2023 has already been a big year for memoirs, and there is more to come! Memoirs are a powerful way for individuals to share their unique life experiences and perspectives with the world. We are exploring some of the most captivating memoirs released or releasing this year, each providing a glimpse into the lives of individuals who have overcome challenges, achieved great success, or experienced extraordinary adventures.

From heartfelt personal stories to insightful cultural commentaries, these memoirs offer a range of perspectives that are sure to inspire, entertain, and educate readers. So, let's dive in and discover some of the most compelling memoirs of 2023!

Out Now

Did I Ever Tell You This? Sam Neill

In this unexpected memoir, written in a creative burst of just a few months in 2022, Sam Neill tells the story of how he became one of the world’s most celebrated actors, who has worked with everyone from Meryl Streep to Isabel Adjani, from Jeff Goldblum to Sean Connery, from Steven Spielberg to Jane Campion. Did I Ever Tell You This? is a joy to read, a marvellous and often very funny book, the work of a natural storyteller who is a superb observer of other people, and who writes with love and warmth about his family. It is also his account of his life outside film, especially in Central Otago where he established Two Paddocks, his vineyard famous for its pinot noir. See more

Tales Of A Vet Nurse Jade Pengelly

You never know who or what is going to walk, crawl or slither through the doors of veterinary hospital and there is never a dull day in the life of a vet nurse. As the people who care for them around the clock, vet nurses are uniquely placed to speak for their patients and help us understand what our pets are going through. From emergency shifts at a posh London practice to a busy country hospital treating all manner of wildlife – snakes, foxes, hedgehogs – to working with equine-surgeons and teaching the art of care to new generations of vet nurses in New Zealand, Tales of a Vet Nurse is about a life devoted to saving our beloved and unconditional friends. See more

Spare Harry

It was one of the most searing images of the twentieth century: two young boys, two princes, walking behind their mother's coffin as the world watched in sorrow – and horror. As Diana, Princess of Wales, was laid to rest, billions wondered what the princes must be thinking and feeling – and how their lives would play out from that point on. For Harry, this is that story at last. With its raw, unflinching honesty, Spare is a landmark publication full of insight, revelation, self-examination, and hard-won wisdom about the eternal power of love over grief. See more

Paris, the memoir Paris Hilton

Paris Hilton is the world's most recognizable influencer, an international entrepreneur, media pioneer, film and television star, social media innovator, and celebrity branding expert. Now, with courage, honesty, and humour, Paris Hilton is ready to take stock, place it all in context and share her story with the world. Paris: The Memoir tracks the evolution of celebrity culture through the story of the figure at its leading edge, full of defining moments and marquee names. Most important, Paris shows us her path to peace while she challenges us to question our role in her story and in our own. Welcome to Paris. See more

A Forager's Life Helen Lehndorf

When Helen moves to the city after a childhood living off the land in Taranaki, she can't help but feel different. She finds solace in long walks foraging weeds and plants along the river, but something inside her still longs for home. Chasing a feeling of ancestral belonging, she travels to England with her new husband. There they learn about nature as the commons. An unexpected pregnancy changes everything, and motherhood takes over Helen's identity. When her son is diagnosed with autism, foraging becomes a space for selfhood in a chaotic world. Weaving memoir with foraging recipes, principles and practices, A Forager's Life is an intimate story and a promise that, with the right frame of mind, much can be made of the world around us. See more

Love, Pamela Pamela Anderson

In this honest, layered and unforgettable book that alternates between storytelling and her own poetry, Pamela Anderson breaks the mould of the celebrity memoir while taking back the tale that has been crafted about her. Her blond bombshell image was ubiquitous in the 1990s. Discovered in the stands of a football game, she was immediately rocket launched into fame, becoming Playboy's favourite cover girl and an emblem of Hollywood glamour and sexuality. But what happens when you lose grip on your own life – and the image the notoriety machine creates for you is not who you really are? See more

The Queen's Wife Joanne Drayton

In 1989, two married women met by chance. They instantly hit it off, but little did they know that their new relationship would turn their lives upside-down. This is the true story of that relationship, which threatened to cost them their children, families and friends and forced them to reassess their sexuality, identity and heritage. Against the odds, the couple’s new life together became rich in laughter, travel, unusual encounters, investigations into Viking raids, the Kingitanga movement, the death of a New Zealand artist, chicken claws, ghosts, eccentrics and much more. A fascinating read on so many levels, this is an important view of our country from its very edge. See more

Coming Soon

Second Chances Hayley Holt | preorder for signed copy

In this vulnerable memoir, Hayley opens up about the self-doubt that eventually drove her to self-destruction. As her high-profile media career grew, she spent nights drinking, getting kicked out of clubs, and blacking out. She describes the scare that led her to Alcoholics Anonymous, her journey to sobriety, and a late-in-life ADHD diagnosis that brought everything into focus. Heartbreaking and life-affirming, filled with Hayley's wicked wit and charm, Second Chances is about hiding your true self, finding the courage to confront your mistakes, and learning that even the deepest pain can be followed by the greatest joy. See more

My Name is Barbra Barbra Streisand

Barbra Streisand is by any account a living legend, a woman who in a career spanning six decades has excelled in every area of entertainment. She is among the handful of EGOT winners (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony) and has one of the greatest and most recognizable voices in popular music. She has been nominated for a Grammy 46 times, and with Yentl she became the first woman to write, produce, direct, and star in a major motion picture. In My Name Is Barbra, she tells her own story about her life and extraordinary career, from growing up in Brooklyn to her first star-making appearances in New York nightclubs to her breakout performance in Funny Girl (musical and film) to the long string of successes in every medium in the years that followed.. See more

The Art of Winning Dan Carter

Honest, surprising and inspiring, The Art of Winning converts a legendary career into timeless lessons for readers in any walk of life. Step inside the unique culture of the All Blacks – and inside the mind of a legend. You might think success at the highest level insulates you from pressure and doubt. But nothing could be further from the truth. In this book, I take you inside a journey that has forced me to look inwardly in a way I've never had to before. It's been challenging, frustrating, rewarding and left me full of gratitude. I hope that my experience can spur you on to greater heights, and master the art of winning. See more

There's a Cure for This: A Memoir Emma Espiner

From Dr Emma Espiner comes this striking and profound debut memoir. Encompassing whanau, love, death, ‘90s action movies and scarfie drinking, There's a cure for this is Espiner's own story, from a childhood spent shuttling between a 'purple lesbian state house and a series of man-alone rentals’ to navigating parenthood on her own terms; from the quietly perceived inequities of her early life to hard-won revelations as a Maori medical student and junior doctor during the Covid-19 pandemic. Clear, irreverent and beautiful, this book offers a candid and moving examination of what it means to be human when it seems like nothing less than superhuman will do. See more

LeBron Jeff Benedict

To tell this epic story, Benedict has done exhaustive research, digging through thousands of pages of primary source documents, articles, books and hundreds of hours of video footage. He's also conducted hundreds of interviews with the people who were intimately involved with LeBron from the beginning of his life to the present. He shows the initial slow rise of a star that suddenly transformed into a speeding comet during his senior year of high school. It is a unique and unmissable insight into one of the world's greatest athletes. See more