Recommendations based on Below Stairsby Margaret Powell

* statistically, based on millions of data-points provided by fellow humans

  1. MWF Seeking BFF: My Yearlong Search For A New Best Friend

    by Rachel Bertsche
    A memoir chronicling the author's quest to find a new best friend after moving to a new city and getting married.

    When Rachel Bertsche first moves to Chicago, she’s thrilled to finally share a zip code, let alone an apartment, with her boyfriend. But shortly after getting married, Bertsche realizes that her new ... (Barnes & Noble)

  2. Orange Is the New Black

    by Piper Kerman
    A memoir of a woman's experiences in prison, exploring the effects of incarceration.

    With her career, live-in boyfriend and loving family, Piper Kerman barely resembles the rebellious young woman who got mixed up with drug runners and delivered a suitcase of drug money to Europe over ... (Goodreads)

  3. All Things Bright and Beautiful

    by James Herriot
    A heartwarming memoir of a veterinarian's journey in the Yorkshire countryside.

    A tie-in to the upcoming PBS Masterpiece series and Christmas special., The second volume in the multimillion copy bestselling series. Millions of readers have delighted in the wonderful storytelling ... (Barnes & Noble)

  4. Sh*t My Dad Says

    by Justin Halpern
    Collection of humorous musings and witticisms from an elderly father.

    After being dumped by his longtime girlfriend, twenty-eight-year-old Justin Halpern found himself living at home with his seventy-three-year-old dad. Sam Halpern, who is "like Socrates, but angrier, ... (Goodreads)

  5. Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?

    by Mindy Kaling
    Humorous memoir reflecting on Mindy Kaling's life and career.

    Mindy Kaling has lived many lives: the obedient child of immigrant professionals, a timid chubster afraid of her own bike, a Ben Affleck - impersonating Off-Broadway performer and playwright, and, ... (Goodreads)

  6. Command and Control: Nuclear Weapons, the Damascus Accident, and the Illusion of Safety

    by Eric Schlosser
    An exploration of nuclear weapon safety and the risk of catastrophic accidents.

    A myth-shattering exposé of America’s nuclear weapons Famed investigative journalist Eric Schlosser digs deep to uncover secrets about the management of America’s nuclear arsenal. A groundbreaking ... (Goodreads)

  7. Mastering the Art of French Cooking

    by Julia Child
    Step-by-step guide to creating French cuisine, with accessible instructions and helpful tips.

    For over fifty years, New York Times bestseller Mastering the Art of French Cooking has been the definitive book on the subject for American readers. Featuring 524 delicious recipes, in its pages ... (Goodreads)

  8. Lucky

    by Alice Sebold
    A young woman's story of survival and resilience after being violently attacked.

    In a memoir hailed for its searing candor and wit, Alice Sebold reveals how her life was utterly transformed when, as an eighteen-year-old college freshman, she was brutally raped and beaten in a ... (Goodreads)

  9. Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking

    by Susan Cain
    An exploration of the power of introversion, examining the implications of modern society's emphasis on extroversion.

    The book that started the Quiet Revolution, At least one-third of the people we know are introverts. They are the ones who prefer listening to speaking; who innovate and create but dislike ... (Goodreads)

  10. The Midwife: A Memoir of Birth, Joy, and Hard Times

    by Jennifer Worth
    A midwife's story of bringing life into the world and the joys and struggles of living in poverty-stricken East London.

    At the age of twenty-two, Jennifer Worth leaves her comfortable home to move into a convent and become a midwife in post war London's East End slums. The colorful characters she meets while ... (Goodreads)

  11. The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon

    by David Grann
    Exploring the mysteries of a long-lost Amazonian civilization and an adventurer's obsessive quest to uncover its secrets.

    A grand mystery reaching back centuries. A sensational disappearance that made headlines around the world. A quest for truth that leads to death, madness or disappearance for those who seek to solve ... (Goodreads)

  12. Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity

    by Katherine Boo
    Explores the lives of the people living in Mumbai's slums and the harsh realities they face.

    From Pulitzer Prize-winner Katherine Boo, a landmark work of narrative nonfiction that tells the dramatic and sometimes heartbreaking story of families striving toward a better life in one of the ... (Goodreads)

  13. At Home: A Short History of Private Life

    by Bill Bryson
    An exploration of the extraordinary and often overlooked history of the home.

    “Houses aren’t refuges from history. They are where history ends up.” Bill Bryson and his family live in a Victorian parsonage in a part of England where nothing of any great significance has ... (Goodreads)

  14. Martha Stewart's Cookies: The Very Best Treats to Bake and to Share

    by Martha Stewart
    A comprehensive guide to baking cookies with over 175 recipes, tips, and techniques from the queen of home cooking.

    A perfect Mother’s Day gift! Cookies are the treat that never disappoints. Whether you’re baking for a party or a picnic, a formal dinner or a family supper– or if you simply want something on hand ... (Goodreads)

  15. You'll Grow Out of It

    by Jessi Klein
    A collection of humorous essays about the author's journey from tomboy to womanhood.

    From Emmy award-winning comedy writer Jessi Klein,, You'll Grow Out of It, hilariously and candidly explores the journey of the 21st-century woman. As both a tomboy and a late bloomer, comedian Jessi ... (Barnes & Noble)

  16. She Said Yes: The Unlikely Martyrdom of Cassie Bernall

    by Misty Bernall
    The story of Cassie Bernall, a victim of the Columbine High School shooting, and her unwavering faith in the face of tragedy.

