Be Ready When the Luck Happens: A Memoir
After 13 essential cookbooks, Ina Garten finally penned her first memoir this year. Within Be Ready When the Luck Happens are details on a childhood she has called “difficult,” an account of how she left her job as a budget analyst for the White House to run a specialty foods store in Westhampton called Barefoot Contessa, and her decades-long love story with Jeffrey.
Cher: The Memoir, Part One
As T&C wrote in our fall books preview, “A woman as formidable as Cher deserves more than one memoir.” The first part of her memoir came out this November (part two is coming next year) and details Cher’s childhood, her difficult relationship with her mother, and how she turned her dreams of becoming famous into a reality. Part one also dives into Cher meeting and marrying Sonny Bono, and their eventual split.
You Never Know: A Memoir
“I said, if I can’t write something that’s entertaining, I’m not going to write a memoir,” actor Tom Selleck told T&C about finally writing his story. “I don’t want to do a tell all; I don’t want to do a book to get even; I don’t want to do a political book. What’s left? Hopefully that people will find a rather long journey, that they thought happened overnight, interesting!” In You Never Know, he writes about his unconventional path into acting, his years on Magnum, P.I., and everything in between. Read an interview with Tom Selleck, here.
A Very Private School: A Memoir
Princess Diana’s brother, Charles Spencer, delves into his time at Maidwell Hall boarding school in his new memoir. “I spent five years of my childhood in this school, trying to crack the code by which it lived. Now, forty-five years on, I think I’m finally there. I’m writing this book before my memories of half a century ago tip over into that chasm of forgetfulness that shadows old age,” Spencer said in a statement announcing the book.
Read more: The Best New Royal Books of 2024
Connie: A Memoir
In 1969, Connie Chung landed a job at a TV station in her hometown of Washington, DC. She was the shy, 23-year-old youngest daughter of Chinese immigrants, but it wasn’t long before she began her remarkable ascent, landing a job as correspondent for CBS, the first of many achievements that ultimately included a much lauded run as the first woman co-anchor of the CBS Evening News. Chung’s skills as a reporter and storyteller—as well as her legendary sense of humor—come through brilliantly in this memoir that describes the many challenges and joys she faced during her stellar career.
What I Ate in One Year: (and related thoughts)
Stanley Tucci has always been a food lover, especially Italian cuisine. In his new memoir, he documents 12 months of meals—on film sets (including in Italy for Conclave), at home, traveling, and more. “In writing this account of dishes I have eaten, cooked and shared with friends and family over the course of a year, I wanted to pay homage to the central role that food plays in my life, and also acknowledge its power to shape who we are and connect us,” he said.
From Here to the Great Unknown: A Memoir
In 2022, Lisa Marie Presley asked her daughter, Riley Keough, to help her finish her memoir. Sadly, she passed away a month later, but Riley decided to still finish her project, using voice recordings her mom had left. As the publisher notes, “This extraordinary book is written in both Lisa Marie’s and Riley’s voices, a mother and daughter communicating—from this world to the one beyond—as they try to heal each other.”
Dinner for Vampires: Life on a Cult TV Show (While also in an Actual Cult!)
You may recognize Bethany Joy Lenz from her role on One Tree Hill, but what fans at the time didn’t know was that at the same time she was playing Haley, she was trapped in a religious cult. “This isn’t the first book I thought I’d write, publicly, but as difficult as this subject matter is to untangle, I’m grateful I get to share my story, my way,” Lenz shared. “It’s a story of forgiveness and a roadmap to how manipulation works, with heartache and humor along the way. We all make mistakes and I hope Dinner for Vampires reminds you that, no matter what weird roads you’ve gone down, you’re not alone.”
The Friday Afternoon Club: A Family Memoir
Viewfinder: A Memoir of Seeing and Being Seen
Jon M. Chu is having a very, very big year, thanks to the debut of Wicked (part one) in theaters in November. He also released his debut memoir this summer, where he shares the story of growing up as a first-generation Chinese American in Silicon Valley, working at his parents’ restaurant before attending USC, and making his way to become one of the most lauded directors of his generation.
The Third Gilmore Girl
What are some of Kelly Bishop’s favorite moments throughout her career? Was it winning the Tony Award for A Chorus Line? Or her performance in Dirty Dancing? What about her role in Gilmore Girls? In her new memoir, Bishop candidly shares her triumphs and tribulations that made her into the celebrated figure she is today.
