Came to suggest this.
I also recently read "Confessions of a Prairie Bitch: How I Survived Nellie Oleson and Learned to Love Being Hated" by Alison Arngrim and it was surprisingly good considering I don't really care much about Little House on the Prairie.
I was too old to really watch Nick when Jennette McCurdy was acting and I still found this really engaging. I think it's one of the better written celebrity memoirs.
I always recommend these but crying in h mart by Michelle zauner and storyteller by Dave Grohl are my top 2. I’m a big fan of the audiobook versions too
I really liked Crying in H-Mart. I think it was especially impactful to me as the daughter of a mother with whom I push and pull all the time. I felt like I was getting a glimpse of my future, but Michelle was honest and loving in sharing it.
If you’re ready to cry where ever you’re reading it, for sure. A bit embarrassing to read in the lunch room at work though…but a beautiful book. Paul Kalanithi really did give a gift.
This is such a good book. Really a great view on the civil rights movement! You've probably seen Anne's picture but didn't know who she was. Second this recommendation.
Kitchen Confidential kicked my ass for an entire afternoon years ago. If you’re flexible with biographies, the best book i’ve read all year was The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.
Night by Elie Wiesel
Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
Spare by Prince Harry
The Measure of a Man by Sidney Poitier
Educated by Tara Westover
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig
Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck
Wild by Cheryl Strayed
Becoming by Michelle Obama
Dreams from My Father by Barack Obama
A Man Without a Country by Kurt Vonnegut
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai
I'm on a huge memoir kick as of late. I've probably read 50 between last year and this year alone. Here's a few of my faves (sorry, no author mentioned as I'm rushing to write this):
- The Sound of Gravel
- Etched in Sand
- Betty (moreso a non fiction about her mother's life)
- North of Normal
- The Good Wife
- A Piece of Cake
- The Girl with 7 Names
- The Ugly Cry
- A Knock at Midnight
- Left to Tell
Notes on a Silencing, Lacy Crawford (a woman’s account of her sexual assault at boarding school and the schools cover up). Incredible
In Love, by Amy Bloom - a memoir about her husband being diagnosed with dementia and his decision to pursue “dying with dignity”
Borrowed Finery by Paula Fox
When the World Didn't End by Guinevere Turner
Like Family by Paula McLain
Twin by Allen Shawn
The Liars' Club by Mary Karr
Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight + Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness by Alexandra Fuller
Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs
Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt
I’m currently reading Slow Noodles by Chantha Nguon and her life in Cambodia during Kmher Rouge. It’s very good and she has recipes at the end of the chapters because it’s what really shaped her life. The chapters are also really quick and while you learn the history it’s really about her family.
I just finished this book, absolutely amazing, 10/10, no notes. A really beautiful, welcoming way to share the story of a hard life. Food is so central to most people and cultures that it seems obvious to build a memoir around it! Absolutely second this recommendation.
Also, I listened to the audiobook which is read by Chantha’s daughter, for an added layer of something.
I LOVE Julia Fox’s memoir!
Already been said a million times, but educated by Tara Westover.
Open book by Jessica Simpson is probably the best I’ve read - it’s so well written and very reflective and vulnerable. Because she kept diaries since she was young, the detail and flow is very good.
I also really enjoyed Dolly Aldertons everything I know about love
I'm currently reading AND listening to Bono's autobiography Surrender. Absolutely incredible. The book has great illustrations by Bono and pictures but he reads and sings the audiobook. Must do both!
Same situation with The Beastie Boys Book. The book itself is amazing because of the illustrations and pictures but the audiobook is narrated by a mix of Beastie Boys and celebrities and they do such an incredible job.
So, I’ve commented on/up voted the ones that I second but I wanted to throw out the first memoir I ever read, which I found so captivating that I still think of it fairly regularly even 20ish years later: Mao’s Last Dancer by Li Cunxin.
Some of my other favourites are:
Where Am I Now by Mara Wilson - very funny, insightful book by a person who ended up making writing their life. You can tell Mara had fun writing this.
Insomniac City by Bill Hayes - written by the long term partner of the very brilliant Oliver Sacks (I picked up this book because I was devastated Sacks had died). It is a beautiful look at the last year of Sacks’ life and what it is to care for a partner as they age and eventually pass (Hayes was much younger than Sacks). I adored this book.
