Memoir

As a literary genre, a memoir (from the French: mémoire from the Latin memoria, meaning "memory", or a reminiscence), forms a subclass of autobiography – although the terms 'memoir' and 'autobiography' are almost interchangeable in modern parlance. Memoir is autobiographical writing, but not all autobiographical writing follows the criteria for memoir.

Memoirs are structured differently from formal autobiographies which tend to encompass the writer's entire life span, focusing on the development of his/her personality. The chronological scope of memoir is determined by the work's context and is ...more

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Giveaways

It Wasn't Meant to Be Perfect by Gaelynn Lea

It Wasn't Meant to Be Perfect: A Memoir

Gaelynn Lea (Goodreads Author)

Release date: Apr 14, 2026

Enter for a chance to win an advanced copy of IT WASN'T MEANT TO BE PERFECT by Gaelynn Lea!

Please do not put a PO box as your address. ...more
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Availability: 25 copies available, 2390 people requesting

Giveaway dates: Feb 09 - Mar 06, 2026

Countries available: U.S.

Z is for Zen: Life and Hard Times on the Dharma Road

Bettina Mueller (Goodreads Author)

Release date: Jan 15, 2026

The author for Z is for Zen invites readers to walk alongside her as she battles to discover meaning in life, through an enticing narrative chroniclin The author for Z is for Zen invites readers to walk alongside her as she battles to discover meaning in life, through an enticing narrative chronicling her steps toward practicing Zen, set against the larger context of history and its enduring impact on her journey. From America’s terrifying entrance into the Vietnam War to Mueller’s experience gambling at a casino with a Buddhist Roshi, readers will be riveted.

The stores entertain, provoke deep thought, and gently encourage readers to implement the author’s wisdom when reflecting on their own life journeys. She strikes a nearly-flawless balance between spiritual discover/meaning and the traditions of this world.

- Book Life Publishers Weekly

Z is for Zen is a lovely book. The prose itself mirrors qualities of Zen stripped of artifice, elegant, simple, essential. It feels like a very organic outgrowth from someone who has devoted so much of their life to true mindfulness.

I believe our unique time has produced more readers (myself among them) hungry for spiritual nourishment. And while Z is for Zen doesn’t dogmatically instruct – being immersed in the story of someone else’s challenging, and daily practice, and exposed to its progressive process – was bracingly refreshing and ultimately inspiring.

- Karyn Marcus Grand Central PublishingThis is the story of what happens when a lost twenty-something meets the uncompromising world of traditional Zen Buddhism. From the mountains of Colorado to monasteries in Japan and silent halls in New York City, Z is for Zen offers an honest, illuminating portrait of awakening in the modern world. Equal parts memoir, spiritual reflection, and cultural commentary, this book is a testament to resilience, presence, and the mysterious quest for enlightenment. Think Eat Pray Love meets Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind, with historical texture and literary depth.

Woven with personal narrative, Zen history, and poetic vignettes, this memoir offers an intimate look at spiritual practice over time. Readers of Natalie Goldberg, Peter Matthiessen, and Ruth Ozeki will find familiar terrain—a woman’s story of spiritual grit often missing from traditional Zen literature.

The author was fortunate to practice with one Zen master, the Roshi, for thirty-five years until his retirement. But as the #MeToo movement cast new light on long-standing power dynamics in spiritual communities, she was forced to confront the shadow side of her teacher and the tradition she revered. In the end, she had to let it and her Zen teacher go amidst a scandal that threw the ancient tradition into a modern world. It was a last great lesson that ultimately led to deep understanding. ...more
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Availability: 100 copies available, 703 people requesting

Giveaway dates: Feb 06 - Mar 06, 2026

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Choosing to Die: A Daughter’s Story Of Supporting Her Mother’s End Of Life Through Assisted Death

Theresa E. Evans

Release date: Mar 03, 2026

Author's Message: My hope is that readers walk away contemplating how they want to show up for themselves and their loved ones at the end of life. ...more
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Availability: 100 copies available, 772 people requesting

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Memoir Books

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Quotes Tagged “Memoir”

“ The struggles we endure today will be the ‘good old days’ we laugh about tomorrow. ”
― Aaron Lauritsen, 100 Days Drive: The Great North American Road Trip

214 likes

“ Yesterday was surreal. At times K was almost back to herself…funny…interested and relatively mobile. She was tactile and we kissed…she whispered naughty comments into my ear…achingly beautiful…I love her so much ”
― Peter B. Forster, More Than Love, A Husband's Tale

421 likes

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