Top 5 books about death

At the beginning of the month, I tentatively questioned the possibility of starting a monthly series on death. To my surprise, it was really well received so I'm excited to begin! To start my series, I've decided to look at my books around the topics of crime and death, and choose my favourite 5 for anyone who's interested in reading more around the subject.

ONE OF YOUR OWN

Carol Ann Lee is an expert on the case of the Moors Murders and is in fact married to the brother of one of the victims, so she has a very deep understanding of them. When it comes to British serial killers, the Moors Murderers- Ian Brady and Myra Hindley- are those that I know the most about and this highly-rated book is an incredible resource. Although it's fundamentally concerned with Hindley, it also goes into quite some detail about the background of Brady. A biography of Myra Hindley's life from birth right up to her death in prison, One of Your Own draws on primary sources as well as interviews from those who were close to Hindley. It's incredibly comprehensive and lists a huge number of texts for future reading around the cases. I cannot recommend it enough.

Full review coming soon // Buy One of Your Own here

THE FIRESIDE BOOK OF DEATH

This is the book that first piqued my interest in cultures surrounding death. As an inquisitive 8 year old, I was hugely intrigued by my dad's copy of The Fireside Book of Death. He recently gave me the book which was an emotional moment for me! It is primarily concerned with cultural beliefs surrounding death and how these were manifested, so it explores topics such as burial, preservation and grave-robbing. I found it a light-hearted starter guide to read around a wide range of topics and identify those that are of most interest.

Full review here // Buy The Fireside Book of Death here

FORTY YEARS OF MURDER

Another book that belonged to my dad. Can you tell where I got my morbid curiosity from? Keith Simpson was a pioneering forensic pathologist who worked on some absolutely huge criminal cases, such as the Acid Bath Murders and the Kray twins. In the 1970s, he wrote his autobiography, Forty Years of Murder. Although the information is, of course, hugely outdated by now, it's nevertheless a fascinating, and very honest, look at the development of modern pathology.

Full review coming soon // Buy Forty Years of Murder here

DRACULA

Moving onto fiction, I love Dracula as an exploration of the relationship between life and death, and whether the two are mutually exclusive. It's a really interesting theme to go into- What exactly defines life and death? Can you experience both at the same time? What is the relationship of the soul and the body within the states of life and death? 

Full review here // Buy Dracula here

FRANKENSTEIN

Frankenstein is, in a way, the opposite of Dracula; While in the latter, the title character lingers on after death, in Frankenstein, the monster is given life retrospectively. Again, it brings up all sorts of questions around the themes of life and death and especially in terms of the morals surrounding these: Is all life worth living? Should humans have the power to create artificial life? What constitutes life, exactly?

Full review here // Buy Frankenstein here

BOOKS ON MY WISHLIST

Although I've yet to read them, here are some books I've been recommended that I'm eager to dive into!

How to Read a Graveyard: The summary and reviews of this book are fairly vague but it's highly rated so I'm intrigued to try it!
Necropolis: London and Its Dead: London is, in my opinion, the greatest city in the world. I find its history absolutely fascinating, so combine with death culture and we're onto a winner!
Being Mortal: Illness, Medicine and What Matters in the End: This book is more on the living side of death and the ethics surrounding medication or cures that give us longer lifespans. 
Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers: The author of Stiff, Mary Roach, examines the different uses we can put our bodies to after we die. 
The Gates of Janus: I'm not entirely sure how this book was ever published, since it's written by Ian Brady (under UK law he won't earn any money from the sales). It's widely criticised as a self-indulgent, rambling read but no doubt reveals some of the superiority and grandiose complexes of the author. 

If you have any other recommendations, I'd love to know about them! 

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