Diaries & Memoirs

In this poignant memoir, Charles Spencer recounts the trauma of being sent away from home at age eight to attend a boarding school.

This is a love story, but maybe not the kind you expect. It started with an epiphany and a desire to live life more fully. One fateful day in 2017, Sonya Moore-up until that point, a responsible, hard-working, tax-paying American woman-decided to leave her home and career and set off to explore the other side of the world. That choice led to a three-year journey laced with serendipity and unexpected twists of fate that would show her more than she ever could have imagined. Joyful and uninhibited, this soul-nourishing tale of love and adventure intertwined with discovery explores the mystery of life and human nature across continents, from the cloud-fringed mountains of Myanmar to the pristine beaches of southern France. Sometimes hilarious, occasionally shocking, always honest, this deliciously told travel memoir entertains and captivates while examining synchronicity, choice and destiny, the roots of happiness, and multiple facets of love against a vivid backdrop of some of the world's most beautiful and little-known places.

A sex and relationship columnist bares it all in a series of essays¿part memoir, part manifestöthat explore the author's coming-of-age and coming out as a bisexual man and move toward embracing and celebrating sex unencumbered by shame

As an only child reeling from the demolition of her parents'' toxic marriage, the New York City underground music scene offers a young Ali a different family of misfits and talented outsiders to belong to. She becomes the bass player for edgy band Speedball Baby, a decision that will take her around the world - from onstage at the legendary CBGBs to the red-light district of Amsterdam. She''s often the only girl in a broken-down tour van, being strip-searched at the Croatian border, chased by lunatics, and navigating the seedy underbelly of a male-dominated music scene full of addiction, violence, and misogyny - all while keeping her sharp wit and dark humour intact. Rimmed with heavy black eyeliner and smelling faintly of cheap booze, The Ballad Of Speedball Baby is a pulse-quickening, unpredictable ride through the ''90s music scene - alternately terrifying, hilarious, and painfully evocative - as well as a love letter to the power of female solidarity.

LONGLISTED FOR THE WAINWRIGHT PRIZE FOR NATURE WRITINGTHE TIMES / WATERSTONES TOP 10 BESTSELLERAN INDEPENDENT BEST BOOK TO READ IN 2023A STYLIST NONFICTION MUST-READ FOR 2023A SUNDAY TIMES GARDENING BOOK TO LOOK OUT FOR IN 2023Women have always gardened, but our stories have been buried with our work. Alice Vincent is on a quest to change that. To understand what encourages women to go out, work the soil, plant seeds and nurture them, even when so many other responsibilities sit upon their shoulders. To recover the histories that have been lost among the soil.Why Women Grow is a much-needed exploration of why women turn to the earth, as gardeners, growers and custodians. This book emerged from a deeply rooted desire to share the stories of women who are silenced and overlooked. In doing so, Alice fosters connections with gardeners that unfurl into a tender exploration of women's lives, their gardens and what the ground has offered them, with conversations spanning creation and loss, celebration and grief, power, protest, identity and renaissance.Wise, curious and sensitive, Why Women Grow follows Alice in her search for answers, with inquisitive fronds reaching and curling around the intimate anecdotes of others

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER ¿ In this funny and honest feel-good memoir, social media star Kacie Rose offers a refreshingly honest take on navigating a new life abroad.In 2021, Kacie decided to leave her life as a pro dancer in New York City and move to Italy - and she never looked back. Okay, that isn't strictly true... In You Deserve Good Gelato, Kacie reflects on everything from travel fails and homesickness to the joy of culture shocks and the power of doing the s*** that scares you. Because life is too short not to.In this joyful memoir, you will find:Personal essays that tell Kacie's story and empower you to challenge yourselfA candid outlook on life as an expat, covering everything from the terror of driving on Italian roads to the trials of speaking a new language and the genuine beauty of a slower pace of lifeInspirational quotes that encourage you to step out of your comfort zoneBy sharing her personal stories of life under the Tuscan sun, Kacie explains how travel is a privilege, why cultural differences are the coolest things in the world, and how there's a positive you can take away from literally any situation. You Deserve Good Gelato will have you taking the leap and embracing this big beautiful world that we call home.New York Times Bestseller - June 2024

This is what it is to survive. You find what floats and you hold on. Even if it is smaller than you. Holding on is all fourteen-year-old Stephanie Clare Smith can do when she's left home alone in New Orleans during the summer of 1973. As she seeks to ease her solitude through her summer school algebra class, her wandering in the city, and her friendship with a streetcar operator, adults?particularly men?fail her again and again, with devastating consequences. Dreamlike and beautifully paced, this lyrical debut memoir traces the events of one harrowing summer and its repercussions throughout Stephanie's life, including her work with families in crisis and as a caregiver for the mother who abandoned her all those years ago. Through a mosaic of trauma and transcendence, memory and metaphor, scarcity and neglect, Stephanie reveals how she built connections in and to a world that had largely left her behind. Her hard-won survival echoes that of countless other survivors whose stories are never told, and her strength stands as a testament to the power of creativity.

