Fans pick 20 books like Confessions of a Prairie Bitch

By Alison Arngrim,

Here are 20 books that Confessions of a Prairie Bitch fans have personally recommended if you like Confessions of a Prairie Bitch. Shepherd is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of Bright Lights, Prairie Dust: Reflections on Life, Loss, and Love from Little House's Ma

Wendi Lou Lee Author Of Red Tail Feathers: Dare to Discover the Beauty of Grace

From my list on memoirs of Little House on the Prairie cast members.

Why am I passionate about this?

I grew up on the set of Little House on the Prairie. Yes, it was a fictional world created by Hollywood, but the foundation and lessons I learned about love, family, and faith have stayed with me. I now travel with the cast of Little House all over the country to engage and share with fans about how my experiences have shaped me. I can’t say enough about these memoirs or the cast members who wrote them. I know every Little House fan will love them too!

Wendi's book list on memoirs of Little House on the Prairie cast members

Wendi Lou Lee Why did Wendi love this book?

I couldn’t wait to read about Little House’s “Ma”. Her beautiful writing and compelling story roped me in so fast, I was hooked by the end of the prologue, anxious to discover more about the fabulous woman who portrayed Caroline Ingalls.

The story is not what I imagined it would be, and isn’t that how life is? Full of tragedy and loss, and yet somehow beauty found a place to reside in Karen’s story too. 

By Karen Grassle,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Bright Lights, Prairie Dust as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Karen Grassle, the beloved actress who played Ma on Little House on the Prairie, grew up at the edge of the Pacific Ocean in a family where love was plentiful but alcohol wreaked havoc. In this candid memoir, Grassle reveals her journey to succeed as an actress even as she struggles to overcome depression, combat her own dependence on alcohol, and find true love. With humor and hard-won wisdom, Grassle takes readers on an inspiring journey through the political turmoil on '60s campuses, on to studies with some of the most celebrated artists at the famed London Academy of Music…


Book cover of Back to the Prairie: A Home Remade, A Life Rediscovered

Wendi Lou Lee Author Of Red Tail Feathers: Dare to Discover the Beauty of Grace

From my list on memoirs of Little House on the Prairie cast members.

Why am I passionate about this?

I grew up on the set of Little House on the Prairie. Yes, it was a fictional world created by Hollywood, but the foundation and lessons I learned about love, family, and faith have stayed with me. I now travel with the cast of Little House all over the country to engage and share with fans about how my experiences have shaped me. I can’t say enough about these memoirs or the cast members who wrote them. I know every Little House fan will love them too!

Wendi's book list on memoirs of Little House on the Prairie cast members

Wendi Lou Lee Why did Wendi love this book?

Back to the Prairie made me smile from ear-to-ear at the thought of our dear Half-Pint returning back to her prairie roots. I loved reading about the new life she has discovered, a life of simplicity and love… and chickens too.

This memoir gave me a look into Melissa’s beautiful transformation of the heart, learning to love herself and going back to the prairie for good.

By Melissa Gilbert,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Back to the Prairie as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The New York Times bestselling author and star of Little House on the Prairie returns with a new hilarious and heartfelt memoir chronicling her journey from Hollywood to a ramshackle house in the Catskills during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Known for her childhood role as Laura Ingalls Wilder on the classic NBC show Little House on the Prairie, Melissa Gilbert has spent nearly her entire life in Hollywood. From Dancing with the Stars to a turn in politics, she was always on the lookout for her next project. She just had no idea that her latest one would be completely life…


Book cover of Little House in the Hollywood Hills: A Bad Girl's Guide to Becoming Miss Beadle, Mary X, and Me

Wendi Lou Lee Author Of Red Tail Feathers: Dare to Discover the Beauty of Grace

From my list on memoirs of Little House on the Prairie cast members.

Why am I passionate about this?

I grew up on the set of Little House on the Prairie. Yes, it was a fictional world created by Hollywood, but the foundation and lessons I learned about love, family, and faith have stayed with me. I now travel with the cast of Little House all over the country to engage and share with fans about how my experiences have shaped me. I can’t say enough about these memoirs or the cast members who wrote them. I know every Little House fan will love them too!

