Open Books Challenge 2025: A Diary Style Book or Memoir

Updated December 31, 2024
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Swan song : an odyssey : a novel
Alther, Lisa
Paper Book
A new novel, funny, wise, moving, true, as only Lisa Alther can write ("she had me laughing at 4 in the morning" --Doris Lessing), set on a cruise ship, about a woman, a doctor in charge of the ship's clinic, recovering from the loss of her longtime female lover, a much-admired writer, and coping...
Go ask Alice
Anonymous.
Paper Book
January 24th After you've had it, there isn't even life without drugs.... It started when she was served a soft drink laced with LSD in a dangerous party game. Within months, she was hooked, trapped in a downward spiral that took her from her comfortable home...
Devolution : a firsthand account of the Rainier Sasquatch massacre
Brooks, Max.
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * The #1 New York Times bestselling author of World War Z is back with "the Bigfoot thriller you didn't know you needed in your life, and one of the greatest horror novels I've ever read" (Blake Crouch, author of Dark Matter and ...
The great concert of the night
Buckley, Jonathan
Paper Book
"Why isn't Jonathan Buckley better known? His novel of love, death and melancholy comedy, The Great Concert of the Night, is captivating." --John Banville   David has just spent New Year's Eve alone, watching Le Grand Concert de la Nuit,...
Parable of the sower
Butler, Octavia E.
Paper Book
Forced to flee an America where anarchy and violence have completely taken over, empath Lauren Olamina--who can feel the pain of others and is crippled by it--becomes a prophet carrying the hope of a new world and a new faith christened "Earthseed". A stirring portrait of 21st-century America by the...
The quarantine princess diaries
Cabot, Meg
Paper Book
Mia Thermopolis knows just what to do in a crisis: Rule. During the Covid-19 pandemic, a section of the diary of Princess Mia Thermopolis of Genovia fell into the hands of Meg Cabot, the Princess's royal biographer. As reported in media outlets such as Entertainment...
The perks of being a wallflower
Chbosky, Stephen.
Paper Book
"A timeless story for every young person who needs to understand that they are not alone." --Judy Blume "Once in a while, a novel comes along that becomes a generational touchstone. The Perks of Being a Wallflower is one of those books." --R. J. Palacio, #1 New York...
Cher : The Memoir, Part One
Cher
Paper Book
***The Instant #1 New York Times Bestseller*** ***The Global #1 Bestseller*** The extraordinary life of Cher can be told by only one person . . . Cher herself. After more than seventy years of fighting to live her life on her own terms, Cher finally reveals her...
A noob's diary of an 8-bit warrior
Cube Kid (Author of fan fiction)
Paper Book
An all-new Minecraft warrior adventure series for young readers from bestselling author Cube Kid! A Noob's Diary of an 8-Bit Warrior combines the familiar narrative and characters of the illustrated novel series with the artwork style from the graphic novel series...
The lost diary of Venice : a novel
DeRoux, Margaux
Paper Book
Two impossible love stories are fatefully connected by one artistic legacy in a stunning debut that leaps between the mysteries of late-Renaissance Venice and the dramas of present-day America. "Enchanting from the first page."--Sarah Jio, New York Times ...
The dog walker's diary
Donahue, Kathryn
Paper Book
When jaded and overworked Los Angeles literary agent Daniel Ashe hires Annie Doherty, an Irish dog walker, he's simply looking for someone to care for his dogs so he can focus on landing a dream client and save his career. He certainly doesn't expect to come home each night to find Annie has left...
Diary of a 6th grade ninja 2. Pirate invasion
Emerson, Marcus
Paper Book
Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and upMy name is Chase Cooper, and this is my second diary as a 6th grade ninja. It's only been a month since my last entry, but in a school as crazy as mine, a month is an eternity. My school recently had a day where everyone talked like a pirate, but it didn't...
Walking on water
Evans, Richard Paul.
Paper Book
In this fifth entry in the New York Times bestselling Walk series, Richard Paul Evans’s hero Alan Christoffersen must say some painful goodbyes and learn some important lessons as he comes to the end of his cross-country walk to Key West.
