When Australian-born novelist Jane Alison was four years old, her family befriended an American family with whom they shared much in common: both families had two girls, both wives were beautiful, and both husbands were diplomats. Soon after, the families were torn apart when Alison's parents and the other couple traded partners; Alison, her sister, her mother, and her new father moved to America, while her biological father stayed in Australia with his new family. In The Sisters Antipodes, Alison recounts her family's fascinating story as well as the effects of her parents' actions on the rest of her life. "Mesmerizing...stunningly told," notes Kirkus Reviews.

Sharp-tongued writer and cultural critic Joe Queenan, whose work has appeared everywhere from GQ to The New York Times, has made a career for himself as a self-described "sneering churl." Now, in Closing Time, Queenan turns his biting wit on himself and his 1960s upbringing in a Philadelphia housing project. As Queenan reveals, his alcoholic father's volatile temper prompted him to seek out a series of mentors and surrogate fathers throughout his youth--and he even contemplated joining the priesthood. "Queenan at the top of his form--his best yet," says Kirkus Reviews.

In this charming memoir about her childhood and adult life both in and out of the kitchen, Molly Wizenberg, the creator of the award-winning Orangette blog, says that "everything interesting, everything good, seemed to happen when food was around." Among the varied topics that Wizenberg covers are her father's death from cancer and the chocolate cake she prepared for her wedding. Sprinkled throughout are recipes for such delectable eats as pickled carrots and banana bread with chocolate and ginger. Readers hungry for more foodie reads should check out Ruth Reichl's memoirs or Julie Powell's Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen.

Many of you may know Lee Woodruff from her work as a contributor on ABC's Good Morning America and as the wife of ABC News journalist Bob Woodruff, with whom she co-authored the 2007 memoir In an Instant: A Family's Journey of Love and Healing. Now, in Perfectly Imperfect, Lee writes about her life as a busy working mom of four kids with "age gaps greater than the drop at Splash Mountain." Funny, frank, and endearing, this memoir will appeal to all women who face the challenges of balancing motherhood, marriage, and work.

May 4, 1929. Iconic actress Audrey Hepburn was much loved by fans and film critics alike, but they'll never know her in the way that her son Sean Hepburn Ferrer did. In this moving portrait, Ferrer recounts his mother's personal life, acting career, and work as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF. Readers looking for a respectful account of Hepburn's life would do well to pick this book up, for unlike many other biographies written by the children of famous people, this one is tender and dignified--yet still revealing and surprising.

May 8, 1928. Born in Lincoln, Nebraska, Theodore Sorensen would later make his way to Washington, D.C., where he became a close adviser to and speechwriter for U.S. President John F. Kennedy. Nearly 50 years later, Sorensen is a prominent lawyer whose resumé also includes a failed run for the U.S. Senate and a withdrawn nomination for director of the CIA. This absorbing memoir is Sorensen's account of his remarkable life, including his front-row seat at historic events like the Bay of Pigs, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and President Kennedy's trip to Berlin. "Utterly engrossing," says the Los Angeles Times.

May 18, 1868 (Tsar Nicholas II of Russia). BBC documentarian Catrine Clay profiles three royal cousins--George V of England, Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany, and Tsar Nicholas II of Russia--whose actions shaped the course of 20th-century history. Clay wonders whether their relationship as children (sickly Willy was often left out while Georgie and Nicky played together) caused tensions that led inexorably to war. Drawing on hitherto unpublished diaries and letters, Clay offers an ingenious look at the three men, their personal relationships, and their roles in the outbreak of World War I.

May 27, 1923 (Henry Kissinger). In this dual portrait, noted biographer Robert Dallek takes on the complex relationship between the late U.S. President Richard Nixon and his secretary of state, Henry Kissinger. Using recently declassified materials, Dallek describes the ambitions and insecurities that motivated the two men, who viewed each other with a mixture of fear and dislike, and offers insight into the tumultuous relationship that shaped their respective foreign policy agendas. The New York Times calls this study of personality and policymaking "remarkably engaging."

Jennifer Groneberg was delighted when she found out that she was pregnant with twin boys. But her world was completely upended when she had an emergency C-section seven weeks before her due date and, five days later, baby Avery was diagnosed with Down syndrome. As Groneberg adjusted to the disorienting new reality of her life, she discovered that Avery was exactly the son she was meant to have. Readers who enjoyed the novel The Memory Keeper's Daughter will want to check out this intimate and moving memoir about raising a child with Down syndrome.

First published in 1993, Operating Instructions is writer Anne Lamott's funny, moving, and spot-on account of her life during her son's first year. Lamott speaks candidly about everything from her unexpected pregnancy as a single 35-year-old to her desperation during her newborn son's colic to the absurdity of breast pumps. Sprinkled throughout are appearances by members of Lamott's colorful support network, including her mom, her friend Pam, and her brother Steve. Check out this modern classic for a vivid and honest look at the confusion, joys, sorrows, and struggles that new moms face.

"This is a story about the year I exploded into flames," jests performer and radio commentator Sandra Tsing Loh at the opening of this hilarious memoir. Based on her comedy show of the same name, Mother on Fire details Loh's frenzied quest to find the perfect kindergarten for her daughter in Southern California. During that search, 42-year-old Loh also lost her job, fired her therapist, and evolved from a manic, status-seeking mom into a community activist. The New York Times Book Review says that this memoir is "no less than a feat of genius."

In the 2007 film Knocked Up, Katherine Heigl stars as an aspiring television personality who becomes pregnant after a one-night stand with a man who isn't exactly boyfriend or husband material--but then ends up becoming involved with him anyway. In Accidentally on Purpose, film critic Mary Pols shares her surprisingly similar true story of becoming pregnant after a fling with an unemployed and directionless man ten years her junior and then incorporating him into her and her son Dolan's life. "Funny, intimate, wise, and real," notes ELLE magazine.