Biography & Memoir Bestsellers

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • In her most revealing and powerful memoir yet, the beloved activist, speaker, and bestselling author of Love Warrior and Carry On, Warrior explores the joy and peace we discover when we stop striving to meet the expectations of the world, and start trusting the voice deep within us.

“Untamed will liberate... Read More »

Educated

“Educated by Tara Westover is a wrenching account of a young woman who must choose between education on one hand and her family which is ruled by a religious misogynist apocalyptic zealot who lives off the grid and who might also be bi-polar, on the other. I thought the most fascinating part of Westover’s story would be her journey from backwoods Idaho to a Cambridge University PhD, but her relationship with her family, and one brother, in particular, was at the heart of this memoir and quest for self.”

Phyllis, Wellesley Books

The Splendid and the Vile

“Erik Larson has done it again! With years of impeccable research into diaries, archives, dossiers, biographies, and official British documents, he has presented an intimate and detailed account of Winston Churchill in his first years as prime minister as he dealt with the London Blitz and his own personal and family issues. This is Churchill as few of us can imagine, in his silky pajamas entertaining major dignitaries at his weekend retreat, all the while continuing to reassure the British people during their darkest days that they have what it takes to withstand the German onslaught. The Splendid and the Vile reads like an engrossing novel, with all the fascinating details and facts that Erik Larson can provide.”

Gail Meyer, The Bookstore Plus Music & Art

Becoming

“I adore our former president and I miss him. Yet I cannot help but be ecstatic that Michelle is coming out with a book about her own life so that I can learn more about this powerful, intelligent, and singularly awesome woman. Barack would be the first to say that his wife is a superstar, and I can’t wait to get my hands on Becoming to read about her in her own words.”

Jax, Bookshop Santa Cruz

A new rip-roaring essay collection from the smart, edgy, hilarious, unabashedly raunchy, and bestselling Samantha Irby.

Irby is forty, and increasingly uncomfortable in her own skin despite what Inspirational Instagram Infographics have promised her. She has left her job as a receptionist at a veterinary clinic, has published successful books and... Read More »

From rising comedy star Cameron Esposito, a memoir that is "as hilarious and honest as she is on the stage," tackling the big issues explored in her comedy, including gender, sexuality and feminism - and how her Catholic childhood prepared her for a career as an outspoken lesbian comedian in ways the Pope could never have imagined (Abby... Read More »

The #1 New York Times Bestseller

Includes six new songs by Jessica Simpson, available exclusively in the Open Book audiobook.

Performed by the author featuring her music throughout.

Jessica reveals for the first time her inner monologue and most intimate struggles. Guided by the journals she's kept since age fifteen, and brimming with her unique... Read More »

Universally acclaimed, rapturously reviewed, winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for autobiography, and an instant New York Times bestseller, Chanel Miller's breathtaking memoir "gives readers the privilege of knowing her not just as Emily Doe, but as Chanel Miller the writer, the artist, the survivor, the fighter." (The Wrap).

"I... Read More »

Mobituaries

“I have been enjoying Mobituaries both for the fun of the individual stories and the joy that Mo seems to take in telling them. I don't often recommend a book as the audiobook over hardcover but in this case I think that the audiobook is the way to go.”

Bruce, Rediscovered Books

How We Fight For Our Lives

“Saeed doesn't hold back any details, and his chapters often read like biographical poetry. This book is a window into a different life, and a different soul. It also makes a great listen.”

Amy, Bright Side Bookshop

From former football player and star of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette comes a fascinating and eye-opening behind-the-scenes look at his drama-filled season on the hit reality show.

Before Colton Underwood captured the hearts of millions on The Bachelor, he was a goofy, socially awkward, overweight adolescent who succeeded on the football... Read More »

Recollections of My Nonexistence

“Over Rebecca Solnit’s 30 years of writing, readers like me have fallen in love with her seismic, world-shifting essays, and I was not disappointed by this memoir, her first longform writing in seven years. True to her form, this is a memoir not necessarily of the events of Solnit’s coming of age, but rather the greater influences in her development as a feminist, an activist, and a writer in 1980’s San Francisco. In these pages, Solnit describes the formation of her own powerful voice while interrogating the culture that routinely silences women through violence and disregard. By sharing these formative years, Solnit is sure to inspire and vindicate generations of women of all ages and offer much-needed encouragement to people of all genders to invest in voices long suppressed.”

