Welcome to Litsy!

Caitlin Doughty‘s blunt humor and inquisitive nature led to a wry, yet emotional, look at Western society‘s relationship with what happens to our bodies after death. This book explores the various ways that people have chosen to dispose of their remains and the impacts that decision has on the people they have left behind. This book is an excellent choice for anyone that loves morbid conversations or non-fiction that explores a specific career.

A unique first person POV on what it is like to work at a crematory with (often graphic) details of dead bodies including details on embalming, cremation, etc. the book focuses on death rituals broadly but follows the author‘s own journey as someone who has worked in a mortuary for several years. Definitely interesting. The author‘s writing is engaging but she tries too hard to make jokes or be poetic. But definitely worth reading.

Does this count as a candle?

These books are delightful! Caitlin Doughty has a wonderfully wry way about talking about death that (I think) instantly puts you at ease. The first one (Smoke Gets In Your Eyes) is a memoir about working at a crematory, the second (From Here To Eternity) a look at death rituals around the world and the third (Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs?) an answer book of all things death related. ‎️‍

#winterreadalongdailychallenge

You can learn more about Mercy Brown and the New England Vampire Panic from Ask a Mortician‘s Caitlin Doughty:

https://youtu.be/teFCP69trOI

Sometimes you get to finishing all your books all at once😅 Another I‘ve been working on for several years and another I hold very dear. A witty and honest take on the life of a mortician and facing your own mortality. Accompanied by the one and only #finankitten #catsoflitsy

I was saying this even before COVID😞 An honest remark even if it hits hard

This is clever, hilarious and resounding.

Doughty picks apart what has culturally become a very taboo subject in the US- death and how we deal with the dead. She opens many closed doors, and makes jokes about all of our mortality; especially the fact that so many of us never truly contemplate it.

Love this. Hard conversations only, please.

#nonfiction #caitlindoughty #doughty #morbid #education #smokegetsinyoureyes

Using humour, personal anecdotes & technical information from the American funeral industry, the author helps us get acquainted & comfortable with death.

It is these humorous, LOL anecdotes, that make us feel silly for being afraid of death, while also feeling awkward for laughing about something taboo & serious.

The narration by the author is really good. Not at all grim reaper-like, as the popular narratives have told us, morticians are.

“Looking at the body you understand the person is gone, no longer an active player in the game of life. Looking at the body you see yourself, and you know that you, too, will die. The visual is a call to self-awareness. It is the beginning of wisdom.”

I‘ve been having such a hard time with panic attacks and anxiety lately and for some reason this book helped so much. With my panic attacks I‘m always afraid I will die so hearing about what happens to us when we die was a weirdly desensitizing experience.

What a great eye opening book! Loved all that I learned and how fun her voice was. Cannot wait to read her other books!

#smokegetsinyoureyes #caitlindoughty #death

Love this memoir about working in the American death industry. The author shares her own perspective on what constitutes a good death while also briefly touching on death rituals and views in other cultures. She writes in a way that's funny and honest and she doesn't shy away from the uncomfortable aspects of death. Highly recommend.

Loved some of the quirky people she worked with! I enjoyed reading about the different death/dying rituals through time and place. She does throw some humour in there – I suppose to work in the industry one must possess some humour to lighten things up. Like her, I have been wanting to have a green burial for a long time now. It was just about a week ago that a new cemetery opened in my city with a green burial option, so I‘m happy about that.

September wrap-up: Not a lot of books finished, partly due to work, partly because The Golden Bough is so dang long. $7.77 for #pennyperpage.

Another great book by Caitlin Doughty. Informative, interesting, and humorous stories of her job working in a crematory. Once again, I learned a lot about the death industry in America.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This book strikes a great balance between being morbid and funny. It‘s a great follow up to Stiff by Mary Roach (which I loved) but has more personal experience and opinions from someone who actually works in the crematory/death business. I appreciate Doughty‘s take on the way we handle death and how it‘s not talked about enough in our culture. I have the paperback but actually listened to the audiobook. Highly recommend!

I love Caitlin Doughty! She‘s my favorite YouTube creator and while this wasn‘t my favorite book in quite the same way, I enjoyed it very much. Seeing her evolution from mildly traumatized child to crematory worker to Ask a Mortician was fascinating and funny.

This book read like binging on somebody's blog posts, but the author had interesting experiences to relate and an interesting viewpoint to reflect on them so that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. I would read her other books.

A girl always remembers the first corpse she shaves. It is the only event in her life more awkward than her first kiss or the loss of her virginity.

#FirstLineFridays
@ShyBookOwl

#Littensdressedinblood #Don'tFearTheReaper
@MidnightBookGirl
Caitlyn Doughty is an author, youtuber, funeral home owner and promoter of green burial. She promotes "death positivity". The tagged book, while pretty graphic, really helped me while grieving. I am a fan, also called her deathling.

Finally a good #LittensDressedInBlood prompt for my current read! What‘s more of a Dead Man‘s Party than the actual funeral?

I took this picture last night for #LittensDressedInBlood but forgot to post it! Three books I‘m hoping to read this fall.

#ConflictedWorlds #Death
@Eggs & @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
While parts of this book are graphic and somewhat gross, this book really helped me through the grieving process after losing my grandma. Another 5 star book.

Two books off my #tbr by Caitlin Doughty, "mortician, activist, and funeral industry rabble-rouser." #Death #ConflictedWorlds
@Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Interesting insights on the business of death. Not sure how I feel about this one yet.