Sonny Boy: A Memoir
Not every star who releases a memoir truly has a story to tell. Al Pacino, however, most certainly does. Here, the legendary star of The Godfather, Serpico, and Dog Day Afternoon pulls back the curtain on his upbringing, his life in the avant-garde New York theater scene, and his eventual explosion onto the big screen. With wit, warmth, and candor, Pacino recalls the ups and downs of his life in and out of the pictures, and paints a portrait of just the sort of complicated, driven, creative type you’d expect to exist behind his iconic performances.
Master of Me: The Secret to Controlling Your Narrative
Lauren Keyana Palmer—better known as Keke Palmer—wrote a memoir slash inspirational guide in Master of Me. Her breakout role came as a child star in Akeelah and the Bee back in 2006, and she doesn’t hold back on describing her journey though Hollywood. “This book is serving Performance, Power, and Purpose, honey—the holy trinity of getting your life together. But don’t take my word for it, I laid it all out in the book so you can snatch these gems yourself,” she posted on Instagram.
Coming Home
On February 17, 2022, Brittney Griner’s life changed. She had arrived in Moscow for the WNBA offseason, but she was detained for traveling with hash oil. With Coming Home, she works with co-writer Michelle Burford to tell, for the first time, her nightmarish experience in Russian detention. She spent 293 days incarcerated, and was released as part of a prisoner swap. It’s a powerful, remarkable story—one that Brittney should never have had to live through.
Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent
Dame Judi Dench’s memoir isn’t your classic celebrity tome; rather, she focuses in on her experience with Shakespeare, detailing every Shakespearean role she has played throughout her seven-decade career, from Lady Macbeth to Cleopatra. It’s a love letter to the Bard, yes, but also an insightful look at one of the most lauded actresses of our generation.
Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions: My Fortysomething Years in Hollywood
Ed Zwick has had a long, storied career on screen, directing and producing projects such as Shakespeare in Love. Now, he’s sharing one of the most remarkable stories of all, his own, on the page. This funny, insightful, and deliciously dishy memoir covers the highs and lows of life in Hollywood, recalls the superstars and psychopaths who’ve crossed Zwick’s path, and shares the all-too-rare truth about what really happens behind the scenes of one of the world’s most glamorous industries.
Read more: T&C‘s Best Books of 2024
When You See My Mother, Ask Her to Dance: Poems
Singer-songwriter Joan Baez’s collection of autobiographical poems, When You See My Mother, Ask Her to Dance, is one of the more creative new celebrity memoirs of 2024. “These poems about my life, my family, my passions for nature and art, piled up in notebooks and on scraps of paper over the years. Now they’re yours to read,” she shared.
Who’s That Girl?: A Memoir
Rapper Eve, born Eve Jihan Cooper, made her solo debut in 1999 with Let There Be Eve…Ruff Ryders’ First Lady. In her memoir, Who’s That Girl, co-written with Kathy Iandoli, she details her childhood in West Philadelphia, the struggles she faced as a woman in the male-dominated rap industry, the experiences making her four albums, and her recent family life and fertility struggles. For rap and hip-hop fans, it’s a can’t miss memoir.
Over the Influence: A Memoir
In the mid-2000s, JoJo was a huge star. After signing a record deal at 12, she released two albums, starred in Aquamarine, but then seemingly out of the blue, she stepped out of the spotlight. In her memoir Over the Influence, she reveals—in vulnerable and candid fashion—what happened since we last saw JoJo. “Making it to my 30s is a gift, for making it through my 20s,” she told Variety.
Zodiac: A Graphic Memoir
The only graphic memoir on this list is fittingly one by famed artist Ai Weiwei. Teaming up with Italian comic artist Gianluca Costantini, Weiwei tells his life, family, and career through the twelve signs of the Chinese zodiac. It serves as a sequel to sorts to his 2021 prose memoir, 1000 Years of Joys and Sorrows, but it goes beyond just Weiwei’s story.
He also doesn’t think of it as a memoir. “The idea was to gather things from my memory, like a timeline, and offer mystical stories from China’s past. I explained it as a mix of memory and mythology,” he told the NYT. “We thought this would relate not just my experience but general knowledge for whoever was interested. It’s a story with so much related to my situation that the publisher called it a memoir, but it’s not. Memory is subjective. We choose some things to remember and lots to forget.”
Emily Burack (she/her) is the Senior News Editor for Town & Country, where she covers entertainment, celebrities, the royals, and a wide range of other topics. Before joining T&C, she was the deputy managing editor at Hey Alma, a Jewish culture site. Follow her @emburack on Twitter and Instagram.
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