"Shockaholic" By: Carrie Fisher

First of all, let me start by saying I LOVE CARRIE FISHER! I've read all of her books and will listen to her talk about just about anything. She has a great wit, a captivating mind, and most importantly a terrific sense of humor about her all too unusual life and struggles with addiction and mental illness. "Shockaholic" is sort of a companion to her lat book "Wishful Drinking", which I've read more than once, then bought the audio book to listen to on my iPod whenever I need a good laugh. She also turned the book into a one woman show which eventually ended up as an HBO special and is available on dvd. Definitely check it out! It's basically the book in stand-up form. She's probably the most candid writer/celebrity alive today, she holds nothing back, and according to her mom, Debbie Reynolds is incapable of keeping a secret. There's an interview with her as a special feature on the dvd version of "Wishful Drinking" where she says, "Don't tell Carrie anything unless you want it to wind up in a book!"

The title refers to her fairly recent discovery of ECT (Electro Convulsive Therapy). She mentions it briefly in the first book, but in this one, she explains in a little more depth how it plays with the memory. Her stream of consciousness writing style makes you feel like you're sitting at a kitchen table with a cup of coffee (or a martini and a xanax) dishing and reminiscing with an old friend. She goes into her relationship with her dad, Eddie Fisher, a lot more than she ever has before and explains how she finally came to figure out what kind of "relationship" worked for them. I found all of that particularly interesting, especially towards the end of his life. There's also, unexpectedly, a really great chapter a bout Michael Jackson, his quirks, their casual friendship (they were practically neighbors), and some wonderful anecdotes and observations about him and of course, Elizabeth Taylor.

Like "Wishful Drinking", "Shockaholic" is short (106 pages), sweet, funny, honest, and to the point. It's an amazing book for just about anyone because you'll ultimately relate to something in Carrie's seemingly un-relatable life. Her books have gotten me through some pretty dark times, so one can only hope she continues these little autobiographical memoirs for us to enjoy over and over again.