National Bereavement Day

Updated November 7, 2025
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Signs : the secret language of the universe
Jackson, Laura Lynne
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * A renowned psychic medium teaches us how to recognize and interpret the life-changing messages from loved ones and spirit guides on the Other Side. "A collection of incredible stories . . . that speak to the universe's endless capacity for...
Understanding your grief : ten essential touchstones for finding hope and healing your heart
Wolfelt, Alan
Paper Book
Since its debut thirty years ago, this favorite by one of the world's most beloved grief counselors has found a place in the homes and hearts of hundreds of thousands of mourners across the globe. Filled with compassion and hope, Understanding Your Grief helps you understand and befriend your...
It's ok that you're not ok : meeting grief and loss in a culture that doesn't understand
Devine, Megan
Paper Book
As seen in THE NEW YORK TIMES * READER'S DIGEST * SPIRITUALITY & HEALTH * HUFFPOST   Featured on NPR's RADIO TIMES and WISCONSIN PUBLIC RADIO When a painful loss or life-shattering event upends your...
The year of magical thinking
Didion, Joan
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * NATIONAL BOOK AWARD WINNER * A landmark work about grief, love, and survival from one of America's most iconic writers One of The New York Times's 100 Best Books of the 21st Century * One of The Guardian's 100 Best Books of the...
Making toast a family story
Rosenblatt, Roger
Paper Book
The wild edge of sorrow : rituals of renewal and the sacred work of grief
Weller, Francis
Paper Book
Hope and healing for a profoundly fractured world-a pathway home to the brightness, pains, and gifts of being alive The bestselling book on grief and loss from psychotherapist Francis Weller- "One of the best books on grief I have ever read. ... It helped me turn to and understand my...
The invisible string
Karst, Patrice.
Paper Book
NEW EDITION AVAILABLE! Little, Brown Books for Young Readers is now the exclusive publisher of all editions of The Invisible String, featuring gorgeous artwork by Joanne Lew-Vriethoff. The publishing rights to the original DeVorss Publications hardcover edition, first released in 2000, were...
Broken open : how difficult times can help us grow
Lesser, Elizabeth
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * This inspiring guide to healing and growth illuminates the richness and potential of every life, even in the face of loss and adversity--now updated with additional toolbox materials and a new preface by the author In the more than twenty...
Motherless daughters : the legacy of loss
Edelman, Hope.
Paper Book
The classic New York Times bestseller that has helped millions of women cope with and heal from the grief of losing their mothers Although a mother's mortality is inevitable no book has discussed the profound lasting and far reaching effects of this loss until...
A grief observed
Lewis, C. S.
Paper Book
Written with love, humility, and faith, this brief but poignant volume was first published in 1961 following the death of C. S. Lewis's wife, the American-born poet Joy Davidman. Written in longhand in notebooks that Lewis found in his home, A Grief Observed probes the "mad midnight moments"...
When you're ready this is how you heal : a collection of essays
Wiest, Brianna
Paper Book
Healing is not a one-time event. It can begin with a one-time event - typically some form of sudden loss that disrupts our projection of what the future might be. However, the true work of healing is allowing that disruption to wake us from a deep state of unconsciousness, to release the personas we...
Lost & found a memoir
Schulz, Kathryn
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER * NEW YORK TIMES EDITORS' CHOICE * A "profound and beautiful" (Marilynne Robinson) account of joy and sorrow from one of the great writers of our time, The New Yorker's Kathryn Schulz, winner of the Pulitzer Prize "I will stake my reputation on...
Heartbreak : a personal and scientific journey
Williams, Florence
Paper Book
When her twenty-five-year marriage suddenly falls apart, journalist Florence Williams expects the loss to hurt. But when she starts feeling physically sick, losing weight and sleep, she sets out in pursuit of rational explanation. She travels to the frontiers of the science of "social pain" to...
Conscious grieving : a transformative approach to healing from loss
Smith, Claire Bidwell
Paper Book
From one of the leading grief therapists, this compassionate and accessible guide to grieving offers a new framework for understanding and navigating loss. An intimate guide to grieving that offers hope and healing within loss from one of the nation's top...
Crying in H Mart : a memoir
Zauner, Michelle
Paper Book
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * From the indie rock sensation known as Japanese Breakfast, an unforgettable memoir about family, food, grief, love, and growing up Korean American--"in losing her mother and cooking to bring her back to life, Zauner became herself" (NPR). * CELEBRATING...