This one was dark, morbid and occasionally hilarious.

Really like this authors books, they're always interesting and thought-provoking.

The author takes us on a journey of reflection, accompanied by numerous anecdotes, about the destination that awaits us all.

Very good, interesting read and I hope she writes plenty more books.

Oh dear... I have some catching up to do today! Late review 2 of 3

This was such a beautiful, heartfelt yet also lighthearted and refreshing take on life, death, mortality and funerary practice in the modern age.
I really enjoyed hearing about it from and 'insider' in the industry because the death industry definitely seems like a secret society, hoarding its secrets, and I think it's long past due for an open and frank discussion.
⬇️

I heard author and mortician Caitlin Doughty interviewed on Freakonomics radio, and she was so funny, engaging and smart. I had to buy this, her first book, about her adventures working in a crematorium and attending mortician school. This book will challenge your views on dead bodies and the funeral industry, and make you ask: What is a good death? Why do we embalm the dead? Whose responsibility is disposing of a body? A fast, thoughtful read.

I‘m loving this one.. but I‘m taking my time with it, you know? 😌

Not sure I expected to like this one as much as I did but I was fascinated with the behind the scenes look at working at crematory and examination of how Americans treat death. This is definitely not a book for the squeamish but one I would recommend to anyone else.

This is the first audio book I've ever listened to and I'm afraid I've set the bar too high for myself. This book was dark and funny and reflective. Trigger warnings for death, suicide, and child death. I think this books was a great examination of mortality although there was a couple of points towards the end I not sure I agreed with, but she defended her position well and raised some good points about the American funeral industry.

Had this one on my list for ages and kept hitting deliver later, deliver later. So I thought it‘s now or never. Have you put books back on your list so many times you wonder why it was on your list to begin with? Why did I want to read it in the first place?

"He wore a button down shirt and khakis- California formal wear."

#NonFiction2021 @Riveted_Reader_Melissa I'm using this read for my free space. 😀

This book will definitely not be everyone's cup of tea. I personally loved the honest look into what goes on behind the scenes. Many people don't realize all that happens to a body after you die, whether you're cremated or have a traditional funeral. I also loved the personal stories the author included as she pursued her career.

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

This week's reading. Pretty good with all the audiobooks I got through while unpacking

An incredible memoir about Doughty's early experiences in the funeral industey and how she became the death positive advocate she is today. Definitely not for the easily shocked or horrified (we're talking an insider look into a crematory operator's world) but I love Doughty's outlook & voice & continue to learn so much from her not only about death & dying & funerary rituals but also how to approach death in a healthier way. Definitely recommend!

Amazing and highly informative book. I follow Caitlin Doughty on YouTube. Her channel is called: Ask a Mortician. This book is part biography, history facts, a few fun facts, mixed with curiosity for the reader and some philosophical thoughts. Just a great read for the curious minds.

Doughty masterfully blends memoir about her first year working in a crematory, thoughts on dying "a good death" and how current death industry/cultural beliefs prevent it, & historical tidbits about death in mostly western cultures but not exclusively. It works wonderfully together, especially w/ the engaging writing, dry humour, and commitment to telling it like it is. This book went deeper emotionally than I was expecting, a pleasant surprise.

This is partly a memoir and partly a way to inform the public about death. To erase the mystique and make it less scary for everyone. It was at times touching, humorous, and thoroughly fascinating.

🎧 2nd book I‘ve read by this author. This is the older more comprehensive one. It basically includes her life story, schooling & work history on top of other facts that were repeated in the newer book.

If you just want a fun read (which I did) the Cat eating the eyeballs book is the better shorter funnier more polished book.

Sigh ... the life & times of a crematorium/funeral home employee. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Interesting. I could have done without the Puppy Surprise comparison, but hey.

Bumped up on the TBR because I just borrowed it from a friend ✨ I think this‘ll be my mood this week.

Good.

I read this one for a book club, and while it did make me very emotionally raw, it‘s so, so very good.

I have a bit of an issue talking about death, my own mortality, etc. based on personal experiences and regrets surrounding family I‘ve lost, but this book just makes me want to be better, more clear, and less afraid in the future. I shouldn‘t be terrified every time my mom calls, but I should call people more often. 10/10, would recommend

I was worried I would find this look into working at a crematory too morbid, even though I‘ve read her other books. Instead, I appreciated her desire to learn more about death after witnessing a tragic accident as a child. I experienced a lot of patients dying as a veterinarian, and many, including my own pets, were cremated. This book, in the end, made me feel better about cremation. I appreciated her look at US funeral customs, too. Great read!

⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
This was an interesting book. Some of the organization of info was a little weird to me, like I wasn‘t sure where she was going with things sometimes, but there is good information in here. A lot of the information about cremation and the death industry wasn‘t new to me since my boyfriend works in the industry, but I think this would be a good introduction for people who aren‘t very familiar with it.

#catsoflitsy #Phoenix

A well written book, describing Caitlins choice of careers, actually stumbled into. The author describes the process of cremation and also her commentary on the culture of death in our country. Very thoughtful opinions and ideas are expressed by the author. Well worth reading

Caitlin Doughty is quickly becoming my new favorite person.
This focuses on her first job in the death industry, operating the crematory at Westwind funeral home. It touches on her time in mortuary school and her own struggles coping with the death around her. It is also a great resource about the modern death industry in the US and little-known alternatives.
Death, humor, and a whole lot of bodies.