I confess...

to not reading a lot of non-fiction. When I do read outside my "fiction comfort zone", I usually chose a memoir, an autobiography or a biography because I enjoy reading about other people's lives. For those of you that have the same interest, there are some good books in this genre for summer reading.

For you foodies, there are two titles that come to mind. A Season to Taste, by Molly Birnbaum, is the story of a chef who lost her sense of smell due to an accident and how she copes with the disability. A collective memoir, Man with a Pan, edited by John Donohue, features essays by 21 famous chefs on their adventures in the kitchen cooking for their families.

If you're not traveling to "the Continent" this summer, we have some books that will take you there. In, The Sinner's Grand Tour, author Tony Perrottet takes us on a rather bizarre, x-rated trip through Europe. Set in London and France, The House in France, by Gully Wells, explores the lives of the rich and famous during the 1960's. For true crime fans, there's Violette Noziere, a Story of Murder in 1930s Paris, by Sarah Maza, an historical work that chronicles an attempted "double parricide".

These three books should satisfy the history buffs. Brothers, Rivals, Victors, by Jonathan Jordan, describes the relationship between the most important American generals, Eisenhower, Patton and Bradley, during World War II. The surprisingly complicated life of Noah Webster is narrated in The Forgotten Founding Father, by Joshua Kendall. Michael Wallis exposes the reader to the true tale of the "king of the wild frontier" in the engaging biography, David Crockett, Lion of the West. 

Back to my confession...my last two non-fiction reads were the bestsellers, Unbroken, by Laura Hillenbrand and The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, by Rebecca Skloot. If you haven't gotten to them yet, I recommend them highly!

Please recommend some of your favorite memoirs, autobiographies or biographies by commenting -