Megan Bell, Underground Books

Save Me the Plums

“You may be cleaning your house or walking your dog, but Ruth Reichl will take you away --to New York, Paris, and the world's best restaurants in her own narration of her years with Gourmet Magazine. Ruth is a consummate storyteller, and if you've read her earlier memoirs you MUST experience this latest; she adds to her mother's story (remember Tender At the Bone?) inserts recipes, and dishes on some prominent names in publishing and food. I'm so glad Ruth read her book to us; I felt like we'd spent the afternoon at a sidewalk cafe.”

Cheryl, Book Passage

Inheritance

“Who are we? Does who we think we are change when we learn a family secret that alters the source of our identity? Shapiro has explored issues of identity in her previous memoirs, but in her latest she applies her signature candor and heart to a riveting, provocative, and inspiring genealogical mystery and journey of discovery.”

Roxanne Coady, R.J. Julia Booksellers

From the creator of Elle’s “Eric Reads the News,” a heartfelt and hilarious memoir-in-essays about growing up seeing the world differently, finding unexpected hope, and experiencing every awkward, extraordinary stumble along the way.

“Pop culture–obsessed, Sedaris-level laugh-out-loud funny . . . [R. Eric Thomas] is one of my favorite... Read More »

We Are Never Meeting in Real Life

“There are many ways to craft a humorous essay. One of the most straightforward is to harness the clarity to tell it exactly like it is. You know, through the warped lens of personality. Samantha Irby sees all, and she sees it through wickedly potent bifocals.”

Eleanor, Main Street Books Davidson

Uncanny Valley

“Like Joan Didion or Renata Adler, Ben Lerner or Sally Rooney, Anna Wiener writes with dead-on specificity, scalpel-sharp analysis, deep sensitivity, and an eye for the absurd. She headed west into the modern gold rush that is the tech boom and now returns with gleaming ingots of insight, weaving tales of a strange land where boy-CEOs ride ripsticks and hoover up your data. An essential and very human look at the forces shaping who we are and how we behave.”

Sam MacLaughlin, McNally Jackson Williamsburg

Stay Sexy & Don't Get Murdered

“Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark bring the breeziness of their popular podcast My Favorite Murder to print in this collection of life hacks and true confessions. Alternately hilarious and wise, the two play off each other with the abandon of old college buddies. Fans of The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving a F*ck will find much to enjoy here. While the book will leave you in stitches, the advice the pair doles out is solid and bankable. The book should be in every college freshman’s backpack as they leave for school.”

Grace Harper, Mac's Back-Books

"When I stop crying, I'm calling my mother immediately and making her read it." --Jodi Picoult

"Comic lines as good as in any movie, and pathos as deep as in any novel" --Mike Birbiglia

Bess Kalb, Emmy-nominated TV writer and New Yorker contributor, saved every voicemail her grandmother Bobby Bell ever left her. Bobby was a force--irrepressible,... Read More »

In Pieces

“I have watched Sally Field ever since her early days as the Flying Nun. I thought I knew Sally Field, but her memoir, In Pieces, reveals a Sally Field I didn’t know. She writes bravely and eloquently about her struggles growing up and making her way in Hollywood. Field holds nothing back, and that only elevates her, in my opinion. This isn’t just another celebrity memoir; it’s a clear-eyed look at an industry and a life beset by challenges. Field emerges as likeable, strong, and inspiring—an altogether remarkable woman.”

