What’s the most entertaining autobiography/memoir you’ve read?
For me, hands down it was Margaret Atwood’s Book of Lives. She’s so witty! I’m definitely an Atwood fan-girl.
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I just finished The First Lady Next Door by Eliza Reid, Iceland’s First Lady from 2016 - 2024. What a smart, delightful, inspiring, witty, and down-to-earth human being she comes across as in her memoir. How I would love to meet her and have lunch with her!
For audiobook lovers, Reid narrates her own book. It is worth the listen.
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I mostly avoid this genre at all costs. I just can’t figure out why someone wants the world to know all their stories/secrets. I will reach for a bio/memoir if it is historical or if it brings other information that I want to learn. I recently read American Ramble by Isaac Fitzgerald and it was enjoyable. My favorite is probably You Never Know by Tom Selleck just because I wanted to have his voice in my ears. It was everything I hoped for and felt like he was talking just for me.
‘All Over But the Shoutin’ by Rick Bragg. I didn’t even have to think on it when I read your question, it just popped into my head! One of my husband’s favorites too (he’s also read Ava’s Man). A couple years ago Bragg tugged my heart again with ‘A Speckled Beauty’ - highly recommended for any pet lover.
I tend to ignore this genre too, especially anything entertainment industry-related. When I do pick up books in this genre they tend to be about strong women and/or remarkable people. One year I tried to read a handful of books about people who were awarded the Medal of Freedom…that was interesting.
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Bill Bryson’s early travel memoirs are my personal favorites: “Walk in the Woods”, “Notes From a Small Island”, “I’m a Stranger Here Myself”, “Lost Continent”, and “Neither Here Nor There”.
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I like some travel memoirs, too.
I initially thought to myself on reading this question that I don’t read many autobiographies or memoirs. Then I started going through my list of Have Read books and was floored at how many I have read. My all-time favorite, bar none, is Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt. It is lyrical, heartbreaking, and uplifting all at the same time and then the audiobook reading by the author takes it to an even higher level. I listened to it 30 years ago and still frequently recommend it. Other strong favorites are Personal History: A Memoir by Katherine Graham, West With the Night by Beryl Markham, and Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson.
You’ve listed some great ones here. Maybe memoirs used to be better—or at least less populated with tv/movie people (she said after mentioning Tom Selleck
). I do think maybe this genre has changed over time.
Upstairs at the White House: My Life with the First Ladies by J.B. West. Historical, interesting and entertaining. Loved it.
I thoroughly enjoy autobiographical and memoir books. Having just finished”Dangerous, Dirty,Violent and Young” by Zayd Dohrn, a book such as this one gives the reader a new perspective into the historical events of the era and insight to the inner thoughts of those involved. I must admit i”m a bit of movie star junkie from my teen days of “Photo Play” and “Motion Pictures” magazines, so a good book on the lives and loves of a “star” is always considered my guilty pleasure. One of the most entertaining bios I have read was “Cher, I felt as if I could hear her voice as she talked me through her hopes, dreams and reality. Having said that I will admit, I never finished “Barbra’’s long winded, detailed book. Even though I plead guilty to having stood far too many hours in line to purchase one of her concert tickets with my last few dollars, I was not going to spend a lifetime sifting through her 1,000 page tome.
I don’t read a lot of memoirs/autobiographies - I prefer biographies - which I do read a lot. But I did recently read the audio book Actress of a Certain Age: My Twenty-Year Trail to Overnight Success by Jeff Hiller. He won an Emmy for his role in the HBO series Somebody Somewhere. Hiller’s narration is hilarious and his life story is interesting.