travellingcari's reviews
875 reviews

Hidden Gems of the Western United States by Daniel Gillaspia

4.0

Perfect quick guide and I used it for Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona. A good scan for new ideas, updated info on places already on your radar. Because of this book I discovered & thoroughly enjoyed Tent Rocks.

Working Stiff: Two Years, 262 Bodies, and the Making of a Medical Examiner by Judy Melinek

5.0

I really enjoyed this book. So many books about law/police work/etc. stress that it isn't like you see it on TV - but don't actually say what it is like. I enjoyed Dr. Melinek's stories of her two years in the Office of the Medical Examiner - both in forensic pathology and her second year rotation.

That it takes months for tox screens and how hard it can be to establish cause and manner of death was insightful. It has to be hard to have so many of the facts yet not be able to put it all together. Also the parents of those killed for whom she doesn't have an answer.

I found myself attached to Dr. Hirsch even before he used his 9/11 wounds as a teaching moment. What a humanization of 9/11 and the people involved. I felt for her friend who reported to a hospital to wait to treat the injured-and none came.

I also enjoyed the side stories: how her career changed from surgery as well as how her career affected her family. Autopsies over dinner: no thanks! A good, readable book on a topic not often covered in memoirs.

The Southerner's Handbook: A Guide to Living the Good Life by Editors of Garden and Gun

4.0

Sweet tea, cluckensteins, BBQ and Hermes = the American South.
This was a Daily Deal and it caught my interest-and I proceded to read it in two days. It's that engaging, but the upside is you can also read it bit by bit as it's well curated into themes with different columns/essays by certain folks in each field.

In many ways, the "American South" as it's often portrayed is equal parts reality, myth, and legend. This book does its best to distill those elements into what is the 21st century American south. While I'm not sure every woman really need an Hermes scarf or monogrammed stationary, this is a good look into why things are just a little bit different south of the Mason-Dixon line. Maybe it's sweet tea in the blood?

Warning, do not read when hungry.

Daddy's Gone A Hunting by Mary Higgins Clark

4.0

My first return to MHC's work in some time and I was pleased to find it the same quick beach read that I remember. I got excited with this one when I realized - a few pages before the reveal - what the twist was. Unlike many books with multiple overlapping cases, I loved this one and didn't feel as if it were too far fetched for them to intersect.

Tiger, Meet My Sister…: And Other Things I Probably Shouldn't Have Said by Rick Reilly

4.0

A great find at a used book store in CT.
As a regular reader of Reilly's columns, many of these were familiar but I really appreciated the follow ups on many of these. I also loved re-reading some old favorites. Thumbed the non-sports ones: stick with what you're good at.

Cruising Attitude: Tales of Crashpads, Crew Drama, and Crazy Passengers at 35,000 Feet by Heather Poole

3.0

Certainly a very different read and an enjoyable one to read while on a plane - albeit a very different flying experience then the world Heather completed her training in. The pre/post 9/11 changes are stark. But sadly I don't think FAs are paid any better - the crash pads are just a sad reality.

For Fukui's Sake: Two Years In Rural Japan by Sam Baldwin

5.0

as a former english teacher in Japan, I find the books written about the experience either amazing or horrific. WIth this self published and in Kindle Unlimited, I had no hopes. But it was amazing. I think mostly because he wasn't the typical ugly American (he's a Brit) and because he learned the language and culture and made true Japanese friends. I also liked seeing the parts of the country that were his routine - his home away from home.

Be Good: How to Navigate the Ethics of Everything by Randy Cohen

3.0

A decent, quick read but nothing special.
I found his chapter intros too long but mostly enjoyed the reproduced Q&As, including the now-quaint "my friend googled someone, is that OK?" Some of his updates seemed to turn into "too long for the paper but this is my book so I'm going to rant" For the $0 it cost me on Kindle Unlimited, I can't complain ( )

Buddha on the Bus by Nate Damm

3.0

A quick, light read that I wasn't sure whether was fiction or non. It's a reminder on why I gave up the Big Grey Dog, although I never had the "pleasure" of riding with Bud.

Return to the Big Fancy: A Riotous Descent Into the Depths of Customer, Corporate, and Coworker Hell by Freeman Hall

3.0

I wasn't sure about this book. I loved Freeman and Big Fancy when I read his first book but in the case of memoirs/blog books, all too often a second book = one book too many. Luckily, that wasn't at all the case with his return to Big Fancy.
I think what made it funny was, Cammie and Satan aside, a fresh set of antics with a fresh set of colleagues. I keep reading custys as crustys, and that's a name that I think applies well to some that they dealt with. Beware of Sharks, NATs and Discount Rats.
Down side of this? Had Reba's "Fancy" in my head the whole time I was reading. A fun, light read.