"Smoke Gets In Your Eyes & Other Lessons from the Crematory"

"Smoke Gets In Your Eyes & Other Lessons from the Crematory" is based on the experience of author Caitlin Doughty.  Caitlin was a 20-something with a degree in medieval history when she took a job at a crematory.  Caitlin talks about her experience cremating bodies and her experiences with those bodies -- some are funny stories, some sad, and some just plain weird.

As a result of watching a young girl fall to her death when Caitlin herself was not much older, she has had a fascination with death and how people deal with death.  After her experiences at the crematory, Caitlin became a licensed morticial and is the host and creator of the "Ask A Mortician" web series.  She has also founded the death acceptance collective - The Order of the Good Death -- as well as cofounded Death Salon.  She lives in Los Angeles.

I loved her candid stories, her sense of humor, and her compassion in telling about her journey from performing cremations to becoming a licensed mortician.  Caitlin also talks throughout the book about our society's attempts to avoid facing death by always trying to appear younger and by shutting those who are dying away in nursing homes or hospice centers rather than keeping them home with us as used to be the custom.  We no longer wash and prepare our loved one's body with care prior to burial.  We no longer see and face death in our daily lives.  Do we think we're immortal?

Did you know two humans die daily throughout the world?  Unless it's a celebrity or public figure we tend to ignore death.  Caitlin talks about the rituals surrounding death in other countries -- often quite different than our own and we might think their practices barbaric just as they would probably view ours.  After all, embalming seems to be a fairly new practice -- something we sell to "customers" when their loved one dies.

Have you heard of "Forest Lawn" - a cemetary in Glendale, CA, where a lot of celebrities are buried? She describes it as not just a cemetary but a "memorial park."  An article in a 1959 issue of "Time" called Forest Lawn the "Disneyland of Death."

Jessica Mitford, one of the infamous Mitford sisters as well as a writer and journalist, wrote a book in 1963 called "The American Way of Death" and she was not kind to funeral directors.  It was a huge bestseller staying at the top of the New York Times bestseller list for weeks.  She received thousands of letters from citizens and clergy alike in response to her book.  Mitford declared she would forgo an expensive funeral service herself and be cremated simply.  It was also in 1963 when Pope Paul VI overturned the Catholic Church's ban on cremation.  When this book was written, most Americans were opting for embalming but rates of cremation have been rising steadily since its publication.  It is predicted 50% or more Americans will choose cremation now and in the future.

Caitlin also asks the question as to why we want to view our loved ones after death and want them to look "natural" then goes on to give us examples of how challenging it can be for a mortician to make someone appear "natural" after death.

She also has a section on what happens if you donate your body to science and it is an eye opener!  Another section covers what happens to your body when you commit suicide by jumping off the Golden Gate bridge.  Caitlin also discusses what happens to unclaimed bodies and the laws that govern cremation and funeral home practices in California.

One of the things that surprised me from the book was the practice that allows the "convenience" of ordering a cremation on-line.  You never have to talk to a person -- all you do is provide a credit card and information about where you want the ashes delivered!  Another surprise is being able to have a "witness" cremation where family and friends can gather to watch the body being cremated and even have one of those present push the button that starts the cremation process.  Some individuals appear to distrust funeral homes and think they're up to no good so they want to be sure their loved one is taken care of properly.

Caitlin also dispels some myths about death and rules about death -- setting straight some of the lies family members have been told by supposedly well meaning others or uninformed law officials.  She also talks about her own brushes with death when she is almost wiped out in a car accident or when she thought seriously about committing suicide.

As I mentioned earlier, Caitlin has an internet side called "The Order of the Good Death" where she started publishing essays and manifestos looking for others who shared her desire for change.  Caitlin's book has given me a lot to think about and strengthened my decision to be cremated when I die.  I highly recommend this book -- It's thought provoking and funny and informative and much more.

