Welcome to Litsy!

Why is this topic fascinating to me?

Having read quite a lot of other books in a similar vein, some of the anatomy lab stories were things I‘ve heard before. There is some cross over with her other book as well. Not for the faint of heart, Black discusses working at terrorism sites and natural disaster sites, as well as crime scenes. The attention to detail she needs for identification of victims is mind boggling.

Sue Black is a world-renowned forensic anthropologist. In this book she discusses her career and her personal life. I found the sections about her work identifying victims of the war in Kosovo in the late 1990s and the tsunami in 2004 quite interesting and impactful. Her general musings on death and the deaths of her parents take up the first half of the book and were far less interesting to me. ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

Reading while volunteering at my favorite museum

At times memoir, at times educational, this book is fascinating, moving, and weirdly uplifting. Dame Professor Black has a wonderful attitude to death - that it is not something to fear - but also shows such compassion to people who have lost loved ones.

“DEATH AND THE hyped-up circus that surrounds her are perhaps more laden with clichés than almost any other aspect of human existence.”

#FirstLineFridays
@ShyBookOwl

I‘m on page 1 of this book and already posting a second quote from it. I found this really interesting.

This is why I rarely do reading challenges. Trying to focus on #SeriesLove2023 but I‘m too easily distracted! Apparently, I‘m in the mood to read this one right now

My September pick for #12Booksof2022

@Andrew65

I‘ve read quite a few of these—books by #forensic specialists—and this is one of the best. Autobiographical inserts usually irritate me in scientific #nonfiction; not in this case. Maybe it‘s a matter of expectations—I approached it knowing it‘s a #memoir. Unpretentious if firmly grounded in the personal, honest yet professional, opinionated but thoughtful. Plus, the author‘s no-nonsense approach permeates the entire thing.

4.5/5

I snagged my #bookspin on audio. It wasn‘t read by Black - a shame, I loved her voice in Written in Bone - but the narrator did a good job. This job is less focused on cold cases and more on the broad brushstrokes of death, dying, and legacy. Although it felt a little repetitive at times, I enjoyed Black‘s wry humor and death-positive (yet reverent) perspective. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Interesting, moving, eye-opening.

I recommend this to anyone who's afraid of death. I think I took away more from this book than Roach's Stiff.

#MountTBR is one book lighter

Last book was about bones (Nona the Ninth), so...

Somehow all my books have something in common these days. Weird, but happens.

@scripturient, I bought this in Chester upon your recommendation. Thanks, I'm enjoying it so far. Maybe more than I'm supposed to. 🤔

Day 35 #tbrpile

The author is a forensic anthropologist and this book is a memoir of sorts - there‘s bits of family history, cases she‘s worked on and all that her job entails. It‘s fascinating! And she has a refreshing take on how to deal with and talk about death. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#nonfiction2021 something by a woman

Car journeys are for reading 📖 finding this book so interesting!

Sure Black had had a fascinating and influential career as a forensic anthropologist and this book is a brilliant look at her professional as well as her personal experience of death. It's personal but unsentimental and the are some graphic descriptions at well as harrowing events (always sensitively written) that had me in tears a few times. A challenging but very worthwhile read if you have a strong stomach. #bookspin @TheAromaofBooks

Loving this fascinating look into forensic anthropology. If I had a science brain I would love this as a career.

I throughly enjoyed this book, I feel I have a better understanding of human anatomy and death.
It started off slow but stick with it.

I finally managed to finish this book one day late but I'm counting it because it was 12 hours long! #dashingdecember #readathon book @Andrew65 thank you for letting join in i love a good readathon.

#audiobook #audiobooks #readingthelibrary #librarybook #reading #femaleauthor #reality #realtalk #death

Put a good 4 hours to this book today at work.
I didn't like the beginning but definitely stick with it, its really interesting 🤔
Last book of #dashingdecember #readathon
@Andrew65

#audiobook #readingthelibrary #librarybook #truecrime #truestory #readyourownway #readathon #booknerd #read #NovelNovember #reality #realtalk

An excellent book. So good I incurred library fines in order to finish it 😅

64-2019 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Let me just say this book will not be for everyone BUT I liked it. Sue is a professor of anatomy & forensic anthropology. This book is her memoir but everything comes back to death and dying. She is quite factual/textbook at times but not in a grotesque way and there are lots of great quotes amongst her philosophical musings. She is most passionate when talking about living life vs delaying death

Finally a book-related post from me! 🤣🤣🤣
#skeletons on covers for #screamathonphotochallenge @4thhouseontheleft

A book about death should be depressing and morbid, I did not feel this while listening to this book. Fascinating and intricate and told with such passion by the the author. Full review: https://thecuriousmagpie2018.wordpress.com/2019/10/08/review-all-that-remains-by...

A forensic pathologist‘s memoir about her relationship with corpses didn‘t seem very me to begin with but I‘m so glad I read this book and I absolutely loved it. So philosophical, so compassionate, and so optimistic even though it was inescapably about the fact that we‘re all going to die. It broke down a lot of taboos about death I unthinkingly had and has helped it feel a bit less confusing. I really recommend this peaceful, introspective book

This book had its own allure, even when stuck on technical details. Very informative and educational. It was interesting to learn about how they identified remains so families could get closure, as with Kosovo. The pollution caused by burials and cremation was also interesting to consider, and learned a lot about the burial recycling that occurs in so many places. So much we take for granted or don‘t even consider. Provided food for thought.

Look forward to reading the tagged book! A forensic anthropologist and human anatomist discusses death, mortality, and solving crimes. Appeals to the Law & Order, L&O SVU, CSI, and NCIS fan in me 🙄

New reading material! Since I'm only travelling via book this year and only have 271 books in my #toberead pile - which aren't nearly sufficient for a literary world trip - I enjoyed a trip to my two favourite local bookshops. This might be the trip I am looking forward to the very most in my life 📚🌐🤗

Sue Black looks back on her career as a Forensic Anthropologist, the science and some of her cases; including giving back an identity to those murdered in the ethnic cleansing in Kosovo.

This book is a super pick for me! Fascinating, funny, educational and interesting, I couldn‘t stop reading. I thought I might have been a bit squeamish to read the gory bits but it was all just so interesting. Prof Black has so many stories to tell and her writing is so engaging. I would happily have read twice as much from her!

Starting on this beauty! So excited to read this!!!!

Another kindle daily deal alert for the uk at only 99p! This is just the sort of book I find fascinating

My medical partner came home with this. The author is an anatomist and forensic anthropologist in Dundee. I found it very interesting. After reading I feel much more informed. Partners mother, 97 , has left her body to science . Family uncomfortable with this. After reading this I have no worries about what will happen to her body.
Also as I‘m getting closer to the inevitable I found this somewhat comforting. @MrsMalaprop

So very excited to read this.