Nancy's Quick Book Review Vol 2

Hello once again, fellow readers. Welcome to this weeks' book review!  This week we will be looking at two books that I read in January.  First was Wishful Drinking and the second was My Booky Wook.

I'm not sure what made me pick up the book Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher. Mabye it was the really cute book cover (yes, I am that person who buys a book by its cover). Obviously I have seen the Star Wars movies and recognized those hairbuns right away!  But the martini glass and the pills along side those cute little buns made me pause for a second.  I vaguely remember hearing something about her mental breakdown, but I was much younger when it occured and I hadn't really thought about it since. But now, all grown up and having my very own mental issues, I thought this book might be an interesting read. Carrie Fisher and I were going to be kindred spirits, afterall. All crazy people are! LOL.  If there is one thing I "get" it's how you will do just about anything to make the 'bad thoughts' go away. And sometimes not thinking at all is way better than the movie that is playing in my head.

Wishful drinking has been described as this way: "Wishful Drinking is a memoir inspired by the extreme emotions spinning off Fisher’s ECT. Only 170 or so pages long, it manages feverishly and hilariously to cover Fisher’s babyhood, plump-teenager angst, stint as front woman in the trilogy of Star Wars films, failed marriage to the singer Paul Simon and various drug-induced nervous breakdowns, without pausing for breath. Fisher has touched on some of the material before, in lightly fictionalised novels and screenplays such as Postcards from the Edge, but this time she shoots straight from the hip to the heart. The ease of the style, the thrill of the flow! The book is gone in an instant" (thanks Sunday Times for that).  

I couldnt've described it better than that myself. The book felt very short but had some great anicdotes in it that made me giggle.  She is very frank individual and says it like it is.  I borrowed the book from the library because I was too cheap to spend 20 bucks on 170 pages! Eek.  It was a quick read obviously but interesting nonetheless.  My favourite part of the whole book (and I'm paraphrasing here) was when she was describing AA meetings. She had learned an interesting little tidbit which I have tried to incorporate into my own life. She says that life doesn't always have to feel good. WHAT? That's right. Sometimes life is supposed to make you feel uncomfortable. Suffering with depression alters how you think about life. You begin to feel as if it always has to feel happy or your meds aren't working right. But that doesn't make sense, does it!? Obviously life isn't always roses and that's ok. I really enjoyed that juicy bit of info from her. Even though it is something I should probably already know, it needed reminding!  And now I try to remember it when I'm having a hard time dealing with stress or my OCD. Thanks, Carrie.

See, told you we were going to be kindred spirits!

The second book I'm gonna tell you about today is My Booky Wook by Russell Brand. I don't remember the first time I saw Russell in something but I can tell you when I fell in love with his hilariousness! It was the movie 'Get Him To The Greek' and I thought he was ridiculously funny! So when I saw that he had an autobiography out, I had to have it! Obviously if he is hilarious in movies, he must be hilarious in real life!!

And the book didn't disappoint. I had no idea Mr. Brand had been thru so much in his life.  I can't believe the way he was raised, especially by his father. No wonder he turned out the way he did! The book starts off by Russell voluntarily committing himself for sex addiction....of course the book was gonna be good!!! He then goes on to talk about his many addictions.  Parts of it were funny, parts of it were sad, parts of it made me think his parents never should've had kids.  But I guess we all feel that way sometimes. Overall, it was an ok book and I got what I wanted from it. I now know Russell Brand better, still think he's hilarious, can't wait to see Arthur and I will definitely be reading the follow up book called My Booky Wook 2. 

How can you not read a book called "MY BOOKY WOOK"??? It just tempts you with it's title. You're thinking to yourself, "who creates a word to sell a book?" Why Russell Brand does!! HAHA!  Enjoy!