Road trippin' with celebrity memoir audiobooks! (1 of 3) I started this last month on a previous trip and finished it on this month's drive.

I goofed up and got a couple Carrie Fisher books out of order. This is the follow-up to Wishful Drinking, but I listened to that book second, and the two are so similar -- covering many of the same topics and even sentences -- I know I'll never be able to keep the two straight in my mind. The humor was a little sharper and more frequent in Wishful Drinking, but there's plenty to chuckle at and marvel at here.

Let's zip through the chapters . . .

Before I Forget . . .

Fisher begins her memoir with a disclaimer that her memory has holes following her electroconvulsive therapy sessions.

Shockaholic

A brief history of electroconvulsive therapy is provided as Fisher resolves to try it as a last resort after struggling with mental health and addiction issues exacerbated by the trauma from the death of a friend lying in bed beside her.

Wishful Shrinking

Thoughts on weight gain and a sponsorship she received from Jenny Craig, Inc.

The Senator

A dinner date Fisher had with Senator Chris Dodd became a sexual harassment sparring match with a truly vile Edward M. "Ted" Kennedy.

The Princess and the King

A shared dermatologist and dentist with whom they were both acquainted open up a strange friendship opportunity with Michael Jackson. And having befriended him, she offers up a weak defense against the sexual abuse allegations the dentist made against Jackson for spending time and sharing a bed with his son -- activities with which the dentist was initially was okay and even enthusiastically bragged about to Fisher.

Waiting for the Shoe (Tycoon) to Drop

Fisher roasts Harry Karl, the old lump of a man her mother, Debbie Reynolds, married on the rebound after Fisher's father, Eddie Fisher, ran off with Elizabeth Taylor.

Oy! Ma Pa-Pa

A roast of the womanizing and drug-addicted Eddie Fisher evolves into a melancholy and mawkish reconciliation of sorts as he was dying. There's even a reconciliation with homewrecker Elizabeth Taylor thrown in for good measure.

I listened to the audiobook, but I recommend also picking up the paper book to look at the many pictures and their sarcastic captions. Also, while I listened to the audiobook I cranked it up to 1.25 times the normal speed because I found Fisher's voice to be a bit slow and slurred at the regular speed; the boost made her sound more similar to the version of her I remember from her acting roles. I had to do the same thing for Matthew Perry's memoir. Drug abuse takes a hell of a toll on a person's body over time.

FOR REFERENCE:

Contents: Before I Forget . . . -- Shockaholic -- Wishful Shrinking -- The Senator -- The Princess and the King -- Waiting for the Shoe (Tycoon) to Drop -- Oy! Ma Pa-Pa -- Acknowledgments ( )

Shockaholic was a quick, fun listen. As usual, Carrie Fisher pulls no punches and tells it like it is. She has a very long section about her friendship with Michael Jackson and thinks there is no way he could be a pedophile. I didn’t realize they were such good friends. That section might be a little troubling, depending on what your thoughts on Jackson are. She also talks about getting electroshock therapy for her depression and other mental issues and how it’s helped her. I think her honesty will help people going through the same thing.

Fans of Carrie Fisher and/or Star Wars will enjoy this book. Recommended. ( )

So glad Carrie's books are read by her. It just adds to the connection I feel when listening to them. Her life was obviously a mess, but while she was having an awful time, she made sure to make sure everyone around her was, at least sometimes, having a great time, because she's freaking hilarious. I love her word play, and the insight into the lives of some of the stars/famous people she hung around was interesting too. In this case Michael Jackson, Elizabeth Taylor and Ted Kennedy. In-between that she talks about her depression, addictions, and family life, along with a long section about electing to get shock therapy (and it working).

I feel like if you read all of her books in the same year they would probably get repetitive, this is my second and it had the same kind of feeling as the first. I loved both but I'll probably give it a year before I try my 3rd. ( )

My review of this book can be found on my YouTube Vlog at:

https://youtu.be/QEZcAUD3QwU

Enjoy! ( )

Anecdotes from the inimitable Ms Fisher. Some overlap with Wishful Drinking, but more scatological about her stepfather Karl and more intense about Eddie Fisher and her last days caring for him. With a splendid bit about her dealing with that jerk, Ted Kennedy. Oh, yes, and shock treatments, but that's gotten through and left behind before the good stuff. ( )