Do you enjoy reading memoirs?
(submitted by Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer)
My Answer:
I enjoy the thought of reading memoirs but as with all non-fiction, I find it a challenge to sit down and read in the same way I do fiction novels. The first memoir that I was given by my wonderful husband was one on Walt Disney. I tried and tried to read that thing but I never got ver hard.
I currently have a memoir for review – I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy and I have many others that I have been given as gifts. Memoirs by Kelly Ripa (morning show – Live With Kelly and Mark), Lala Kent (Vanderpump Rules), Lauren Graham (Gilmore Girls), the Property Brothers (HGTV), and Heather Gay (Real Housewives of Salt Lake City).
Do you enjoy reading memoirs?
It’s been a blur of a week. I’ll be helping my oldest daughter move in to her new apartment this weekend. She found that living in an older apartment wasn’t as easy for her to deal with as she thought it would be. It wasn’t so much that things would break – like when she moved in she couldn’t get any water from the kitchen faucet. It was more that it was impossible to get maintenance out to fix anything. So she’s moving to a newer apartment and a bigger one. She’s on the fifth floor and fortunately there are elevators and the parking garage is attached to each floor. I can’t even imagine a five floor walk-up though I know that they do exist.
- Monday 7/24/2023 – Book Review of The Block Party by
- Tuesday, 7/25/23 – Book Review of The Weaver and the Witch Queen by Genevieve Gornichec
- Wednesday, 7/26/23 – WWW Wednesday & Weekly Book Haul
- Thursday, 7/27/23 – Book Reviews of Ghosted by Amanda Quain and The Shadow Girls by Alice Blanchard
- Friday, 7/28/23 – Book Blogger Hop and Weekly Updates
- Monday 7/31/2023 – Book Review of The Great Texas Dragon Race by Kacy Ritter
- Tuesday, 8/1/23 – Book Review of The Princess by Wendy Holden
- Wednesday, 8/2/23 – WWW Wednesday & Weekly Book Haul
- Thursday, 8/3/23 – Bullet-Point Book Reviews of as many books as I can get done 😊
- Friday, 8/4/23 – Book Blogger Hop and Weekly Updates
27 responses to “Let’s Discuss Memiors, plus my weekly updates”
I don’t read memoirs and a trial one read was okayish. I had trouble writing review as it feels weird to judge someone’s life.
I know all the troubles of old house as I lived in one for last 3 yrs and now I can’t wait to move into our new house.
It does seem weird to rate them – I agree
I’ve joined in this week and yes I do enjoy memoirs, but then you probably know that! Hope your daughter is very happy in her new apartment.
I do recall a number of them that you listened to 😊
I don’t really read memoirs either 😊 I hope your daughter settles in well 💕
Me too! It’s going to be a long day tomorrow.
In order for me to read a memoir, it has to be by someone I’m really interested in. I’ve read memoirs by Katharine Hepburn, Stephen Fry, and Maggie O’Farrell. I’ve also read one travel memoir by a friend of mine, Roz Morris, and travel memoirs by Paul Thoreaux, and Jennie Diski. I also read two of Vera Brittan’s three memoirs. That’s it.
I’d love to read the Katherine Hepburn one. Her life was very interesting!
I reviewed the book here. It is called “Me! Stories of my Life” and it is lovely. She is my all-time favorite actor.
I have lived in a fourth-floor walkup before, but I was much, much younger. Now we’re making sure there’s a ramp outside our one-level house. As for memoirs, it really depends on the book.
Every since I tore my ALC in my left knee, stairs are just not as easy as they once were. The 3 floors in my house are more than plenty – I can’t imagine four!
I don’t really read Memoirs either. Though the few I’ve read were great. I would recommend Toufah by Toufah Jallow and Beautiful Country by Qian Julie Wang. Have a great weekend!
You too!
I love memoirs but only if the subject is fascinating and has a robust body of work. The first I recall reading in the past ten years was the one by Barbara Walters, Audition. And, I always want the story told in the author’s own voice (I gravitate to the audio version for that reason). It doesn’t even matter whether they’ve got a good “reading” voice because what comes through is their authentic emotion when covering special moments. One if found extremely revealing is Sally Fields’ In Pieces, one of my few rated 5 stars. Highly recommend. I’m picky about those I select and so far, I’ve not been disappointed. You probably would enjoy a critical biography of Walt Disney rather than his sanitized memoir. He was a talented but difficult and complicated man. It would be worth the read.
FYI, my sister’s first apartment was a fifth floor walk up in New York. She was 21 years old but never again. Think mundane tasks like grocery shopping, laundry, etc. Only for the young and fit😏
Oh my gosh! I couldn’t even imagine anymore! And I’m going to try the Jennette McCurdy book on audio along with the physical. See how I like it done by the actual person.
I read some memoirs but usually as an audiobook since the author reads it! It makes it more personal for me.
I’m going to try that and see how it goes.
I’ve really only recently started reading them but have read 4 thus year so am getting better! It has to be someone I’m interested in though!
For sure! You know, Walt Disney really wasn’t that interesting which surprised me.
I don’t read memoirs. Hope your daughter has a better time in her new flat.
Me too! I will be there for the day tomorrow!
I do like memoirs, and really any type of biography, but I am selective about what I read (well, sort of. I know it doesn’t look like it to anyone else. 😂). Hmm… now that I’ve written and erased what I planned to say about 4 times, I’m discovering this is a harder question that I thought to answer! Basically, like other genres, the blurb on the back (or inside cover) has to interest me. And of course, there are some authors, and some subjects that are more automatic yesses than others. The primary difficulty I find with biographies is that the quality of the writing varies so much more than it does in other genres (at least IMO). And that makes a big difference as to whether the book, and the story they are telling, appeals to me or not. A very big difference.
I don’t think I’ve ever read a memoir, but I also feel the same as you about nonfiction. It just doesn’t grab me in the same way. Sure am glad there are elevators in your daughter’s building. I wouldn’t want to be tackling all those stairs while moving.
You need to invest in a moving truck, Tessa. Lol. I hope the new apartment works. It sounds great.
I do enjoy memoirs, but I don’t tend to read celebrity memoirs. I try not to roll my eyes, but even thinking about them makes me groan. I do enjoy the memoirs of ordinary people who’ve lived extraordinary lives though. They’re more relatable and inspiring. And if the memoirist has a sense of humor, all the better. 🙂
I love a good sense of humor, so I definitely agree! And luckily my daughter paid for her move this time (truck and movers) – now that she’s fully adulting. We were just there to help out where needed.
Isn’t that wonderful?! My daughter just got her own car (she’s been using one of ours). Yay!
I do enjoy memoirs quite a bit, but listen to them rather than read them. I find an audiobook of a memoir, especially if it is narrated by the author, is like sitting down and listening to them over a cup of coffee. Congratulations on your daughter moving into a newer and better maintained building, Tessa. That must take some of the worry off your shoulders as mothers never stop worrying about their kids.