Reading biographies can make a really great change from reading hefty novels, especially if the biography is about someone that you find really interesting. The difference between an autobiography and a biography is that an autobiography is written by the person it is about, whereas a biography will be written by a ghost writer. Celebrities often write biographies and it can be really interesting to read about their experiences, especially if they have experiences that you can relate to.

I would really advise reading the biography of a person that you are really interested in or you think you can learn from- for example I am interested in business, so have read numerous biographies of well known business leaders, to see their thoughts on the subject. Of course biographies do not necessarily just have to be read to learn from, they can be very entertaining, especially the biographies of comedians. On another note, a biography can be interesting for what it fails to mention as much as for what it mentions- biographies tend to put a very positive spin on the individual in questions life. Do they talk about the scandal and criticism they have been through as much as the praises and accolades that have been heaped upon them?

If you don’t know what kind of biographies to read, here are some suggestions:

Political Biographies
People who have spent their lives in the corridors of power tend to have very interesting and very often flattering biographies and reading them can give you an insight into what happened in the big political decisions of the past. Why not try reading the biography of a politician that you do not support? You might find that you can question much of their writing in your own mind.

Sporting Biographies
Sportsmen and women have to go through intense levels of training and competition to become the very best- reading about how they managed to reach the pinnacle of their sports can be inspiring and breathtaking. It can make a lot of sense if you perform the sport that they are writing about as well- it helps you relate to the difficulties and challenges that they have had to face.

Music Biographies
Many musicians over the last forty years had very crazy lifestyles when they were in their heyday- reading about them can help you get a better idea of the personality of the man or woman behind the music.

“Celebrity” Biographies
We all know those celebrities that are famous for being famous- reading the biographies of how they went from nothing to the front page of glossy magazines can be frankly amusing- especially if the book has clearly been written by someone a lot more intelligent than the relevant “star”.