Memoir Audiobooks | Biography & Memoir

Pets and the City: True Tales of a Manhattan House Call Veterinarian

New York City's premier "house call veterinarian" takes you into the exclusive penthouses and four-star hotel rooms of the wealthiest New Yorkers and shows that, when it comes to their pets, they are just as neurotic as any of us. When a pet is sick, people-even the rich and famous-are at their most authentic and vulnerable. They could have a Monet on the wall and an Oscar on the shelf, but if their cat gets a cold, all they want to talk about are snotty noses and sneezing fits. That's when they call premier in-home veterinarian Dr. Amy Attas. In Pets and the City, Dr. Amy shares all the shocking, heartbreaking, and life-affirming experiences she's faced throughout her thirty-year career treating the cats and dogs of New Yorkers from Park Avenue to the projects. Some of her stories are about celebs, like the time she saw a famous singer naked (no, her rash was not the same as her puppy's). Others are about remarkable animals, like the skilled service dog who, after his exam was finished, left the room and returned with a checkbook in his mouth. Every tale in this rollicking, informative, and fun memoir affirms a key truth about animal, and human, nature: Our pets love us because their hearts are pure; we love them because they're freaking adorable. On some level, we know that by caring for them, we are the best version of ourselves. In short: Our pets make us better people.

Amy Attas (Author), Adrienne Cornette, TBD (Narrator)

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I'm Mostly Here to Enjoy Myself: One Woman's Pursuit of Pleasure in Paris

When you're a woman smack in so-called "middle age" you are not promised anything at all other than that everything will get worse. But what if everything you've been told is a lie. Come to Paris, August 2021, when the City of Lights was still empty of tourists, and a thirst for long overdue pleasure gripped those who wandered its streets. After New York City emptied out in March 2020, Glynnis MacNicol, aged 46, unmarried with no children, spent 16 months alone in her tiny Manhattan apartment. The isolation was punishing. A year without touch. Women are warned of invisibility as they age, but this was an extreme loneliness no one can prepare you for. When the opportunity to sublet a friend's apartment in Paris arose, MacNicol jumped on it. Leaving felt like less of a risk than a necessity. What follows is a decadent, unexpected journey into one woman's pursuit of radical enjoyment. The weeks in Paris are filled with friendship and food and sex. There is dancing on the Seine; a plethora of gooey cheese; midnight bike rides through empty Paris; handsome men; afternoons wandering through the empty Louvre; nighttime swimming in the ocean off a French island. And yes, plenty of nudity. In the spirit of Deborah Levy and Annie Ernaux, I'm Mostly Here to Enjoy Myself is an intimate, insightful, powerful, and endlessly pleasurable memoir of an intensely lived experience whose meaning and insight expands far beyond the personal narrative. MacNicol is determined to document the beauty, excess, and triumph of a life that does not require permission. The pursuit of enjoyment is a political act, both a right and a responsibility. Enjoying yourself-as you are-is not something the world tells you is possible, but it is. Here's the proof.

Glynnis Macnicol (Author), Glynnis Macnicol, TBD (Narrator)

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Do I Know You?: A Faceblind Reporter's Journey into the Science of Sight, Memory, and Imagination

An award-winning science writer discovers she's faceblind and investigates the neuroscience of sight, memory, and imagination-while solving some long-running mysteries about her own life. Science writer Sadie Dingfelder has always known that she's a little quirky. But while she's made some strange mistakes over the years, it's not until she accosts a stranger in a grocery store (whom she thinks is her husband) that she realizes something is amiss. With a mixture of curiosity and dread, Dingfelder starts contacting neuroscientists and lands herself in scores of studies. In the course of her nerdy midlife crisis, she discovers that she is emphatically not neurotypical. She has prosopagnosia (faceblindness), stereoblindness, aphantasia (an inability to create mental imagery), and a condition called severely deficient autobiographical memory. As Dingfelder begins to see herself more clearly, she discovers a vast well of hidden neurodiversity in the world at large. There are so many different flavors of human consciousness, and most of us just assume that ours is the norm. Can you visualize? Do you have an inner monologue? Are you always 100 percent sure whether you know someone or not? If you can perform any of these mental feats, you may be surprised to learn that many people-including Dingfelder-can't. A lively blend of personal narrative and popular science, Do I Know You? is the story of one unusual mind's attempt to understand itself-and a fascinating exploration of the remarkable breadth of human experience.

