Winfrey's new book club pick marks the return of an old favorite, Wally Lamb

NEW YORK -- For her next book club pick, Oprah Winfrey is highlighting an author she has praised even before she had a book club.

Winfrey announced Tuesday that she has chosen Wally Lamb's new novel, “The River Is Waiting,” the story of a father torn by grief and guilt. It's the third time she's selected a Lamb book and continues a bond predating 1996, when she launched her club.

“I’ve had four phone conversations with Ms. Winfrey,” Lamb said in a statement, remembering how she called to praise his debut novel, “She's Come Undone” upon its release, in 1992. Five years later, she phoned with the news that “She's Come Undone” was her latest book club pick. In 1998, Winfrey picked Lamb's “I Know This Much Is True,” his second novel.

“I was as shocked as ever last month when I answered the phone and heard Ms. Winfrey’s voice again, twenty-seven years after the last time we had talked,” he said. “She told me my latest novel, ‘The River Is Waiting,’ would be the 115th title in her beloved Book Club. I’m not sure why I’ve been on the receiving end of such grace and good fortune, but I try to live each day expressing my gratitude in the way I treat others.”

Winfrey's conversation with Lamb can be heard on the latest episode of “Oprah’s Book Club: Presented by Starbucks,” a podcast available through Winfrey's YouTube channel and other outlets.

“I know many of you might remember that Wally and I go way back because I picked his very first book in 1997 for my book club, and then I chose his second book the next year,” Winfrey said in a statement. “And now with ‘The River Is Waiting’ – we’ve selected three novels by the same author and that should tell you ALL you need to know about what I think of this truly masterful and beloved writer.”