Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher

Released: December 2, 2008

“Finally, after four hit novels, Carrie Fisher comes clean (well, sort of ) with the crazy truth that is her life in her first-ever memoir. In Wishful Drinking, adapted from her one-woman stage show, Fisher reveals what it was really like to grow up a product of “Hollywood in-breeding,” come of age on the set of a little movie called Star Wars, and become a cultural icon and bestselling action figure at the age of nineteen.

Intimate, hilarious, and sobering, Wishful Drinking is Fisher, looking at her life as she best remembers it (what do you expect after electroshock therapy?). It’s an incredible tale: the child of Hollywood royalty — Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher — homewrecked by Elizabeth Taylor, marrying (then divorcing, then dating) Paul Simon, having her likeness merchandized on everything from Princess Leia shampoo to PEZ dispensers, learning the father of her daughter forgot to tell her he was gay, and ultimately waking up one morning and finding a friend dead beside her in bed.

Wishful Drinking, the show, has been a runaway success. Entertainment Weekly declared it “drolly hysterical” and the Los Angeles Times called it a “Beverly Hills yard sale of juicy anecdotes.” This is Carrie Fisher at her best — revealing her worst. She tells her true and outrageous story of her bizarre reality with her inimitable wit, unabashed self-deprecation, and buoyant, infectious humor.”  – Amazon.com

Dumbfounded by Matt Rothschild

I finished this book in one evening – because I quickly came to adore Matt Rothschild and his somehow light-hearted retelling of his confused upbringing. Overall, this book was a well-written, sweetly deprecating and hilariously honest account of the young life of a misfit rich boy.

Released August 12, 2008

I finished this book in one evening because I quickly came to adore Matt Rothschild and his somehow light-hearted retelling of his confused upbringing. Overall, this book was a well-written, sweetly deprecating and hilariously honest account of the young life of a misfit rich boy.

I couldn’t help but compare this book with Sean Wilsey’s “Oh, the Glory of It All”. I enjoyed them both, but I found that every time I set down “Dumbfounded,” I picked it up again, eager to get back to the manic mind of Matt. The author’s note bluntly states that he has changed events, combined characters and altered actions for better storytelling. It nicely correlates with the way his beloved grandfather tells partly-true stories, and makes for a glossier, more cohesive read.

Funny, captivating and well-paced with a healthy dose of adolescent humiliation and family heartbreak. — Sara Wedell, Adult Services Librarian

My Stroke of Insight by Jill Bolte Taylor

Released: May 12, 2008

Jill Bolte Taylor was an accomplished neuroscientist before suffering a stroke in 1996. Her experience as a victim allowed her a unique point of view as a researcher of brain disorders. With time and great dedication, Dr. Bolte Taylor overcame her injury and has used her rare insight to educate people on the complexity of the human brain, the process of recovery after a stroke and an understanding of the mental transcendence available to every human being.