There’ll be lots of drinking in Heaven. Smoking and eating and sex

[venta]

This morning, moving some stuff of my desk, I uncovered a bookmark sent to me by CAMRA and advertising a book called "300 Beers To Drink Before You Die".

I just don't get this recent rash of books. 1000 Things To Do Before You Die. 501 Books To Read Before You Die. 999 Places To Visit Before You Die.

Firstly, I don't get them because they're really just filler; lists of things which probably won't be tailored very exactly to your tastes. They look like the sort of books you give to people when you don't know what to give them. Flicking through a few, I've not felt particularly inspired by the things they think I ought to do/read/eat/drink/shag.

But mostly I object to these books because I want to know who they're aimed at. If the target demographic believes that death is total oblivion and nothing comes after, then half the title is superfluous: "1000 Things To Do" would be fine as a title because, hey, you're not going to do them after you die, are you ?

If, however, the intended reader believes in life after death, then why limit yourself ? "1000 Things To Do" - and you can do them in the here and now or in the afterlife/your next reincarnation, whichever suits you best.

Why do publishers think that adding "Before You DIE" to a book title will encourage us ? Just in case life isn't enough of a struggle anyway, have another deadline!

Comments

[bopeepsheep.livejournal.com]

Maybe once you've been through death you won't feel the need to drink sangria on the beach at dawn or throw yourself off a bridge while tied to a small piece of elastic? 1000 Things To Do After You Die* could be an interesting book.



* Technically, everything I've done since 1994 counts, I suppose.

[venta.livejournal.com]

Technically, everything I've done since 1994 counts, I suppose.

<peers>

You don't look like someone who's been dead for over a decade.

[bopeepsheep.livejournal.com]

Ah, I said after you die, not after you're dead. :)

If I could stay 21 the rest of my life that wouldn't be bad at all, come to think of it. I looked a lot less dead then than I do now...

[venta.livejournal.com]

Ah, I said after you die, not after you're dead

Y'know, I think one follows the other (and pretty smartly :)

However, I shall infer that you've done the former, but in my opinion unsuccessfully. Which is, of course, a good thing and I do not advocate further attempts unless otherwise unavoidable.

[bopeepsheep.livejournal.com]

I think it was successful in the 'actually dying' part (according to my medical notes, anyway), less so on the 'staying dead' front. It's not like I actually wanted to do the former, so I'm quite glad the latter wasn't successful either, of course. Without intervention it would all have been quite different and we wouldn't be having this discussion. Unless my 1000 Things To Do included being a zombie on the internet, which frankly rather appeals, and probably wouldn't actually alter the demographics of the internet all that much...

[shrydar.livejournal.com]

Well phrased, well phrased :)