Though I don't often read memoirs unless I'm already familiar with the author, there are two subjects for which I frequently make exceptions: memoirs about people from other countries or cultures, and memoirs that are in some way about music. In the case of Playing for Freedom: The Journey of a Young Afghan Girl, by... Continue Reading →
As soon as I first saw the cover for Kate Kennedy's One in a Millennial: On Friendships, Feelings, Fangirls, and Fitting In, I knew I had to read it. It combines so many of my interests and experiences, from being a millennial woman to having big fan girl tendencies (at least when it comes to... Continue Reading →
In the past year, my sister has not stopped talking about I'm Glad My Mom Died, the instantly bestselling memoir by Jennette McCurdy. She read the book twice—both the audiobook and the hardcover—and has been encouraging me to read it, too. Though I generally only read "celebrity memoirs" if it's a celebrity I actively follow... Continue Reading →
I rarely read memoirs by people I’m not already familiar with. Usually, this means I’m only reading memoirs from musicians I listen to. However, one new memoir that caught my attention is Soundtrack of Silence: Love, Loss, and a Playlist for Life by Matt Hay. It’s about a Midwest man who, in his early 20s,... Continue Reading →
Ever since summer 2005, when I first heard "Sugar, We're Goin Down," I've been a devoted fan of Fall Out Boy. When their founding member and guitarist Joe Trohman announced that he was releasing a memoir, I pre-ordered a signed hardcover immediately. Then on release day I got the audiobook, too! None of This Rocks... Continue Reading →
For the last several years, I've had a particular interest in Somalia. It started with the singer K'naan and continued with Representative Ilhan Omar, yet I wanted to get to know other Somali people and their stories, too. I was excited to learn about The Last Nomad: Coming of Age in the Somali Desert by... Continue Reading →
I don't often read memoirs, especially by people I'm not already familiar with, but I was immediately drawn to Ousman Umar's North to Paradise. In this short and candid memoir, he describes how he left Ghana to journey for years across Africa and eventually make a home in Spain. Though North to Paradise just came... Continue Reading →
It was spring 2020 when Andrew McMahon revealed he was writing a memoir. With lockdown just begun, it was the perfect opportunity for him to write not songs, but a book. A longtime fan of his, I was thrilled when he announced the finished memoir - Three Pianos - earlier this year. I pre-ordered it... Continue Reading →
I've been listening to Alicia Keys since I first heard "Fallin'" on the radio, and have collected all of her albums over the years. Her music is incredible, but I've also always admired her as a person. When she announced her memoir, More Myself: A Journey, in early 2019, I was thrilled. It's now been... Continue Reading →
In November 2018, I was thrilled when progressives like Ilhan Omar and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez were elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. I've continued to follow them over the last few years, and when Ilhan Omar published her book This is What America Looks Like: My Journey From Refugee to Congresswoman, I was eager to... Continue Reading →
I've been a huge fan of Sara Bareilles since "Love Song" came out back in 2007. After following her for nearly a decade, I was thrilled when she announced her first book, a collection of eight essays called Sounds Like Me: My Life (So Far) in Song. The book came out in October 2015, and,... Continue Reading →
Two years ago, my mother gave me a Kindle, thinking it would help with my book obsession. While I haven't slowed down with procuring physical books, I have added audiobooks to my world. After listening to my first audiobook, The History of Spain: Land on a Crossroad, I decided to dive into one of the... Continue Reading →
Last summer my husband and I got married. We've been together for three years, and we've been getting to know more about each other's cultures. Although we met in Spain in 2012, I'm American and he's Peruvian. Before our wedding, he lived here with me for seven months, and I lived with him in Lima,... Continue Reading →
Amanda's Book Corner 