I’m an avid reader who is always on the look out for a book I can escape with. A few years ago, I was strolling the shelves at Target hoping for something to catch my eye.

I walked by the same books a few times and ended up purchasing one that I later sold on eBay for a penny. Yes, it was that bad.

On my next venture to the book aisle, I picked up the book I had walked past so many times before. I told myself to just buy it, maybe I could really enjoy it. The book was “A Million Little Pieces” by James Frey. He is, now, my absolute favorite writer and I have read that book more times than I can count.

Some may have heard a little controversy surrounding Frey’s memoir on his addiction battles because of Oprah Winfrey placing it on her infamous book club list, then later renouncing it.

The Smoking Gun website revealed that small, insignificant parts of the memoir were not actually true — names were changed to keep people anonymous, dates were not factual, and James Frey felt the need to elaborate a little more and a little less than he thought he should.

James Frey went through one of the hardest things imaginable when he went on Oprah’s show to be humiliated and bashed by her on national television. I am sure it was one of his proudest moments to stand up for himself like that, it was very hard to watch him be treated the way he was that day, and thinking back on it now, I am so amazed that he put himself through that.

It might have been the best thing for his career.

He has 3 other books that have been published, all to extraordinary reviews. “My Friend Leonard”, a sequel to “A Million Little Pieces”, and “American Pitbull”, which he co-wrote.

His latest book, “Bright Shiny Morning”, tells the stories of numerous men and women in Los Angeles. They face trials and tribulations as they venture through the City of Angels trying to make it big or just get away.

The first page reads “Nothing in this book should be considered accurate or reliable.” Hope Oprah reads that. I have never respected a writer as much as James Frey. I have never recommended someone as much as I have recommended him.

I tell everyone I meet to read something he wrote, so they can be mesmerized. His book tours never bring him to North Carolina or anywhere even close, so I decided to write him.

I wanted to tell him how much his story and his writing means to me. Well, I received my books back two weeks ago and got personal replies on each of his books. He thanked me for his support, especially through the Oprah ordeal, said he could not wait to have me sign a book for him and then he called me “the coolest chick in the Carolinas.”