I’m taking a break (again) from my normal Friday Favorite format (hooray for alliteration!) to bring you a special edition. This time, we’re focusing on books. Specifically celebrity memoirs.
I love a good memoir. Not a huge fan of biographies, although I do have Jim Henson’s and Steve Jobs’s on my bookshelf, waiting to be read, but a good celebrity memoir can make for an interesting and fun read. Some are really well done. Others, not so much. It does get on my nerves a bit that we’re getting to a point that if you’re even a quasi-celebrity, you’ll write a memoir because that’s just what you do (ignoring the fact that you might not be all that interesting. Like me. If I ever become famous, I will not write a memoir because it would be the most boring one of all time. I’d call it Vanilla With Sprinkles (which, incidentally, was what I was planning on naming this blog before I came up with stand out, creatively superior “Jana Says”)).
I don’t think everyone needs to write a memoir. Which is why I’m happy to weed out the good ones and make some recommendations. Life is too short to read crappy books.
A note before we get started: there are many, MANY celebrity memoirs I have not read so this list is culled only from ones I have read. There are a number that are on my to-read list and we’ll get to those at the end of the list. Also, there are a bunch of memoirs that I have read that I loved but are not included in the list because they were not written by celebrities but I think you should read them anyway (ex., Adam Shepard’s Scratch Beginnings: Me, $25, and the Search for the American Dream, Jenny Lawson’s Let’s Pretend This Never Happened, Dave Cicirelli’s Fakebook: A True Story. Based on Actual Lies, Jared Dillion’s Street Freak: Money and Madness at Lehman Brothers, Gretchen Rubin’s The Happiness Project, Rob Sheffield’s Love Is a Mix Tape and Randy Pausch’s The Last Lecture. This is turning into quite an extensive list. Maybe it needs its own post.)
In no particular order, here are my favorite celebrity memoirs so far:
Tony Danza. I’d Like to Apologize to Every Teacher I Ever Had. I know. Tony Danza? How could this possibly be enjoyable? But trust when I say that reading about his experience as a teacher for a year in a Philadelphia public school is time well spent.
Nikki Sixx. The Heroin Diaries: A Year in the Life of a Shattered Rock Star. Every kid who takes health class should be required to read this because it’s the most accurate, honest depiction of drug addiction I have ever read. It’s amazingly engrossing and disturbing and you find yourself (often) wondering how he survived.
Rick Springfield. Late, Late At Night. You guys already know how much I love this book. I’ve gushed about it before and there’s no way I wasn’t including it.
Jeanette Walls. The Glass Castle. I don’t know that she necessarily qualifies as a celebrity but this book was so damn fantastic I’m highlighting it. This book made me feel all the feels: sadness, anger, hope, laughter–the whole gamut. When you can hit the whole range like that, you’re a book that needs to be read. And it’s apparently in development to be a movie with Jennifer Lawrence.
Honorable mentions: Tina Fey’s Bossypants, Mindy Kaling’s Is Everyone Hanging Out with Me?, and Joe Pantoliano’s Asylum: A Memoir About Hollywood, Mental Illness, and Being My Mother’s Son.
Coming up: Amy Poehler’s Yes Please, Cary Elwes’s As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride, and Danielle Fishel’s Normally, This Would Be Cause for Concern
#sorrynotsorry for all the links
In addition to everything mentioned here, there are dozens of memoirs I’ve read or have marked to read and I’ll probably do a follow up post to this some time next year.
Which ones do you guys recommend or think I should add to my ever growing list?
Coming up on Monday: More cheer mom series. Most likely a list of what to expect when you become a cheer mom.
Have a great weekend!
Linking up with Amanda
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[…] you think that’s easier? It’s definitely not. I’ve talked about my favorite celebrity memoirs, 10 books that changed my life, and awhile ago, I wrote my (for now) ideal bookshelf so those are […]
I have read Dyan Cannon and Jennifer Grant’s memoirs of their life with Cary Grant. I know I have read others but cannot think of them right now. I have read many JFK and Kennedy related memoirs, all sad and fascinating. I was 7 when JFK was killed and I remember it like it was yesterday. Oh, I read Liz Smith’s memoirs, very interesting and entertaining. I will look for Tony Danza’s book on my next library trip!
Have a happy weekend!
Love, SMD’s Momma
I’ve heard the Tony Danza one is really good! The Nikki Sixx one sounds intriguing! And I definitely want to read the Danielle Fishel one, I love her!! Thanks for the recommendations!
Julia recently posted…Friday Favorites
The Nikki Sixx book is probably my favorite of all the ones I listed. It was amazing. One that I didn’t list was “The Other Wes Moore”, which is about 2 kids with the same name who grew up not too far from each other in similar circumstances but one wound up successful and the other in prison. If you’re going to pick any, pick those two. And Tony Danza’s.
This is perfect. I have been wanting to find a new autobiography to read. I’m definitely going to have to find the Tony Danza one.
