This isn’t a heavy, weighty book, nor is it an educational one. It is simply a pleasantly conversational trivia book about funerals and death. Most of the facts and stories included are ones I’ve already heard or read from other sources, often in more depth,, but for an audience not as familiar with the subject — or for fans of the podcast — this book might be a good time. It’s both easy to read and is a quick read.

This was such a fun book and a wonderful addition to the podcast. I’ll definitely be purchasing a copy for my bookshelf!

I am super uncomfortable talking and reading about death, so I picked up this book as sort of a way to challenge myself. Right off the bat, this book broke down some of these uncomfortable topics about the physical aspects of death and how different cultures approach grief and synthesized them in a way that was more palatable. I'm not super familiar with the Cult Liter podcast, but I will say that this book reads as if you were listening to a podcast episode (whether that is a pro or a con is up to the individual reader. I didn't mind it).

This is a fun coffee table book, and has a lot of fun facts that I'm glad I learned. I wish there were examples of the interesting obituaries they mention in the intro (it also could've been a more cohesive way to tie chapters together), but I suppose I can always check out their podcast for more!

I was so excited when I received an ARC of this book! I absolutely love the podcast and wasn’t surprised at all that this book was amazing. I live Spencer and Madison’s sense of humor and unique approach to death. This book covers everything and really kept my attention the entire time. This book was so easy to read and I really couldn’t get enough!

A great coffee table book about all things death. I am a huge fan of Spencers' podcast Cult Liter and only recently started listening to the Obitchuary podcast. That said, if you listen to the Obitchuary podcast, most of the information in this book has already been covered on it. I think this is a perfect book for someone who wants to share their love for the podcast or their interest in the macabre. It would be a great conversation starter, just having it out when people come over will be conversation start in itself. It is full of fun facts and stories to pull out when you feel like adding a little darkness to your next girls night. 😂 This is short read , full of anecdotes about death, funerals, and obituaries. This book puts the fun in funeral and it's a light hearted look into something most people don't like to think about.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton/Plume for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6404220374

This was an enjoyable read. It was odd at some points where it seemed to switch who was telling the story. It wasn't very clear at times.

Obituary The Big Hot Book of Death was a super quick and entertaining read for me. I laughed out loud a couple times, cringed more than a few times, and further googled subjects mentioned multiple times to satiate my morbid curiosity. Talking about death can be very taboo but I enjoyed their approach of sharing information factually yet squeezing in a touch of comedic relief. My favorite parts were the unhinged obituaries! I do wish there were more of those but honestly enjoyed the read and would recemmend if you're interested in macabre history and information.

A wild and fascinating historical account of death woven with humor, hysterical anecdotes, and macabre. If you’ve ever wondered about the history of the death industry, wondered about the backstory of some unsavory obituaries, or wanted to know some of the oldest traditions for mourning death, this book is for you.

ARC releasing 8/20. As I've talked about before, I'm super uncomfortable with death and I just don't understand it so I'm trying to read more about death/dying in general, which is why I got this ARC. It's a podcast, which I didn't know going in. It's very light, short read with very serious segments with punchy bits that probably land better in a podcast. If you like the podcast, you'll like this. If you've never heard of the podcast, I'd recommend From Here to Eternity: Traveling the World to Find the Good Death by Caitlin Doughty instead.

This feels like a fun book to have on your coffee table/living room shelf. It's a great one to just flip open and learn a new fact from - sort of like an encyclopedia. A similar book, covering a similar topic, Stiff by Mary Roach, is not a good comparison. This book reads much more short entry, pick up for five minutes and put down. Lots of fun facts!

This is an engaging, non-serious book about death for fans of the genre. Madison Reyes and Spencer Henry write in a breezy, conversational tone (in keeping with their podcast background!) and you can feel their enthusiasm in their writing. They bound from death jewelry to mock funerals to spiritualism in a way that scratches at your curiosity. While not as comprehensive as a book like Mary Roach's Stiff or Caitlin Doughty's various works, this book offers more of a sampler. There is surely something for everyone in here :) I did wish for a bit more history on actual obituaries, but I loved that obits did function as a connecting thread for the book. Each chapter closes with an obituary, many from ordinary people, which is nice.

This book is slated for August publication, and as I was reading this I thought it would be so cute for someone's Halloween "boo basket".

Final shoutout to the illustrations which were just lovely!

Spencer Henry and Madison Reyes have hosted a weekly podcast since 2021 called OBITCHUARY — which started as a venue for sharing “outlandish, hilarious, and sometimes scathing obituaries”, and has grown to include “bizarre history, strange funeral traditions” and a “dumb criminals segment” — and this is a compilation of some of their favourite findings. I expected Obitchuary: The Big Hot Book of Death to be more comprehensive (along the lines of Mary Roach’s Stiff), but while this is not a very serious look at the science or history surrounding death and its rituals, there was much here I hadn’t known before, all told in small, punchy bites. I feel this was written for a younger reader than I — the humour didn’t really land with me — but I do appreciate the effort to demystify that big unknown that’s coming for us all. Maybe not for me, exactly, but I can appreciate that this book will have an audience.