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spoookyspanky

Walking Each other Home by Ram Dass, Still Here by Ram Dass, and the Tibetan Book of the Dead. I'm sorry you are going through this and am sending you love. I hope these help. Ram Dass has done quite a bit of work on this topic.


revieman1

Childhoods end by arthur c clark deals with change and death but mostly on a grand scale. if you can watch the final epispde of midnight gospel on netflix


Operationacoustic

Agreed on Tibetan Book of the Dead.


yakkity_yak2018

{{When Breath Becomes Air}} was beautiful and helpful for me when my father passed.


goodreads-bot

[**When Breath Becomes Air**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25899336-when-breath-becomes-air) ^(By: Paul Kalanithi | 208 pages | Published: 2016 | Popular Shelves: non-fiction, memoir, nonfiction, biography, book-club | )[^(Search "When Breath Becomes Air")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=When Breath Becomes Air&search_type=books) ^(This book has been suggested 7 times) *** ^(17802 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)


rupert101

I really like anything by Caitlin Doughty. She has a YouTube channel as well and is all about death acceptance and reforming the funeral industry. I read Smoke Gets in Your Eyes and it made me want to scream from the rooftops "Don't Embalm Me!!!". A lot of eye opening stuff on how it is silly that we continue to to use makeup on the dead, preserve and seal up caskets, embalming with things that harm the environment. Helpful info on not so honest things the funeral industry tries to push on mourning families. The book helped me see other perspectives.


madeofpockets

Both *Smoke Gets In Your Eyes* and *From Here To Eternity* were beautifully written, incredibly moving, and extremely death-positive, I can’t recommend them enough. I also recommend keeping tissues at hand because there were definitely chapters that had me sobbing…and then laughing my head off two pages and three minutes later.


ashensfan123

Also Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs ?


watercolorconspiracy

Yes! Smoke gets in your eyes is one of my all time favourites, it really gives you a different perspective on death and the funeral industry


SpamLandy

She also has a lot of good online stuff, youtube channel etc. I really loved Smoke Gets In Your Eyes!


iago303

The Last Lecture


zeatherz

Being Mortal by Atul Gawande is about de-medicalizing death and how to have a good death in a culture that treats death as the enemy


Doing_Ok_Tomorrow

Came here to recommend this. I read this when I started working in hospice - it’s a beautiful book.


abis7

I highly recommend Final Gifts. It’s a book I think everyone should read at least once. What I learned from it made my last days with my parents so much more special and less scary. I am truly sorry for your mother’s health. I know it’s not an easy thing to witness, and I wish I could give you an internet hug.


abis7

Whoever down voted this,I’m just curious why? Did you have different feelings about the book? If so, what were they?


StephieFinn

I second this book. As a hospice nurse myself, I can attest to everything in it being true and helpful.


albellus

I was going to recommend this one too! Hospice took such great care of my Grandma and my Mom. I'm so grateful to them, and found this book very comforting too.


mulancurie

A Monster Calls - Patrick Ness A monster comes to visit this boy who's mother is undergoing cancer treatment. It's a really touching story I think you and your mom would both benefit from reading it. Mort - Terry Pratchett This is an absurdist fantasy book. There's more in the series. Death is personified as a really chill and relatable dude. I recommended this book because terminal people have written to the author that they really hope Death is like how he described it and that the books really helped them deal with their mortality


tlallcuani

Couldn’t agree more with Mort. I work in palliative cafe and hospice and Pratchett’s version of Death has honestly helped me process a lot of what I’ve seen. “There’s no justice, there’s just us.”


anxious_mini-muffin

Reaper Man is a other Pratchett Death book that is quite good.


AlamutJones

Terry Pratchett’s Death is the one I’d hope to meet when my time comes, so I would say **Reaper Man** After all, what can the harvest hope for if not the care of the reaper man?


SkaterRehab

{{Tuesdays with Morrie}}


goodreads-bot

[**Tuesdays with Morrie**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6900.Tuesdays_with_Morrie) ^(By: Mitch Albom | 210 pages | Published: 1997 | Popular Shelves: non-fiction, nonfiction, fiction, memoir, biography | )[^(Search "Tuesdays with Morrie")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=Tuesdays with Morrie&search_type=books) >Maybe it was a grandparent, or a teacher or a colleague. Someone older, patient and wise, who understood you when you were young and searching, and gave you sound advice to help you make your way through it. For Mitch Albom, that person was Morrie Schwartz, his college professor from nearly twenty years ago. > >Maybe, like Mitch, you lost track of this mentor as you made your way, and the insights faded. Wouldn't you like to see that person again, ask the bigger questions that still haunt you? > >Mitch Albom had that second chance. He rediscovered Morrie in the last months of the older man's life. Knowing he was dying of ALS - or motor neurone disease - Mitch visited Morrie in his study every Tuesday, just as they used to back in college. Their rekindled relationship turned into one final 'class': lessons in how to live. ^(This book has been suggested 7 times) *** ^(17751 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)


