travellingcari's reviews
876 reviews

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.

How To Walk Across America: And Not Be an A**Hole by Tyler Coulson

3.0

I haven't read Coulson's book but this was a nice read after Nate Damm's, who he interviewed frequently. A fun, light read. I just wish he had photos - maybe in his other book.

I Promise I Won't Kill You: A Hitchhiking Adventure by Nate Damm

1.0

I loved Life On Foot, but I'm glad I got this via Kindle Unlimited and didn't (directly) pay for it as it's unreadable. Poor flow and seemed to be focused on showing the worst of America vs. the best he portrayed in his previous book. Also, you like to drink and smoke, we get it.

The Silent Girl by Tess Gerritsen

3.0

I'm in two minds on this one. Early on, I didn't care for it. I didn't like Bella or Iris or frankly, didn't care what happened to them. But then as Johnny Tam developed, I came to like them through his eyes.

The Keepsake by Tess Gerritsen

4.0

The return of both Antony Sansone and Daniel Murphy.
As someone without a huge interest in Egypt, I didn't care for this book, although it was a quick read. I enjoyed the back story of the Crispin Museum against which the story was set.

Ice Cold by Tess Gerritsen

4.0

aka what happens when Dr. Maura Isles leaves Boston. While I didn't care much for the cult angle or the others she was stranded with, I felt Jane's pain in trying frantically to find her. I also really love Julian and Bear and am glad to see them maintain a role in the series.

Die Again by Tess Gerritsen

4.0

I liked the safari twist on this "chapter" of the Rizzoli & Isles series although I initially found the transitions between that & the murder of Leon Gott to be confusing. I really wish Gerritsen would have used time stamps atop the chapters. As always, good character development and an intriguing story. The POV kept changing though and at times I found it hard to tell who was "speaking".

Vanish by Tess Gerritsen

4.0

Sometimes, someone who vanishes lives on in her friend's hearts years later. A good story, but I wish some of the characters would have finished as it was unclear who some of the law enforcement personnel were.
New mother in danger - now there's a new plot line!

Body Double by Tess Gerritsen

4.0

Maura comes home from Boston to find out that her friends and colleagues think she's been murdered in a car outside her house. The story widens to include a woman who may be her birth mother, a Brookline cop who was involved with her sister and the secrets of a small town in Maine.
The sub plot of Mattie Purvis was an interesting one until it tied into the main plotline, which Gerritsen did well. A well crafted story with multi-dimensional characters

The Sinner by Tess Gerritsen

4.0

One dead nun, one on life support. An unidentifiable murder victim nick named "Rat Lady". So many possible sinners. All tied together in a logical and conceivable bow near the story's end.The leper victim plot seems familiar but not so much that it's crime novel trope.
I've only read a handful of the R&I books and it's interesting to see how many "facts" were changed in the series.