Being mortal medicine and what matters in the end
Gawande, Atul
Paper Book
In Being Mortal, bestselling author Atul Gawande tackles the hardest challenge of his profession: how medicine can not only improve life but also the process of its ending Medicine has triumphed in modern times, transforming birth, injury, and infectious disease from...
When breath becomes air
Kalanithi, Paul
Paper Book
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * PULITZER PRIZE FINALIST * OVER TWO MILLION COPIES SOLD This inspiring, exquisitely observed memoir finds hope and beauty in the face of insurmountable odds as an idealistic young neurosurgeon attempts to answer the question, What makes a life...
With the End in Mind: Dying, Death, and Wisdom in an Age of Denial
Mannix, Kathryn
Paper Book
For readers of Atul Gawande and Paul Kalanithi, a palliative care doctor's breathtaking stories from 30 years spent caring for the dying. Modern medical technology is allowing us to live longer and fuller lives than ever before. And for the most part, that is good news. But...
A living remedy : a memoir
Chung, Nicole
Paper Book
A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK Winner, Tillie Olsen Award for Creative Writing Named a Best Book of the Year by: Time * Harper's Bazaar * Esquire * Booklist * USA Today * Elle * Good Housekeeping * New York Times * Electric Literature * Today From the bestselling author...
Turning toward grief : reflections on life, loss, and appreciation
Crews, James
Poetry offers potent medicine for healing the heart. As a teacher of mindfulness and writing courses, retreats, and webinars for more than a decade, beloved poet, editor, and writer James Crews has seen again and again how poems can initiate a deep dive into our own experience, and...
The Miscarriage Map: What to Expect When You Are No Longer Expecting
Knepper, Catherine
Paper Book
Miscarriage: It can devastate an individual, a couple, and family to their very core. And yet, this painfully common human experience is so rarely talked about. How do we continue functioning? How do we tell our partner what we need? How do we deal with emotional dumpster fire that is the aftermath...
The grieving garden : living with the death of a child
Redfern, Suzanne
Paper Book
A Portable Support Group for Parents Who Have Lost a Child   "A variety of backgrounds and circumstances, along with a shared dedication to speak out on a notoriously unspeakable loss, make this brave volume cathartic and comforting; grieving parents may well find it...
Companioning the bereaved : a soulful guide for caregivers
Wolfelt, Alan.
Paper Book
Renowned author and educator Alan Wolfelt redefines the role of the grief counselor in this guide for caregivers. His new model for "companioning" the bereaved gives a viable alternative to the limitations of the medical establishment, encouraging counselors and other caregivers to aspire to a...
All the Honey
Trommer, Rosemerry Wahtola
Paper Book
In All the Honey, Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer holdsboth fine, honest sensuality and slow explorations ofsoul. What is shared here is a way forward in life, a fierceopenness that refuses nothing--that knows damageand healing, darkness and radiance, sorrow and wingedresurgence, reflection...
We all want impossible things a novel
Newman, Catherine
Paper Book
The truth about grief : the myth of its five stages and the new science of loss
Konigsberg, Ruth Davis.
Paper Book
The five stages of grief are so deeply imbedded in our culture that no American can escape them. Every time we experience loss--a personal or national one--we hear them recited: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. The stages are invoked to explain everything from how we will...
Inheriting magic : my journey through grief, joy, celebration, and making every day magical
Hewitt, Jennifer Love
Paper Book
When she lost her mother to cancer, everything changed for Jennifer Love Hewitt. In the pages of Inheriting Magic, she recounts her journey, sharing memories, photographs, recipes, and the magic-making ethos of a self-proclaimed 'Holiday Junkie.' A heartfelt, candid chronicle that charts a course...
Little and often : a memoir
Preszler, Trent
Paper Book
A USA TODAY BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR (★★★★) "Little and Often is a beautiful memoir of grief, love, the shattered bond between a father and son, and the resurrection of a broken heart. Trent Preszler tells his story with the same level of art and craftsmanship...
All the lives we ever lived : seeking solace in Virginia Woolf
Smyth, Katharine
Paper Book
A wise, lyrical memoir about the power of literature to help us read our own lives--and see clearly the people we love most. "Transcendent."--The Washington Post * "You'd be hard put to find a more moving appreciation of Woolf's work."--The Wall...
Boomi's boombox
Sekaran, Shanthi
Paper Book
Acclaimed author Shanthi Sekaran delivers a powerful story about grief, family, dance, and friendship that follows a young girl who accidentally travels back in time to meet her dad as a child that will change her life forever. Perfect for fans of The Thing About Jellyfish and The...
