Book Suggestions If You Need Something To Read

I’m always trying to find a good book to read, but sometimes those books that I think would be a good read aren’t as good as they seem to be. I try and go for thrillers, true crime or horror/paranormal, but every once in a while I like something that is a little more real life.

I wouldn’t say memoirs and autobiographies are a favorite genre. I’ve tried to read some in the past, but I couldn’t get past the first few pages, but there are others memoirs where I couldn’t put down.

Here are a few memoirs/non-fiction books I suggest if you need something to read in the new year. Some of them are dark and heartbreaking, but this wouldn’t be a mental health blog if I didn’t recommend some reading material.

The Mother of All Degrassi: A Memoir by Linda Schuyler

When a young schoolteacher decides to teach her Grade 8 class about filmmaking and creates a documentary that ends up being broadcast internationally, she sets in motion a career of storytelling for an age group largely ignored by TV executives … and creates one of the most-loved television franchises of all time.

As someone who grew up watching Degrassi, this book was an interesting read. I knew stuff about the show, but I didn’t know a lot of it so this was an eye opener on how much work Linda Schuyler put into the show.

Cher: Part One: The Memoir by Cher

Cher: The Memoir, Part One follows her extraordinary beginnings through childhood to meeting and marrying Sonny Bono—and reveals the highly complicated relationship that made them world-famous, but eventually drove them apart.

I knew that Sonny was you know, Sonny, but I didn’t realize how bad he was until this book. You feel bad for Cher and how hard she fell for Sonny. She cared for him and it makes you wonder if she hadn’t met him, would she be where she is today.

Friends, Lovers and The Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry

Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing is an unforgettable memoir that is both intimate and eye-opening—as well as a hand extended to anyone struggling with sobriety. Unflinchingly honest, moving, and uproariously funny, this is the book fans have been waiting for.

This book hits hard now that Matthew is gone. It brings a whole new meaning to his story and the way he wanted to help people. I wish Matthew saw the impact that he left on people. He didn't want FRIENDS to be thing people remembered him for, he wanted to be known as the guy who helped people.

Hidden Valley Road by Robert Kolke

The heartrending story of a mid-century American family with twelve children, six of them diagnosed with schizophrenia, that became science's great hope in the quest to understand the disease.

I couldn’t imagine having what the family went through knowing that 6 of their 12 kids had mental health struggles. They had the same diagnosis, but each of them had a different experience. It’s heartbreaking.

The Castle on Sunset: Life, Death, Love, Art, and Scandal at Hollywood's Chateau Marmont by Shawn Levy

Since 1929, Hollywood’s brightest stars have flocked to the Chateau Marmont as if it were a second home. An apartment building-turned-hotel, the Chateau has been the backdrop for generations of gossip and folklore: where director Nicholas Ray slept with his sixteen-year-old Rebel Without a Cause star Natalie Wood; Jim Morrison swung from the balconies; John Belushi suffered a fatal overdose; and Lindsay Lohan got the boot after racking up nearly $50,000 in charges in less than two months.

Being a fan of John Belushi and knowing where he spent the last few days of his life is sad, especially with everything he left behind, but learning more about the history of where he passed brings new light into why celebrities spent time there. If only those walls could talk.

Some people just have interesting lives and it makes you wonder if they didn't go through their experiences, would they be where they are today?

If you have read any of these books, let me know what you think of them.