The Official Southern Ladies Guide to Hosting the Perfect Funeral

As a Southern church musician, reared by a grandmother born in the late 1800's the details of the customs, societal expectations,family eccentricities and community fixtures are "dead on." (pun intended) The friendly(?) competition between churches and individuals illustrates the status-consciousness of the matrons in towns and small cities. The recipes remind me of the comfort food of my youth. And no one has more characters than South.

If you are from the South, you'll recognize the people and the ideology. If you're not from the South, this is a great introduction to our customs, cuisine and contrariness.

Funniest cookbook you'll ever read - and one does READ this cookbook! The recipes are really good (though definitely not healthy!) and you'll likely find a few that become "go to" favorites - the Vodka Cake, for instance, is perfect not only for the bereaved but as a party dessert. One cannot read this cookbook without laughing out loud!

When it comes to instructions in etiquette, the South reigns! This book humorously reminds one of being reared in the Southern Ways, and/or shows a newcomer how to respond during a time of crisis.

I don't know if I prefer the laughter or the treasured recipes--both make it a 5 star book, and one I often give friends.

"Being Dead is No Excuse, the Official Southern Ladies Guide to Hosting the Perfect Funeral" has been a smile or outright laugh on every page. As a "southern girl" of 70+ I have enjoyed reading about funeral food, what music to choose, receipes for serving at the reception, what to include in the obituary, etc. I'm nearly dying laughing while preparing my own final wishes!! I am recommending it to my friends as well.

Being a Methodist loved the author's comments between the Methodist and Episcopal women and their recipes. Have given it to a book reviewer and can't wait to hear her share this hilarious book. What makes it so funny, is the fact that it is so typical of Southern women and their funeral foods!

They say laughter is the best medicine...well, pick this book and you'll not stop laughing from beginning to end! Cleverly written, full of humor, and interspersed with some really good recipes to boot. The Vodka (chocolate) cake is to die for!!

They say laughter is the best medicine...well, pick this book and you'll not stop laughing from beginning to end! Cleverly written, full of humor, and interspersed with some really good recipes to boot. The Vodka (chocolate) cake is to die for!!

I really enjoyed the Southern humor in this book. The comparison between the funeral traditions within the various denominations was hilarious. Having said that, I think some of the content was a bit too specific to the Greenville Mississippi locale to be enjoyed by audiences from other parts of the South.

I think the book could have been made much better (and worth the price) with some well done final product photos of the dish being described in the recipe. Not being familiar with all the old fashioned dishes such as congealed salad and aspic, it is difficult to envision what the final outcome should/would be.

The format of this book reminded me more of a local Junior League or PTA cookbook of compiled recipes often used as fund raisers, with some anecdotes thrown into the mix. The editing was not the best either as I found the same hash brown potato and corn flake recipe in two different chapters.

Maybe a wiser purchase in e-book format.