Stephanie Hochschild, The Book Stall

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

“In her form-shattering and myth-crushing book….Coe examines myths with mirth, and writes history with humor… [You Never Forget Your First] is an accessible look at a president who always finishes in the first ranks of our leaders.” —Boston Globe

Alexis Coe takes a closer look at our first--and finds he is not... Read More »

The Trial of Lizzie Borden

“Cara Robertson's first book details the events surrounding the infamous murders of Andrew and Abby Borden in Fall River, Massachusetts in 1892. Based entirely on primary sources: trial transcripts, contemporary accounts, and even recently discovered letters from Lizzie herself, The Trial of Lizzie Borden is an in-depth discussion of the circumstances surrounding the incident and Lizzie's subsequent trial. Robertson has poured decades of research into this sensational book, breathing new life into a story that has captivated the american psyche for over a century. An excellent read for fans of David Grann's Killers of the Flower Moon and Michelle McNamara's I'll be Gone in the Dark.”

Rachel Haisley, The King's English Bookshop

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Ali Wong’s heartfelt and hilarious letters to her daughters (the two she put to work while they were still in utero) cover everything they need to know in life, like the unpleasant details of dating, how to be a working mom in a male-dominated profession, and how she trapped their dad.

“Fierce, feminist, and packed... Read More »

I'll Be Gone in the Dark

“An overwhelmingly obsessed Michelle McNamara dissects the decades old trail of tragedy, trauma and ongoing taunts by the elusive East Area Rapist in her investigative crime thriller “I’ll Be Gone in the Dark” published posthumously after her unexpected demise. Dubbed the “Golden State Killer” by McNamara herself, his crime spree started with 50 unsolved rapes before escalating to numerous murders leaving terrorized California residents tense for ten years. A determined McNamara meticulously researches this reign of terror with such precision it’s sure to pry this perpetrators identity out of obscurity and into justice, a suitable ending for this authors’ life.”

Kristin, McLean & Eakin Booksellers

How to Change Your Mind

“Pollan brings his humor, lyricism, and love for deep research to the admittedly taboo field of psychedelics. This book is an exhaustive exploration of these mysterious substances, in which he balances skepticism of the culture that surrounds them with optimism for their potential therapeutic use.”

Kevin, Parnassus Books

Now a Netflix original series!

Unorthodox is the bestselling memoir of a young Jewish woman’s escape from a religious sect, in the tradition of Ayaan Hirsi Ali’s Infidel and Carolyn Jessop’s Escape, featuring a new epilogue by the author.

As a member of the strictly religious Satmar sect of Hasidic Judaism, Deborah Feldman grew up under a code... Read More »

The inspiration for the hit Broadway musical Hamilton! 

In the first full-length biography of Alexander Hamilton in decades, National Book Award winner Ron Chernow tells the riveting story of a man who overcame all odds to shape, inspire, and scandalize the newborn America. According to historian Joseph Ellis, Alexander Hamilton is “a robust... Read More »

Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl

“Carrie is a natural-born performer and hearing her read her own book is delightful. The way the narration blends with music as the story progresses is perfect for this format.”

Nicole, Dundee Book Company

The Good Neighbor

“A wonderful biography of an American icon who seemed too good to be true. And yet, believe it or not, he was an even better, more caring man than he portrayed on television. If you are a fan of Fred Rogers and want to understand what drove him to create Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood, this is an essential read. Learning more about Rogers’ life through the words of his family and friends in this well-researched and comprehensive biography will give you even more reason to admire the man. And when’s the last time a biography made you cry tears of joy?”

James Wilson, Octavia Books

GRAMMY NOMINEE

Audie Award, Humor, 2015

Amy Poehler is hosting a dinner party and you're invited! Welcome to the audiobook edition of Amy Poehler's Yes Please. The guest list is star-studded with vocal appearances from Carol Burnett, Seth Meyers, Michael Schur, Patrick Stewart, Kathleen Turner, and even Amy's parents - Yes Please is the ultimate... Read More »

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

Chosen as a BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR by NPR, the New York Public Library, Amazon, the Seattle Times, the Washington Independent Review of Books, PopSugar, the Minneapolis Star Tribune, BookBrowse, the Spectator, and the Times of London

“Excellent…This book is as riveting as any thriller, and as hard to put down.” -- The... Read More »

From Scratch

“I just finished wiping away my last tear as I close the curtain on From Scratch, a brilliant, compelling memoir. Tembi Locke lost her larger-than-life Italian chef husband at an early age to cancer. The book is a love letter to him as well as to enchanting Sicily and its aromatic, tantalizing food. But more than anything, it is the most memorable and thoughtful gift that her daughter will ever receive. I highly recommend the audio version which is read by the author. From Scratch is one of the best memoirs that I have ever read and one of my top five best books that I read this Summer.”

