Resources
Books, tools, and companions for the journey.
These are the books that helped me – the ones I pressed into grieving friends' hands, the ones that gave me language when I had none, the ones that made me feel less alone. I hope they help you too.
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Grief & Loss
It’s OK That You’re Not OK
by Megan Devine
The most honest book about grief I’ve ever read. Megan doesn’t try to fix you or rush you through your pain. She sits with you in it. Essential reading for anyone grieving – and anyone who loves someone who is.
Buy on Amazon →
The Year of Magical Thinking
by Joan Didion
Didion’s account of losing her husband is precise, devastating, and strangely comforting. She captures the insanity of early grief – the magical thinking, the bargaining, the way the mind protects itself – better than anyone.
Buy on Amazon →
When Things Fall Apart
by Pema Chödrön
Buddhist wisdom for when your life has shattered. Pema doesn’t promise it will get better. She teaches you how to be present with the falling apart. I return to this book constantly.
Buy on Amazon →
Option B
by Sheryl Sandberg and Adam Grant
Practical and research-backed, this book helped me understand resilience not as bouncing back, but as moving forward. Good for people who need frameworks alongside their feelings.
Buy on Amazon →Death & Dying
Being Mortal
by Atul Gawande
A surgeon examines how medicine fails the dying – and what a good death could look like. Changed how I think about end-of-life care. Should be required reading for everyone.
Buy on Amazon →
The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying
by Sogyal Rinpoche
A profound exploration of death as transformation. Dense but rewarding. I keep this by my bed and read passages before sleep.
Buy on Amazon →
Advice for Future Corpses
by Sallie Tisdale
A hospice nurse’s wise, practical, sometimes funny guide to dying. Covers everything from what happens to the body to how to write a will. Surprisingly reassuring.
Buy on Amazon →
From Here to Eternity
by Caitlin Doughty
A world tour of death practices – from open-air cremations in India to jazz funerals in New Orleans. Fascinating, often funny, and a reminder that our culture’s death avoidance is not universal.
Buy on Amazon →
Smoke Gets In Your Eyes
by Caitlin Doughty
Death doesn’t have to be grim. Caitlin offers a witty, upbeat look at life as a mortician, filled with gallows humor and brilliant storytelling. I found myself laughing out loud at parts of this book while simultaneously having my perspective completely shifted.
Buy on Amazon →Spirituality & Energy
The Untethered Soul
by Michael A. Singer
The book that helped me understand the voice in my head (my shoulder critic!) and learn to observe rather than be consumed by it. Life-changing.
Buy on Amazon →
Proof of Heaven
by Dr. Eben Alexander
A neurosurgeon’s near-death experience that changed everything I thought I knew. This was the first book I read on my grief journey. I kept putting it down to process it, filling the pages with questions, which ultimately led to episodes 05 and 06 of my podcast.
Buy on Amazon →
Many Lives, Many Masters
by Brian L. Weiss
A skeptical psychiatrist accidentally discovers past-life regression. Whether or not you believe in reincarnation, this book opens doors.
Buy on Amazon →
Wheels of Life
by Anodea Judith
The definitive guide to the chakra system. Essential for anyone interested in energy work.
Buy on Amazon →
Angels in my Hair
by Lorna Byrne
This book blew my mind wide open. I never believed in angels until… well, that’s a story for another time.
Buy on Amazon →For Children & Families
The Invisible String
by Patrice Karst
A beautiful way to explain to children that love connects us even when we’re apart – and even after death. I’ve given this to many families.
Buy on Amazon →
Lifetimes
by Bryan Mellonie
Explains the cycle of life and death using nature. Simple, gentle, appropriate for very young children.
Buy on Amazon →
When Dinosaurs Die
by Laurie Krasny Brown
A straightforward guide for kids about death and grief. Answers the questions children actually ask.
Buy on Amazon →For Those Supporting Grievers
There Is No Good Card for This
by Kelsey Crowe and Emily McDowell
What to say (and what not to say) to someone in crisis. Practical, compassionate, and often funny. Gift this to anyone who says “I don’t know what to do.”
Buy on Amazon →Want to suggest a resource?
If there's a book or resource that helped you on your journey, I'd love to hear about it.
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Honest reflections on grief, end-of-life care, and the writing life – usually once or twice a month. A conversation between friends about the hard, beautiful things we don't talk about enough.
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