Carrie Dils

I love a good personality assessment! This book is a wonderful companion to the assessment – take the assessment first at motivationcode.com.

I think the real difference with Motivation Code and other assessments is that it's not highlighting how you're wired (emotionally, behaviorally, etc) so much as what drives you motivationally. It's left me with some great food for thought.

This book is freaking long! But it's worth it.. Can't put it down.

Wasn't as fantastic as the first book in the series, but compelling enough to make me read the next one...

Kolker does an amazing job of weaving together this incredible family narrative with science/medical/psychology research. The organization of the book is fantastic. The story is tragic, but not without some element of redemption.

Overall enjoyed the story and the intertwining of past/presence (along with a dash of meta). There were TONS of footnotes. This was super annoying to read on a kindle – footnotes took me completely out of reading flow every few pages and didn't really add much of interest.

Page turner. Makes me want to read Wisconsin Death Trap, too.

I wish I were more of a literary scholar. I wish I could appreciate the greatness of this novel and Flannery O'Connor, but alas I did not. While the writing itself was superb, the actual story didn't do much for me. If my AP English teacher was around to explain, maybe it woul have helped. :)

It's been a long time since I read Steinbeck. Picked up this book off an Airbnb shelf (didn't finish during my stay so went and found a used copy). I enjoyed the easy (if not sometimes wary) camaraderie of the character cast. I gave a good LOL several times throughout the book while also feeling the weight of each's solitude (even the gopher). A few weeks ago I passed through Monterrey and saw the sardine canneries (no idea if they're still functional). It was fun to read about a place I've seen with my own eyes.

I'd never heard of E.O. Heinrich and very much enjoyed learning about him. The history gets a little dry at times but if you're a fan of criminal forensics, you'll enjoy the story.

Wow. I never read the sort of prequel, “Before We Were Yours,” and I still enjoyed this listen immensely. The stories are incredible and the passion of the author to unearth them was inspiring.

The narrator was not a good fit for this.

Entertaining, light-hearted read.

I loved this. While it felt unbelievable at times (esp about 75% of the way through), I still enjoyed the storytelling. As a craft beer enthusiast and someone who's been involved in a local brewery business, I enjoyed reading a fictionalized tale that told the story of a start-up brewery (and the brewing process).

Wow. I don't know how I've missed this book in the past. It's a fantastic read, but the end felt so abrupt to me. I'm not sure if that was intended as a setup for the series or if the idea for the series came after.

Not as compelling as the Talented Mr. Ripley, but still a page-turner. I'm ready to start the next in the Ripley series and see where Highsmith goes with his character...

If you love the true crime genre, you'll love this story and appreciate Jensen's creative use of social media targeting to help ID murderes.

Aside from the Ripley series, this is probably in my top 5 Highsmith picks. The first two sentences set the tone perfectly and give an instant insight into Vic Van Allen, the protagonist you'll hate to love.

Great read for any National Park lover.

Michelle McNamara was a dogged researcher. I think anyone would be hard-pressed to say that her research, determination, and the fact that she even coined the name Golden State Killer didn't play a role in his eventual arrest. I'm sorry she didn't live to see it.

As an aside, I read Billy Jensen's book, Chase Darkness with Me, just prior to reading Michelle's. They were friends and he makes many mentions of Michelle and the GSK case in his book. If you enjoy this book, I'd highly recommend Jensen's.

I suppose I am not the target audience for this book, but I loved the story anyway.

I'm a huge fan of MFM so picking up this book was a no-brainer. I opted to listen to the audio book (why wouldn't I want to listen to Georgia and Karen tell their own stories!).

I appreciate the honest vulnerability of these women, the way they champion taking care of your mental health, and that they shed light on (and give empathy to) victims of violent crime rather than spotlighting the terrible people that commit those crimes.

If you're an MFM fan, grab a copy.

#SSDGM

Read like a biography. I wanted to hear the albums afterward.

This is my third Larson book to read (and enjoy). He has a knack for blending historical fact with narrative to create fascinating story lines.

This was a really interesting read, but I didn't feel like I learned anything useful and/or practical (I.e. Ways to improve the quality of split-second decisions).

This was the last of the Ripley series and I'm so sad it's over! What is to become of Tom Ripley and the misadventures that will come his way? I only have my imagination...

I have enjoyed discovering Patricia Highsmith, especially since she was a native of Fort Worth. I'd like to read as many of her novels (there are about 30) as I can this next year, though some of her titles may be hard to come across in the book store or library.

After reading the Ripley series, my impression is that the Ripley in the first novel is darker than the Ripley of the rest. I plan to re-read the Talented Mr. Ripley after some time has passed and see if I still feel that way. That first book was, by far, my favorite of the series, though I highly recommend all of them.