Tuesday, February 2, 2021

First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros - Will the Cat Eat My Eyeballs?, Caitlin Doughty


Welcome to First Chapter/Intros, now hosted by Yvonne @ Socrates Book ReviewsEach week readers post the first paragraph (or 2) of a book they are reading or that they plan to read soon.

                                 Will the Cat Eat My Eyeballs? Big Questions From Tiny Mortals About Death

                                                      Caitlin Doughty - WW Norton - 2019

When I die, will the cat eat my eyeballs?


"No, your cat won't eat you eyeballs. Not right away, at least.

Don't worry, Snickers McMuffin hasn't been biding his time, glaring at you from behind the couch, waiting for you to take your last breath to be all, "Spartans! Tonight, we dine in hell!"

For hours, even days, after your death, Snickers will expect you to rise from the dead and fill his normal food bowl with his normal food.  He won't be diving straight for the human flesh. But a cat has got to eat, and you are the person who feeds him. This is the cat-human compact.  Death doesn't free you from performing your contractual obligations.  If you have a heart attack in your living room and no one finds you before you miss your coffee date with Sheila next Thursday, a hungry and impatient Snickers McMuffin may abandon his empty food bowl and come check out what your corpse has to offer.

I was a huge fan of mortician, Caitlin Doughty's first book, Smoke Gets in Your Eyes so when I read she had a couple other books, I wanted to give them a try. I started this one yesterday and it's so very interesting but funny at times as well.  There are 33 short chapters all beginning with a fun illustration and a question that has been asked about death by children.

What do you think? Read more or pass?

28 comments:

  1. LOL. This sounds hilarious! Looking forward to reading your thoughts on this book.

    Thanks for sharing, Diane!

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    1. Written with human and some interesting questions and answers as well.

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  2. Great teaser, even if a little macabre, lol. Thanks for sharing...and for visiting my blog.

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  3. I still need to read Smoke Gets in Your Eyes!

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    1. Smoke Gets in You Eyes was terrific, this is really well done - and informative too,

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  4. Smoke Gets in Your Eyes was such a great read! I'm not too sure about this one but who knows, I may check it out.

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  5. A bit morbid but kind of interesting. LOL

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  6. I've seen this book pop up in the blogosphere. Hadn't realized who the author was until I read your post.

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  8. Us too but I was curious. It's quite interesting.

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    1. Lots of good info and it is written with some humor which makes it less morbid.

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  10. Sounds fascinating. The key words in that snippet about the cat eating your eyeballs are "not right away, at least." That actually happened to someone in my old hometown about 50 years ago now.

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    1. I know someone as well, who lived alone and had a dog. The reason I know this was that person never would have asked that she be cremated yet, her sons had her cremated even though her husband had a traditional burial.

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  11. I remember hearing about this awhile ago and being curious about it. I have Smoke Gets in Your Eyes on my TBR pile still to read. I love books like this. :-) Thank you sharing!

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  12. Hazel's cat died on Christmas Eve!- suddenly with no real warning of some acute anemia. She had quite a hard time about it. One night she asked her mother how it felt to die. Kids are deep. And this 7 year old girl is deeper than ever. Isn't one of your girls going to turn 7? I remember one of the Ilg and Ames books from when my kids were little - you know the ones for each age? Anyhow, I remember that death becomes a big thing in their minds. And to have her step-grandfather die a couple weeks later. Anyhow, I don't think I'd read the book, but frankly I wouldn't really care what happened after I were dead! Eat away, kitties.

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    1. Nan, so sorry about Hazel's cat. My oldest granddaughter 8 was obsessed with death questions around the age of 5, and, no pet or relative deaths either - I don't recall what triggered it. Kids are deep. On the other hand, her sister, age 6 hasn't asked may questions except whether you look like a monster once you die? LOL I suspect the sisters talk about stuff like that privately. Oh and the 6 year old wondered if she would have to go to a foster home if her mom and dad died...so sad. Of course, my daughter said parents generally don't die when kids are young unless they get very very sick or are in a serious accident AND, that she has plenty of family who love them and she would be able to live with someone who really loved her. SAD thoughts from kids.

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