Wendi's book list on memoirs of Little House on the Prairie cast members

Wendi Lou Lee Why did Wendi love this book?

Charlotte’s tell-all memoir tells it ALL. This may not be appropriate for young readers, but I was wowed by all the roles she has played over the years, surprised by the numerous love interests with well-known actors and musicians, and inspired by her ability to overcome challenges, big and small, that have shaped her into the woman she is today.

I loved how Charlotte has embraced her past and learned from her mistakes. She is an inspiration to me and many others.

By Charlotte Stewart, Andy Demsky,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Little House in the Hollywood Hills as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Charlotte Stewart is known by millions of fans worldwide for her role as the beloved schoolteacher, Miss Beadle, on the iconic TV show, Little House on the Prairie, currently broadcast in syndication in more than 100 countries around the world. Here for the first time an adult cast member writes about the experience of making the show—the challenges, the joys, and the sometimes-turbulent behind-the-scenes relationships. Charlotte, with Andy Demsky, reveal a no-holds-barred, heart-breaking, and ultimately joyful account of fifty years in film and television offers a backstage pass to Hollywood’s cocaine-fueled glory years in the 1970s, and includes Charlotte’s celebrated…


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Book cover of Tap Dancing on Everest: A Young Doctor's Unlikely Adventure

Tap Dancing on Everest By Mimi Zieman,

Tap Dancing on Everest, part coming-of-age memoir, part true-survival adventure story, is about a young medical student, the daughter of a Holocaust survivor raised in N.Y.C., who battles self-doubt to serve as the doctor—and only woman—on a remote Everest climb in Tibet.

The team attempts a new route up…

Book cover of More Than Just The Prairie

Wendi Lou Lee Author Of Red Tail Feathers: Dare to Discover the Beauty of Grace

From my list on memoirs of Little House on the Prairie cast members.

Why am I passionate about this?

I grew up on the set of Little House on the Prairie. Yes, it was a fictional world created by Hollywood, but the foundation and lessons I learned about love, family, and faith have stayed with me. I now travel with the cast of Little House all over the country to engage and share with fans about how my experiences have shaped me. I can’t say enough about these memoirs or the cast members who wrote them. I know every Little House fan will love them too!

Wendi's book list on memoirs of Little House on the Prairie cast members

Wendi Lou Lee Why did Wendi love this book?

Jennifer’s memoir affected me in ways I didn’t expect. We were both twins on the set of Little House on the Prairie, but to read how she lost her sister had me in tears. I loved her honesty and vulnerability to share such a difficult part of her life. Indeed, there is so much more to Jennifer’s life than just the prairie. She tells it beautifully.

By Jennifer Donati,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked More Than Just The Prairie as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

From the sets of the prairie to the real world of today, my journey has been one of resilience and transformation. As a baby, I started my life on the set of a prairie, surrounded by the loving family of the show. Years after the cameras stopped rolling, I faced the harsh reality of losing my twin, Sarah. She had been by my side since before our birth and was right there beside me on the sets of Little House on the Prairie, as we together portrayed Baby Rose Wilder. Losing her was my first encounter with the fragility of…


Book cover of Becoming Maria: Love and Chaos in the South Bronx

David Kamp Author Of Sunny Days: The Children's Television Revolution That Changed America

From my list on coming of age in New York City.

Why am I passionate about this?

“You spend your first 18 years as a sponge and the rest of your life using those early years as material.” Martin Short said this to me when I collaborated with him on his memoir, I Must Say: My Life As a Humble Comedy Legend. My own writing bears this out. My nonfiction books The United States of Arugula and Sunny Days are not first-person books, but they examine two significant cultural movements that defined my formative years: the American food revolution led by the likes of Julia Child and Alice Waters and the children’s-TV revolution defined by Sesame Street and Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. Much of my journalism finds me chasing down the cultural figures who captured and shaped my young imagination, e.g., Sly Stone, Johnny Cash, Charles Schulz.