Joe’s gripping record of the illicit relationship that dominated his adolescence and dictated the course of his life.

A memoir of love, adventure and finding your own path.

A mix of memories, music, and inspiration from Wilco front man and New York Times bestselling author Jeff Tweedy.

Since its establishment in 1952, the House of Chloé is renowned for its bohemian, whimsical style, high-quality fabrics and soft, lightweight designs.At the forefront of prêt-a-porter, founder Gaby Aghion created a ready-to-wear concept celebrating free-spirited femininity and elegance that revolutionized the fashion industry and that holds firm today.Boasting an almost cult-like following for its beautiful bags, and adored by celebrities and fashionistas the world over, the luxury Parisian fashion brand has produced some of the most iconic items ever made - the padlocked Paddington bag, Suzannah boots and pixie-style flats to name but a few.With a history of superstar designers including Stella MacCartney, Phoebe Philo and Clare Waight Keller, Lagerfeld-era vintage Chloé pieces more popular than ever, and an exciting new direction under Gabriela Hearst, everyone wants to be a #ChloeGirl.

Legendary ballet dancer and entertainer Wayne Sleep looks back on the extraordinary times he's lived through, always at the centre of the glitz and glamour of celebrity life, yet always too an outsider.

The comprehensive collection of letters spanning the adult life of one of the world's greatest storytellers, now revised and expanded to include more than 150 previously unseen letters, with revealing new insights into The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion.

#17 on the PW Bestseller Trade Paper Frontlist Growing up amid addiction and chaos in a Minnesota trailer park, Tyler Zed and his two brothers broke the cycle of abuse and forged a different path.

It's time to (finally) believe that your value comes from within.What would you do if you-the true you-were enough? What if the key to a life of freedom and joy is found in learning how to love yourself well and embracing all your flaws and mistakes, so that you can share your inner sparkle and vulnerability, like a dazzling diamond catching the brightest sunlight?Maybe We're All Diamonds is the story of a woman stepping out from a past full of self-abandonment and toxic relationships and into a life overflowing with purpose, love, and honesty. Ashley Robyn is living proof of how embracing the ugly mess and chaos of life can bring meaning and clarity that leads to true freedom. She offers a fresh perspective of choosing self-acceptance over fear, honesty over manipulation, and kindness over control so that people can see love where they did not before.This book is for anyone who is ready to stop asking "Why me?" and begin the journey to heal their trauma. It's for the daughter struggling to navigate difficult relationships with her parents, for the wife who suffers quietly in a lonely marriage, for the mother who wants better for her children. Anyone who has ever faced life's challenges and disappointments will find inspiration in these pages to dig deep and discover true beauty and strength they never knew existed within themselves.Ashley Robyn is an expert on dysfunctional family dynamics because she lived through them. She is an artist, a stand-up comedy lover, a living room dancer, and a connector of people. She enjoys cultivating a community of kind hearts and good vibes through the simple act of sharing words the same way friends share coffee. Graciously, sincerely, and with love. Connect with Ashley at ShareLoveEverywhere.com.

INSTANT NATIONAL BESTSELLERThis authentic and dynamic memoir from the CEO of Kendra Scott Jewelry delivers inspiration, leadership lessons, and spellbinding storytelling.For twenty years, Kendra Scott built her eponymous jewelry company from a hobby and an idea into a company worth more than a billion dollars, creating beautiful and affordable pieces with signature-cut natural gemstones packaged in a sunny yellow box. By any measure, she's the woman who has it all: a self-made billionaire, a generous philanthropist, and a mother of three with a squad of strong female friendships.Sounds pretty perfect, right?But perfection is a myth that doesn't serve any of us. A myth that encourages us to assume that we know what other people are going through, to judge each other on appearances and reputations, to present the best versions of ourselves and pretend like we've got it all together even when everything is falling apart. Perfection isn't just a lie, it's exhausting, and Kendra is tired of it.In this vulnerable, wise, and laugh-out-loud book, Kendra takes us on a journey of personal stories and hard-earned life lessons, from her humble beginnings as an awkward, bullied young girl in small-town Wisconsin to launching a business in her spare bedroom with $500. With every pitfall, misstep, and failure, Kendra builds a life-and a career-rooted in joy, purpose, and doing good, a life she wants for every reader.With heart and humor, Kendra reminds us that not all that glitters is gold, and that there is no level of success that can insulate you from what it means to be a human being: that life is as messy as it is magical, that bad things happen to good people for no good reason, and that a good life does not mean a perfect one.