    In a perverse celebration of Hitler's birthday, two heavily armed students stormed through a Colorado school on April 20, 1999, killing as many people as they could. Confronting 17-year-old Cassie ... (Goodreads)

  17. Henry VIII: The King and His Court

    by Alison Weir
    A detailed account of the life and reign of Henry VIII, focusing on his court and the people who surrounded him.

    Henry VIII, renowned for his command of power and celebrated for his intellect, presided over one of the most magnificent–and dangerous–courts in Renaissance Europe. Never before has a detailed, ... (Goodreads)

  18. How Starbucks Saved My Life: A Son of Privilege Learns to Live Like Everyone Else

    by Michael Gates Gill
    A wealthy advertising executive loses everything and finds redemption working at Starbucks.

    In his fifties, Michael Gates Gill had it all: a big house in the suburbs, a loving family, and a top job at an ad agency with a six-figure salary. By the time he turned sixty, he had lost everything ... (Goodreads)

  19. Naked

    by David Sedaris
    Collection of humorous essays exploring the absurdities of everyday life.

    Welcome to the hilarious, strange, elegiac, outrageous world of David Sedaris. In Naked , Sedaris turns the mania for memoir on its proverbial ear, mining the exceedingly rich terrain of his life, ... (Goodreads)

  20. Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal

    by Eric Schlosser
    An exploration of the industrial food system and its effects on U.S. society.

    Fast food has hastened the malling of our landscape, widened the chasm between rich and poor, fueled an epidemic of obesity, and propelled American cultural imperialism abroad. That's a lengthy list ... (Goodreads)

  21. Nerd Do Well

    by Simon Pegg
    Autobiography of Simon Pegg, detailing his journey from a nerdy kid to a successful actor and writer.

    Zombies in North London, death cults in the West Country, the engineering deck of the Enterprise: Simon Pegg has been ploughing some bizarre furrows in recent times. Having blasted onto the small ... (Goodreads)

  22. The King's Speech: How One Man Saved the British Monarchy

    by Mark Logue
    The story of King George VI's struggle with stuttering and how his speech therapist helped him overcome it during a crucial time in history.

    One man saved the British Royal Family in the first decades of the 20th century - he wasn't a prime minister or an archbishop of Canterbury. He was an almost unknown, and self-taught, speech ... (Goodreads)

  23. Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis

    by J.D. Vance
    An exploration of the struggles of working-class Americans, and the power of family and culture to shape one's life.

    Hillbilly Elegy is a passionate and personal analysis of a culture in crisis—that of white working-class Americans. The disintegration of this group, a process that has been slowly occurring now for ... (Goodreads)

  24. I Will Always Write Back: How One Letter Changed Two Lives

    by Caitlin Alifirenka
    True story of the meaningful friendship between an American teen and a girl from Zimbabwe, sparked by a letter.

    The true story of an all-American girl and a boy from an impoverished city in Zimbabwe and the letter that changed both of their lives forever. It started as an assignment. Everyone in Caitlin's ... (Goodreads)

  25. When Rabbit Howls

    by Truddi Chase
    A true story of a woman with dissociative identity disorder, detailing her 92 personalities and the trauma that caused them.

    Truddi Chase began therapy to discover why she suffered from blackouts. What surfaced was terrifying: she was inhabited by 'the Troops'-92 individual personalities. This groundbreaking true story is ... (Goodreads)

  26. Women, Food and God: An Unexpected Path to Almost Everything

    by Geneen Roth
    A journey to spiritual discovery through mindful eating and understanding of the connection between food and the soul.

    Roth began exploring emotional eating in her bestseller When Food Is Love . Now, two decades later, here is her masterwork: WOMEN FOOD AND GOD . The way you eat is inseparable from your core beliefs ... (Goodreads)

  27. The Astronaut Wives Club

    by Lily Koppel
    The story of the women who supported America's early space program, showing strength and resilience.

    As America's Mercury Seven astronauts were launched on death-defying missions, television cameras focused on the brave smiles of their young wives. Overnight, these women were transformed from ... (Goodreads)

  28. Anne Frank: The Biography

    by Melissa Müller
    A detailed account of Anne Frank's life, from her childhood to her tragic death in a concentration camp.

    Vollständig überarbeitete, um unbekanntes Material erweiterte Neuausgabe der maßgeblichen Biographie Anne Franks.Melissa Müllers fesselnde Biographie der Anne Frank erregte Ende der 1990er Jahre ... (Goodreads)

  29. Elizabeth the Queen: The Life of a Modern Monarch

    by Sally Bedell Smith
    A comprehensive biography of Queen Elizabeth II, from her childhood to her reign as the longest-reigning monarch in British history.

    NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Perfect for fans of The Crown , this magisterial biography of Queen Elizabeth II is a close-up view of the woman we’ve known only from a distance—and a captivating window ... (Goodreads)

  30. The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals

    by Michael Pollan
    Exploration of the modern food chain, examining the impact of food choices on our health and the environment.

    What should we have for dinner? The question has confronted us since man discovered fire, but according to Michael Pollan, the bestselling author of The Botany of Desire , how we answer it today, at ... (Goodreads)