I read almost entirely fiction, and the non-fiction I read tends to be academic or research based instead of memoir. There are a few memoirs I've enjoyed, but I'm frustrated when personal experience is recounted without the author developing a cultural or critical context in which to examine it (or at least acknowledging the possibility of other interpretations).
Which, to be fair, is the same complaint I often have about fiction, so it's not a problem with the genre of memoir so much as a symptom of my own fussiness as a reader.
You're not fussy Steve... you're discerning!
thanks for the comment!
Hi Michael,
I enjoy your podcast very much. I do tend to read more fiction, and my non-fiction reading tends to be memoir's. The real question that I keep coming up against is, "What do I read next?" Is it something from the stack of book's to be read, by my bed that I own, or from the stack that I just picked up from the public library that looked interesting?
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao is on deck to be read next as I also like reading the book award winner's each year. (Pulitzer,Booker,National and Edgar).
Hey Tom-
Picking the next book is always so tough for me too!
Let me know what you think of Oscar Wao... I had trouble getting into it... I don't think I was in the right frame of mind to read it!
Michael
OK, so I'm going to defend the memoir which, by definition, is a work of the author's memory (well, in most cases, anyway). This as opposed to "autobiography" which, in my view, is more dependent on verifiable sources.
I have enjoyed many memoirs, though I do get turned off by too much whining and "why me" sentiment. Memoirs I have liked: Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt, All Over But the Shoutin' by Rick Bragg, Autobiography of an Ordinary Life by Amy Krauss Rosenthal (one of your favorites, Michael), and yes, Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi -- even though it's illustrated, it's a memoir nonetheless. There are others, but it's too early for me to come up with them. Looking at this list, it appears that I enjoy memoirs where the author is able to put him/herself back into the mindset of childhood when they didn't necessarily realize that their life was different/terrible/traumatic -- it just was what it was.
Ann
Ooh, good point about the author's perspective, Ann. I think the success of a memoir is entirely dependent on the author's perspective on his/her life, as any sort of 'the world owed me something different' attitude will put me off immediately. I also *loved* Persepolis and The Glass Castle (Jeannette Walls), but I typically read more directly researched nonfiction with some novels thrown in for balance.
Long ago I struck a bargain with myself that I would try to fit non-fiction in between novels. For the most part this works, except that series have somehow been treated as a single novel, so my non-fiction stack is growing until i finish this series of novels.
Hi James,
That's a very good idea, alternating nonfiction and fiction. Truth be told, I usually pick up nonfiction only for work, though almost always I end up enjoying it. But in a bookstore with money burning a hole in my pocket, I almost always go for the novel.
Thanks for commenting!
Ann
Fiction by a landslide (and judging by my score in your goodreads test, not very good fiction at that). As far as non-fiction is concerned, I would have to echo several of the previous comments and say that I tend toward memoirs. The McCourt brothers have written some of my favorites. Some of Malachy's work makes me laugh out loud.
Jeremy
Jeremy,
Love Frank McCourt, but haven't read any Malachy. Will have to give him a try. Thanks for the recommendation!
Ann
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