5 stars
| This book is jaw-droppingly good. To be frank, I had never read any of Doughty’s books or even heard of them before. Then a few weeks ago, I got to see her and Landis Blair at a bookstore event and was kind of intrigued by some of the things she brought us. So I got a copy of this from the library. From the first question, I was hooked. Doughty has such a fantastic writing style. Yes, the book is morbid and weird and at times very gross. But her style is so humorous, clever, and informational, that you can’t help but be entertained while you learn. There are a ton of truly remarkable answers to these oddly fantastic questions, ranging from vertical cemeteries, amber preservation, and blood donations from dead people. I liked how Doughty went above and beyond in answering the questions, bringing up fascinating related material instead of just giving a basic answer. There is also a great explanation of how, despite the misconception, hair and nails do not continue to grow after death (I don’t know how many times I have argued about this). Fantastic artwork as well that really ties the whole thing together. Just the right amount of creepy. Amazing, amazing read. I really enjoyed this and already want to read more of Doughty’s books. Special thanks to my husband for listening to me spew disgusting death and corpse facts to him all weekend. He was a good sport about it, although perhaps less than willing. Goodreads |