Books in Diary Form

[[deleted user]]

I absolutely love books written in diary form but seem to have run out of stuff to read. I've already read most of the famous ones I can think of, all of Adrian Mole, Diary of a Nobody, Any Human Heart. I tend to read classics and literary fiction and am not much of a genre reader, but am open to anything of quality really.

Can anybody recommend something? Aside from novels, I would also be interested if anyone has read good published diaries of real people e.g. historical figures, famous names. Would be most grateful! :)

[Brannon]

I'm not sure if you would be interested in an authentic WWI diary by an American Army Lt, but if so, my great-grandfather's journal is pretty good! I hope you find an enjoyable read! That's War

[Christy]

If you haven't already read it, you should look at The Color Purple by Alice Walker.

[Melanie]

I hope you've read I Capture the Castle already, it's fabulous. The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt is a visual diary but amazingly done. If you haven't read Doctor Glas by Hjalmar Soderberg, give that a try; written in 1901 it is still current and powerful.

As for real diaries, I can offer two Canadian writers whose diaries have been published -- 5 volumes of Lucy Maud Montgomery's diaries make for amazing reading, her life was so different from the ideal world she wrote about; and artist Emily Carr's diary Hundreds and Thousands is great, too.

[Waqas]

Will Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn qualify for "Books in Diary Form".

[Rachel]

Soph wrote: "I absolutely love books written in diary form but seem to have run out of stuff to read. I've already read most of the famous ones I can think of, all of Adrian Mole, Diary of a Nobody, Any Human H..." Try Daddy Longlegs. Ebook is free. It's not exactly a diary, but I find that epistolary books feel much the same, and this one is a series of letters. I haven't seen any of the movie versions, but I hear that none of them do the book justice at all. It's remarkably progressive for its time too. Jean Webster was ahead of the curve.
Also, the Elizabeth Peters books featuring Amelia Peabody are in diary form mostly, and they are a lot of fun.

[peg]

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society!

The Account of Mary Rowlandson and Other Indian Captivity Narratives

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Screwtape Letters

[peg]

There is an extensive list here on GR under Books in Diary Format

[Ashley]

Madeline L'Engle published a series inspired by her journals. It's not lifted word-for-word, you can tell she went back to flesh out stories and connect dots but there's a very private diary aspect you get while reading. There's actually 4 books in the series, though GR only lists the first 3 titles at present?

http://www.goodreads.com/series/78205...

Here's the 4th: Two-Part Invention: The Story of a Marriage

[[deleted user]]

Thanks for all the suggestions so far! Some of these I have read, such as The Colour Purple and I Capture The Castle, but some of these look really interesting. Am working my way through and adding them to my shelf!

[Susan]

What about May Sarton--- love her Journals!

[Sam~~ we cannot see the moon, and yet the waves still rise~~]

In case you haven't thought about something more obvious- The Diary of a Young Girl.

[Nenia]

Have you read Angus Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging? It's a total riot.

There is also Bridget Jones by Helen Fielding.

[Taylor]

@Nenia

Angus Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging was wonderful. :D

[peg]

The Death of Bees is good.

[Nicolle]

Taylor [Falling in love again and again] wrote: "@Nenia

Angus Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging was wonderful. :D"

I agree. Not the most substantial of books but a makes for a good giggle or two.

[Taylor]

Yeah, it wasn't life-changing, but few books have made me laugh harder.

[Nicolle]

Not a book in diary form but in notes left on the fridge. One of the best and unique and emotional books I've read and it only takes about an hour to read.

Life on the Refrigerator Door

[Stella]

A classic with some bad reviews, but I read it for my university class and quite enjoyed it Pamela. Or, Virtue Rewarded

[Jason]

I heard Zombie is sorta kinda in that format. and there is always house of leaves.

[Rachel]

Have you read Michelle Cooper's trilogy, A Brief History of Montmaray? It's historical fiction set on a fictional island country at the start of WWII. The reviews compare it to I Capture the Castle.

[Lynne]

This might be somewhat out of the box for what you're looking for ... but Ella Minnow Pea is one of my all time favorite books. It's not really diary form per se and it's fictional. It's written in letter format between relatives, and it tells a truly unique story.
Here's a link to my review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I just have to recommend this book. If nothing else for the brilliant concept and execution.

[Sophie]

Sloppy Firsts?

[Reddwhine]

If memory serves "The Diary of Mattie Spenser" by Sandra Dallas is in diary form and one of her best books.

[Stephen]

I'm sure that you're already aware of it but The Diary of a Young Girl hasn't been mentioned yet in this thread and it really ought to be.

Also, one who likes the diary style of reading should also try The Diary of Samuel Pepys there's a wonderful audiobook version read by Kenneth Branaugh. The book gives a great peek into life in London during the mid 1600's Pepys talks about both the Plague and the Fire.

My favorite bit is where he brags about he's such a great secretary of the Navy because he steals so much less than his predecessors...

[Petit-Chocobo]

I don't know if you would like that genre but Life As We Knew It is a series of 3 books (plus one companion book that is absolutely atrocious) written in a diary form. It talks about the survival of one family after one apocalyptical event that changed the face of earth and basically life as we kenw it :) If you like YA post-apocalyptic stories I really suggest you read this one! I obsoluetly loved it!! but forget about that one companion novel, it's so terrible...

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...

[reading is my hustle]

Bridget Jones's Diary!

[Zala]

One of these?
Mr. Darcy's Diary
The Diary of a Young Girl
Inside Lincoln's White House: The Complete Civil War Diary of John Hay
The Diary of Samuel Pepys: A Selection

[Kelly]

Daddy-Long-Legs is a series of letters to a someone who never responds, so it's more or less a diary.

[Mir]

The Assassin's Cloak: An Anthology of the World's Greatest Diarists has excerpts from many different diaries, you might have a look at that and see if any of the entries strike your fancy.

[Jason]

i donno if anyone has said Gabi, a Girl in Pieces

maybe Zombie

[Amanda L]

The Sorrows of Young Werther (Goethe)
www.goodreads.com/book/show/16640.The...

Also, We Need to Talk about Kevin (Lionel Shriver) is partly told in letters.
www.goodreads.com/book/show/80660.We_...

Both Dracula and Frankenstein are epistolaries! Look up epistolary novels and I'm sure you'll find many that'll interest you. Happy reading!

[Sasha]

I'm currently reading Spud, about a boarding school in South Africa. Hilarious diary from a boy's perspective!

[Jason]

Why we broke up.... It sorta fits this category. Of course perks of being a wallflower.

[Jason]

Diary by Chuck Palahniuk,  Diary of a Rapist by Evan S. Kaufman. , Adrian mole series, Life As We Knew It.,  Charmed and Dangerous, love letters to the dead,

[Betsy]

The Martian. I just started reading it. So far enjoying it. It's definitely in diary form, though maybe not 100%.