I loved Lynch's book "The Undertaking," so I was delighted to find this one. It's another collection of essays, most touching on Lynch's own family - sometimes with painful openness, especially in the essay about one son's struggles with alcoholism, and sometimes wonderfully touching and funny. Lynch discusses funerals, too, here and there - one essay takes on Jessica Mitford and her "American Way of Death," which - Lynch suggests - may have focused too much on what funerals cost and not enough on what people need funerals for.

Lynch's style is dry, sometimes warm, sometimes sarcastic, often with a kind of old-world courtliness. From the introduction, in which he attempts to answer the question "why do you write," all the way to the end, I found him fascinating - and annoying, moving, and frequently hilarious. The one about the poem to his ex-wife, the one about teaching a son to fish, the one about hating the cat that a son loves... good reading all. Here's one little bit from an essay about the changing face of the funeral industry [this subject has been addressed to good effect in the HBO series "Six Feet Under," though this book came out first]. He's discussing the problems of an industry where there's no easy way to increase demand:

Every effort to get folks to die more than once, however convenient we might make it, however good a deal we might offer, however many frequent flyer miles we might promise, has met with fairly general resistance.

The essays are punctuated with excerpts from poems, and with photos and illustrations [check the credits - some of these are by, or of, members of Lynch's family]. One of the quotes I liked was from Michael Heffernan's "A Sign from Heaven" (I'd just finished Elizabeth Knox's "The Vintner's Luck," and the quote sounded to me very much like something that the angel Xas would say):

Sometimes I need love's answer to the question
about the breathing creatures and their pain.
I shouldn't be comfortable with the easy one
that claims the very daylight is a sign
of transubstantial warmth among the stars -
though there was brightness over town and countryside.

And then there's one of Lynch's own poems - about that hated cat:

For twelve long years I've suffered this damn cat.
While Mike, my darling middle son, himself
twelve years this coming May, has grown into
the tender, if quick-tempered manchild
his breeding blessed and cursed him to become.
And only his affection keeps the cat alive....

The way Lynch tries to deal with the dilemma of the cat is darkly funny - but touching, too.

I've offered this book for a bookring. If you're interested, please PM me, indicating whether you can mail internationally or not, and any preferences you have for position in the mailing order. I'll post updates to the list here, and may not respond to individual PM's, so check here for the status of the bookring.

Participants, in mailing order:

Ravenbear (Australia)
mmz18407 (MD) [formerly Pinewood21093]

And back to: GoryDetails (Nashua, NH)

Please journal the book when you receive it, and PM the next person in line for their mailing address. Once you've read the book, journal your comments, and send it on to the next in line. Hope you enjoy it!

I have only just started reading this book during the past week, and it is one of those books that you want to read slowly, like sipping a good wine, because it is delicious. The quality of Thomas Lynch's writing and language is such that I want to sit down with the book in a sunny comfortable chair, with leisure aplenty to savour it, accompanied of course, by some crusty bread and good red wine. Thank you GoryDetails for sending me this book. I think it is one that I might have to get for myself. I have to love the poem of the cat too, as it is such a close parallel to the cat in our own home... and now that gorgeous son to whom the cat belongs has flown the coop... leaving the cat to terrorise me.

I enjoyed this book immensely, and will now look for my own copy... I can't hang on to it any longer. I re-read many parts and have to thank Gory Details profusely for sending this book on to me. I am now waiting for the next person in the 'ring' to send me their mailing details.

** the anonymous finder below was me! I forgot to log in when I did the journal entry!

I now have the details to send this book on. I hope Mary enjoys it as much as I did.

I will get this back to Gorydetails (I have a signed gashlycrumb tinies poster, so i feel like i'm in good company!) as soon as i finish it. there are a few books ahead of this one. thanks

This was an odd book. Perhaps I would have enjoyed it more at another time in my life. As it were, I appreciated it more than I enjoyed it (thus the low rating). Returning to GoryDetails ASAP

The book arrived home again safely in today's mail; many thanks!

This is one of the earliest books I ever registered, and while I kept it around for some time in case I wanted to re-read it, I think it's high time it went traveling. I'm adding this book to nattabee's Can't Wait to Get on the Road Again bookbox, which will be on its way to the next participant, Flossie771 in Georgia, tomorrow. Enjoy!

This book was in nattabee's can't wait to get on the road again large bookbox. Nattabee asked me if I wanted to keep the box since she is trying to clear out some books. I am sending this book along with some others to a zone manager.

mailed

This book was recently recieved for the NTCRRS-OBCZ. Sadly I have been sick and it had not gottened JE-d yet. Sorry for the delay. The books are all headed to the zone tommorow.

Thank you so much for picking up this book. Please make a journal entry here on this page if you haven’t already done so to let me know that this book has found a good home. You may choose to remain anonymous or to join (it is entirely free). If you choose to join, I would love if you could indicate Prettypoodle referred you.

I really hope you enjoy the book you found! When you’re done reading it, you can make another journal entry with your comments here to let me know what you thought of it. You can keep the book forever and ever or pass it on to someone else. If you’re giving it to someone directly, make another journal entry saying so. If you choose to leave it somewhere “in the wild” for anyone to catch, make release notes that indicate where you left it. If you register, you will be alerted by e-mail each time someone makes another journal entry. It’s all confidential (you’re known only by your screen name and no one is ever given your e-mail address), free, and spam-free. Then you can track this book as it goes on its journey!

If you are in the greater Philadelphia area the first Sunday of the
month, please join the Audubon BookCrossers at our monthly gathering at Panera Bread in Audubon (Norristown) PA.

Visit our group page at: groups.yahoo.com/group/abxc/