The vengeance of mothers : the journals of Margaret Kelly & Molly McGill
Fergus, Jim
Paper Book
The stunning sequel to the award-winning novelOne Thousand White Women:A Novel. "Clever and satisfying...Fergus is a superb writer [and] the characters are as real as any pioneer women who braved the rigors of westering." --The Denver Post ...
Bridget Jones : the edge of reason
Fielding, Helen
Paper Book
Lurching from the cappuccino bars of Notting Hill to the blissed-out shores of Thailand, everyone's favorite Singleton Bridget Jones begins her search for The Truth in spite of pathetically unevolved men, insane dating theories, and Smug Married advice. She experiences a zeitgeist-esque Spiritual...
Be ready when the luck happens : a memoir
Garten, Ina
Paper Book
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * In her long-awaited memoir, Ina Garten--aka the Barefoot Contessa, author of thirteen bestselling cookbooks, beloved Food Network personality, Instagram sensation, and cultural icon--shares her personal story with readers hungry for a seat at her table....
Diary of a film
Govinden, Niven
Paper Book
In this highly-lauded novel, a filmmaker meets a woman named Cosima at an Italian espresso bar, spinning a gorgeous tale of love and the creative process.  An auteur, together with his lead actors, is at a prestigious European festival to premiere his latest film. Alone one morning at...
The postscript murders
Griffiths, Elly
Paper Book
"This droll romp is a latter-day Miss Marple." --Washington Post Murder leaps off the page when crime novelists begin to turn up dead in this intricate new novel by internationally best-selling author Elly Griffiths, a literary mystery perfect for fans of Anthony...
Hitch-22 a memoir
Hitchens, Christopher.
Paper Book
Over the course of his 60 years, Christopher Hitchens has been a citizen of both the United States and the United Kingdom. He has been both a socialist opposed to the war in Vietnam and a supporter of the U.S. war against Islamic extremism in Iraq. He has been both a foreign correspondent in some of...
Diary of a worm : Nat the gnat
Houran, Lori Haskins
Paper Book
Worm is thrilled when it's his turn to take care of the class pet, Nat the Gnat. But everything goes wrong when he leaves the lid of Nat's tank open. Can Worm make sure the class pet returns safe and sound before Mrs. Mulch finds out This all-new, original I Can Read story captures...
The secret diary of Mona Hasan
Hussain, Salma (Young adult fiction writer)
Paper Book
Mona learns to find her voice over the course of a year that sees her immigrating from Dubai to Canada in this novel for fans of Front Desk by Kelly Yang. Mona Hasan is a young Muslim girl growing up in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, when the first Gulf War breaks out in...
0101809992288
J ROYAL DIARIES
Paper Book
Segovia -- 12th of April 1466 After Mass this morning, I climbed the narrow, winding stone steps to a window high in one of the castle turrets. I often come up here to see what lies beyond my prison. Segovia is surrounded by four thick walls, each with a heavy wooden gate. The aqueduct built by...
The last days of Ellis Island
Josse, Gaëlle
Paper Book
Winner of the European Union Prize for Literature "Josse powerfully evokes the spirit of the 'huddled masses' who landed on America's shores while creating a memorable portrait of a man torn between his commitment to his difficult job and the longings of his heart. Duty and desire...
Flowers for Algernon
Keyes, Daniel.
Paper Book
 Winner of both the Hugo and Nebula Awards, the powerful, classic story about a man who receives an operation that turns him into a genius...and introduces him to heartache.   Charlie Gordon is about to embark upon an unprecedented journey. Born with an unusually...
What is home, Mum?
Khan, Sabba
Paper Book
One of the top ten graphic novels for Spring 2022, as chosen by Publishers Weekly "Khan debuts with a deeply introspective, elegantly rendered graphic memoir about her experiences, faith, and family in the South Asian diaspora community of East London. . . . It's a...
Becoming who we are : real stories about growing up trans
Lisel, Sammy
Paper Book
Becoming who you are is a journey, and all journeys start somewhere.
My happy year by E. Bluebird
Meisel, Paul
Paper Book
With humor and charm, a bluebird narrates her first year of life--adventures, joys, and scary times too--in this companion book to My Awesome Summer by P. Mantis. "May 1- Today is my birthday." So begins the wondrous first year of E. Bluebird. In...
