From Midwest Book Review
Perhaps the icon of excess, cruise ships carry many strange diversions for those with money to burn. Ship for Brains looks into...the twists and turns of politics that often occur when one lives on a ship and what can be experienced upon it. With a grand dose of humor and a good dose of memoir, Ship for Brains is a fine pick, not to be overlooked.
Bronze-London Book Festival
Finalist-New York Book Festival
Finalist-San Francisco Book Festival Returning with his award-winning wit and delightfully candid narrative voice, Brian brings us the first and only expos of art auctioneering on the mighty liners, where the tenet of "what happens at sea, stays at sea" has always been observed - until now. We are transported to the sea as our likable guide vividly shares his misadventures, triumphs, flirtations, and, above all, his amusing and astute insights into human nature. In the Cruise Confidential series Brian David Bruns spills the dirt-or in this case, the dirty water-on those romantic, fun-filled vacations at sea. His hilarious chronicle of the years he spent working on cruise ships takes readers down into the areas where the crew works and lives, leaving readers gasping with laughter as they're assaulted nonstop with events that range from the absurd to the utterly bizarre. From Booklist
Although this isn't an expos of cruise lines so much as a lighthearted adventure, readers planning a cruise will glean lots of useful information, and cruise veterans may find themselves looking at their familiar turf in a new, slightly suspicious way. "This man has seen it all!" - Deborah Roberts, ABC 20/20 "Bruns' prose ... proves his steady and deliberate writing voice." - Writer's Digest "The real party is going on in the crew's quarters." - USA Today "I found it absolutely hysterical!" - Peter Greenberg, Today Show "Part Love Boat, part Mutiny on the Bounty, Cruise Confidential does for cruising what Animal House did for higher education." - New York Times Bestseller J. Maarten Troost "Cruise Confidential is a deliciously addictive read, a blistering kiss-and-tell about the dysfunctional life working on cruise ships." - Doug Lansky, Travel Channel "These hilarious misadventures at sea will shock and delight any buffet-ready cruise traveler." - Jen Leo, author of Sand in my Bra "The funniest travel book I've read in years." - Peter Mandel, author of My Ocean Liner "This is a really entertaining true tale by a guy who struggles through the bizarre world of cruise ship employment. Bruns paints a clear picture of 'how the sausage is made'." - San Francisco Chronicle "I couldn't put it down." - Chicago Sun-Times "Cruise Confidential is a juicy tell-all. The crew deals with the 'sweatshop' conditions by indulging in massive amounts of alcohol and sex." - Cleveland Plain Dealer "Bruns doesn't hold back when it comes to discussing his experience of working on cruise ships." - Thomas Cook Magazine (UK) "Witty and self-deprecating [Bruns] has a flair for dialogue, and his book is chock full of wacky characters..." - Blogcritics Magazine "With a grand dose of humor and a good dose of memoir, Ship for Brains is a fine pick, not to be overlooked." - Midwest Book Review