5 of the best memoirs to read in 2025
Plus a gamechanging non-fiction recco
Hello! If you’re new here, welcome. I’m Laura, a writer and podcast host. I wrote the novel Single Bald Female, I write and edit for Waitrose Food and I host the Breast Cancer Now Podcast and my own podcast Life in Food with Laura Price.
I’ve been dealing with breast cancer in some shape of form since 2012 and now live with stage four cancer, so this newsletter contains musings about breast cancer, books, food and, most importantly, inspiration to make the most of this short shot at life we’ve been given.
I’m working up to sharing some vulnerable writing about grief, social media and the weird place I inhabit between life and death, so stay tuned for that. But for now, I wanted to share a few of my favourite books of 2024.
TOP MEMOIRS
A great memoir, in my opinion, must contain pain and a splash of humour. If the author has narrated it, I love to listen to the audiobook instead of reading it on paper. That way, I get through more books as I can ‘read’ even while being forced to stand up on a crowded train. These are my favourite non-fiction books of the year.
Between Two Kingdoms by Suleika Jaouad
You’ll like this if you love: Glittering a Turd by Kris Hallenga
Suleika was going through treatment for acute myeloid leukaemia back in 2012 when I was first diagnosed with breast cancer, so she has always been on my radar. She captures more brilliantly than any book I’ve read since Glittering a Turd the heartache of having your life interrupted by cancer in your 20s. It’s a tough read but a must-read, and her writing is utterly captivating. Suleika also runs the brilliant Isolation Journals.
Lucky by Louise Thompson
You’ll like this if you love: Made in Chelsea
Former MiC star Louise was your typical fitness influencer with an enviable lifestyle, until she had her son and nearly died in childbirth. Three years later, she lives with a stoma bag, thanks to many, many complications, and the book tells of her various harrowing experiences. Louise is a brilliant example of a celebrity/influencer who is now really helping others through her relatable story, and I highly recommend her book.
Strong Female Character by Fern Brady
You’ll like this if you love: Comedy!
Scottish comedian Fern Brady writes brilliantly about being diagnosed with autism in adulthood, and the difficulties she faced growing up without that diagnosis. It is as funny as it is fascinating, and I really recommend listening to the audiobook.
No One Talks About This Stuff edited by Kat Brown
You’ll like this if you love: Beyond Grief by Pippa Vosper
Not so much a memoir as a collection of short memoirs, this book is a series of stories of baby loss, infertility, grief and almost-parenthood from 22 different writers. It’s incredibly powerful. Before the book was published, I had a fascinating chat with Kat for my podcast, which you can listen to here. We talked about everything from her diagnosis of ADHD and binge eating disorder to finding comfort in mashed potato and M&S trifle.
Dancing in the Rain by Amy Dowden
You’ll like this if you love: Strictly Come Dancing
Before reading this book, all I knew about Amy Dowden was that she’s a dancer on Strictly who has had breast cancer. After meeting her through the breast cancer charity CoppaFeel!, I decided to read her memoir and quickly realised there’s so much more to her than dancing. She’s overcome a lot of challenges to get to where she is, and being diagnosed with breast cancer was just another massive challenge after a childhood spent in and out of hospital dealing with Crohn’s disease. It’s a beautiful book and I absolutely recommend listening to Amy’s dulcet Welsh tones on the audiobook.
TOP NON-FICTION
Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara
You’ll like this if you love: The Bear*
Will Guidara was one of the first restaurateurs I met when I started working for The World’s 50 Best Restaurants organisation over a decade ago. His New York fine dining spot, Eleven Madison Park, worked its way up to being named the World’s Best Restaurant in 2017 and its success was, in my opinion, very much down to his completely unique hospitality (I once interviewed him about serving Cheez-Its in the restaurant). After splitting from his business partner and leaving the restaurant in 2019, he wrote this book, ostensibly about creating unforgettable hospitality, but it’s so much more than that. Whether or not you work in restaurants, it will teach you about simply talking to people and making them feel special, whether they’re strangers or the people you love the most.
*Will Guidara is a co-producer on the hit TV show starring Jeremy Allen White.
THE ONE I’M MOST EXCITED TO READ
In Writing by Hattie Crisell
You’ll like this if you love: Writing
I spent lockdown walking through Lloyd Park in Croydon with my headphones in, listening to Hattie Crisell’s interviews with some of my favourite writers. I think every writer in the world needs a bit of a kick up the arse sometimes and in my case listening to podcasts about writing is the best way to motivate myself. Fortunately, now Hattie has transformed her podcast into a book, with plenty of new material too. I started reading last night and can’t wait to read on.
If you’d like to buy any of the books I’ve mentioned in this post while also supporting independent book shops and authors, you can visit my shop on Bookshop.org.
Now, book-procrastination over, I’ll soon be sharing some breast-cancer-related writing, so do stay tuned if you’d like to read that. And let me know if you’ve read any of the books in this list!
Amy Dowden's book is currently on my TBR pile!
Also excited to read In Writing - and had totally forgotten about that podcast so thanks for the reminder to dive back in! 📚