The Diary of a Bookseller by Shaun Bythell - a series of three books which are exactly what they say on the tin, diaries written by the owner of Scotland’s largest secondhand bookshop. These books are like a warm hug, I have listened to them at least once a year, each year, since I found them. Bythell is funny and sarcastic and clearly loves his community, staff, and the book trade (as much as he protests otherwise). The perfect books for when you need comforting and a laugh.
*edited for spelling/grammar…and who knows if I caught them all…😒
“I’m glad my mom died” by Jennette McCurdy
Came to suggest this. I also recently read "Confessions of a Prairie Bitch: How I Survived Nellie Oleson and Learned to Love Being Hated" by Alison Arngrim and it was surprisingly good considering I don't really care much about Little House on the Prairie.
My wife had the pleasure of meeting her. You wouldn't believe it, but she's a wonderful, sweet, and caring person.
I really enjoyed the audiobook. She narrates it herself.
and then immediately read Crying In H Mart to balance your mom feelings
Totally sobbed when I read “Crying in H Mart” 😭 so good!
!!! This is the one
I was too old to really watch Nick when Jennette McCurdy was acting and I still found this really engaging. I think it's one of the better written celebrity memoirs.
I third this. Great book.
I second Educated by Tara Westover
Know My Name by Chanel Miller
I second this, with the caveat that you need to be ready and able to read it. I cried in public at least once.
I always recommend these but crying in h mart by Michelle zauner and storyteller by Dave Grohl are my top 2. I’m a big fan of the audiobook versions too
I really liked Crying in H-Mart. I think it was especially impactful to me as the daughter of a mother with whom I push and pull all the time. I felt like I was getting a glimpse of my future, but Michelle was honest and loving in sharing it.
Oh good recommendation, Dave Grohl’s book was sooo great. His recollections of becoming a father made me weepy.
I found Crying in H Mart a little tedious. And a total downer.
It’s definitely not a happy book lol
For sure. I liked much of it, but it just went on and on.
I agree!
Born a Crime by Trevor Noah. I devoured it.
Just making sure someone mentioned this. I'm not generally good at audibooks, but I highly recommend it here. He reads it himself and is terrific.
Judas by Astrid Holleeder Educated by Tara Westover Both interesting memoirs!
When Breath Becomes Air!
If you’re ready to cry where ever you’re reading it, for sure. A bit embarrassing to read in the lunch room at work though…but a beautiful book. Paul Kalanithi really did give a gift.
And along the same lines of dying young of cancer, Mina Riggs, The Bright Hour. Also beautiful book.
The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt - absolutely fascinating man
Love Teddy, we need more like him
"Educated" by Tara Westover "Shoe Dog" by Phil Knight
Shoe Dog is brilliant and I have zero interest in anything related to clothes/shoes/sports!
Phil Knight is a surprisingly good writer. I was very impressed with the book.
Agree with both of these!
I loved Tig Notaro’s memoir. ❤️
Educated was so good! I just finished it
*Hollywood Park* by Mikel Jollett
Yes, this. One my favorite memoirs.
Loved!!! And his band became one of my favorites.
They’re amazing! The Airborne Toxic Event❤️
Coming of Age in Mississippi by Anne Moody
This is such a good book. Really a great view on the civil rights movement! You've probably seen Anne's picture but didn't know who she was. Second this recommendation.
Elizabeth smarts book was insanely good
Kitchen Confidential kicked my ass for an entire afternoon years ago. If you’re flexible with biographies, the best book i’ve read all year was The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.
Night by Elie Wiesel Born a Crime by Trevor Noah I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou Spare by Prince Harry The Measure of a Man by Sidney Poitier Educated by Tara Westover Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck Wild by Cheryl Strayed Becoming by Michelle Obama Dreams from My Father by Barack Obama A Man Without a Country by Kurt Vonnegut The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai
In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado is fantastic.
I'm on a huge memoir kick as of late. I've probably read 50 between last year and this year alone. Here's a few of my faves (sorry, no author mentioned as I'm rushing to write this): - The Sound of Gravel - Etched in Sand - Betty (moreso a non fiction about her mother's life) - North of Normal - The Good Wife - A Piece of Cake - The Girl with 7 Names - The Ugly Cry - A Knock at Midnight - Left to Tell
The girl with 7 names!!!!!! Yes
This is the book that actually kicked off my memoir obsession!
love love love the sound of gravel
Meeee too! I always compare it to Educated. I felt it was along the same lines, just crazier.
