Remember Brooke Shields?

THINGS I LOVE

I love a good memoir and I love them most of all when I can listen to them as audio books read by the author. If I can’t get that then I can just about cope when a ‘voice artist’ steps in as long as I haven’t heard the author speak so I wouldn’t recognize their voice. Worst case then I will give in and read the book if there’s no audio alternative. But I hate being cornered into it.

My taste in memoirs is eclectic. Sports people, writers, comedians, actors, scientists, business folk, people who have had near-death experiences or worked in end-of-life care, and stories about some kind of medical journey.

Some of them are fresh off the press (or perhaps I should say fresh from the studio for audio books) and others have been out for a decade or perhaps more. Over the past year I’ve read quite a selection. Here are a few of the most memorable.

I love anything Matt Haig writes and ‘Reasons to Stay Alive’ was no exception – incredibly honest, extremely moving, and just as much self-help as memoir. It’s 10 years since it was published and it’s still fresh and couldn’t be more relevant.

Then there was Michael Rosen with ‘Getting Better’ – his voice has this wonderful quality that just draws you in when listening to the life lessons that he shares. How to make it through the bad stuff that life throws at all of us. It feels like he’s talking just to you.

I was inspired by Shonda Rhimes ‘Year of Yes’ – another one that came out a long time ago, but is well worth a read, especially if you need to break out of a rut.

And I was blown away by the bravery and courage of ‘All That Matters’ by Chris Hoy that lets you peek into his sporting career and his current battle with prostate cancer. I have such respect for his strength and positive attitude.

Sometimes I need a laugh and a bit of humor. So next comes Rob Beckett and ‘A Class Act’. I bought it first as a book back in 2021. But just couldn’t start it. It sat on my reading tablet for years. Then the penny dropped, and I bought it as the audio book – read by Rob of course!

Not only is it funny and honest, but my favorite part was at the start of each chapter where he’d tell you about all the things he’d been doing while he procrastinated and tried to avoid sitting down to write. I don’t think it’s a spoiler to say that as the chapters progressed the list of things got shorter and shorter until they disappeared entirely and he started to truly enjoy writing. He never thought he could actually write a book, but he did. And he helped convince me that I could do it too.

The one that sticks most in my mind though is ‘This is Not a Pity Memoir’ by Abi Morgan. You might know her better as the writer of TV series like The Split, plus the 2024 Netflix hit Eric. She also co-wrote the screenplay for the new Bridget Jones Mad About the Boy that comes out in just a couple of weeks. Her book covers a period of about two years, through her partners devastating life-threatening illness. He even lost the ability to recognize her. It’s unflinching. It’s captivating. It’s moving. It will break your heart, but in a totally no-nonsense way. It avoids any unnecessary drama. I couldn’t stop listening. It’s a very special book.

Earlier today I finished listening to Brooke Shields new book – ‘Brooke Shields is Not Allowed to Get Old’. It came out two weeks ago and even though I wasn’t a big fan I saw it recommended on a list of new books coming out in 2025. It’s so good and Brooke reads it beautifully.

I said at the beginning that I love books read by the author and that’s true. But it doesn’t mean that the author actually reads them well – every now and again I’m surprised by how badly they read their own words. Especially when they are what I’d call professionals when it comes to communicating with an audience. One by a TV presenter and another by a very famous actor (or two) come to mind. No names as I’m not here to hang them out to dry. They each read their memoirs so badly that listening to the weather reports would be far more engaging!

Brooke broaches topics most other female celebrities would shy away from and the book is so totally relatable for so many woman living through mid-life. She’s very clear that she never plans to ‘retire’. I’m with her. What I do each day may change, but I’ll always ‘do’ something. At least, that’s my plan. Definitely worth a listen – or a read if you prefer!

And what next? I think I’m going medical again and looking forward to listening to Hanif Kureishi ‘Shattered’. I know, I know – I can hear you saying that it’s not read by the man himself. But I have no idea what he sounds like and I think I can cope with listening to Art Maliks dulcet tones for a few hours.

Before I go – do you know the difference between a memoir and an autobiography?

In simple terms a memoir shares memories from a defined time period or perhaps related to a specific event or chain of themed events. An autobiography is more all-encompassing - a life from start to finish, or wherever that person is at right now.

I’ve written my own memoir. Plenty more on that later.

Please note. This is NOT an advert for any of these books, films etc and I have purposely not included any links for places you can go buy them. I leave it up to you to pick your favorite retailer if you so wish.