Recently, I’ve developed a taste for memoirs. Over the past year I’ve been unconsciously drawn to them, slowly growing a memoir section on my bookshelf that I’ve been completely unaware of.

The first memoir I sought out to read on my own was Odd Birds by Ian Harding, an actor in the ABC Family (now Freeform) show Pretty Little Liars. In high school, I was a huge fan of the show and of the book series it’s is based upon. I sought this book out because of my interest in the actor himself, not because I thought it was going to be a great read.

Harding is a professional actor, not a writer. Nonetheless, this is a common misconception about memoirs that I’ve come to throw out the window. Most of my favorite memoirs to date are by actors, musicians, chefs, or other non-writer professions. While not all memoirs I’ve read by non-writers were stupendous, I quickly learned that there was no direct correlation between a good memoir and the author’s writing experience.

Harding’s Odd Birds is such an interesting, moving account of his life. He weaves his bird watching hobby into important moments and aspects of his life to connect nature with all life. It’s touching, creative and unlike anything I’ve seen in a memoir since.

However, even after reading Odd Birds, I still didn’t consider myself a memoir fan. I was only seeking out memoirs that were written by people I was interested in: High School by Tegan and Sara Quin (of the band Tegan and Sara), What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Blacker by Dameon Young, and Just Kids by Patti Smith.

Memoirs are so good because they are a perfect balance between true life and creative fiction. Because they are written about the life of the person writing the book, you get a full account of that person’s life experience. On the other hand, it isn’t as boring as a biography. It's creative, full of metaphors and imagery, and it tells a story that one can relate to.

The other day I finished reading Top Chef host Padma Lakshmi’s memoir, Love, Loss, and What We Ate. As a huge Top Chef fan, I was eager to learn more about Lakshmi, the mysterious scar on her arm, her journey from India to America, and her experience being a single mother. I highly recommend the book to all Top Chef and/or Padma fans. It was a pleasant read that opened my eyes to new foods, perspectives and cultures. Throughout the memoir, Lakshmi even includes a few recipes that have significance to her life. I look forward to trying a few of these out!

Sometimes memoirs speak to me more than a work of fiction because the writer is able to pull a similar sense of meaning out of their actual lives. Ian Harding was able to use bird watching and nature to reflect about his career and family. Tegan and Sara Quin were able to talk about their confusing, shared experiences with coming out, drugs, and divorced parents by alternating their perspectives chapter by chapter. Padma Lakshmi was able to connect her love of food and fashion to her whirlwind life of love and loss, from suffering endometriosis to having a kid.

The next time you come across a memoir, don’t be so quick to write it off as a boring biography. They typically read as easily, creatively and beautifully as novels. Especially if it’s by someone you’re already interested in, you’re likely to enjoy their memoir.