Melinda, Buttonwood Books and Toys

Film and television director Barry Sonnenfeld's outrageous and hilarious memoir traces his idiosyncratic upbringing in New York City, his breaking into film as a cinematographer with the Coen brothers, and his unexpected career as the director behind such huge film franchises as The Addams Family and Men in Black, and beloved work like Get... Read More »

A 2020 Audie Award Finalist

From YouTube star and Facebook Video sensation Laura Clery comes a collection of comedic essays in the vein of We Are Never Meeting in Real Life by Samantha Irby and You’ll Grow Out of It by Jessi Klein.

Laura Clery makes a living by sharing inappropriate comedy sketches with millions of strangers on the Internet. She... Read More »

A cookbook and culinary memoir about growing up as the daughter of revered chef/restaurateur Alice Waters: a story of food, family, and the need for beauty in all aspects of life.

In this extraordinarily intimate portrait of her mother--and herself--Fanny Singer, daughter of food icon and activist Alice Waters, chronicles a unique world of food,... Read More »

Hello, 911? I am the first person at this party.

'Samantha Irby is the king of sparkling misanthropy and tender, loving dread.' Jia Tolentino

Staring down the barrel of her fortieth year, Samantha Irby is confronting the ways her life has changed since the days she could work a full 11 hour shift on 4 hours of sleep, change her shoes and put... Read More »

The Adventurer's Son

“When Dial's son Cody tells him that he was solo hiking into the Costa Rican wilderness, he trusted that his son would safely return. But everything is thrown into question as Cody’s disappearance becomes embroiled in the muddy politics of Costa Rica. A memoir that often reads like a thriller, The Adventurer's Son is a testimonial to his son’s adventurous spirit as well as a moving tribute to all parents who share their passions with their children.”

Luisa, Book Passage

Hunger

“Man oh man. Roxane Gay never fails to disappoint, even if she might disagree. This is a powerful, raw memoir, narrated by the author. Her truth is so relatable, and even when it’s not, Gay’s writing is empathetic. This audiobook was so engrossing, I actively looked for excuses to step away from what I was doing and listen to it. I highly recommend listening to or reading this book—for EVERYONE. This will challenge how you look at fat people, and women especially, and if you’re like me, how you look at yourself. Do yourself a favor and read this book.”

Tildy, Belmont Books

Naturally Tan

“Maybe the most fun audiobook ever. Plus I know now how to find the perfect pair of jeans.”

Mollie, HearthFire Books and Treats

From the Pulitzer-prize winning reporters who broke the news of Harvey Weinstein's sexual harassment and abuse for the New York Times, Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey, the thrilling untold story of their investigation and its consequences for the #MeToo movement

On October 5, 2017, the New York Times published an article by Jodi Kantor and Megan... Read More »

The Lady from the Black Lagoon

“One part biography and one part autobiography Mallory O'Meara tells the story of Milicent Patrick a beautiful and talented artist and actress in 1950's Hollywood. It is the story of Milicent's successful creation of the creature from the Black Lagoon and how the male dominated Hollywood industry buried her contribution to one of the most well known movies of all time. O'Meara also shares the story of her professional life and how, despite the sixty years that separate them, it parallels Milicent's life. O'Meara illustrates with her unique perspective how far we have come, not very far, and how far we have yet to go. This book is empowering and validating.”

Ellen, Avid Bookshop

Ordinary Girls

“Too often, those of us who grow up below the federal poverty line spend the rest of our lives erasing ourselves. If we manage to migrate out of poverty, we do so at a cost. The gatekeepers of academia, and of literature, often only want to hear our stories if we make a spectacle of our people, or if we tell our stories in the language of the elite at the expense of our own voices. I think this is one of the most powerful things about Ordinary Girls. Díaz tells her sad and beautiful stories in her own voice, a voice that still holds the people and the places that made her. What a gift. Growing up poor means that we are taught, every day and in a million tiny ways, that our families are wrong, our speech is ugly, our stories shameful. This is oppression and Díaz banishes it with beauty, love, honesty, and insight. Ordinary Girls is a book that makes me feel less alone in this world.”

