Open Books Challenge 2025: A Diary Style Book or Memoir

Updated September 10, 2025
Drag items up and down to your preferred order then select the "Save Order" button.
The absolutely true diary of a part-time Indian
Alexie, Sherman
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...
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...
0101816980409
ANO
Paper Book
The acclaimed, bestselling first-person account of a teen girl's harrowing descent into drug addiction--a cautionary tale as heart-wrenching, shocking, and timely as ever. January 24th After you've had it, there isn't even life without drugs... It...
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 unselected journals of Emma M. Lion. Vol. 1
Brower, Beth
Paper Book
"I've arrived in London without incident. There are few triumphs in my recent life, but I count this as one. My existence of the last three years has been nothing but incident."The Year is 1883 and Emma M. Lion has returned to her London neighbourhood of St. Crispian's. But Emma's plans for a...
Parable of the sower
Butler, Octavia E.
Paper Book
From a celebrated, award-winning author, a modern classic about a young girl fighting for survival in a post-apocalyptic world, perfect for fans of N.K. Jemisin and Margaret Atwood. Fifteen-year-old Lauren Olamina lives inside a gated community with her preacher father, family, and...
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
Part One of a Two Part Memoir from the Iconic Artist and Actor 'A rock 'n' roll memoir like no other' Daily Mail 'A gutsy account of tenacity and perseverance...Cher's voice reverberates with the grit and depth that made her famous' The New York Times THERE IS...
Ash before oak
Cooper, Jeremy
Paper Book
Ash before Oak is a novel in the form of a fictional journal written by a solitary man on a secluded Somerset estate. Written in prose that is as precise as it is beautiful, winner of the 2018 Fitzcarraldo Editions Novel Prize, Jeremy Cooper's first novel in over a decade is a stunning...
A noob's diary of an 8-bit warrior
Cube Kid (Author of fan fiction)
Paper Book
An all-new unofficial Minecraft warrior adventure series for young readers from bestselling author Cube Kid! This story follows Runt, a villager who longs to be a warrior. He isn't interested in carrot culture, and he definitely isn't interested in selling them in trade. When...
The lost diary of Venice : a novel
DeRoux, Margaux
Paper Book
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...
Pirate invasion
Emerson, Marcus
Paper Book
Continuing the havoc-meets-hilarious adventures of Chase Cooper, who is recruited by a secret society of ninjas at his new school.
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
SEQUEL TO THE MULTI-MILLION COPY BESTSELLER BRIDGET JONES'S DIARYThe Wilderness Years are over. But not for long. At the end of Bridget Jones's Diary, Bridget hiccuped off into the sunset with man-of-her-dreams Mark Darcy. Now, in The Edge of Reason, she discovers what it is like when you have the...
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
'Niven Govinden's Diary of a Film, his sixth novel, is also his best yet. Smart, sexy and cinematic (in many senses), it is a love letter to Italy and to film' Observer 'Immersive . . . This is a wise and skilfully controlled novel that can be read in an...
The postscript murders
Griffiths, Elly
Paper Book
Hitch-22 : a memoir
Hitchens, Christopher.
Paper Book
"If Hitchens didn't exist, we wouldn't be able to invent him." ―Ian McEwan   A stylish new paperback edition of HITCH-22, the incendiary memoir of a brilliant contrarian and one of Hitchens' most wry and provocative works.
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 fun of...
Flowers for Algernon
Keyes, Daniel.
Paper Book
Winner of both the Hugo and Nebula Awards, this powerful, classic science fiction story is 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 low IQ,...
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
In a collection of stories from across the spectrum of real-life experience, nine members of the trans community share their inspirational childhood stories. These are tales of questioning, affirming, transitioning, and growing up; courageous, gripping accounts from musicians, actors, teachers,...
Freedom : memoirs 1954-2021
Merkel, Angela
Paper Book
'A great accomplishment . . . A wonderful reflection of an extraordinary sweep of history' - Barack ObamaFor 16 years, Angela Merkel was Chancellor of Germany. She led the country through numerous crises, shaping both Germany and international politics with her actions and attitudes. In her...
Isabel : jewel of Castilla
Meyer, Carolyn
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...
Sherlock Holmes and the telegram from hell : extracts from the diaries of John H. Watson, M.D. June 1916-November 1918
Meyer, Nicholas
Paper Book
" Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson cross the Atlantic at the height of World War I in pursuit of a mysterious coded telegram in this new mystery from the author of The Return of the Pharaoh. June, 1916. With a world war raging on the continent, exhausted...
Country girl
O'Brien, Edna.
Paper Book
I thought of life's many bounties, to have known the extremities of joy and sorrow, love, crossed love and unrequited love, success and failure, fame and slaughter, to have read in the newspapers that as a writer I was past my sell-by date, yet regardless, to go on writing and reading, to be...
Dreams from my father : a story of race and inheritance
Obama, Barack
Paper Book
Dork diaries : tales from a not-so-fabulous life
Russell, Rachel Renée
Paper Book
A SUPER SQUEE updated edition! Nikki Maxwell is starting eighth grade at a new school--and her very first diary is packed with hilarious stories and art in this first book in the #1 New York Times bestselling Dork Diaries series! Nikki confesses all in...
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...
Katie and the cupcake cure
Simon, Coco.
Paper Book
Katie gets inspired to found a club in this first book in the Cupcake Diaries series! Katie Brown is miserable when her best friend is invited to join the Popular Girls Club and Katie is left out. Is there an Unpopular Girls Club she can join? Luckily, Katie finds her way with a...
Dracula
Stoker, Bram
Paper Book
Bram Stoker's peerless tale of desperate battle against a powerful, ancient vampire When Jonathan Harker visits Transylvania to help Count Dracula purchase a London house, he makes horrifying discoveries in his client's castle. Soon afterwards, disturbing incidents unfold in...
Music from another world
Talley, Robin
Paper Book
It's summer 1977 and closeted lesbian Tammy Larson can't be herself anywhere. Not at her strict Christian high school, not at her conservative Orange County church and certainly not at home, where her ultrareligious aunt relentlessly organises anti-gay political campaigns. Tammy's...
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...
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...

Library staff! You can create and contribute to lists. Contact your catalog administrator or log in here.