David's book list on coming of age in New York City

David Kamp Why did David love this book?

Manzano played Maria for more than 40 years on Sesame Street, but this isn’t a book about that show. A sort of next-gen, nonfiction companion to Dominicana, it tells the story of Manzano’s hard-knock childhood in the South Bronx, and how her gifts as an actor and storyteller propelled her out of a rough neighborhood and troubled home (her father physically abused her mother.) Manzano doesn’t paper over the anger she felt and still feels about the systemic forces that ghettoized Hispanic kids like her. But she succeeds in offering hope and modeling Nuyorican success to latter-day versions of her young self.

By Sonia Manzano,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Becoming Maria as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 12, 13, 14, and 15.

What is this book about?

Pura Belpre Honor winner for The Revolution of Evelyn Serrano and one of America's most influential Hispanics--'Maria' on Sesame Street--delivers a beautifully wrought coming-of-age memoir.

Set in the 1950s in the Bronx, this is the story of a girl with a dream. Emmy award-winning actress and writer Sonia Manzano plunges us into the daily lives of a Latino family that is loving--and troubled. This is Sonia's own story rendered with an unforgettable narrative power. When readers meet young Sonia, she is a child living amidst the squalor of a boisterous home that is filled with noisy relatives and nosy neighbors.…


Book cover of Spoiler Alert

Sam Parks Author Of You've Got Chain Mail

From my list on romance so you can swoon and geek out at once.

Why am I passionate about this?

I wholeheartedly believe that embracing your geeky side is an important part of life and self-discovery. When romance novels incorporate nerdiness, it gives characters (and therefore readers) the ability to understand themselves and what they want on another level, and to gain the courage to pursue what they want. I know that my own forays into TTRPGs, LARPing, Ren Faires, and other such interests have helped shape me as a person. I’m more confident and embodied because I embrace my inner geek, and I want that for my characters and my readers, too. That’s why I want to read and write as many of these stories as possible!

Sam's book list on romance so you can swoon and geek out at once

Sam Parks Why did Sam love this book?

Olivia Dade is the queen of romcoms with twists, and this may be her best work, IMO! Marcus is so sexy and such a golden retriever MMC, and I loved April just as much. This is a perfect example of two main characters who are both great but somehow even better together.

And Olivia Dade is truly hilarious–I especially loved the interlude chapters with the awful scripts Marcus had encountered over the years. This is one of the easiest romances for me to recommend to people because there’s something for everybody!

By Olivia Dade,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Spoiler Alert as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Olivia Dade bursts onto the scene in this delightfully fun romantic comedy set in the world of fanfiction, in which a devoted fan goes on an unexpected date with her celebrity crush, who's secretly posting fanfiction of his own.

Marcus Caster-Rupp has a secret. While the world knows him as Aeneas, the star of the biggest show on TV, Gods of the Gates, he's known to fanfiction readers as Book!AeneasWouldNever, an anonymous and popular poster. Marcus is able to get out his own frustrations with his character through his stories, especially the ones that feature the internet's favorite couple to…


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Book cover of Who Is a Worthy Mother?: An Intimate History of Adoption

Who Is a Worthy Mother? By Rebecca Wellington,

I grew up thinking that being adopted didn’t matter. I was wrong. This book is my journey uncovering the significance and true history of adoption practices in America. Now, in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade, the renewed debate over women’s reproductive rights places…

Book cover of From Scratch: A Memoir of Love, Sicily, and Finding Home

Alice Leccese Powers Author Of Italy in Mind: An Anthology

From my list on falling in love in (and with) Italy.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am passionate about the written word and effective communication. My articles and reviews have been published in major newspapers and magazines and for two decades I taught writing on the university level. Travel writing is a subset of my experience as editor of the best-selling In Mind literary anthologies and editor and writer for more than a dozen guidebooks. In addition, I have been “first reader” and editor for prospective authors and shepherded several books to publication, the most recent Red Clay Suzie by first-time novelist Jeffrey Lofton (publication January 2023). 

