As diverse as DivineCaroline readers are, this list of memoirs has something for everyone. The best part of reading a memoir is it often makes you feel better about your own life. From divorce to celebrity, and medical conditions to food love and loathing, you’ll find something here for your bookshelf!
Split, Suzanne Finnamore
Split is a raw and fierce account of a woman on the brink of divorce. When her husband informs her that he deserves to be happy and leaves the family, Suzanne Finnamore is left reeling. With a toddler to take care of, she now has to learn how to survive on her own. Later, she discovers that her ex-husband’s means of happiness is of course, another woman, whom Suzanne refers to as The Thing Woman.
I loved this book so much because of Suzanne’s descriptive writing. And clearly, it’s a mastermind of a book to get back at the other woman while not intentionally doing so. I just imagine the other woman reading Split and finding out her man slept with his ex-wife while they were together. Just goes to show you, once a cheater, always a cheater.
This memoir is a must-read for anyone in a relationship. It’s a great, yet scary reminder that love isn’t always a guarantee, and neither are children the anchor to keeping a marriage sanctioned.
I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti, Giulia Melucci
I was attracted to this book by the bright cover and its strand of pasta in the shape of a heart. And the words between those covers made for a sentimental and heartfelt memoir with some tantalizing recipes to try out.
In I Loved, Giulia has had her share of heartbreak and shares openly the loves of her life. I’m not too sure though if she wasn’t a bit more into feeding her lovers as they were in being fed, which parallels into her love life. It seems like she wanted more than what they were willing to give, and that would have been fine with Giulia—she was just looking for someone to love and cook for, who would love her back. I felt a bit of sadness for Guilia; clearly her last love was only using her as a bridge to publishing. If only her men loved her as much as she loved making pasta!
Mommywood, Tori Spelling
Who doesn’t love a juicy celeb memoir? In Mommywood, Tori dishes about her “normal” suburban mom life, from cleaning poo from a pool to dodging 90210 costars at birthday parties. Tori’s mommy-tell-all is pure celebrity parenting at its best … or, at its worst—you decide! If you’re a fan of Tori and Dean’s reality show, you’ll want the inside scoop on what it’s like to be the celeb mother of two.
What I Thought I Knew, Alice Eve Cohen
A forty-four-year-old woman is diagnosed with a stomach tumor only to discover she is pregnant after a lifetime of infertility. This memoir is a fascinating example of how the medical industry can screw up a person’s life by a misdiagnosis. When Alice finally comes out of the shock of discovering she’s six months pregnant, she then has very difficult choices to make—whether or not to abort her child, whether she should give the baby up for adoption. This book has so many Oh-My-God moments, I seriously could not put it down and flew through the book. And it was well worth it for the happy ending!
Lopsided, Meredith Norton
Not your typical “I’ve got breast cancer” memoir, Norton tells the story of her fight with cancer without self-pity or stereotypes. Readers who appreciate the humor of David Sedaris and Augusten Burroughs will enjoy this memoir. At times light, sometimes heavy, O magazine calls Lopsided a “truly elegant memoir.”
People Are Unappealing, Even Me, Sara Barron
Sara Barron wrote her first porno at the age of eleven, has dated clowns, janitors, and a man who will only have sex while wearing three condoms. She has been a waitress, an actress, a Banana Republic employee, an Olive Garden tie-wearin’ servant, and a Coyote Ugly bar babe. She has a FUPA (you’ll have to read the book because I’m not telling you what THAT stands for!), a bad habit of itching, has been featured on Jerry Springer, has served plenty of asshole celebrities at a posh NY restaurant she calls HELL, and has had a run-in with a hotel heiress that rhymes with Haris Pilton.
The hilariously true stories in Barron’s collection will have you saying both, “Thank God that I’m not her” and “WOW! I wish I could have been there for THAT!” You will laugh at the hysterics and quite possibly even pee your pants. Just make sure your FUPA doesn’t get in the way! (OK, it’s outlined on page thirty-nine, and you’re welcome!)
