IT'S YOUR FUNERAL! PLAN THE CELEBRATION OF A LIFETIME — BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE
KATHY BENJAMIN
� 2021 Quirk Books
$16.99 / $22.99 Canada
176 pages

How do you say goodbye?

How can you let go, knowing that it's the last time, the last moment, knowing that the laughs you shared, the meals, the trips are over? How do you take your leave and leave behind nothing but good memories? You read It's Your Funeral! by Kathy Benjamin, that's how, and you go with a nudge, a wink and some awesome tunes.

You'll never get out of this world alive. Kathy Benjamin thinks we all need to remember that. She's going to die, you're going to die, everyone in the past who ever drew a breath has died, full stop. So, because you have no choice in this matter, you might as well make your final farewell as personal as possible.

Most people who've gone before you have had ground burials, but today's decedents have choices, says Benjamin. Ground burials are not the most earth-friendly actions you can take and, most surprisingly, neither is cremation—although if you decide on cremation, there "creative" things that can be done with your dead self.

Otherwise, you might choose a natural burial, or composting. You could become food for trees and plants, or you could be made into "sludge." Burial at sea might be an option, or go out with a bang, become bling, or be "buried" in space. If you're really science-minded, you could be plastinated, or you could donate your body to a medical facility or a "body farm." Check local laws before going wild.

As for your funeral, Benjamin touches upon the various religious services you can have, and she gives ideas for unique venues. Imagine your funeral at your favorite bar, or at a bowling alley. Give out goodie bags, ask friends to sign your casket and choose funeral tunes that mean something to you in life. Write your own obituary and be sure to give your digital passwords to your loved ones. Then leave a legacy: a bench with your name on it or a brick at a stadium. You might be gone, but you won't be forgotten.

By now, you already know that It's Your Funeral! isn't your usual funeral planner. Nope, this book is made for the person who cha-cha'd through life, catching every adventure, looking for the next party and never leaving until last call is announced.

Though the subject is normally quite morbid, author Kathy Benjamin puts the fun in funerals by making readers chuckle, in a shoulder-nudging way that lets us know it's okay if we don't necessarily want mourners crying beside our crypts. In addition to helping with the tiniest details of our personalized send-offs, Benjamin writes about other funereal topics you may have wondered about: grave-robbing, DIY coffins, jazz funerals, what items lie in celebrity graves and how to ask a famous singer to perform at your send-off.

That makes this something you can read even when you're not planning on going anywhere soon. If you're dying for a unique book, grab It's Your Funeral and say hello!