Dead, funny, fascinating

Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers
Author: Mary Roach
Genre: Popular (yet ghoulish) science

This is a book about what happens to our bodies after we die. Dissection, cremation, decomposition, organ donation, forensic work – you name it, this book has it. Ever wondered whether people retain consciousness when they are beheaded, say, by a guillotine? I have. And so has the author, Mary Roach; in fact, she has been wondering about a lot of weird things, and she didn't stop there. The expression 'morbid curiosity' doesn't quite cover it.

Sounds grisly? It is. It is also eerily fascinating, and often laughing-out-loud funny. It’s a highly palatable read, but don’t bring it to the dinner table. Also, don’t read the section about what happens to people who fall out of airplanes when you are, as I was, sitting in an airplane.

Thanks to Sean Geer for this one. Sean, I strongly suspect this won’t be the last time I thank you for a book recommendation.