Reading is considered one of the best resources a writer should draw from in learning the craft. Following is a list of reviews found in my blog. Each one represents a book I have found useful in learning to write not only a memoir but other forms of writing.

Books are listed alphabetically by title. Clicking on the link will take you to the review as posted.

Memoir

• A Secret Gift by Ted Gup
• A Widow’s Story by Joyce Carol Oates
• Again in a Heartbeat by Susan Weidener
• An Incredible Talent for Existing by Pamela Jane
• Betty’s Child by Donald R. Dempsey
• Blue Nights by Joan Didion
• Blush: A Mennonite Girl Meets a Glittering World by Shirley Showalter
• Called Out of Darkness: A Spiritual Memoir by Anne Rice
• Committed: The Artist’s Road by Patrick Ross
• Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover
• Ever Faithful to His Lead: My Journey Away from Emotional Abuse by Kathy Pooler
• Inheritance: A Memoir of Genealogy, Paternity and Love by Dani Shapiro
• Leaving the Hall Light On by Madeline Tasky-Sharples
• Life in Spite of Me by Kristen Jane Anderson with Tricia Goyer
• Lunch in Paris: A Love Story With Recipes by Elizabeth Bard
• Mennonite Daughter: The Story of a Plain Girl by Marian Beaman
• Mennonite in a Little Black Dress by Rhoda Janzen
• Mom & Me & Mom by Maya Angelou
• Morning At Wellington Square by Susan Weidener
• My Beloved World by Justice Sonia Sotomayor
• My Cluttered Life: Searching for God, Serenity and My Missing Keys by Pesi Dinnerstein
• My Unconventional Loves: My Hurts, My Adulteries, My Redemption by Marie Abanga
• Naked: Stripped by Man and Hurricane Katrina by Julie Freed
• Out of Synch by Belinda Nicoll
• Raised Right: How I Untangled My Faith from Politics by Alisa Harris
• Sailing Down the Moonbeam by Mary Gottschalk
• Sandy’s Gift: Walking with the Light by William P. Dunn IV
• Self and Soul: On Creating a Meaningful Life by Lorraine Ash
• Singing from Silence by Pamela Richardson
• Swimming with Maya by Eleanor Vincent
• The Chosen Shell by Katherine Sartori
• The Emotion Thesaurus
• The Sacred Journey by Frederick Buechner
• The Undertaker’s Daughter by Kate Mayfield
• To Heaven and Back by Mary C. Neal, MD
• Two Hearts: An Adoptee’s Journey Through Grief to Gratitude by Linda Hoye
• When We Were the Kennedys by Monica Wood
• Wild  by Cheryl Strayed

On Writing

• Fearless Writing: How to Create Boldly and Write with Confidence by William Kenower
• Memoir Revolution by Jerry Waxler
• Pebble in the Water by Bob Welch
• The Heart and Craft of Writing Compelling Description by Sharon Lippincott
• Thinking About Memoir by Abigail Thomas
• Write Within Yourself by William Kenower