Books like Almost French by Sarah Turnbull

Maya Angelou's autobiography, 'I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings', tells the story of her life and the challenges she faced growing up in Arkansas, including racism, abuse, and the loss of her father. The book is a powerful and moving portrayal of the African American experience during the 1930s and 1940s.

An essay that blends personal experiment, philosophical reflection, and detailed natural observation, chronicling Thoreau’s two‑year cabin life by Walden Pond and his quest for simple, self‑reliant living.

Peter Mayle shares the joys and quirks of settling into a 200‑year‑old stone farmhouse in the Luberon, Provence, exploring local customs, seasonal rhythms, and the region’s culinary delights.

An engaging blend of river history, Twain’s early steamboat memories, and humorous sketches that inspired his classic "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn," offering readers a lively portrait of the Mississippi and its people.

Monsieur Perdu, a literary apothecary aboard a Seine barge, prescribes novels to heal broken hearts. When his own love remains a mystery, he journeys south of France to find closure and prove stories can mend souls.

Julia Child’s bestselling memoir chronicles her journey from an awkward newcomer in 1948 France to the beloved American cooking icon she would become.

"Jean-Benoit Nadeau and Julie Barlow spent a decade traveling back and forth to Paris as well as living there. Yet one important lesson never seemed to sink in: how to communicate comfortably with the French, even when you speak their language. In The Bonjour Effect Jean-Benoit and Julie chronicle the lessons they learned after they returned to France to live, for a year, with their twin daughters. They offer up all the lessons they learned and explain, in a book as fizzy as a bottle of the finest French champagne, the most important aspect of all: the French don't communicate, they converse. To understand and speak French well, one must understand that French conversation runs on a set of rules that go to the heart of French culture. Why do the French like talking about "the decline of France"? Why does broaching a subject like money end all discussion? Why do the French become so aroused debating the merits and qualities of their own language? Through encounters with school principals, city hall civil servants, gas company employees, old friends and business acquaintances, Julie and Jean-Benoit explain why, culturally and historically, conversation with the French is not about communicating or being nice. It's about being interesting. After reading The Bonjour Effect, even readers with a modicum of French language ability will be able to hold their own the next time they step into a bistro on the Left Bank"--

Roddy Doyle’s first nonfiction work, "Rory and Ita," is a memoir in the voices of his parents, tracing their Dublin upbringing, political roots, and marriage from 1923‑1951 to the present.

London-born journalist Alice Steinbach abandons her career to travel the world as an informal student, learning cooking, dog training, art and architecture, and discovering the joy of learning again.

Kate Betts chronicles her 1980s Parisian debut as a fashion journalist, blending memoir, travel, and insider fashion lore amid the era’s shifting creative landscape.