Why? : a book for kids who have lost a parent to suicide
Heath, Melissa Allen
Paper Book
A picture book geared to help parents and counselors communicate with young children about a parent's suicide. Oliver's daddy loved him--a whole bunch, forever and for always. One day Oliver's daddy died by suicide. Why? Oliver's mommy hugs him tight, and she tells him why. And she...
Granny left me a rocket ship
Smith, Heather
Paper Book
When Granny dies, a young child and their family have a hole in their hearts. They find it helps them fill it to remember her through the things she left behind. To the father, she left a tuba, and to the mother, a locket. To the sister, she left a microscope, and to the brother, a record collection...
What does grief feel like?
Leigh, Korie
Paper Book
Help young children explore the ways people experience grief when someone dies. Gentle and reassuring, What Does Grief Feel Like? shares the many ways people can grieve when a loved one dies and validates children's unique grief experiences. Open-ended questions throughout...
This will all be over soon : a memoir
Strong, Cecily
Paper Book
A powerful memoir from the Saturday Night Live cast member Cecily Strong about grieving the death of her cousin--and embracing the life-affirming lessons he taught her--amid the coronavirus pandemic. Cecily Strong had a special bond with her cousin Owen. And so she was...
I keep trying to catch his eye : a memoir of loss, grief, and love
Maisel, Ivan
Paper Book
In this deeply emotional memoir, a longtime ESPN writer reflects on the suicide of his son Max and delves into how their complicated relationship led him to see grief as love. In February 2015, Ivan Maisel received a call that would alter his life forever:...
The urgent life : my story of love, loss, and survival
Saint John, Bozoma
Paper Book
From iconic leader Bozoma Saint John, comes a memoir of grief, and one woman's drive to thrive in the face of loss. When Bozoma Saint John's husband, Peter, died of cancer, she made one big decision: to live life urgently. Bozoma was no stranger to adversity, having lost her college boyfriend to...
Look for me there : grieving my father, finding myself
Russert, Luke
Paper Book
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER In Look for Me There, Luke Russert...
A single man : a novel
Isherwood, Christopher
Paper Book
When Christopher Isherwood's A Single Man first appeared, it shocked many with its frank, sympathetic, and moving portrayal of a gay man in maturity. Isherwood's favorite of his own novels, it now stands as a classic lyric meditation on life as an outsider. Welcome to...
This ordinary stardust : a scientist's path from grief to wonder
Townsend, Alan R.
Paper Book
"[A] remarkable account of a shifting consciousness" - Publisher's Weekly, starred review "An extraordinary, powerful book" - David Quammen, author of The Heartbeat of the Wild and Breathless A compassionate exploration of...
What momma left me
Watson, Renée
Paper Book
Secrets can hurt. Love can heal. Rediscover New York Times bestselling, Newbery Honor- and Coretta Scott King Author Award-winning author Renée Watson's heart-rending debut, about one girl's journey to reconnect to joy. Serenity is good at keeping secrets, and she's got...
I miss you most
Cheng, Charlotte
Paper Book
A girl remembers her grandfather fondly in this heartwarming, comforting picture book about coping with loss. The memories of a beloved grandpa bring sadness but also solace to the young girl in this glowing and nourishing book. We see the close and lively relationship they...
Dancing at the pity party : a dead mom graphic memoir
Feder, Tyler
Paper Book
Part poignant cancer memoir and part humorous reflection on a motherless life, this debut graphic novel is extraordinarily comforting and engaging. From before her mother's first oncology appointment through the stages of her cancer to the funeral, sitting shiva, and afterward,...
My grief handbook : why grief hurts and how to cope
Trickey, David
Paper Book
Grief can be complicated and painful. Our memories, relationships, good times and worries are unique, and these all affect how we experience a loss. No two people will experience grief in the same way because all of our relationships are specific to us. But there are frameworks for...
Goodbye : a first conversation about grief
Madison, Megan
Paper Book
A picture book edition of the board book about grief, offering adults the opportunity to begin important conversations with young children in an informed, safe, and supported way. Developed by experts in the fields of early childhood and activism against injustice, this topic...
A guide to grief
Imperi, Cole
Paper Book
This book is the wise and compassionate friend you need when you experience grief and loss. Everyone faces loss, and everyone grieves. But grief is as unique as a thumbprint - not everyone grieves the same losses or in the same way. This can feel lonely and isolating, especially when people don't...