My husband is a fan of Edward Abbey books and she shares that his friends stole his body and wrapped it in a sleeping bag and buried it somewhere in the Cabeza Prieta Desert in Arizona rather than have it end up in a traditional cemetary.  Abbey "spent his career warning humanity of the harm in separating ourselves from nature. 'If my decomposing carcass helps nourish the roots of a juniper tree or the wings of a vulture--that is immortality enough for me. And as much as anyone deserves,' he once said."  That practice of returning a body to nature is actually the practice of a number of cultures throughout the world -- They just have different ways of doing it.  pazt

"Naked Prey"

"Naked Prey" by John Sandford is his 14th novel in the Lucas Davenport series.  Each time I read one I think to myself that there's no possible way Sandford can come up with another original story but I'm always wrong and am I glad!  His mysteries are always a great read that I can't put down and "Naked Prey" was no exception.  I read it in two days.

When a naked white woman and a naked black man are found hanging from a tree in the woods of northern Minnesota the newly created task forced headed by Davenport's former boss, Rose Marie, and now Davenport's employer, are called out by the Minnesota governor to solve the case and do damage control asap.  Of course, the assumption is that it is racially motivated since the black man was one of only one or two in that area and he was living with a white woman.

However, as Lucas and his pal, Del, delve into the case, they uncover a lot more going on in the area than just these deaths and the problem is identifying which one of the illegal activities might have led to these murders.  Although local law enforcement is helping them with their inquiries, there's a twelve year old girl, Letty, who seems to miss nothing that goes on in her town and becomes invaluable "eyes and ears" for Lucas and Del until her life is endangered.

Only Sandford could spin a story with so many surprises that kept me guessing till the end!  pazt

"One Kick"

Chelsea Cain's new mystery novel, "One Kick," debuts Kick Lannigan as the "poster child" when it comes to child kidnappings because she was one of the lucky ones who was rescued five years after her abduction.  That is, if you call "lucky" having to live with being one of the most prolific subjects of child pornography to still have her videos out there on the web for all to see.....if you call "lucky," having a mother who revels in the publicity and encourages news coverage and pictures of her daughter on every anniversary of her rescue in order to promote the book she wrote about it....

Kick's father left shortly after she came back and her sister seems to always be at war with her.  To avoid her mother she sought early emancipation and control of her own funds and moved out.  She lives in an apartment identical to her brother, James, only he's one floor below her in the same building.  He's the computer wizard and she is doing all she can to learn how to protect herself which includes learning how to shoot and purchasing her own Glock 37 for her 21st birthday.

When a former arms dealer (or so he tells her) named Bishop, shows up to ask for help in finding two children who have recently been abducted, she is suspicious of his motives but eventually agrees to work with him. The path they take includes a visit in prison to Mel, the man who abducted her, molded her into his daughter, "Beth," and groomed her for the video roles she was to play.  The investigation also leads them into danger as they look into the "families" that are part of the child pornography life.

This book was one I couldn't put down - was almost late to a lunch date as a result!  The second book in the series, "Kick Back," came out in August 2015 but is not yet available at my local library so I'm starting the first in another series of thrillers that Cain has written featuring Archie Sheridan and Gretchen Lowell.  After reading "One Kick" I don't expect to be disappointed.  pazt

"All The Light We Cannot See"

"All The Light We Cannot See" is a novel by Anthony Doerr and it was recommended to me by two friends who are in the same book club.  I first heard about it from them about a year ago and jotted it down to read in the future.  When  I checked it out from the library initially, I didn't start it and, when it was due, I couldn't renew it because it had been requested by someone else.  This time I started it right away and just finished it a day after it was due back.  It is 530 pages hardback but don't let that daunt you because it can be a quick read if you don't have to stop to go to work or prepare meals, etc.

This book was named one of the 10 best books of 2014 by The New York Time Book Review and it was a finalist for the National Book Award.The author has won numerous prizes in the United States and overseas including four O. Henry Prizes, three Pushcart Prizes. the Rome Prize, the New York Public Library's Young Lions Fiction Award, the National Magazine Award for fiction, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and the Story Prize.  After reading this story I understand why.  I can't tell you exactly why but there is a depth to his writing and a richness to this story that is amazing.