Alice's book list on falling in love in (and with) Italy

Alice Leccese Powers Why did Alice love this book?

If you’ve watched the recent Netflix series about Tembi Locke and her Sicilian chef husband, you only know half the story. Locke’s memoir, beautifully told, concentrates on (spoiler alert) her healing after her husband’s death. Recently widowed, she traveled to her husband’s tiny Sicilian village to inter his ashes. Although in many ways she dreaded going to Sicily (and her mother-in-law’s house) she is drawn to a simpler way of life from the one she has in Los Angeles. For several succeeding summers she and her daughter return to her husband’s hometown in which little has changed for centuries. Except for the local priest from Africa, they are the only people of color. Locke’s journey is one from despair and exasperation to healing and appreciation.

By Tembi Locke,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked From Scratch as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Soon to be a limited Netflix series starring Zoe Saldana!

This Reese Witherspoon Book Club Pick and New York Times bestseller is "a captivating story of love lost and found" (Kirkus Reviews) set in the lush Sicilian countryside, where one woman discovers the healing powers of food, family, and unexpected grace in her darkest hours.

It was love at first sight when actress Tembi met professional chef, Saro, on a street in Florence. There was just one problem: Saro's traditional Sicilian family did not approve of his marrying a black American woman. However, the couple, heartbroken but undeterred, forged on.…


Book cover of A Del of a Life

Tony Flood Author Of My Life with The Stars: Sizzling secrets spilled!

From my list on the secrets of showbiz and sports stars.

Why am I passionate about this?

I love comedy, showbusiness, mystery and fantasy stories, and sport—and these varied interests have resulted in me writing in various genres as both a journalist and author. My books have all been thoroughly researched and that has helped my crime thrillers receive glowing endorsements from best-selling writer Peter James in the case of Triple Tease and national newspaper journalist Stuart Pink in the case of Stitch Up! - Killer or Victim? My other books have also received excellent endorsements and reviews—fantasy adventure Secret Potion and Laughs and Tears Galore Short Stories and Poems With Twists, written jointly with my wife Heather Flood, best known for her children's books.

Tony's book list on the secrets of showbiz and sports stars

Tony Flood Why did Tony love this book?

What appeals to me most is Sir David Jason telling how playing characters such as Derek Trotter, Granville, Pop Larkin, and Frost changed his life in all sorts of ways. I like his quote that: “With any luck, some of these thoughts and observations will chime with episodes and challenges you have faced, or are facing, in your own life. And if they don't... well, hopefully, at the very least you'll get to have a good old laugh at my expense.”

By David Jason,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked A Del of a Life as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

THE #1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER: a hilarious and heartfelt new autobiography from the national treasure Sir David Jason

'There are British telly icons and then there is Sir David Jason. This book is such gold . . . an absolute delight' ZOE BALL
___________________________

'During my life and career I have been given all sorts of advice and learned huge amounts from some great and enormously talented people. I've been blessed to play characters such as Derek Trotter, Granville, Pop Larkin and Frost, who have changed my life in all sorts of ways, and taught me lessons that go far…


Book cover of Crane: Sex, Celebrity, and My Father's Unsolved Murder

Theresa Griffin Kennedy Author Of Talionic Night in Portland: A Love Story

From my list on to help you discover what makes people tick.

Why am I passionate about this?

When I think of who I am, as a writer and a human being, I remember the words of prolific Portland poet Dan Rapheal, who wrote the foreword to my book of poetry, Blue Reverie in Smoke: “...the reader must look carefully to get a full picture of the poet herself—tender, no nonsense, quietly observing and juggernauting to make things as she thinks they should be.” I’ve never forgotten Dan’s astute appraisal of me, and it surprised me. It seems that's how I’ve always beensomeone who quietly observes, never unmoved by what I see, just trying to make sense of it, sometimes successful in that endeavor, and oftentimes, not successful at all. 

