“How To Die (and Other Stories)” by Mike Monteiro

Mike Monteiro and I met up at Dynamo a few weeks ago to catch up and eat some Fernet-flavored donuts. We had a great chat and he even gave me a copy of his newest book, How to Die (And Other Stories). I’ve been carrying it around with me ever since. This is partly because we are mid-move and all of my other books are in boxes, but it’s mostly because I enjoy Mike’s writing so much. I honestly don’t read as many books as I’d like to these days, but this one is such a fun read that I can’t put it down. How To Die is a collection of beautiful, sarcastic, and funny essays about everyday life. Each chapter starts with a simple question like “How to wash the dishes” or “How to read a book”, but the answers always are far more thoughtful and interesting than you’d expect. It’s less like an advice book, and more like sharing stories over coffee (or donuts). Mike has been answering reader-submitted questions like these in his weekly newsletter for years, and this book collects many of those,…