This story spans 70 years from 1934 to 2014 and is told in flashbacks by the two main characters, Werner, a German orphan, and Marie-Laure, a blind French girl.  Werner goes from orphan to German soldier and Marie-Laure transitions from a sheltered daughter in Paris to living alone with her uncle and a housekeeper in Saint-Malo, France.

As we get to know each one's history and learn about the other people who play a significant part in their lives, we also hear about the horrors of war and its sometimes unintended consequences.  Unknown to us in the beginning, there is a connection between Werner and Marie-Laure and that connection is their saving grace.  The jacket cover says Doerr "illuminates the ways, against all odds, people try to be good to one another."  Not only does Doerr tell a story but he also imparts life lessons and I hope some I have learned from reading his novel will stay with me and guide me.  Don't miss this book!  pazt

"No Witnesses"

Ridley Pearson's novel, "No Witnesses," is his third mystery in the Boldt/Matthews series.  Lou Boldt is a Seattle police homicide detective who also plays jazz piano in a friend's club some evenings and shares duties with his banker wife, Liz, for their preschool son, Miles.  In an attempt to keep his home life in balance because of his small son, Boldt also tries to work a reduced case load.

When his friend and colleague, police psychologist, Daphne Matthews, comes to him with a case that must be kept quiet, he is reluctant.  However, the case involves an extortion attempt on her food chain boyfriend, Owen Adler, and has the potential to cost innocent victims their lives.

Boldt takes the case and pulls together a team to work it without putting it on the books because the extortionist has warned that deaths will escalate if there is any hint of police involvement.  Unfortunately, the first few victims are just kids and that really angers Boldt.  There is so little to go on and he has to work hand-in-hand with Adler's own security team which includes an ex-cop, Kenny Fowler, and eventually involves the FBI.  Although Lou and Liz try to keep their professional lives out of their personal lives, this case is consuming Lou and he is getting worn down from lack of sleep.  Liz knows enough about what is going on to realize her banking background might be helpful in the case and offers her insights reluctantly.

Daphne finds herself in situations where she is certain she is being followed or has the sense of being watched all the time.  She tries to pass it off as just paranoia but her psychologist mind suggests it is not.

How do you work a case with no clues, no witnesses?  You have to rely on a little luck and a lot of grueling police work.  This case is another one of twists and turns, sadness over the loss of so many innocent lives, and a conclusion that is surprising.  Pearson is a master storyteller!  pazt

"The First Wife"

"The First Wife" was my introduction to the author Erica Spindler's work and I look forward to reading more of her novels in the future.

After nursing her mother through a fatal illness, our heroine, Bailey Browne, vacations in the Grand Cayman's before returning to her life and future in Broken Bow, Nebraska.  However, a storybook romance with Logan Abbott, ten years her senior, is just what she dreamed of as a child.  When she meets Logan, they fall hard for each other and spend all their time together.  When it is time for her to go home, Logan proposes and urges her to marry him and move to his Louisiana horse farm.

Bailey accepts but isn't prepared for a cold welcome by his sister or the history of loss in Logan's family.  There's also a a local police office, Billy Ray Williams, who is convinced Logan's first wife didn't leave him but was killed by him instead.  He also believes all the young women who have gone missing in the last few years are dead -- also at the hands of Logan.

Who does Bailey believe, Billy Ray who appears intent on a vendetta against Logan, or her new husband?  This story is full of twists and turns - murders and disappearances -- and a family history that isn't what it seems.

When Bailey has an accident and temporarily loses her memory and an old hand at the ranch is murdered at the same time, everything starts coming to a head.  Logan is arrested then released then arrested again and Billy Ray is sure he's going to get a search warrant for Logan's farm and find the bodies of all the women who went missing.  If you like a mystery with a hint of romance, this is one to read.  pazt

"Mortal Prey"

"Mortal Prey" is John Sandford's 13th novel in the Lucas Davenport series and, as usual, is a great read.  Clara Rinker is a beautiful young hit woman that crossed paths with Davenport in Minneapolis before she "retired" and went into hiding.  Now she's back in Saint Louis out for revenge and to settle some old scores.  Davenport has been called in to help the FBI find and arrest her but not before she decides he's on her hit list, too.  Can they stop her before it's too late?  pazt