The Long Goodbye - Meghan O’Rourke

A beautiful memoir about O’Rourke’s mother’s battle with cancer, and the author’s grief process, before and after her mother’s passing.

Option B - Sheryl Sandberg and Adam Grant

Sheryl Sandberg writes with Adam Grant about resiliency and strength after the death of her husband.

The Year of Magical Thinking - Joan Didion

Joan Didion’s account of her experience after the death of her husband.

A Manual For Heartache: How to Feel Better - Cathy Rentzenbrink

I’ve read this book multiple times - it helps find ways to cope when in a place of sadness and loss.

The Four Things That Matter Most - Ira Byock, M.D.

A great book that provides guidance for conversations with frankly anyone to improve relationships and before you say goodbye.

A Monster Calls - Patrick Ness, inspired by Siobhan Dowd.

A novel for young adults that tells the story of a young boy and his mother who is battling breast cancer.

A Grief Observed - C.S. Lewis

C.S. Lewis’s reflections/journals from the period after he lost his wife.

Before I Say Goodbye - Ruth Picardie

Articles, letters, correspondence from Picardie as she battled cancer, as well as accounts of her last days by her sister and husband.

Gone From My Sight - Barbara Karnes, RN

Short booklet from a hospice nurse on what end of life care providers can expect.

Western Attitudes Toward Death: From the Middle Ages to the Present - Philippe Ariès

Collection of essays that trace the attitudes of western society towards death over time.