If you’ve ever annoyed a friend by talking too much about the last thing you watched, listened to, or read, these books of criticism can help you keep the conversation going. Thinking with, through, and against the thoughts of someone else can deepen your experience with a work of art.

The field of journalism has a reputation for objectivity and hard truths, with little room for a writer’s personal voice. But what happens if you’re a journalist – and the stories you want to cover are about your own life? Find out by reading these memoirs by renowned journalists, where the authors’ personal histories blend masterfully with their expertise in investigative reporting.

Food—as sustenance, as cultural artifact, as vocational calling—is intimately explored in these memoirs, all written by women. In one way or another, each of these writers has been deeply affected by food, displaying how food can deepen familial connections as well as provide self-empowerment.