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mountain_adventures's review
I wanted to like this book, but felt rushed and glossed over. It felt like it either needed to narrow its focus or lengthen the book to get more details.
jraye1998's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
3.5
lyonsmw's review against another edition
3.0
Ken Jennings "100 Places to See After You Die" is a pithy, fast review of the afterlife through multiple lenses. Written in quick snippets, seemingly appealing to the attention-challenged, Jennings provides the reader with brief takes on what might happen after you die from the view of religion, film, TV, etc. There are some interesting takes and reads best when Jennings isn't trying to be funny. It's a harmless read. Thank you to #NetGallley and #Scribner for the change to preview this book.
cynthia2's review
3.0
An entertaining book, with lots of fascinating tidbits from Ken Jennings' seemingly endless store of knowledge!
bupdaddy's review
4.0
I'm sure once he had the hook, Jennings sent Scribner a one-sentence scenario and got greenlit. A travel guide to the afterlife? What could be more whimsical, yet educational?
And it is a great hook. It sustains the brief (275 pages, but lots and lots of white space separate often one-page essays about an afterlife variant) travelogue, even though it becomes, outside of a few really developed hereafters, pretty thin.
Nevertheless, the format (including Fodors-y blocked text TRAVEL TIPS such as "What does 'Jellicle' mean exactly? Who knows. Apparently some kind of bipedal cat with a job and a bodysuit") makes learning about after death fun. And Jennings, significantly, accomplishes a nifty subtle subversive goal - all these places look a little silly held up to scrutiny, including the ones religious people today take seriously (including his own Later Day Saints - shh! Don't say anything. I don't want to get him in trouble with his elders).
So while this probably won't make your short list of books that changed your life, it's worth a read, and his breezy, humorous writing style can carry you through for a nice vacation read or several public transit commutes.
And it is a great hook. It sustains the brief (275 pages, but lots and lots of white space separate often one-page essays about an afterlife variant) travelogue, even though it becomes, outside of a few really developed hereafters, pretty thin.
Nevertheless, the format (including Fodors-y blocked text TRAVEL TIPS such as "What does 'Jellicle' mean exactly? Who knows. Apparently some kind of bipedal cat with a job and a bodysuit") makes learning about after death fun. And Jennings, significantly, accomplishes a nifty subtle subversive goal - all these places look a little silly held up to scrutiny, including the ones religious people today take seriously (including his own Later Day Saints - shh! Don't say anything. I don't want to get him in trouble with his elders).
So while this probably won't make your short list of books that changed your life, it's worth a read, and his breezy, humorous writing style can carry you through for a nice vacation read or several public transit commutes.
cassreading's review
a bit boring in most sections. like reading a travel guide in its entirety i guess