Clicking on the image will take you to relevant search on The World of Books website, which is an ethical online bookshop recycling books in the UK. These books are also available from all good bookshops and Amazon.
Being Mortal by Atul Gawande
– A deeply compassionate exploration of aging, medicine, and end-of-life choices from a surgeon’s perspective.
The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning by Margareta Magnusson
– Practical advice on organizing your belongings and life for a graceful, thoughtful departure.
A Beginner’s Guide to the End by BJ Miller and Shoshana Berger
– A comprehensive, compassionate manual on everything from medical care to legacy writing.
When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
– A memoir by a young neurosurgeon facing terminal cancer; reflects on meaning, purpose, and mortality.
The Five Invitations by Frank Ostaseski
– A profound guide to living fully through the lens of dying, offering five life-affirming principles learned from decades of working with the dying that illuminate how to live with greater purpose, compassion, and awareness.
With the End in Mind by Kathryn Mannix
– A compassionate, deeply human collection of real-life stories from a palliative care doctor that demystifies the dying process and encourages open, honest conversations about death.
Before I Go: The Essential Guide to Creating a Good End of Life Plan by Jane Duncan Rogers
– Offers step-by-step guidance on preparing legally, emotionally, and practically for death. Entirely non-religious.
Staring at the Sun: Overcoming the Terror of Death by Irvin D. Yalom
– A psychiatrist and existentialist who helps readers face mortality without religion, leaning on psychotherapy, philosophy, and meaning-making.
How We Die” by Sherwin B. Nuland
– A frank, compassionate exploration of the biological realities and personal experiences of dying, aiming to demystify death through medical insight and human stories.
The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying by Sogyal Rinpoche
A Buddhist classic that weaves Eastern spirituality with Western psychology. Profound for those exploring what comes after.
How to Die by Seneca (trans. various)
Stoic wisdom that remains strikingly relevant today. Offers calm and reasoned acceptance of death.
On Death and Dying by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross
The classic that introduced the five stages of grief. Timeless and influential globally.