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8 Underrated Memoirs

Colleen Barrett — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 13:10:05 PST

I asked what your favorite memoir was last week, and all you confession-reading lovers chimed in with your picks. There were the usual suspects, like Angela's Ashes, but I was amazed by the variety and your less-than-obvious choices.

So out of all of your suggestions in comments and on Facebook, I picked eight underrated memoirs to put on your radar.

Manic, Terri Cheney
The Aquariums of Pyongyang, Chol-hwan Kang
Teacher Man, Frank McCourt
The Glass Castle, Jeanette Walls
Dandelion: Memoir of a Free Spirit, Catherine James
Miriam's Kitchen, Elizabeth Ehrlich
Loose Girl: A Memoir of Promiscuity, Kerry Cohen
My Own Two Feet, Beverly Cleary

Have any to add?

3 Things I'd Like to Read in Bristol Palin's Memoir

Colleen Barrett — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 12:38:59 PST

What can a 20-year-old say in a memoir? Well, Bristol Palin could say a lot. Nobody's expecting I Know Why the Caged Bird Signs, of course, but I'd like to see her, and her ghost writer, be defiantly honest.

The "Untitled Bristol Palin Memoir" listing was removed from Amazon after Political Wire pointed it out yesterday. I doubt that means it's not happening, but merely Bristol and her publisher were planning more pomp and publicity for its announcement. It was up long enough to note the book will be published by the same Harper Collins imprint, William Morrow & Co., as mom Sarah Palin's Going Rogue and America by Heart. So while I'll fear Bristol will take this as an opportunity to promote her - or her mother's - abstinence evangelism, it really would be in nobody's best interest. Especially her own.

She's writing a book to make money, so she'll have to get down and juicy if she wants it to sell. Sure, she may just be a 20-year-old from Alaska, but the last two years of her life have been whirlwind fascinating. Find three things I'd like to hear about below.

Starbucks CEO Will Pen Coffee Business Memoir No. 2

Susannah Chen — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 15:22:36 PST

There's never a dull moment at Starbucks. Just ask CEO Howard Schultz, who's just revealed the name of his second business memoir. The book, which drops March 29, is titled Onward: How Starbucks Fought for Its Life without Losing Its Soul and is available for preorder on Amazon, where a mock-up of the cover shows Schultz has already incorporated the company's controversial new logo.

The book will cover Schultz's return to the Starbucks helm after an eight-year hiatus as CEO, and detail the company's struggles with its core brand identity as well as its recent successes. This one's going straight to my brand-new Kindle. Will you read it?

Source

5 Captivating Tomes For the Literary Foodie

YumSugar — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 06:50:58 PST

In the age of iPod Nanos, bluetooth headsets, and Nintendo Wiis, there's something special about getting a loved one the time-honored gift of a book. For the culinary-obsessed friend who has enough cookbooks, but loves to read as voraciously as he eats, consider one (or several) books to further whet his appetite for the finer food experiences in life.

TMI? Top 10 Recent Celebrity Memoirs

TresSugar — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 16:00:00 PDT

Mackenzie Phillips's bombshell disclosure recently coincided with last week's release of her memoir High on Arrival. What other celebrity memoirs have come our way in recent years? Check out the 10 most interesting that come to mind!

Book Bag: The Big Rewind, a Pop Culture Memoir

TresSugar — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 09:00:36 PDT

On more than one occasion, I've imagined what song would make the perfect soundtrack for a moment I'm currently living. One of my friends' favorite party topics is who would play us in our hypothetical biopics. We are a pop-culture obsessed culture, comparing our realities to that of reality TV stars and voraciously devouring VH1 specials and The Soup.

Naturally, I love the idea of The Big Rewind: A Memoir Brought to You by Pop Culture by The Onion arts and entertainment writer Nathan Rabin. The book tells Rabin's autobiography through the context of the songs, books, movies, and other diversions that defined his youth.

If you're still looking for something to read this month, Rabin's memoir sounds pretty rich. Each episode is tied to a specific song, book, or show, whether it's a story about tripping on mushrooms at the Anne Frank house in Amsterdam or a stay in a mental hospital that's compared to Girl, Interrupted. To read some of what Rabin has to say about the power of pop culture,

Are You Interested in Reading Russell Brand's Book?

