13 Memoirs You Should Read in 2016

When you’re looking for an adventure but perhaps not to be swept out of this world entirely, a memoir is a good place to be. Generally, a memoir is about ain interesting or unique event, or something incredibly relatable, told in an interesting or unique way.

Sometimes the draw is the author — Red from Orange Is the New Black, whose memoir is coming this year, or Carrie Brownstein (who I had no idea was in a band before Portlandia until her memoir came out …). But what’s cool about memoirs is that some of the best ones — my personal favorite is The Glass Castle — come frome “regular” people who choose to share their story and do so in a way we can all relate to.

If you’re thinking of writing a memoir, you don’t need to despair that your life hasn’t been interesting enough. Pick an adventure, and take notes. Or pick an experience, and look at old pictures, or listen to the music you used to listen to in that time period.

And if you need inspiration, check out the following!

1. I Swear I’ll Make It Up to You by Mishka Shubaly: If you’re looking for a turnaround.

2. Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl by Carrie Brownstein: If you’re yearning for belonging.

3. The Most Fun You’ll Have at a Cage Fight by Rory Douglas: If you’re not too sure about the whole extreme sport thing.

4. Not That Kind of Girl by Lena Dunham: If you’re intent on being immersed in today’s feminism.

5. Born with Teeth by Kate Mulgrew: If you loved Red in OITNB, watched Star Trek, or by some crazy Venn diagram of interests, were into both.

6. Dear Mr. You by Mary-Louise Parker: If you like books that follow a type of order or format.

7. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls: If you’re fascinated by the moment a child discovers that her parents are bad.

8. Girl in Glass by Deanna Fei: If you follow tech news and remember that time the AOL CEO got called out for blaming employees’ family’s health problems (namely, one small child) for corporate decisions.

9. The Sound of Gravel by Ruth Wariner: If you’ve wondered what it’s like to grow up in an extreme religious environment.

10. H Is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald: If you just want to read a really, really good book.

11. Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes: If you love Thursday nigh television.

12. Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs: If you’re ever tempted to think you had a hard life, or want to learn how to laugh about the hard things.

13. Coming Clean by Kimberly Rae Miller: If you fancy re-invention and respecting your roots, and learning to entertwine it all.