When a friend dies : a book for teens about grieving and healing
Gootman, Marilyn E.
Paper Book
Updated third edition offers sensitive advice and genuine understanding for teens coping with grief and loss. The death of a friend is a wrenching event for anyone at any age and can spark feelings that range from sadness to guilt to anxiety. Teenagers especially need help coping...
The grief rock : a book to understand grief and love
Daniels, Natasha
Paper Book
When someone you love dies, the grief rock shows up Sometimes grief can feel like a heavy weight you are carrying around. It can be difficult to explain how you feel or know how you will cope carrying the grief rock around. This gentle story explores how grief is...
One wave at a time : a story about grief and healing
Thompson, Holly
Paper Book
After his father dies, Kai experiences all kinds of emotions: sadness, anger, fear, guilt. Sometimes they crash and mix together. Other times, there are no emotions at all--just flatness. As Kai and his family adjust to life without Dad, the waves still roll in. But with the help of friends...
I wish I could tell you
Sénéchal, Jean-François
Paper Book
Losing someone you love, someone close to you, can be difficult to talk about. But, sometimes, writing a letter can help you find the words you wish you could say. That's exactly what a young fox realizes one morning after learning about the death of his beloved grandmother, someone with whom he...
Always sisters : a story of loss and love
Mir, Saira
Paper Book
This much-needed picture book about navigating the difficult experience of pregnancy loss meets young readers at their level to offer a tender look at grieving someone who never entered the world. Raya can't wait for her baby sister to arrive. She's already got a name--Nura--and...
A stopwatch from Grampa
Garbutt, Loretta
Paper Book
A child inherits a treasured stopwatch that belonged to a beloved grandparent in this touching story of loss that explores the stages of grief with sensitivity and wisdom. "When summer started, I got Grampa's stopwatch," a small child says. "I don't want his stopwatch. I want him." Grampa...
Missing Violet
Swemba, Kelly
Paper Book
Life is full of sunshine for inseparable friends Violet and Mia. Until one day, Violet leaves school sick and doesn't get better. Without her best friend, Mia slips into a gloomy existence. As she moves through the stages of grief like the colors of a rainbow, Mia wonders if she will ever feel...
Always with you
Walters, Eric
Paper Book
Emily woke. On her night table, a letter was propped against her grandfather's picture. Her name was printed in pencil crayon the way only her grandfather did it, with each letter a different colour. He was always so kind and funny and silly...and now he was gone. Carefully, she picked up the...
Grampy's chair
Thomas, Rebecca (Poet)
Paper Book
A heartwarming story about lifelong love and loss told from the perspective of a grandfather's favorite chair. Grampy's chair sits in the middle of his living room and always keeps an eye on My Love. The Chair is the perfect spot for My Love to learn to read, to play games with her friends...
When Grandfather flew
MacLachlan, Patricia
Paper Book
A grieving boy remembers his grandfather and the hobby they shared, in this moving evocation of love and loss by a Newbery Medalist. Milo's grandfather is fascinated by birds. He admires their freedom and never loses an opportunity to point out the things that make each one...
What on earth do you do when someone dies?
Romain, Trevor
Paper Book
Help kids understand what death means and how to cope when they've lost a special person. What on Earth Do You Do When Someone Dies? speaks directly to kids about what death means and how to cope. The book explores the questions kids have about death--Why? How? What next?...
Everywhere and all around
Hest, Pimm van
Paper Book
Yolanda's mom has died. One moment she was breathing. And the next moment she wasn't. She was there, and yet she wasn't. Where could her mom be now? "If you look for me, my darling, you will find me," her mom had told her. So Yolanda decides to go looking.
Planet grief
Polak, Monique.
Paper Book
What a crappy way to spend a weekend. The always-sarcastic Abby would rather be playing soccer, and the cagily quiet Christopher thinks a grief retreat is a waste of time. Neither of them wants to spend two days talking about their feelings. But despite their best efforts to stay aloof, Abby and...
All the Way Around the Sun
Tian, Xixi
Big Mouth ARE mailing to a curated list of influential librarians and educators with specialty packaging  Advertising in key school & library media  Featured title in Shake Up Your Shelves, a campaign to promote inclusive texts in curriculum, library collections,...
Here after
Lin, Amy (Teacher)
Paper Book
A USA Today Bestseller Starred reviews from Kirkus, Booklist, and Library Journal Best Book of 2024 Pick by Esquire, ELLE, SheReads, and Kirkus A 2024 NPR "Book We Love" Pick A March...

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