Do you know what Schadenfreude is? I first heard it as a song in the musical Avenue Q. It means, basically, “making me feel glad that I’m not you,” or “happiness at the misfortune of others” and for some strange reason (well, not really strange if you read the book), it’s the first thought that pops into my head when thinking how I feel about reading Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher. That’s not a bad thing and I don’t think she’d mind, but basically, if you think you had a f—ed up life, you’ll probably feel pretty good about it after reading this.
But let me back up for a moment too because we all know my life, for the last three months, has been pretty f—ed up. So I needed the laughs that this book provides. Heck, I deserve them and so do most of us. And that’s what it is – filled with some darn good chuckles and smiles because she looks back at her life with humor, not self-pity (well, maybe just a tinge but she’s earned it), and the best part, even my chemo muddled brain can down this 163-page book in 90 minutes. Yep, you read that right, I woke at 4:00am, gave up on sleep at 4:20am, came downstairs, made coffee, settled in with this book and by 6:10 I finished it, acknowledgments, cover, and all.
So, my point? If you got 90 minutes to kill, it’s more enjoyable than that marathon of Housewives of Orange County and will give you a better lift from the Schadenfreude, so do yourself a favor and read it.