I am still sad about Carrie Fisher dying. I thought I would wait a few months until I felt ready to read the Princess Diarist, but it wasn’t long enough to keep me from feeling wistful while reading it. Fisher’s newest book was inspired by her rediscovery of journals she kept while shooting the first Star Wars movie – she began to reflect on her life as it was as her acting career began, when she was about seventeen years old. She briefly discussed what […]
“Keep in mind though, I’m a PEZ dispenser and I’m in the abnormal Psychology textbook. Who says you can’t have it all?”
Like half a dozen other Cannonballers I have gone back through the Carrie Fisher catalog in the months following her untimely passing. The Princess Diarist, Shockaholic and now Wishful Drinking (yeah, I realize I went backwards but I read them chronologically the last go around). “If my life wasn’t funny it would just be true, and that is unacceptable.” I listened to the audio-book this go around, which I wasn’t ready to do with her other two memoirs, and it really punches you in the face how […]
Wrapping up My Carrie Fisher Binge
Best for: Carrie Fisher fans, Star Wars fans, memoir fans. In a nutshell: Carrie Fisher tells stories of her time before and during the filming of the first Star Wars film, and looks at what it has all meant to her. Line that sticks with me: “I act like someone in a bomb shelter trying to raise everyone’s spirits.” (p153) Why I chose it: I was in a bookstore the day after Ms. Fisher died, and this was the last copy of any of her […]
Mildly Entertaining
Best for: Those who (like me) are insisting on reading all of Carrie Fisher’s writing. In a nutshell: A woman alternately attempts to either win back or move on from her failed relationship. Line that sticks with me: “She’s completely undemanding somehow.” “How can you respect that?” “Why do I have to respect? I enjoy it.” Why I chose it: It’s Carrie Fisher, and I want to read all of her work. Review: I’m not sure if this book of hers just didn’t connect with […]
More Stories from an Interesting Woman
Best for: Fans of quality anecdotes and fairly snappy writing. In a nutshell: More stories about Carrie Fisher’s life. Line that sticks with me: “I’ve always wished that I was someone who really didn’t care what I looked like, but I do. And yet, even though I end up caring about it almost more than absolutely anything, it takes way more than a lot to get me to do anything about it.” (p 28) Why I chose it: I bought all of Carrie Fisher’s books […]
“Yes, even after sleeping with a senator, and waking up next to a dead friend, and celebrating Michael Jackson’s last Christmas with him and his kids, I still did not feel—how shall I put this?—mentally sound.”
After reading The Princess Diarist, Fisher’s last work before her untimely death, I decided to reread her other two memoirs throughout the year. While Wishful Drinking came first chronologically I started with Shockaholic because, well, I forgot Wishful Drinking came out first. “I mean, clearly no one would vote for volts until everything else had failed. It’s reserved for those languishing in the suicidal ideation lounge, and I had never been truly suicidal. Not that I haven’t, on occasion, thought it might be an improvement over the all-too-painful present if I could […]