Freedom: Memoirs 1954 - 2021
Merkel, Angela
Paper Book
The New York Times and USA Today bestseller For sixteen years, Angela Merkel was Chancellor of Germany and at the forefront of European and international politics. In her memoir, she looks back on her life in two German states--East Germany until 1990, and...
Country girl : a memoir
O'Brien, Edna.
Paper Book
"Country Girl is Edna O'Brien's exquisite account of her dashing, barrier-busting, up-and-down life."-National Public Radio When Edna O'Brien's first novel, The Country Girls, was published in 1960, it so scandalized the O'Briens' local parish that the book was burned by its...
Dreams from my father : a story of race and inheritance
Obama, Barack
Paper Book
Now adapted for young adults--the #1 New York Times bestselling memoir, which Toni Morrison called "quite extraordinary," offers an intimate look at Barack Obama's early days. This is a compelling journey tracing the future 44th president's odyssey through family, race, and identity....
Patrimony : a true story
Roth, Philip.
Paper Book
Patrimony, a true story, touches the emotions as strongly as anything Philip Roth has ever written. Roth watches as his eighty-six-year-old father--famous for his vigor, charm, and his repertoire of Newark recollections--battles with the brain tumor that will kill him. The son, full of love, anxiety...
Tales from a not-so-fabulous life
Russell, Rachel RenĂŠe.
Paper Book
Nikki Maxwell is starting eighth grade at a new school--and her very first diary is packed with hilarious stories and art in this SUPER SQUEE updated edition of the first book in the #1 New York Times bestselling Dork Diaries series! Nikki confesses all in her first diary...
Push : a novel
Sapphire
Paper Book
An electrifying first novel that shocks by its language, its circumstances, and its brutal honesty, Push recounts a young black street-girl's horrendous and redemptive journey through a Harlem inferno. For Precious Jones, 16 and pregnant with her father's child, miraculous hope appears and the world...
PersĂŠpolis 1
Satrapi, Marjane 1969-
Paper Book
Originally published to wide critical acclaim in France, where it elicited comparisons to Art Spiegelman's Maus, Persepolis is Marjane Satrapi's wise, funny, and heartbreaking memoir of growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution. In powerful black-and-white comic strip images, Satrapi tells...
Katie and the cupcake cure
Simon, Coco.
Paper Book
This first book in The Cupcake Diaries is told through the perspective of Katie Brown. We find Katie miserable on the first day of middle school. Her best friend Callie came back from camp boy-crazy and part of a whole new group of friends. When it's made clear that Callie is in the PGC...
Dracula
Stoker, Bram
Paper Book
One of the best-known and most popular horror stories ever. When Jonathan Harker visits Castle Dracula on a tour through Europe, his nightmare experience there is just the start of a macabre chain of events. The vampire Count Dracula follows him back to England, determined to increase his evil band...
Music from another world
Talley, Robin
Paper Book
A master of award-winning queer historical fiction, New York Times bestselling author Robin Talley brings to life an emotionally captivating story about the lives of two teen girls living in an age when just being yourself was an incredible act of bravery. It's summer 1977...
The year of the end : a memoir
Theroux, Anne
Paper Book
'A moving and absorbing account' Adam Buxton 'Scorching ... a brave book' Helen Brown, Telegraph 'A wise and vivid memoir of a disintegrating marriage and a study of the role of the spouse in the life of a literary giant' Fiona Sturges, i Paper...
Reckoning
V
Paper Book
A Publishers Weekly Top 10 Memoir of the Season The work of a lifetime from the Tony Award-winning, bestselling author of The Vagina Monologues--political, personal, profound, and more than forty years in the making. The newest book from V...
0101817602333
YA ALE
Paper Book
A New York Times bestseller--over one million copies sold!   A National Book Award winner A Boston Globe-Horn Book Award winner Bestselling and award winning author Sherman Alexie tells the hearbreaking yet funny story about a boy...
Diary of a void : a novel
Yagi, Emi
Paper Book
A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: The New Yorker · NPR · WBEZ's Nerdette · The New York Public Library · Literary Hub A New York Times Editors' Choice "One of the most passionate cases I've ever read for female interiority, for women's creative pulse...

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