Post by zeldafitzgerald on Oct 29, 2006 1:09:30 GMT -5
I love good memoirs. I would love to discover some new favorites... what ones do you love?
Here is my extensive list of my very favorite memoirs/memoir authors:
Augusten Burroughs (I've talked about him on a different thread, so will only list him here.)
David Sedaris - Similar to Augusten, but has unique things that make him amazing. (Most people know him too, so I won't say much.)
Haven Kimmel - Absolutely wonderful...she has two memoirs (A Girl Named Zippy and sequel She Got Up Off the Couch) and both are incredible. "Zippy" has a happy childhood, not boring but not crazy. The way Haven writes about growing up in a small town and her experiences is fantastic...she writes through the eyes of the spunky child that she was, rather than a grown-up looking back. It's almost like being a kid again. Plus, these books have parts where you will laugh loudly and have difficulty controlling yourself. She has several fiction books as well, that are on my to-read list.
Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life by Amy Krouse Rosenthal- I highly recommend this book. It's really fun, and is very unique. Like Zippy, she didn't have a bad life or trying events, she just takes her experiences and weaves a wonderful book that every woman I've recommended it to has loved and related to. (It seems most of the book you're thinking "Yes! Yes - I think that too! Why didn't I write this!") She writes in the form of the an encyclopedia, with entries in ABC order that tell the story of her life. Everything is presented in a fun way with pictures and some charts, and it's a very quick fun read.
Why I'm Like This: True Stories by Cynthia Kaplan - It's been a long time since I've read this, and I can't remember much about this other than that I really enjoyed it. Parts were funny, parts were moving and meaningful, just the way I like my memoirs. I want to re-read it, but I still feel confident in recommending it.
Joan Didion - The Year of Magical Thinking - A smart read for anyone who has ever lost someone, or thinks someday someone close to them may die.... She writes about the year after her husband dies and about how she/humans handle grief. (I also talked about this one on a different thread, so won't say much)
Last but definitely not least - Bill Bryson. Probably my favorite person on this list. He has so many interests and has books on many of them. Most of them are memoirs/books of non-fiction essays. Most are about his travels/experiences...he grew up in America (his latest memoir: The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid) moved to England and started a family (Notes from a Small Island) traveled Europe (Neither Here nor There, Travels in Europe) moved back to the US (I'm A Stranger Here Myself) walked the Appalachian Trail (A Walk in the Woods) and has also traveled all around the US (The Lost Continent, Travels in Small Town America) and traveled to Australia (In a Sunburned Country). All his books are incredibly interesting and extremely funny. Entertaining and you learn a lot, what could be better? (His non-fiction/non-memoir books dive into his interests beyond traveling... Made in America and The Mother Tongue (Origins of English), and A Short History of Nearly Everything (the history of the universe). Bill is, in short, amazing.
ok, that about does it. these have been stewing around in my mind for days waiting for me to post about them. sorry for any typos or errors, it's late on this coast and i'm spent! time to read and fall asleep.
now please post your memoir recommendations!
Here is my extensive list of my very favorite memoirs/memoir authors:
Augusten Burroughs (I've talked about him on a different thread, so will only list him here.)
David Sedaris - Similar to Augusten, but has unique things that make him amazing. (Most people know him too, so I won't say much.)
Haven Kimmel - Absolutely wonderful...she has two memoirs (A Girl Named Zippy and sequel She Got Up Off the Couch) and both are incredible. "Zippy" has a happy childhood, not boring but not crazy. The way Haven writes about growing up in a small town and her experiences is fantastic...she writes through the eyes of the spunky child that she was, rather than a grown-up looking back. It's almost like being a kid again. Plus, these books have parts where you will laugh loudly and have difficulty controlling yourself. She has several fiction books as well, that are on my to-read list.
Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life by Amy Krouse Rosenthal- I highly recommend this book. It's really fun, and is very unique. Like Zippy, she didn't have a bad life or trying events, she just takes her experiences and weaves a wonderful book that every woman I've recommended it to has loved and related to. (It seems most of the book you're thinking "Yes! Yes - I think that too! Why didn't I write this!") She writes in the form of the an encyclopedia, with entries in ABC order that tell the story of her life. Everything is presented in a fun way with pictures and some charts, and it's a very quick fun read.
Why I'm Like This: True Stories by Cynthia Kaplan - It's been a long time since I've read this, and I can't remember much about this other than that I really enjoyed it. Parts were funny, parts were moving and meaningful, just the way I like my memoirs. I want to re-read it, but I still feel confident in recommending it.
Joan Didion - The Year of Magical Thinking - A smart read for anyone who has ever lost someone, or thinks someday someone close to them may die.... She writes about the year after her husband dies and about how she/humans handle grief. (I also talked about this one on a different thread, so won't say much)
Last but definitely not least - Bill Bryson. Probably my favorite person on this list. He has so many interests and has books on many of them. Most of them are memoirs/books of non-fiction essays. Most are about his travels/experiences...he grew up in America (his latest memoir: The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid) moved to England and started a family (Notes from a Small Island) traveled Europe (Neither Here nor There, Travels in Europe) moved back to the US (I'm A Stranger Here Myself) walked the Appalachian Trail (A Walk in the Woods) and has also traveled all around the US (The Lost Continent, Travels in Small Town America) and traveled to Australia (In a Sunburned Country). All his books are incredibly interesting and extremely funny. Entertaining and you learn a lot, what could be better? (His non-fiction/non-memoir books dive into his interests beyond traveling... Made in America and The Mother Tongue (Origins of English), and A Short History of Nearly Everything (the history of the universe). Bill is, in short, amazing.
ok, that about does it. these have been stewing around in my mind for days waiting for me to post about them. sorry for any typos or errors, it's late on this coast and i'm spent! time to read and fall asleep.
now please post your memoir recommendations!