A review by betsyrisen
The Dead Beat: Lost Souls, Lucky Stiffs, and the Perverse Pleasures of Obituaries by Marilyn Johnson

5.0

The cover of this books reads thusly: This publication, proudly sent forth under the title of The Dead Beat, will gratify the reader with a survey both humorous and poignant, of the wonders enfolded in the pages of an ordinary newspaper, and including many marvelous tales relating to lost souls, lucky stiffs, and the perverse pleasures of obituaries as witnessed and faithfully recorded by Marilyn Johnson.

I mean, come on. While I'm not a faithful daily reader of the obits, I do peruse them in the less than 10 minutes it takes me to read the local paper daily, and I do make note of the ones I enjoy most (and yes, it's very possible to enjoy obituaries). I've also had my hand in writing a few of them, and after reading this book, am starting to feel like I should take a stab at my own.

Part Odd Jobs, part Remembrance, I enjoyed this book immensely.