Visiting Tom: A Man, a Highway, and the Road to Roughneck Grace

The Moth

Catherine Burns · 407 pages

In the tradition of book anthologies created from public radio programs such as StoryCorps and This I Believe, THE MOTH collects the best storytelling moments--most in print here for the very first time--straight from their archive of more than 3000 shows since the first Moth Evening in 1997.

Perfectly Imperfect: A Life in Progress

Lee Woodruff, Bob Woodruff · 245 pages

"You can tell a woman's whole life story from the possessions in her jewelry box. Like reading a palm, you can trace the points where her life has intersected with memorable events, people, places, and loves. You can speculate on the essence of her personality, all from what she has accumulated in that box."--from Perfectly ImperfectIn her acclaimed first book, In an Instant, Lee Woodruff, along w

Textbook Amy Krouse Rosenthal

Amy Krouse Rosenthal · 326 pages

"In the ten years since her beloved, groundbreaking Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life, New York Times bestselling author Amy Krouse Rosenthal has been quietly at work on this modest but mighty magnum opus, creating a spectacular literary experience that is unprecedented, unforgettable, and explosively human. Amy Krouse Rosenthal has cultivated a distinct blend of nonlinear memoir, observational hum

My Life in Dog Years

Gary Paulsen · 137 pages

The author describes some of the dogs that have had special places in his life, including his first dog, Snowball, in the Phillippines; Dirk, who protected him from bullies; and Cookie, who saved his life.

The Antelope in the Living Room: The Real Story of Two People Sharing One Life

Melanie Shankle · 262 pages

Wildflower

Drew Barrymore · 288 pages

Wildflower is a portrait of Drew's life in stories as she looks back on the adventures, challenges, and incredible experiences of her earlier years. It includes tales of living on her own at 14 (and how laundry may have saved her life), getting stuck in a gas station overhang on a cross country road trip, saying goodbye to her father in a way only he could have understood, and many more adventures

Laughing Without an Accent: Adventures of an Iranian American, at Home and Abroad

Firoozeh Dumas · 240 pages

In the bestselling memoir Funny in Farsi, Firoozeh Dumas recounted her adventures growing up Iranian American in Southern California. Now she again mines her rich Persian heritage in Laughing Without an Accent, sharing stories both tender and humorous on being a citizen of the world, on her well-meaning family, and on amusing cultural conundrums, all told with insights into the universality of the

Grace (Eventually): Thoughts on Faith

Anne Lamott · 272 pages

"Lamott has chronicled her wacky and (sometimes) wild adventures in faith in...the wonderful Grace (Eventually)." (Chicago Sun-Times)In Grace (Eventually): Thoughts on Faith, the author of the bestsellers Traveling Mercies and Plan B delivers a poignant, funny, and bittersweet primer of faith, as we come to discover what it means to be fully alive.

So Many Books, So Little Time: A Year of Passionate Reading

Sara Nelson · 242 pages

The interplay between our lives and our books is the subject of this unique memoir by publishing correspondent and self-described "readaholic" Sara Nelson. From Solzhenitsyn to Laura Zigman, Catherine M. to Captain Underpants, the result is a personal chronicle of insight, wit, and infectious enthusiasm. Nelson writes, "Explaining the moment of connection between a reader and a book to someone who

Dinner: A Love Story: It All Begins at the Family Table

Jenny Rosenstrach

My Nest Isn't Empty, It Just Has More Closet Space: The Amazing Adventures of an Ordinary Woman

Lisa Scottoline

I'm a Stranger Here Myself: Notes on Returning to America after Twenty Years Away

Bill Bryson · 381 pages

After living in Britain for two decades, Bill Bryson recently moved back to the United States with his English wife and four children (he had read somewhere that nearly 3 million Americans believed they had been abducted by aliens--as he later put it, "it was clear my people needed me"). They were greeted by a new and improved America that boasts microwave pancakes, twenty-four-hour dental-floss

Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear

Elizabeth Gilbert · 288 pages

Elizabeth Gilbert digs deep into her own generative process to share her wisdom and unique perspective about creativity, offering insights into the mysterious nature of inspiration. She asks us to embrace our curiosity and let go of needless suffering. She shows us how to tackle what we most love, and how to face down what we most fear. She discusses the attitudes, approaches, and habits we need i

Sleepless Nights and Kisses for Breakfast: Reflections on Fatherhood

Matteo Bussola · 268 pages

"This #1 Italian bestseller, offering a father's observations of the everyday moments that might otherwise go unnoticed, has struck a chord with readers around the globe. Matteo Bussola is a designer and cartoonist who lives in Verona, Italy with his wife Paola; their three young daughters, Virginia, Ginevra, and Melania (ages eight, four, and two); and their two dogs. For two years, he's been wri

Dad Is Fat

Jim Gaffigan · 274 pages

"In Dad is Fat, stand-up comedian Jim Gaffigan, who's best known for his legendary riffs on Hot Pockets, bacon, manatees, and McDonald's, expresses all the joys and horrors of life with five young children--everything from cousins ("celebrities for little kids") to toddlers' communication skills ("they always sound like they have traveled by horseback for hours to deliver important news"), to the

I Thought My Father Was God and Other True Tales from NPR's National Story Project

Paul Auster, Nelly Reifler · 416 pages

A collection of 180 personal, true-life accounts from NPR's National Story Project reflects the work of men and women of all ages, backgrounds, and walks of life and is accompanied by a look at the role of storytelling in our lives.

Carry On, Warrior: Thoughts on Life Unarmed

Glennon Doyle Melton · 269 pages

A New York Times essayist shares her journey from a self-destructive college student to a devoted family woman and teacher while illuminating the importance of trusting in a higher power and being truthful about life's challenges. "For years Glennon Doyle Melton built a wall between herself and others, hiding inside a bunker of secrets and shame. But one day everything changed: Glennon woke up to

Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die: Musings from the Road

Willie Nelson · 175 pages

America's greatest traveling bard Willie Nelson muses about the things that are most important to him and celebrates the family, friends, and colleagues who have blessed his remarkable journey.

Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood

Trevor Noah · 297 pages

Trevor Noah’s unlikely path from apartheid South Africa to the desk of The Daily Show began with a criminal act: his birth. Trevor was born to a white Swiss father and a black Xhosa mother at a time when such a union was punishable by five years in prison. Living proof of his parents’ indiscretion, Trevor was kept mostly indoors for the earliest years of his life, bound by the extreme and often ab

Getting the Pretty Back: Friendship, Family, and Finding the Perfect Lipstick

Molly Ringwald

The movie star best known for her classic films of the 1980s weaves together intimate stories and candid advice in a girlfriend's guide to life, style, and relationships.

Seriously... I'm Kidding

Ellen DeGeneres · 248 pages

The stand-up comedian, television host, best-selling author and actress candidly discusses her personal life, her professional career and describes what it was like to become a judge on American Idol.

Life Would Be Perfect If I Lived in That House

Meghan Daum · 245 pages

Dancing Barefoot

Wil Wheaton · 115 pages

Examines life, love, the web, and the absurdities of Hollywood in these compelling autobiographical narratives. Based on pieces first published in Wil's blog, www.wilwheaton.net.

Three Thousand Stitches: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Lives

Sudha Murty · 256 pages