I always think it’s incredibly brave when someone writes a book, especially a memoir. These real-life tales share deeply personal information; and as the writers share their stories and reflect, their musings might just inspire your next big life decision.

Brave-ish: One Breakup, Six Continents, and Feeling Fearless After Fifty

Lisa Niver overcomes deep fears and tackles remarkable feats over the course of a BIG milestone year – turning 50. But what strikes me about this memoir is the degree to how women stay in bad relationships, striving to make them work and finally realizing after getting knocked down one too many times, enough is enough. Lisa chronicles how she took pain and heartache and turned it into living her best life through travel adventures near and far. This read may inspire you to dream big, overcome fears, travel to a new destination, and live a life of no regrets.

Read how Lisa’s journey of self-discovery and empowerment catapults her to “run” and pursue 50 new challenges in her 50th year. We love how Lisa writes the ending.

Fleeting Moments by Michelle da Silva Richmond

Travel writer and former Pan AM flight attendant Michelle da Silva Richmond, penned this scintillating memoir about her time high in the skies. Jetting all over the world from the 1970s onward, it was a time when girls had to have a certain look, be a certain weight, and know another language to be hired.

Travel lovers will enjoy her tales abroad, her far flung romances, what life was really like in the friendly skies, and how one woman looks back at her life and questions whether she made the right decisions in life and love.

Should you have chosen your first romantic love? If so, where would you be now? Would that choice have been a good one or would it meant forfeiting your life goals and dreams?

Find Fleeting Moments on Amazon, Barnes and Nobles, Walmart.com, and many other locations.

Rock-A-Bye-Bye Baby by Sue Hurst

This heartbreaking and inspiring tale shares one woman’s desire to meet her mother and her life-long quest to learn where she came from. After paying private investigators and running up against a slew of dead ends to find her long lost biological mother, the author’s happy ending may not be what you expect. Part joy, part heartache, Sue Hurst shares a realistic account of a 50-year journey to find the mother she never knew. This adoption story can be found on http://www.bookbaby.com, Amazon, and more.

Malibu Burning by Robert Kerbeck

Before Malibu’s recent Franklin fire and the recent Palisades and Altadena fires in January 2025 that destroyed almost half of Malibu, there was another fire that deeply affected this beautiful beach enclave – the Woolsey Fire. Robert recounts his harrowing story of surviving the firestorm in 2018 in the LA Times and shares how this fire destroyed a great deal of western Malibu. He shows how those still standing rallied together to save homes and their community during the fire and in the months that followed.

Go behind the scenes as Kerbeck shares tales of courage from celebrities, locals, and firefighters, documenting one of the most horrific wildfires in California history. Hundreds of interviews are shared from locals, the Deputy Fire Chief, and the Malibu City Council members. Learn how residents banded together to survive a fire tragedy through cooperation and kindness. Due to the fire season occurring anytime of year now, this book is a must-read for those who seek to be prepared.