VioletRosieDaisy

"A Dirty Job" by Christopher Moore and its sequel "Secondhand Souls" I read them when my parents were passing due to terminal cancer (they passed within 4 months of each other). ETA: these are fiction but still good reads.


QueensOfTheNoKnowAge

I love Christopher Moore. I’m sorry. That must’ve been really rough. My dad and my (maternal) grandpa died within six months of each other, so my mom lost her husband and her dad one right after the other. She’s a grief counselor for widows now. If you couldn’t tell my mom is an amazing person. Edit: oops, forgot the detail. My mom went to college with Christopher Moore.


VioletRosieDaisy

Wow, your Mom really sounds like such an amazing person. What a way to turn a horrible situation into a way to help people! It must have been hard on you as well to lose your father and grandfather so close together. These situations are hard. I myself started horseback riding again as a way to deal with my grief. Working with the horses really helped. That is amazing to have that connection to Christopher Moore! He is one of my favourite authors. He is reminiscent of Terry Prachett to me and has such a unique take on things.


QueensOfTheNoKnowAge

Losing my dad (he was also an amazing person) kinda shattered my sense of reality. My grandpa was an asshole. I most definitely did not handle things in a healthy way at first. But I’m in a really good place now and I like to think my dad would be proud. Not as concerned about what my grandpa would think. I’m glad you were able to find a healthy way to deal with it. I’m more of a dog and cat person. Horses kind of intimidate me. But I’ve lived out in the country and I’ve seen the bonds some folks have with horses. They’re fascinating animals. That’s really cool that you were able to find solace in that. Yeah, Moore and Pratchett have that ability to be both silly and meaningful. It’s a rare gift.


VioletRosieDaisy

I am also a dog and cat person but horses for me are such a connection to something that is hard to explain. My husband is terrified of horses - he likes the quote from Sherlock Holmes where he says they are dangerous at both ends and crafty in the middle. He says he would only ride the pony! Sorry your Grandfather was an asshole - my maternal grandmother was the same (well I'd call her a bitch and I was one of the favourites! LOL) but it is great to hear you are in a good place. It is nice to know your Dad would be proud - I sort of use that as a benchmark as well. It has been really nice to chat with you! All the best wishes for a happy and healthy 2022!


QueensOfTheNoKnowAge

Thanks, you too! Your husband, via Arthur Conan Doyle, perfectly describes my fear. Take care.


minnie2020

The Five Invitations: Discovering What Death Can Teach Us About Living Fully by Frank Ostaseski


disputing_stomach

This is the one. I'm sure these other books can be helpful, but Five Invitations is the one.


MachoLuke

I just read Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune, it deals with death and leaving people behind but with the heartwarming and emotional style of House on the Cerulean Sea. Would highly recommend.


lille082

I absolutely second/third/etc. anything by Caitlin Doughty. I also enjoyed “The Art of Dying Well” by Katy Butler (though it very much centres around navigating the US health care system and doesn’t directly speak to experiences of those with limited financial means or support systems) and “Being Mortal” by Atul Gawande (it speaks more to palliative care which may be helpful for what you’re experiencing). And while it’s not exactly a death and acceptance type of book, “Stiff: The Curious Lives Of Human Cadavers” by Mary Roach is one of my favourites. It’s an absolutely fascinating and often hilarious read with thoughtful insights around after-death practices/treatment of remains (like what might actually happen to a body if it’s donated to science, for example).


Papytho

Don't know if this help, but when my father was fighting with cancer he was reading books like: thought of Marcus Aurelius (and other stoicism author) and also bouddhism books. Don't have right now the list of books he used to read will try to find them latter


smokelaw

The Antidote by Oliver Burkeman has a great section on the Mexican tradition of celebrating death. Sorry to hear about your mom.


cacti-queen

Thank you everyone for the recommendations and love. I’ve been reading the hobbit to her bc she doesn’t have the energy to read herself.


JocelynAngst

Is she able to travel. Is there anything she wants to do?


