Supporting indie bookstores
Memoir vs. Autobiography: Do You Know the Difference?
Do you know the difference between an autobiography and a memoir? Well, these bookstores do!
Here’s some help:
An autobiography is a complete life story. The author relies more on research than on memory and the writing can be rather flat.
A memoir, on the other hand, focuses on one aspect of a life, creates a gripping story, and is (hopefully) told with mastery and beauty. A memoir is also often far more reflective. A memoirist doesn’t make things up - the book isn’t fiction - but acknowledges that memory can be fickle and that other people may remember the same event differently. A memoirist may change minor details, such as the date an event occurred, may create a conversation that they can’t remember word-for-word, and may “collapse” minor events into one another for clarity. A memoir usually reads like a great novel even though it’s nonfiction.
Photo from Parnassus Books in Nashville, TN
STATES a-I
Please support these bookstores with their amazing memoir sections!
ALABAMA:
Thank You Books. www.ThankYouBookshop.com. 205.202.3021. Birmingham
ARKANSAS:
Bookish. www.BookishFS.com. 479.434.8631. Fort Smith
Dickson Street Bookshop. www.DicksonStreetBooks.com. 479-442-8182. Fayetteville
CALIFORNIA:
Books Inc. www.BooksInc.net. 510.525.7777. Berkeley
Green Apple Books. www.GreenAppleBooks.com. 415-387-2272. San Francisco
COLORADO:
Poor Richard’s. www.PoorRichardsDowntown.com. 719.578.5549. Colorado Springs
West Side Books. www.WestSideBooks.com. 303.480.0220. Denver
Old Firehouse Books. www.OldFirehouseBooks.com. 970.484.7898. Fort Collins
CONNECTICUT
Books & Company. www.BooksandCoHamden.com. 203.248.9449. Hamden
FLORIDA:
Books and Books. www.BooksAndBooksSKW.com. 305.320.0208. Key West
IDAHO:
Book People of Moscow. www.BookPeopleOfMoscow.com. 208.882.2669. Moscow
ILLINOIS:
Volumes Bookcafe. www.VolumesBooks.com. 312-846-6750 and 773-697-8066. Chicago
Madison Street Books. www.MadStreetBooks.com. 312.929.4140. Chicago
IOWA:
Sidekick Coffee & Books. www.SidekickCoffeeBooks.com. 319.569.1010. Iowa City
Photo from Half Price Books in Dallas, TX. Check out their memoir section! Wow!
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KANSAS:
Eighth Day Books. www.EighthDayBooks.com. 316.683.9446. Wichita
KENTUCKY:
Carmichael’s Bookstore. www.CarmichaelsBookstore.com. 502.709.4900. Louisville
LOUISIANA:
Blue Cypress Books. www.BlueCypressBooks.com. 504.352.0096. New Orleans
MAINE:
Mockingbird Bookshop. www.MockingbirdBookshop.com. 207.389.4084. Bath
Twice-Told Tales. www.Facebook.com/Twice-Told-Tales. 207.725.8888. Brunswick
NEW HAMPSHIRE:
Gibson’s Bookstore. www.GibsonsBookstore.com. 603.224.0562. Concord
NEW JERSEY:
Booktowne, www.Booktowne.com. 732.722.7255. Manasquan
NEW MEXICO:
Amy’s Bookcase, www.AmysBookcase1.com. 505.327.4647. Farmington
TENNESSEE:
Parnassus Books. www.ParnassusBooks.net. 615.953.2243. Nashville
Photo from Blue Cypress Books in New Orleans, LA. Check out that memoir section! Buy a memoir today!