Motivating Memoirs for the New Year

If you've made New Year's resolutions, you may find that it's tricky to stay motivated for the whole year. Well if you need some motivation inspiration, Carole Barrowman has you covered! Our book reviewer joins us to share four memoirs and a new novel that may help you keep motivated in the New Year with passion, tenacity and joy! For more information on Carole, visit BarrowmanBooks.com. And see below for her reviews: 1. "The Upside: A Memoir" by Abdel Sellou - The film version of this memoir actually beat “Aquaman” at the box office this past weekend. The film stars Kevin Hart as Sellou and Bryan Cranston as the wealthy man, a quadriplegic, to whom Hart becomes a companion. It’s a story of friendship between two men from very different backgrounds and how that friendship saved both of their livers. Doesn’t surprise me that Hart plays the author because this book has a lot of wit and heart (sorry, couldn’t resist). 2. "Poetry Will Save Your Life" by Jill Bialosky - I loved this unique memoir when I first read it. It’s organized around poems that helped the author understand important herself and her life in significant ways. She sets each chapter against 51 poems that explore experiences that we all share: love, loss, joy, family connections. The author’s unique voice and way of organizing this memoir also can introduce readers to some beautiful poetry… and we all should read more poetry! 3. "Girl, Wash Your Face" by Rachel Hollis - I re-read this memoir over the holidays, it resonated even more on a second read. Hollis is the kind of writer who makes you feel as if you’re having a coffee and a chat with her. This is a book about how to stop judging yourself, not listen to critics, and get on with things, and she gives lots of examples from her life to show you how to do that. 4. "The Year of Yes" by Shonda Rhimes - Say yes to being inspired by the writer and producer behind “Gray’s Anatomy,” “Scandal,” and lots of other TV shows. The title refers to saying “yes” to things that challenge or scare us. Take risks and be open to change. This memoir is about her personal life, her writing life, and the challenges she faced as an African-American woman in Hollywood reads with the same drama and passion as her shows. The book is out in paperback, but if you’d rather listen to the book on AUDIBLE.COM, Rhimes reads it herself. 5. "The Au Pair" by Emma Rous - I think any novel can have a character, a theme, or a story that can inspire us, and this one has it all and I couldn’t resist including this gripping suspense novel about finding hope and moving forward after a tragedy. Twins, Danny and Seraphine’s mother dies only days after they are born. Years later, Seraphine finds a family picture of their mom holding a baby, but it isn’t her or her brother. Who’s the baby and what really happened to their mom?