Tina Ontiveros, Klindt's Booksellers

The End of the End of the Earth

““How do we find meaning in our actions when the world seems to be coming to an end?” asks Jonathan Franzen in the opening essay of his new collection. It’s no secret that Franzen is a bird lover, and The End is largely concerned with the plight of birds. But even as he convincingly details birds’ worth and wonder, he also writes of the deeply confounding tension between climate change’s looming results and the maddening lack of preservation of specific systems right now. Luckily, the pleasures of reading Franzen’s essays make dipping into this fraught subject feel like a rich necessity, with intelligence, humility, and even optimism winning out.”

Chorel, Bookshop Santa Cruz

Late Migrations

“Margaret Renkl feels the lives and struggles of each creature that enters her yard as keenly as she feels the paths followed by her mother, grandmother, her people. Learning to accept the sometimes harsh, always lush natural world may crack open a window to acceptance of our own losses. In Late Migrations, we welcome new life, mourn its passing, and honor it along the way.”

Kat Baird, The Book Bin (Corvallis)

When Time Stopped

“This book is beautiful, intimate, breathtaking, and heartbreaking. It reads like a novel and yet gives a better sense of what was happening to Jewish families during the Holocaust than any history book I’ve read. I feel so invested in the Neumann family and their friends, as if I know them personally. More than anything, my takeaway from this book is the love and hope that was so clearly poured into it.”

Gabrielle Belisle, An Unlikely Story

The Diary of a Bookseller

“When you enter The Book Shop in Wigtown, Scotland, you enter Shaun Bythell’s world. You’ll recognize his colorful staff and quirky customers immediately and fall in love with them instantly. The Diary of a Bookseller was written for book buyers, booksellers, and book lovers everywhere (you must be one of them!). While books and The Book Shop occupy much of Bythell’s hilarious story, it is made whole with priceless pieces on gardening, fishing with his dad, cycling, and, of course, music, food, and drink. Cheers!”

Bill Reilly, The River's End Bookstore

Brutally honest, often hilarious, hard-won lessons in learning to love and care for yourself from a young vice president at Comedy Central who was called “ahead of her time” by Jordan Peele

“Compelling, persuasive, and useful no matter where you are in your life.”—Chelsea Handler, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Life Will Be the Death of... Read More »

Everything's Trash, But It's Okay

“Phoebe Robinson’s new collection of essays will make you laugh out loud and is a great tutorial on being trash but forgiving yourself for it while still being able to name the things that are #serioustrash. These essays get real about the sitch of our union—calling out nonintersectional feminists, internalized sexism, our workaholic culture, and toxic sosh meeds (social media). Written in classic Phoebe stream-of-consciousness style, this is the perfect antidote to the garbage fire of 2018.”

Kelly, Bookshop Santa Cruz

Everything I Know About Love

“Everything I Know About Love was a joy to read and relatable to me as a young woman in her early 20's. Dolly Alderton gives a transparent, brutally honest look at herself at the various stages of her 30 years of life. She accurately depicts the hedonistic nature of being young, somewhat clueless, and attempting to navigate through life's complexities. Mixed with that famous (and charming) British wit, this memoir is unequivocally a masterpiece.”

Jennifer, Changing Hands

The Porcelain Thief

“Huan Hsu chronicles his journey to unearth his family's porcelain, said to have been buried during WW2. The treasure was then lost during China's Cultural Revolution. Although the surviving family members can't agree to what was owned and what became of the porcelain, Huan Hsu's journey to for the truth has given him some great stories. He learns his family's history and discovers a China he was completely unprepared for. I decided to read this book because I enjoyed "The Hare with the Amber Eyes", however his time in the urban and rural areas reminded me of the dystopian and sci-fi novels I enjoy. And if you don't appreciate reading dystopian or sci-fi, you will like this for the writer's story telling, the cultural insight and the history.”

Julia, The Bookloft