Sadie Dingfelder (Author), Sadie Dingfelder, TBD (Narrator)

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The Brave In-Between: Notes from the Last Room

Lessons and advice for navigating uncertainty in the worst of times. Amy Low resides in a room that is her last-her medical team is clear-eyed with her: there is no cure for Stage IV metastatic colon cancer, and the odds of long-term survival are scant. Miraculously, she's lived four years with her diagnosis, and that life between life has changed her. Through the swirl of prolonged trauma and unbearable grief, a vantage point emerged-a window that showed her the way to relish life and be kinder to herself and others while living through the inevitable loss and heartbreak that crosses everyone's paths. Instead of viewing joy and sorrow as opposites, she saw how both exist in harmony, full of mystery and surprise. Instead of seeing days as succeeding or failing, and physical selves as healthy or unwell, she's learned to carry both achievements and afflictions in stride. And instead of bitterness and betrayal, forgiveness-toward her body, toward others, toward herself-became her wisest light. Mapping her experiences to the words that St. Paul wrote in his own last room, The Brave In-Between is a sacred invitation to explore that space between triumph and tragedy. We all have a heart to marvel at miracles, a lightness to spot the absurdity, and an imagination to pause and extend empathy for others-even when tragedy strikes. Sometimes we just need a guide.

Amy Low (Author), Amy Low, Leanne Woodward, TBD (Narrator)

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The Boy from Baghdad: My Journey from Waziriyah to Westminster

The first memoir from Nadhim Zahawi MP Born and raised in Baghdad, Nadhim Zahawi arrived in the UK aged 11, having been forced to flee Iraq with his family, under threat from Saddam Hussein’s regime. In this candid and poignant memoir, Nadhim vividly recalls his upbringing in the Middle East, his family’s adjustment to their new life in Britain and his rise to Second Lord of the Treasury, one of the highest offices in his adoptive homeland. From his family home being repossessed in his teens to the incredible success of YouGov, and from the highs (and lows) of Jeffrey Archer’s mayoral campaign to overseeing Britain’s rollout as Minister for COVID Vaccine Deployment, every setback faced and hurdle cleared have reinforced Nadhim’s belief in the power of hard work and the benefits of an open, inclusive society. The Boy from Baghdad is the full and fascinating story of Nadhim’s personal, professional and political journey from Waziriyah to Westminster.

Nadhim Zahawi (Author), Nadhim Zahawi, TBD (Narrator)

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12 Trips in 12 Months: Make Your Own Solo Travel Magic

Bestselling author Jen Ruiz takes readers on a trip around the globe in 12 Trips in 12 Months, defying societal expectations of what a woman is supposed to be—and empowering others to do the same. The year before her thirtieth birthday, Jen Ruiz decided to change everything. Despite being professionally accomplished and contributing to the world as an attorney at a nonprofit, she had yet to achieve the most important goal, according to society: becoming a wife and mother. So, after more ghostings than a graveyard, tired of dating apps and sitting in a windowless office, Jen embarked on an epic challenge to send her twenties out in style. Twelve months, twelve trips, no excuses. She started booking flights instead of swiping right, teaching English online to cover costs. Over the course of the year, Jen descended into a volcano in Iceland, volunteered at an elephant sanctuary in Thailand, called in sick to fly in a hot air balloon, and went scuba diving at an underwater museum in Mexico. She ended up taking twenty trips, almost double her original goal. In a moving and inspiring story, Jen invites readers along through the year wherein she decided to stop waiting for others and start living for herself, discovered the power of solo travel magic, challenged herself physically and emotionally, made meaningful connections … and learned that she could feel fulfilled and happy on her own.

Jen Ruiz (Author), Jen Ruiz, TBD (Narrator)

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The Chair and the Valley: A Memoir of Trauma, Healing, and the Outdoors

An incredible memoir about one man's journey to heal from trauma through chosen family, friendship, and nature. AN OPEN FIELD PUBLICATION FROM MARIA SHRIVER Banning Lyon was your average 15-year-old, living in Dallas, TX. He enjoyed skateboarding, listening to punk rock, and even had a part-time job. But in January 1987 his life quickly changed after a school guidance counselor falsely believed he was suicidal after giving away a skateboard. Days later he was admitted into a psychiatric hospital, and what he was told would be a two-week stay turned into 353 days that would change his life forever. Banning takes readers through his fraught relationship with his family, the abuse he suffered at the hospital, the lawsuit against the owners of the facility, and his desire to make sense of what happened to him. We witness Banning navigate the difficult landscape of trauma and his daily battle to live a normal life. After years of highs and lows that include being adopted by his lawyer and mentor, falling in love and grieving the death of his fiancée, and being sued by the same doctors who abused him, Banning decides to take control of his life and finds hope in the back country of Yosemite National Park, where he discovers his purpose for being a backpacking guide. Through friendship, nature, and eventually giving therapy another chance, Banning finds the strength to keep moving forward. The Chair and The Valley is a raw, gut-wrenching, and amazing story about healing from your trauma and starting over. It is a testament to the power of chosen family, the restorative power of nature, and the strength it takes to show up for yourself every day.