Bri @ My Life As recently posted…One Dirt Road
I loved The Happiness Project, other than that I’m not a huge memoir reader. I did read Eat, Pray, Love and I liked it, I think it would be classified as a memoir.
Kelli recently posted…Seashell Chronicles 11/17
I think I’m going to reread The Happiness Project. I could use it right now.
haha I have a TBR bookcase and about 500 on my list on goodreads, jeepers. I just love that first ecard as well, i always feel so daring when i read a book without reading the synopsis. im really not a fan of memoirs, though i might have read some without knowing they were memoirs (eat pray love, bossypants).
kristen recently posted…When size doesn’t matter.. to me.
I didn’t always love them. I got into them after reading a few of the ones I listed (The Heroin Diaries, Love is a Mix Tape, and some I didn’t like Nickel and Dimed) and I’m still particular about which ones I pick up. I refuse to read ones by people like a Kardashian.
My to-read list is ridiculous. I realized the other day that I read more books last month than some people I know have read in the last 5 years.
I recommended Howard Schultz’s (Starbucks founder) book to you on Goodreads. I’m intrigued by the Tony Danza book. I didn’t know he taught in Philly. Pretty cool!
lisacng @ expandng.com recently posted…How I served Thanksgiving dinner on a weeknight
It was a year long experiment he did. He probably would have made a good teacher if the acting thing didn’t work out.
Got your recommendation. Will look into it, although I’m not typically a fan of business books.
Nikki Sixx is going on my to read list!
Analisa recently posted…Empty Nest Syndrome
OMG, YES!!! You’ll have to join the Show Us Your Books linkup so you can share what you thought about it!
The Nikki Sixx book intrigues me. Especially after reading and really liking Crank despite how awful drug addiction is. It’s like a car crash you have to watch.
The Bloggess is totally a celeb. I loved that book but didn’t like that a lot of it was just blog posts I’d already read.
SMD @ Life According to Steph recently posted…Friday Five: Best Organizing Resources
His book captivated me. I think I read it in 2 days. The inside look into drug addiction–and the fact that he documented it–from his perspective and the people who were around him at the time was fascinating.
That’s how I felt about Allie Brosch’s book. She’s crazy talented and hilarious but felt kind of cheated that more than half the book was old blog posts.
I really want to read Amy, Tina and Mindy’s books. I hear such great things about Nikki’s book. I have like over 300 TBR, I have well more than 8 out from the library. Chuckles.
Kerry recently posted…Friday Favorites | Christmas Inspiration
My Goodreads TBR isn’t even half of what I actually want to read! And I have at least 8 checked out from the library. I don’t understand how anyone could have less than that.
Definitely read Nikki Sixx’s book.
I have heard Nikki Six is very good. I am surprised about Tony Danza and will take a look into Tina Fey. She is pretty amusing so I can see her book being good.
Tricia’s Mostly Healthy Life recently posted…Friday’s Gratitude
Definitely read all of those. Nikki Sixx and Tony Danza first. Then Tina. Trust me on this.
I try to read. Seriously. The only bio I have ever read was Bully. And it wasn’t anyone famous. It was a group of teens that murdered their friend. It’s a movie too. It happened in Broward County. Is that even considered a bio or is that a true crime book? Either way.. it was super good.
Natalie recently posted…Living With My Mother
I’d classify it as true crime which I love but have read almost none of in the past few years. I have seen the movie, too, because I remember reading about the story in the news. Good, horribly disturbing movie.
I have sooo many books i want to read and not enough time!!
http://www.amemoryofus.com
I feel the same way!
I liked Mindy Kaling’s book too. I also enjoyed the books by the Little House On The Prairie people. Oh, and I read Jodie Sweetin’s (Stephanie Tanner) book.
Amber recently posted…7 Things I Do When I Read Books About Henry VIII
We’ve been reading the Little House books with our daughter. Some are great and some I can do without. I want to read the new one that’s supposedly all the stuff she had to leave out.
Yes Please is on my Christmas wish list! I love Amy Poehler!
Amanda recently posted…Shit I’m Tired Of Being Asked
Amy is awesome! I cannot wait to read it!
i see so many fave on here. esp rob sheffield…i cry everytime i read it. just bought the nikki sixx
Ellesees.blogspot.com recently posted…How To: Thanksgiving Makeup (All Drugstore)
Let me know what you think of the Heroin Diairies! Have you read Rob Sheffield’s other memoirs? Talking to Girls about Duran Duran was great but the one after that I didn’t love.
I wasn’t a big fan of Jenny Lawson’s book but everyone loves it so maybe I should give it another chance. Definitely going to check out Tony Danza’s memoir!
Kate recently posted…Vuelta a la realidad
YES! to The Heroin Diaries. Without a doubt, my favorite memoir. I loved the format of hearing diary excerpts with points of view from people in his life at the time. Riveting.
A few of the others you have listed are already on my ridiculously long ‘to read’ list.
Being someone who likes rock music and memoirs, I recommend Duff McKagan’s “It’s So Easy and Other Lies”. He’s got a fascinating story as well, plus it was well written and somewhat inspiring.
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