I think thereās a little voyeur in all of us, which is why we love reading memoirs. These stories typically are written by people whoāve wrestled with a life-changing event and emerged on the other side with wisdom to share. Whether theyāve grappled with a heartbreaking loss, a debilitating illness, or an unsettling change in circumstances that left them reeling, authors who temper their truth with humor are the ones who inspire me most. Finding hilarity in the midst of hardship is no easy feat, but it reminds us that humor is a great coping skill.
I adored this memoir because it is the perfect combination of poignant and hilarious. Emmy-nominated TV writer Bess Kalbās beloved grandmother Bobby has died, but on these pages and in the voicemails Kalb saved, she not only comes alive but also shines.
Though itās clear that Kalb desperately misses this woman who served as a guiding light and her biggest cheerleader, the memoir reads like a celebration of life where humor and wisdom will make you smile rather than weep. After reading this memoir, I gave it to friends whoād lost and missed their parents and grandparents.
**I HAVE NOT BEEN AS PROFOUNDLY MOVED BY A BOOK IN YEARS' JODI PICOULT** **I LOVED THIS BOOK MORE THAN I CAN SAY**NIGELLA LAWSON
A brilliantly original memoir of a grandmother speaking to her granddaughter from beyond the grave, telling the story of her life with hilarious candor and love.
Bess Kalb has saved every voicemail message her grandmother - her best friend, her confidante - ever left her until the day she died.
In this wildly imaginative memoir, Bobby Bell's voice is still in Bess's head. Stubborn, glamorous, larger than life, she gives Bess critical advice on everything andā¦
Actor and comedian Rob Delaney won my heart in the series Catastrophe. In this memoir, told with unflinching honesty, he shares the story of losing his two-year-old son, Henry, to brain cancer.
As a writer, I couldnāt stop thinking about how difficult this mustāve been for Delaney to doāto relive this all over and over again, putting it down and then rereading it countless times before it went to publication. But in doing so, he keeps his son close, and his humor amid the darkest days is an absolute inspiration. I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Delaney, and his delivery and timing make this a must-listen.
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This is the story of what happens when you lose a child, and everything you discover about life in the process, by the star of the Amazon Prime series Catastrophe.
In 2018, Rob Delaneyās two-year-old son, Henry, died of a brain tumor. A Heart That Worksis Delaneyās intimate, unflinching, andā¦
Fiercely opinionated and unapologetically peculiar, Marie Kuipers credits her New Jersey upbringing for her no-f*cks-given philosophy. As for why she spent most of her adult life underemployed, she points at her momāwho believes she knows better than God Himselfāfor that.
Weāre All Mad Here dares to peer behind the curtainā¦
I adore Annabelle Gurwitchās humor and keen observations. She never loses her trademark wit as she navigates midlife curveballsādivorce, empty nest, financial challenges, dating, and taking in roommates.
A finalist for The Thurber Prize, this memoir in essays made me laugh as I nodded along in commiseration. Reinventing yourself in midlife can be funny if you look at it right; Gurwitch reminded me just when I needed it most.
"In this surprisingly upbeat memoir, Annabelle Gurwitch writes about the financial curveballs that can hit you in midlife . . . Somehow, Ms. Gurwitch manages to find humor in these setbacks. Ultimately, this is a story about harnessing resilience and learning how lifeās disappointments can teach you about the things that matter most." āTara Parker-Pope, The New York Times
From the New York Times bestselling author of I See You Made an Effort comes a timely and hilarious chronicle of downward mobility, financial and emotional.
With signature "sharp wit" (NPR), Annabelle Gurwitchā¦
When my book club read this, we were universally blown away by Augusten Burroughsā humor. Mining his tumultuous childhood, Burroughs paints a vivid and unforgettable picture of life with the ultimate dysfunctional family.
I went on to read the authorās other memoirs, and while I always enjoy his one-of-a-kind spin on the world, this remains my favorite of his works.
This is the true story of a boy who wanted to grow up with the Brady Bunch, but ended up living with the Addams Family. Augusten Burroughs's mother gave him away to be raised by her psychiatrist, a dead ringer for Santa Claus and a certifiable lunatic into the bargain. The doctor's bizarre family, a few patients and a sinister man living in the garden shed completed the tableau. The perfect squalor of their dilapidated Victorian house, there were noā¦
Historical fiction inspired by the story of Mary Leakey, who carved her own path to become one of the world's most distinguished paleoanthropologists.
It's 1983 and seventeen-year-old Grace Clark has just lost her mother when she begrudgingly accompanies her estranged father to an archeological dig at Olduvai Gorge on theā¦
Lawson, better known as The Bloggess, isnāt afraid to share the most intimate details of her life and mental health challenges. Her ability to find joy, wonder, and humor in the most unexpected places makes this book a must-read for anyone wrestling with anxiety and/or depression.
Her unique take on life had me laughing out loud while also enlightening me about what itās like to live with these conditions and, ultimately, thrive.
In Furiously Happy, a humor memoir tinged with just enough tragedy and pathos to make it worthwhile, Jenny Lawson examines her own experience with severe depression and a host of other conditions, and explains how it has led her to live life to the fullest:
"I've often thought that people with severe depression have developed such a well for experiencing extreme emotion that they might be able to experience extreme joy in a way that ānormal people' also might never understand. And that's what Furiously Happy is all about."
When my husband, Rich, and I, both longtime media professionals, were laid off within six weeks of each other, I didn't know how we'd continue to pay the mortgage or keep our marriage intact. Complicating matters, we had different approaches to our unexpected unemployment. While Rich was skipping through the rooms, delighted to no longer have to catch a 5:43 am train, I panicked.
In writing this memoir, I wanted to shine a light on the toll unemployment takes and remove a bit of the stigma that surrounds job loss. I couldnāt find the book that talked about all the agony and absurdity of job hunting at midlife so I attempted to capture the simultaneous horror and hilarity of those challenging times in my book.
Secrets, misunderstandings, and a plethora of family conflicts abound in this historical novel set along the Brazos River in antebellum Washington County, East Texas.
It is a compelling story of two neighboring plantation families and a few of the enslaved people who serve them. These two plantations are a microcosmā¦
Part romance/erotica and part family drama, but all heart.
Scarlett loved horses since she was a child, living amidst the chaos of a family ravaged by mental illness. Years later, as she rebuilds a relationship with her often-absent father, she wrangles with needy clients, a manipulative mother, a nosy uncle,ā¦