Sunday, December 8, 2024

This month’s best new biographies and memoirs

 
Readworthy by BookBub
This Month's Best New Biographies & Memoirs
 
.
 
Book cover for Cher: The Memoir Part One by Cher
A life so fabulous and surprising it can't all fit in one book
WHY IT'S READWORTHY:
  • The juicy instant #1 New York Times bestseller everyone's talking about
  • This "testament to resilience" (The New York Times) charts Cher's rise to stardom, including her upbringing and her tumultuous marriage to Sonny Bono
  • "As raw and unfiltered as one would expect from Cher" (Rolling Stone)
FEATURED IN:
TODAY Show, CBS Mornings, The New York Times/The New York Times Book Review, Oprah Daily, The Atlantic, Entertainment Weekly, People, The Washington Post, USA Today, Slate, Vanity Fair, Vogue, Newsweek, Vulture, Forbes, Parade, Los Angeles Times, The Guardian, The Times, Rolling Stone, Salon, Kirkus Reviews
Get on AmazonorLearn more...
Book cover for Carson the Magnificent by Bill Zehme and Mike Thomas
How the host of The Tonight Show transformed late-night TV
WHY IT'S READWORTHY:
  • Return to "a bygone era of American television" (Kirkus Reviews) with an instant New York Times bestseller that was 20 years in the making
  • Reveals the complex, sometimes tragic backstory of the famously private Johnny Carson
  • A "perceptive and beautiful" biography (Library Journal) that "shimmers with nuance and wonder" (Booklist)
FEATURED IN:
The New Yorker, NPR, The New York Times/The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Vanity Fair, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Salon, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, Library Journal, Booklist, Literary Hub
Get on AmazonorLearn more...
Book cover for I'm Laughing Because I'm Crying by Youngmi Mayer
One of fall's most-anticipated memoirs is 'outrageously funny' (San Francisco Chronicle)
WHY IT'S READWORTHY:
  • "Youngmi Mayer has the incomparable ability to find something funny in the most life shattering material" (Michelle Zauner, author of Crying in H Mart)
  • A comedian and podcast host reflects on her Korean American upbringing, generational trauma, motherhood, and more
  • "This heralds the arrival of a promising new voice" (Publishers Weekly)
FEATURED IN:
NPR, The New York Times/The New York Times Book Review, Elle, Vulture, Forbes, Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, Library Journal, Booklist, Literary Hub
Get on AmazonorLearn more...
Book cover for The Icon and the Idealist by Stephanie Gorton
A timely portrait of two women who clashed at the forefront of America's birth control movement
WHY IT'S READWORTHY:
  • "By turns analytical and dishy… This captivates" (Publishers Weekly)
  • Sheds light on the creation of Planned Parenthood, intersecting struggles surrounding race and class, and the fierce rivalry between Margaret Sanger and Mary Ware Dennett
  • "A fascinating portrait of ambition and idealism, politics and passion" (Pulitzer Prize–winning author Debby Applegate)
FEATURED IN:
The New Yorker, Slate, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, Booklist, BookPage, Literary Hub
Get on AmazonorLearn more...
Book cover for Raised by a Serial Killer by April Balascio
A simple online search revealed her father's connection to a string of murders
WHY IT'S READWORTHY:
  • With one fateful phone call, the infamous "Sweetheart Murders" cold case was split wide open
  • "Killers' families rarely speak in detail about their loved one's misdeeds, which makes this book a key sociological text, as well as a literary gem" (Booklist)
  • April Balascio shares memories of her father's outward charm, his violent tendencies at home, and her family's sudden moves from town to town
  • The basis for the hit podcast The Clearing
FEATURED IN:
Oprah Daily, People, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, Booklist, BookPage
Get on AmazonorLearn more...
Book cover for The Scapegoat by Lucy Hughes-Hallett
'Unfolds like the most improbable fiction… A true Jacobean drama, except bloodier and sexier' (Paul Theroux)
WHY IT'S READWORTHY:
  • A portrait of George Villiers, the first Duke of Buckingham, who caught the attention of two kings before his spectacular fall from grace
  • From intricate politics to murder plots to queerness in a bygone era, this story will have you begging for a screen adaptation
  • "A glittering portrait of 17th-century court life… It's a captivating study of the psychodrama of power" (Publishers Weekly)
FEATURED IN:
Financial Times, Parade, The Guardian, The Times, The Times Literary Supplement, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, Library Journal, Booklist, Literary Hub
Get on AmazonorLearn more...
Book cover for Didion & Babitz by Lili Anolik
Two iconic 20th-century women writers are revealed in intimate letters
WHY IT'S READWORTHY:
  • Witness a contentious friendship between two glamorous California authors — one that ultimately turned hostile
  • You'll get swept up in what Oprah Daily calls "a love letter… that reads like a propulsive novel"
  • "A heady mix of biography, reporting, social critique, psychology, and literary criticism based on hundreds of interviews" (Booklist starred review)
FEATURED IN:
Time Magazine, The New York Times/The New York Times Book Review, Oprah Daily, The Atlantic, People, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Associated Press, New York Magazine, Vanity Fair, Vogue, Town & Country, Harper's Bazaar, Bustle, Elle, Vulture, Nylon, Los Angeles Times, The Guardian, The Times, The Boston Globe, Indie Next List, Publishers Weekly, Booklist, Literary Hub
Get on AmazonorLearn more...
Book cover for Resist by Rita Omokha
Meet the young Black activists who have reshaped the country
WHY IT'S READWORTHY:
  • An award-winning journalist chronicles a century of civil rights advocacy and weaves in her own story as a Nigerian immigrant
  • Highly anticipated by Publishers Weekly, The Root, the Next Big Idea Club, and more
  • "Incredibly detailed and accessibly readable… Bridges one time period with the next with the precision of a documentary filmmaker" (Booklist)
FEATURED IN:
The New York Times/The New York Times Book Review, Next Big Idea Club, Elle, Publishers Weekly, Booklist, BookPage, Literary Hub
Get on AmazonorLearn more...
Book cover for Citizen by Bill Clinton
What is life like for a former president?
WHY IT'S READWORTHY:
  • Bill Clinton reflects on how he spent his time and influence after his presidency, from philanthropy to domestic politics
  • This candid New York Times bestseller is "well-written and worth the read" (The Globe and Mail)
  • A glimpse into how one of the world's most recognizable figures returned to life as a private citizen
FEATURED IN:
NPR, CBS Mornings, People, Associated Press, Parade, The Guardian, New York Post
Get on AmazonorLearn more...
Book cover for Lincoln vs. Davis by Nigel Hamilton
An untold story of the American Civil War comes to vivid life
WHY IT'S READWORTHY:
  • Full of twists that will surprise even the most knowledgeable history buffs
  • An outstanding account of the political and ideological battle between Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis
  • Written by an expert presidential historian and New York Times bestselling author
FEATURED IN:
Next Big Idea Club, The Atlantic, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, Literary Hub
Get on AmazonorLearn more...
 
  

No comments:

Post a Comment