Top Ten Tuesday - Jess #4

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week's category is the top ten books we'd recommend to a reader who haven't tried a specific genre.

You'll find out really quickly that I'm obsessed with autobiographies, particularly those from the 80's. So, for this week's category, I chose to list my top ten books that I'd recommend to someone who had never tried autobiographies/memoirs/etc.

1. Without You by Anthony Rapp: I read this years ago when I first became obsessed with Rent. It's a really great memoir for anyone who is even remotely interested in Broadway, musicals in general or gay youth. It's a really sad book for awhile, but I truly enjoyed it. 

2. Bossypants by Tina Fey: This pops up on a lot of autobiographical/memoir lists. Tina Fey is hysterical and this book is a clear picture of that. It's witty and funny and will keep you hooked from the first page. 

3. Coreyography by Corey Feldman: I am a gigantic fan of the two Coreys, so when I saw this, I bought it immediately. I am in love with this book. It is messy and scattered and not a "great" book by typical standards, but it is literally perfect in relation to the author and paints a really great picture of the after-effects that the 1980's had on stars. It's tragic and heartbreaking and I'm so happy that I own this book. 

4. It's So Easy (And Other Lies) by Duff McKagan: I have such a thing for Duff. I even named my first car after him. While it's definitely not the best memoir that I've ever read, it was certainly memorable and would be easily enjoyable for anyone who is a fan of his or Guns N Roses. 

5. Happy Accidents by Jane Lynch: This book is perfect for anyone who hasn't read much in this genre. Jane is a very well-written woman who tells a great story of her entire life in this book. I would recommend it to anyone. 

6. Makeup to Breakup: My Life in and out of KISS by Peter Criss: To be honest, I'm only about halfway through this book. But KISS is my favorite band, so I had to include this on my list. But the first scene of the book alone - the story of Criss' experience in an earthquake - is intense enough to encourage anyone to pick up this book. 

7. Slash by Slash: If I had to pick a favorite memoir, it'd be this one. It's one of the first musician memoirs that I ever read and it had me hooked from page one. It's such an excessive story that even if you don't like memoirs, you'll be totally engaged just by the stories he experienced. It's crazy. 

8. My Appetite for Destruction: Sex, Drugs and Guns N Roses by Steven Adler: This memoir actually had one of the most traumatic scenes for me ever. There is a part in which Adler's head is based against a hard floor during a drug induced fit and it really stuck with me. 

9. The Dirt: Confessions of the World's Most Notorious Rock Band by Motley Crue: I'm recommending this one because of the crazy elements in it. It has all the sex, drugs and rock n roll that you could want and imagine, but it's more than that. This book actually made me cry when Vince Neil describes his young daughters traumatic death. It's more than you'd think and that's so great to me. 

10. Tommyland by Tommy Lee: Motley Crue's drummer delivers a memorable memoir with great stories about his entire life. I'd definitely read this again and it's something I'd highly recommend to anyone who likes Tommy Lee or rock music in general.