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Saturday, July 10, 2010

My Top Tens: Biographies and Memoirs

Suey at It's All About Books posted her top 10 favorite biographies and/or memoirs today. I am going to follow her lead:

I didn't think I was a big biography/memoir reader, I was surprised at what I came up with!

I no particular order:
  1. Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes
  2. The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom
  3. The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls
  4. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
  5. Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
  6. Bitter is the New Black by Jen Lancaster
  7. The Middle Place by Kelly Corrigan
  8. Bad Mother by Ayelet Waldman
  9. Gastronomical Me by MFK Fisher
  10. Out of Africa and Shadows on the Grass by Isak Dinesen
  11. My Life in France by Julia Child (thanks to Jayna for the reminder, I ADORED this book!!!)
Another one I would have added, but it's not really a memoir or biography is The Johnstown Flood by David McCollough.  A fascinating book -- I highly recommend it. 

Do you have a top 10 list?  Are you a big memoir/biography reader?
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10 comments:

  1. SueyJuly 11, 2010 at 12:47 AM

    Like I said over on Alison's blog, I still haven't gotten to Eat, Pray, Love. I need to before the movie I guess. I've always been sort of scared of it though.

    Many of the others on your list I'm not familiar with, but they sure look interesting!

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  2. alisonwonderlandJuly 11, 2010 at 1:11 AM

    It does seem like people either love or hate Eat, Pray, Love - but I thought "what's not to love?" I saw the movie trailer for the first time last night, and that was fun.

    I'd really like to read Under the Tuscan Sun sometime soon.

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  3. kristinJuly 11, 2010 at 10:10 AM

    have you ever read nelson mandela's? shane and i are staring at two different books about him (one written by him) and haven't heard the best things about them????

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  4. jaynaJuly 11, 2010 at 10:42 AM

    My life in France, Julia Childs.

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  5. Gerbera Daisy DiariesJuly 11, 2010 at 2:01 PM

    I adored My Life in France -- thank you Jayna for the reminder, now I have a top 11 list!

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  6. LizJuly 11, 2010 at 2:52 PM

    a Girl Named Zippy is one of my favorites!!

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  7. The WizJuly 11, 2010 at 3:28 PM

    Under the Tuscan Sun was one of the few books I could NOT get through. Usually I have to finish a book once I started, but it was JUST SO BORING. Obviously most people disagree with me, since it's such a bestseller, but ugh.

    LOVED The Glass Castle and The Hiding Place. Haven't read the rest of them.

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  8. KatyJuly 11, 2010 at 5:17 PM

    My mom really liked The Glass Castle and recommended it to me. I really should give it a read. I think I read The Hiding Place a very long time ago, but I could be wrong. Other than that, I am embarrassed to admit I haven't read any of these!

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  9. bermudaonionJuly 11, 2010 at 5:18 PM

    I love memoirs and have only read 3 of those on your lists, so I'm going to jot down the rest. I do have Under the Tuscan Sun on audio and hope to listen to that soon.

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  10. AmusedJuly 12, 2010 at 12:27 AM

    Great list! I love memoirs too! I LOVED the Glass Castle and The Middle Place too!

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