BuzzSugar — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 08:15:18 PDT

After introducing himself to American audiences playing a smug British rock star in Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Russell Brand went on to host the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards. Still, he's not quite yet a household name on this side of the pond.

So it's interesting to find his memoir on bestselling lists here in the States. Apparently My Booky Wook: A Memoir of Sex, Drugs, and Stand-Up is a good read, thanks to Brand's honest and humorous writings about his troubled childhood and struggles with addiction. America's eating it up!

So what do you think? Are you interested in reading this funny guy's book?

Katherine Heigl to Take On Carolyn Jessop's Polygamy Story

BuzzSugar — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 11:31:10 PDT

Carolyn Jessop's memoir Escape will be adapted for the big screen, with Katherine Heigl attached to star and produce, Variety reports. Jessop, whose testimony helped convict polygamist sect leader Warren Jeffs, "was born into the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints sect. At 18 she married a man 32 years her senior; at 35, she fled with her eight children."

Another memoir focusing on this same Warren Jeffs case was also recently acquired by a movie studio, Elissa Wall's Stolen Innocence. Apparently this particular case is becoming a favorite headline for filmmakers to rip.

Do you think Heigl will do well with this weighty drama?

Source and source

YumSugar Gift Guide: Books for Cooks

YumSugar — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 08:13:39 PST

My sister is a big reader - she always seems to have her nose shoved into a book - that is starting to develop a larger interest in cooking. That's why this year I'm thinking about getting her one of the many wonderful cookbooks and memoirs that have recently hit the shelves. If you've got a reader in your family - or someone who just loves cookbooks - take note, there are some great gifts to be found. One of my top choices is Cooking by James Peterson; it is an impressive tome with over 1500 color photos and is a fantastic reference for any cook. However, if your bookworm is more book and less cook, you may want to try The Amateur Gourmet, a charming book that's difficult to put down. Scroll through for more gift ideas, including one for a Deluxe Cookbook Holder.

The Tenth Muse: My Life in Food ($14.97)	Service Included: Four-Star Secrets of an Eavesdropping Waiter ($16.47)
The Amateur Gourmet: How to Shop, Chop, and Table Hop... ($16.50)	My Last Supper: 50 Great Chefs and Their Final Meals ($26.37)
Deluxe Cookbook Holder ($29.99)	Cooking by James Peterson ($32)

What's Buzzworthy: Must-Read Memoirs

BuzzSugar — Sat, 14 Apr 2007 11:17:52 PDT

Last week's Buzzworthy bookmarking challenge focused on must-read memoirs, and for some reason, these were some of my favorite Buzzworthy picks ever. As I mentioned before, memoirs are pretty hit or miss; the good ones read like novels, but the bad ones can be painfully bad. You guys managed to find an intriguing mix of books I love and books I've never heard of but now really want to read! I hope everyone else gets some good book ideas from the list, too. Here are the Buzzworthy picks I found most noteworthy.

Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris, bookmarked by Missyosigirl, who gives it this endorsement: "I don't know how David Sedaris does it, but he can turn stories that you would think will traumatize a kid or depress the hell out of someone into stories that warm your heart."

Shutterbabe: Adventures in Love and War by Deborah Copaken Kogan, bookmarked by SaraSmile. I have often considered checking out this memoir by an adventure-seeking photojournalist; now, I definitely will.

Three more, so

read more The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion, bookmarked by Linda McP with this description: "'Life changes fast. Life changes in an instant. You sit down to dinner and life as you know it ends.' With those lines, Joan Didion opens her book in which she recounts her efforts to make sense of life in the year after her husband's unexpected death. Book reviewer John Leonard says: 'I can't think of a book we need more than hers...I can't imagine dying without this book.' I couldn't agree more."
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou, bookmarked by Mainly Obsessed, who says, "this is a good read. If anything you should read it just because the great Maya Angelou wrote it."
The Sunflower: On the Possibilities and Limits of Forgiveness by Simon Wiesenthal, bookmarked by Xxbrittney. I wasn't familiar with this memoir, written by a Nazi concentration camp survivor, but it sounds like an interesting rumination on forgiveness.