Theresa's book list on to help you discover what makes people tick

Theresa Griffin Kennedy Why did Theresa love this book?

Along with being extremely well written, this book details the horrific murder of a celebrated actor, a man blitzed in his sleep, a decent man who dealt with mundane foibles many men experience. But Crane always continued on, heading to work, embracing a hopeful and positive outlook on his abilities and the future. Bob Crane may well have never awoken from the cowardly assault that took his life in 1978, leaving his 4 children fatherless. A couple of years ago, I got to know Robert David Crane, Bob Crane’s son, via social media and it was one of the oddest occurrences of my life. I’d never have predicted it. I’ve found him to be insightful, generous, accomplished, and genuine. I loved this book because it is about the murder of a man who I grew up seeing.

Yes, I too watched Hogan’s Heroes and absolutely loved the character played by…

By Robert Crane, Christopher Fryer,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Crane as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

On June 29, 1978, Bob Crane, known to Hogan's Heroes fans as Colonel Hogan, was discovered brutally murdered in his Scottsdale, Arizona, apartment. His eldest son, Robert Crane, was called to the crime scene. In this poignant memoir, Robert Crane discusses that terrible day and how he has lived with the unsolved murder of his father. But this storyline is just one thread in his tale of growing up in Los Angeles, his struggles to reconcile the good and sordid sides of his celebrity father, and his own fascinating life. Crane began his career writing for Oui magazine and spent…


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Book cover of Adventures in the Radio Trade: A Memoir

Adventures in the Radio Trade By Joe Mahoney,

Adventures in the Radio Trade documents a life in radio, largely at Canada's public broadcaster. It's for people who love CBC Radio, those interested in the history of Canadian Broadcasting, and those who want to hear about close encounters with numerous luminaries such as Margaret Atwood, J. Michael Straczynski, Stuart…

Book cover of Funny Girl

Beth Morrey Author Of Clover Hendry's Day Off

From my list on books set in the world of television.

Why am I passionate about this?

I worked in television as a development producer for twenty years, designing game shows, reality shows, formatted documentaries, all sorts of programming. One of the prerequisites of working in telly is to watch a lot of it, and that has always been a joy for me, as I love the medium. Even after I left the profession to become an author, I’ve retained my passion for the small screen and write a regular blog on what I’m watching. So, for me, a combination of books and television is something to be savored and celebrated. 

Beth's book list on books set in the world of television

Beth Morrey Why did Beth love this book?

Nick Hornby is one of my favorite writers, and About a Boy is one of my favorite books of all time.

I love how his prose is pared down but so profound; every sentence, however simple, carries weight, and his characterization is wonderfully human. In this book, Hornby champions mainstream entertainment, something I’m passionate about, as I can’t stand cultural snobbishness.

It’s an homage to a golden age of light entertainment, and, like television comedy, this is a book that "makes us all part of something."

By Nick Hornby,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Funny Girl as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER SOON TO BE A TV SERIES STARRING GEMMA ARTERTON AND RUPERT EVERETT

'Simply unputdownable' Guardian

'Hilarious' Daily Telegraph

'Highly entertaining' Sunday Times
_________________

Make them laugh, and they're yours forever . . .

Barbara Parker is Miss Blackpool of 1964, but she doesn't want to be a beauty queen. She wants to make people laugh.

So she leaves her hometown behind, takes herself to London, and overnight she becomes the lead in a new BBC comedy, Sophie Straw: charming, gorgeous, destined to win the nation's hearts.

Funny Girl is the story of a smash-hit TV show and…


Book cover of Bright Lights, Prairie Dust: Reflections on Life, Loss, and Love from Little House's Ma
Book cover of Back to the Prairie: A Home Remade, A Life Rediscovered
Book cover of Little House in the Hollywood Hills: A Bad Girl's Guide to Becoming Miss Beadle, Mary X, and Me

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Interested in romantic love, comedians, and murder?

Romantic Love 947 books
Comedians 39 books
Murder 1,079 books