Engaging Memoirs to Lose Yourself In
Memoirs about food, travel, secrets and learning more about yourself
Hey readers,
I don’t read a lot of non-fiction; it reminds me too much of the textbooks I had to read in school. I’ve read biographies and autobiographies with better success, but sometimes those can be boring and dry too. I’ve read several memoirs, but I didn’t realize I was reading a memoir because I didn’t know the definition of one; I thought I was reading an autobiography. I knew that biographies are written by someone else other than who the book was about and that autobiographies were a factual accounting of a person’s own life written by that same person. But until the last couple of years, I didn’t understand the difference between those and a memoir.
The best description I can find of a memoir is “a personal account of a specific time or event in a person’s life, written to explore the emotion of an experience that offers personal thoughts on feelings, reactions, and reflections.” Biographies and autobiographies are usually written about the entire lifetime of a person. In contrast, memoirs are generally written about a specific event or period in a person’s life by that same person. When I first noticed and cared about the difference between all three of these, I discovered that Dani Shapiro had written several memoirs. Each of those was very specific to a time or event in her life. I was intrigued that someone could write about a particular event or short period of time and have enough material to write a 200-300 page book. I looked at my own life and didn’t see anything that could fill up that many pages in a book, but I now realize that it’s not because nothing has happened in my life; it’s because I’m not a writer and don’t know how to write about my life.
Since then, I’ve read several memoirs that I’ve really enjoyed, and if you like memoirs, you might enjoy these also:
Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise by Ruth Reichl - This book was so fun to read. Reichl tells of being a New York Times food critic and disguising herself so she could experience dining as an average diner instead of a food critic. I enjoyed her humor and the disguises and loved her descriptions of the food and the dining experiences she had. Reichl made the food come alive and made me want to eat things that I didn’t like. She has written several other memoirs, a novel, and a cookbook and edited the Best American Food Writing 2018 book.
Year of Yes: How to Dance it Out, Stand in the Sun and Be Your Own Person by Shonda Rhimes - I’m amazed by Rhimes’s talent in creating some of the best shows on TV, but who knew about the battles she dealt with every day. She used her busy life to stay behind the scenes and avoid doing things because she suffered panic attacks doing media interviews. Her sister commented to her, “you never say yes to anything,” and that began the year of saying yes to everything. I loved following along with all of her “yeses” and how that changed her life for the better. It was laugh out loud funny, honest, and raw; overall, it gave me a lot to think about because, as an introvert, I felt a kinship in how she described her life before saying “yes.”
Love, Loss and What We Ate: A Memoir by Padma Lakshmi - I didn’t start watching Top Chef until Season 6 or 7 and then recently went back to stream it from the beginning. She didn’t begin her role until Season 2, and it feels like I’ve gotten to know her through her show and this memoir. She is so much more than being a hostess and judge on Top Chef; she’s a world traveler, memoir and cookbook author, and a food expert. She tells of her life as a child, her love of food and family, and I could hear her voice in my head as I read it. She narrates the audiobook, and since I have several Libro.fm credits, I may purchase it because I enjoyed reading it so much. If you enjoy Top Chef, travel, and food, you will enjoy her memoir.
Without Reservations: The Travels of an Independent Woman by Alice Steinbach - I heard about this book on a travel-related podcast where the host gave it a glowing review. I’m a little more than halfway through, and I agree with that recommendation so far. Alice Steinbach is a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer that took a year’s sabbatical from her job at the Baltimore Sun and traveled to Europe to experience life and travel as a single woman. Along the way, she details the people she meets, the new experiences she has, and the insights she discovers about herself. Her follow-up memoir is Educating Alice: Adventures of a Curious Woman, and it’s on my list when I finish Without Reservations.
Inheritance: A Memoir of Genealogy, Paternity, and Love by Dani Shapiro - Shapiro is a gifted writer and storyteller that tells her stories in a way that makes you feel her pain, confusion, and joy. In this book, she submitted her DNA to a genealogy website on a whim, and this led to the discovery that her father was not her biological father, and it rocked her to her core. There is no scandal here, Shapiro is not a result of an affair, but the reason is something that was traditionally kept secret back in the 1970s. This book details her journey going back to her earliest memories to understand her life as she always thought she looked and felt different but didn’t know why. She had hints along the way, but it didn’t occur to her what they were about until she found out the secret. This memoir makes one think about DNA tests and if you want to know something that can be life-altering.
Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes - I’m quite late to this memoir as it was originally published in 1996, but I adored it. Mayes, a travel writer, poet, and author, bought and restored an abandoned Tuscan villa called Bramasole, and this memoir tells of that journey. In rich details, she tells of the restoration of this incredible villa, gives mouthwatering descriptions of the region’s food along with many recipes, and allows the reader to armchair travel along with her in this adventure. A movie was made about this book, but I haven’t seen it, and from the reviews I read, the movie didn’t do a good job of portraying the book; its only resemblance is the title. The book drags in a few places, but overall I found it memorable not only for the restoration and food but for the country, its people, and the connection to both that she found there.
I enjoy travel and food memoirs the best. I love to experience places I’ll probably never travel to and dream about the delightful descriptions of the country, people, and food. A memoir is armchair traveling at its best and creates dreams and desires that may be fulfilled one day.
Do you like to travel, or are you an armchair traveler? Have you chased a dream or stepped outside your comfort zone, and did it turn out as you had hoped? I love books that tell me of possibilities of travel and food adventures; it seems like so much fun. Tell me what you like about memoirs and what types you like to read. I’m always willing to add more books to the top of my TBR stack, and recommendations from readers are the best recommendations ever.
I hope you have a great week and that you can add a book or two to your TBR. I’m sure that you need more to read, just like all of us do. Happy Reading!
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I love food and travel memoirs. A recent favorite of mine is My Life in France by Julia Child. Julia's voice is wonderful - she writes in a matter-of-fact way, but also with so much joy. Another favorite is The Only Street in Paris by Elaine Sciolino. Paris is my favorite city, and this book made me feel like I was there. Sciolino is a journalist, so she shares some fun facts about her neighborhood in Paris, but she also shares delightful stories of the people who live there.
Thanks for reminding me how much I love memoirs and for your suggestions on what to read. I’m a particular fan of food memoirs and am inspired by the great writing and recipes of Ruth Reichl (“Tender at the Bone” and others I’d like to read). Anthony Bourdain’s “Kitchen Confidential” is on my bedside table. I keep buying cookbooks as much for their memoirist aspect as for their recipes. You’ve given me some ideas for a future post, so thanks, Gayla!