women, their unspoken desires and the ways those feelings eventually surface. According to Goodreads, the collection brings together stories about women and girls navigating relationships, grief, love, marriage and emotional boundaries.

In Floor Plans, a woman nearing the end of her marriage unexpectedly befriends the neighbour who wants to purchase her apartment. In Appetite, a 16-year-old mourning her mother's death experiences first love while wondering how much more heartbreak she and her family can withstand. Another story, Dinosaurs, follows a recent widower and a young babysitter as they try to understand what they can give to the people around them and what they are capable of accepting in return.