Banning Lyon (Author), Banning Lyon, Jonathan Eig, Maria Shriver, TBD (Narrator)

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The Language of War

Brought to you by Penguin. ‘We were so happy and didn’t know it…’ A thirty-three-year-old writer lives in a quiet European suburb with his wife and his dog. His parents have bought an apartment nearby. On weekends they go out for brunch, cook and see friends. Life is good; it is normal. Then the invaders come. Language of War is about what happens when your world changes overnight. When you wake up to the sound of helicopters and the smell of gunpowder. When your home is hit by shells or broken into by gunmen, and you spend another night in a basement-turned-bomb shelter. When, even though you’ve never held a weapon before, you realise the only choice is to fight back. It is about things one can never forget, or forgive. Bringing together Oleksandr Mykhed’s vivid day-by-day chronicles of the invasion of Ukraine with a chorus of other voices – his family, friends in exile, those who have fought and have witnessed unimaginable atrocities – this book is both a record, and a reckoning. Haunting and timeless, it asks how it is possible to find the words to describe a new reality; how you can still make sense of the world when the only language you can speak is the language of war. ©2024 Oleksandr Mykhed (P)2024 Penguin Audio

Oleksandr Mykhed (Author), Greg Kolpakchi, TBD (Narrator)

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Wimbledon: A personal history

Sue Barker (Author), Sue Barker, TBD (Narrator)

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The Escape

A unique memoir from British cycling’s most fascinating competitor In the summer of 2020 sportswriter David Walsh asked Pippa York if she’d be interested to be his travelling companion for the Tour de France. The deal was that he would sort out the logistics beforehand, the hotels, the transport details and she would do the day to day tasks of getting them about and adding her insight occasionally. It would also mean she would return to the race she had ridden eleven times as Robert Millar. This is the resulting book: a unique and entertaining sporting odyssey, The Escape uses the minutiae of Pippa and David’s trip, and the iconic landmarks of the Tour de France, to explore her early life growing up in working class Glasgow; her entry into racing; the psychological aspects of the sport and how that manifested itself in her personality; her ups and downs as a competitor; her post-career and her eventual transition in her 40s. Touching on doping, gender in sport and the unique wonders and day-to-day challenges of the Tour, The Escape is both an unforgettable travelogue through the world’s greatest cycling event and a one-of-a-kind memoir from arguably the sport’s most enigmatic and fascinating competitors.

David Walsh, Pippa York (Author), TBD (Narrator)

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I Fight, You Fight: The noble way to growth and happiness

The inspiring story of a young man whose wisdom and strength can teach us that life isn't about the hand you're dealt, but how you choose to play it. Sixteen-year-old Alex Noble was a high school rugby star with a promising sporting career ahead of him when an on-field injury left him fighting for his life in the ICU. Following a four-day coma and a diagnosis of C4 quadriplegia, Alex's first words to his brother Zac were, 'If I fight, you fight.' These words became a war cry as Alex's friends, family and community rallied around him, watching in awe as he fought to regain control over his body and defy his diagnosis. From learning to breathe and move again to travelling the world, starting his own business, and even going skydiving, Alex's story is about the power of mastering your own mind, finding happiness and taking risks to achieve your goals - no matter how out of reach they may seem. Full of warmth, humour and insight, this is a book that will teach you principles to live your life by, written by a young man who has put them into practice. I Fight, You Fight is so much more than an inspiring memoir - it's a philosophy for living life to the fullest.

Alex Noble (Author), Alex Noble, TBD (Narrator)

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Three Worlds: Memoirs of an Arab-Jew

In July 1950, Avi Shlaim, only five, and his family were forced into exile, fleeing their beloved Iraq to the new state of Israel. Today the once flourishing Jewish community of Iraq, at one time numbering over 130,000 and tracing its history back 2,600 years, has all but vanished. Why so? One explanation speaks of the timeless clash between Arab and Jewish civilizations and a heroic Zionist mission to rescue Eastern Jews from backward nations and unceasing persecution. Avi Shlaim tears up this script. His parents had many Muslim friends in Baghdad and no interest in Zionism. As anti-Semitism surged in Iraq, the Zionist underground fanned the flames. Yet when Iraqi Jews fled to Israel, they faced an uncertain future, their history was rewritten to serve a Zionist narrative. This memoir breathes life into an almost forgotten world. Weaving together the personal and the political, Three Worlds offers a fresh perspective on Arab-Jews, caught in the crossfire of Zionism and nationalism.

Avi Shlaim (Author), Neil Shah (Narrator)

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Memoir Audiobooks in Biography & Memoir