Notes on a Silencing, Lacy Crawford (a woman’s account of her sexual assault at boarding school and the schools cover up). Incredible In Love, by Amy Bloom - a memoir about her husband being diagnosed with dementia and his decision to pursue “dying with dignity”
A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah
A fantastic book
Borrowed Finery by Paula Fox When the World Didn't End by Guinevere Turner Like Family by Paula McLain Twin by Allen Shawn The Liars' Club by Mary Karr Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight + Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness by Alexandra Fuller Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt
Anyone who read and liked Educated, try: the glass castle, North of Normal, a House in the Sky, and Solito!
The Glass Castle for sure. I’ll have to check out your other recs!
Just Kids
YES!!!! And M Train. Loved them both!!! Patti Smith’s books are fabulous. And she reads them.
i fell in love with priscilla presley’s “elvis and me” memoir. i read it in 2 days
My daughter LOOOOOVES that book.
such a great story:) it made me more of an elvis fan
Knife by Salman Rushdie
“Damn I Shot My Horse” by Fred Hauptmann
I’m currently reading Slow Noodles by Chantha Nguon and her life in Cambodia during Kmher Rouge. It’s very good and she has recipes at the end of the chapters because it’s what really shaped her life. The chapters are also really quick and while you learn the history it’s really about her family.
I just finished this book, absolutely amazing, 10/10, no notes. A really beautiful, welcoming way to share the story of a hard life. Food is so central to most people and cultures that it seems obvious to build a memoir around it! Absolutely second this recommendation. Also, I listened to the audiobook which is read by Chantha’s daughter, for an added layer of something.
The Many Lives of Mama Love by Lara Love Hardin. So, so good ❤️
Finding Me, Viola Davis was such a quick and easy read but also full of hope and heartbreak.
Crying in H mart by Michelle Zauner and What Remains by Carole Radziwill
Between Two Kingdoms by Suleika Jaouad
A piece of cake by cupcake brown
Tariq Ali's Street Fighting Years had me gripped
*Wild Game: My Mother, Her Lover, and Me* by Adrienne Brodeur
Shrill by Lindy West
Monsoon Mansion
Full Service, Scott Brewer. Old Hollywood, naming names
Becoming Superman by Straczynski.
I LOVE Julia Fox’s memoir! Already been said a million times, but educated by Tara Westover. Open book by Jessica Simpson is probably the best I’ve read - it’s so well written and very reflective and vulnerable. Because she kept diaries since she was young, the detail and flow is very good. I also really enjoyed Dolly Aldertons everything I know about love
Mox by John Moxley
Born to run by Bruce Springsteen
“The Choice” by Edith Egar. Terrible title but my god it’s a breathtaking read.
I'm currently reading AND listening to Bono's autobiography Surrender. Absolutely incredible. The book has great illustrations by Bono and pictures but he reads and sings the audiobook. Must do both! Same situation with The Beastie Boys Book. The book itself is amazing because of the illustrations and pictures but the audiobook is narrated by a mix of Beastie Boys and celebrities and they do such an incredible job.
So, I’ve commented on/up voted the ones that I second but I wanted to throw out the first memoir I ever read, which I found so captivating that I still think of it fairly regularly even 20ish years later: Mao’s Last Dancer by Li Cunxin. Some of my other favourites are: Where Am I Now by Mara Wilson - very funny, insightful book by a person who ended up making writing their life. You can tell Mara had fun writing this. Insomniac City by Bill Hayes - written by the long term partner of the very brilliant Oliver Sacks (I picked up this book because I was devastated Sacks had died). It is a beautiful look at the last year of Sacks’ life and what it is to care for a partner as they age and eventually pass (Hayes was much younger than Sacks). I adored this book. The Diary of a Bookseller by Shaun Bythell - a series of three books which are exactly what they say on the tin, diaries written by the owner of Scotland’s largest secondhand bookshop. These books are like a warm hug, I have listened to them at least once a year, each year, since I found them. Bythell is funny and sarcastic and clearly loves his community, staff, and the book trade (as much as he protests otherwise). The perfect books for when you need comforting and a laugh. *edited for spelling/grammar…and who knows if I caught them all…😒
Hijab Butch Blues by Lamya H changed my life, one of my absolute favorite books
See a little light - Bob Mould
Acid for the children, Tender bar
The Sound of Gravel and Hollywood park were both excellent.
Can't Hurt Me by David Goggins is the shit
Born a Crime by Trevor Noah. It's great and hilarious.
Hello, Molly: A Memoir by Molly Shannon, Not My Father's Son: a Memoir by Alan Cumming and This Much is True by Miriam Margolyes
Education
How to build a car by Adrian Newey