Memoir

Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant

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Can't We Talk about Something More Pleasant?: A Memoir (Hardcover)

By Roz Chast
$28.00
ISBN: 9781608198061
Availability: Available at Warehouse
Published: Bloomsbury USA - May 6th, 2014

This graphic novel provides a first-hand look at the awkward initial conversations with aging parents about disability, assisted living, and death and takes the reader through the struggle to come to terms with the parent-child relationship after the parents are gone. While the specifics of Chast’s story are personal, the journey is universal, and the overall feeling from reading Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant is that of having a good friend nearby during this difficult time of life.

Porter Square Book Club

Testament of Youth

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Testament of Youth (Paperback)

By Vera Brittain, Mark Bostridge (Introduction by), Shirley Williams (Preface by)
$21.00
ISBN: 9780143039235
Availability: Available at Warehouse
Published: Penguin Classics - May 31st, 2005

One of the most heartrending and “romantic” memoirs of World War I. Testament of Youth is a classic, first published in 1933, among the literature of  the Great War, in its description of the impact of the war on women and the middle class. The unimaginable loss and sacrifice of a generation is rendered  beautifully through Brittain’s words. Her experiences as a volunteer nurse (VAD) in the armed services, a university student before and after the war, and a  tireless advocate for peace and feminist causes make this a defining and timeless work. A film version of Brittain’s work releases in the UK  in 2015.

Ellen

Let the Tornado Come

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Let the Tornado Come: A Memoir (Hardcover)

By Rita Zoey Chin
$25.00
ISBN: 9781476734866
Availability: Hard to Find--Contact us for More Info
Published: Simon & Schuster - June 24th, 2014

Chin details a troubled youth that led to agonizing panic attacks as an adult. She learns to manage fears of dying, highways --just being alone-- with psychological therapy and a love of horses. Beautifully-written and inspiring.

Jennifer

Delancey

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Delancey: A Man, a Woman, a Restaurant, a Marriage (Hardcover)

By Molly Wizenberg
$25.00
ISBN: 9781451655094
Availability: Hard to Find--Contact us for More Info
Published: Simon & Schuster - May 6th, 2014

I have spent the loveliest two weeks reading Molly Wizenberg’s memoirs – Delancey featured here, and the equally good A Homemade Life. Both are as much cookbooks as memoirs, with a recipe tied to every family story and memory. These  will charm  readers and cooks alike.

​Robin​

A Country Year

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A Country Year: Living the Questions (Paperback)

By Sue Hubbell, Verrill & Feldman Literary Agents Darhansoff (From an idea by)
$15.95
ISBN: 9780395967010
Availability: Available at Warehouse
Published: Mariner Books - April 26th, 1999

Sue Hubbell spent years running a commercial beekeeping operation from her farm in the Ozarks, and when she wasn't tending her hives, she noticed everything, from bugs to bears. Perfect for fans of Animal, Vegetable, Miracle.

Sarah

New Life, New Instructions

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New Life, No Instructions (Hardcover)

By Gail Caldwell
$23.00
ISBN: 9781400069545
Availability: It's Complicated--Contact Us for More Info
Published: Random House - April 2014

Caldwell gives us another installment of memoir, here confronting her physical deterioration resulting from her childhood polio and the grief of yet another personal loss, this time the death of her mother. But passage through these crises brings unexpected transformations. What makes her prose so compelling is the depth of feeling she brings to her clear-eyed observations of self.

Dale

Hyperbole and a Half

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Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened (Paperback)

By Allie Brosh
$19.99
ISBN: 9781451666175
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Gallery Books - October 29th, 2013

For fans of the wildly popular blog of the same name, this book needs no introduction. For ones that haven't heard of it, take notice! Alie Brosh combines naive art with an expert eye for perspective and expression, with hilarious, hyper-personal observations.  There may be many blogs-cum-books out there, but this is certainly the most successful this year.

Jill

My Mistake

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My Mistake (Hardcover)

By Daniel Menaker
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ISBN: 9780547794235
Availability: Out of Print
Published: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt - November 19th, 2013

This book had me at the introduction and never let me down.  A delightful memoir of Menaker's years fact checking at The New Yorker and as an editor at Random House, this book could let you check off a lot of names on your gift giving list.  Honest, self-effacing and humorous-a great read!


Anne

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