Morbid Reads

Recently have gone through some interesting reads. I got into this subject after I finally decided to read Stiff: the Curious Lives of Cadavers. It had been popular and was said to be funny, however I tried to listen to the audiobook while running errands and let's just say that didn't work out to well. One quick image of day old heads inside turkey pans to catch all the "drippings" and I had to turn the radio back on. So, it wasn't for me, but others thought it funny.

But then I read Death's Acre by Dr Bill Bass. Dr Bass is a forensic anthropologist who created what is now called death's acre at a university in Tennesse. Death's acre is an acre or two of land where bodies are experimented with to test for time of death in different circumstances. Before there was a forensic science, law enforcement often called on anthropologists for assistance in identifying remains. Dr Bass became well sought after and established death's acre to further the knowledge in this scientific area. Good read...he's funny. (the photos are courteous of the website, http://deathsacre.com/ - the second photo is of a human femur and hip bone with an artificial hip implant.)

Slightly more on the...can you believe this really happened side, is the book, The Executioner Always Chops Twice: Ghastly Blunders on the Scaffold. But don't the title fool you, it has sections on hangings, firing squad and death by sword and more! Most of the stories are a little gross and make your face wince up a little, but overall it was interesting.

This one is NOT morbid, but so interesting and well, sad. This person asked people to write a secret, one they had never told anyone else, on a post card and send it in, which became a website called Post Secret. It became so popular that of course there now is a book. The entries are raw, wrenching, and obviously genuine. Definitely take a look at this!

Just thought I'd share. Great surprise seeing Keil over Mother's Day. We had a nice weekend with Nedra here. Her stays are never long enough though. However, Gran, Nedra and I must have all got the same virus or just allergies for all of us, but we all were ill this week. Lauryn can say 'Tysha' and 'Robert.' Which I love and make her say my name all the time because it is so cute.