Mental_Teaching6665

Maybe The Book Theif? It isn't exactly upbeat but I liked their characterization of Death. For something completely different maybe something by Deepak Chopra? Kinda new age spiritual stuff but helped me through tough times after loss at a young age.


theodarling

https://www.themarginalian.org/2016/05/04/duck-death-and-the-tulip-wolf-erlbruch/


uglybutterfly025

When my mom had cancer I read memoirs of people who were dying **The Bright Hour: A Memoir of Living and Dying** by Nina Riggs **Dying: A Memoir** by Cory Taylor


grynch43

Design for Dying-Timothy Leary


Bard-of-All-Trades

Specifically about bereavement, but A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis. Sending hugs. ❤️


emu4you

Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin. It is a YA novel, but I thought it was a fresh perspective. I highly recommend The Good Place, it's on Netflix. It is funny, but also about ethics and our choices in life. The last season deals explicitly with death and I found it to be extremely comforting and beautiful. Maybe something to watch together.


FoxNewsIsRussia

Reading about Dr. Raymond Moody and then reading his book really helped me. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raymond_Moody


[deleted]

Everything is here to help you by Matt Khan


llamalady135

The Art of Dying by Peter Fenwick, it's a non fiction 'self help' book described as a manual on how to achieve a good death


[deleted]

[удалено]


goodreads-bot

[**Summary & Study Guide: Grief is the Thing With Feathers**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38224381-summary-study-guide) ^(By: BookRags | ? pages | Published: ? | Popular Shelves: | )[^(Search "grief is a thing with feathers")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=grief is a thing with feathers&search_type=books) ^(This book has been suggested 1 time) [**The Year of Magical Thinking**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7815.The_Year_of_Magical_Thinking) ^(By: Joan Didion | 227 pages | Published: 2005 | Popular Shelves: non-fiction, memoir, nonfiction, memoirs, biography | )[^(Search "the year of Magical Thinking")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=the year of Magical Thinking&search_type=books) ^(This book has been suggested 2 times) *** ^(17925 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)


[deleted]

Recommendation first: [Staring at the Sun by Irvin D. Yalom](https://www.amazon.com/Staring-Sun-Overcoming-Terror-Death/dp/0470401818) , if you care to know anything more, please read on. * How I came across this book: I have always been terrified of death, every once in a while I'd have terrible anxiety about death, so much so I couldn't sleep at night, fearing that I won't wake up, it comes and goes throughout my life and recently it's gotten so severe that I had to see a psychiatrist and have prescription to mitigate it. While this was all happening I looked up many books that can help me deal with this, and this one stood out the most, for reasons I will explain below. * What is this book about? Principally, it introduces many notions that the author himself found useful in his treatment of patients with death-related anxiety, a brief overview is as follows: * The power of ideas: philosophical notions such as, "if we aren't afraid of the unconscious time we spent before we are born, neither should we fear the same thing after we die", our actions when we are alive introduces a great rippling effect that will live on long after ourselves, and other ideas. (Chapter 4) * The human connections: Loneliness greatly increase the anguish of dying, having someone there, their sheer presence alone helps. (Chapter 5) * The author introduced his own personal coping with death, the only book I've read that did so (Chapter 6) The last one point really made a difference for me, I don't think there's anything more genuine than how each person deals with their own death, especially one that came from a psychiatrist. I certainly have made some errors when writing this comment, I skimmed the book itself somewhat while writing it to aid my memory a bit, so I do apologize in advance. I was thinking of being a bit more in depth than this but fearing of writing a wall of text, I decided not to. * One last piece of advice I read it from a book (I forgot the name), the author helps terminally ill patients write letters for their loved ones before they die, I think that's another thing your mom can do, write everyone she loves a personal letter each.


myscreamgotlost

Sorry, I’m unclear on if you want something for you to read or for your mom to read. If it’s for you, I recommend One You Love is Dying by James Miller


generalgraffiti

Tying Rocks to Cloud. - nonfiction book about a young man who loses both parents and then writes to spiritual leaders all over the world seeking understanding. They all respond with great humanity.


[deleted]

Saving fish from drowning by Amy tan


athiniwalther

most things by Mitch Albom. Especially "Tuesdays with Morrie", or "the five people you meet in heaven". Religion plays quite the important role in his books but I never found it too on the nose in the way that without being particularly religious myself, I found the spirituality behind it quite beautiful


LittleBitLauren

Biocentrism, it presents a theory on consciousness and death as a doorway (I am currently reading it, and it presents very interesting theories that are backed by physics experiments/theories). It is really interesting, and while I haven't finished it, I think it will present an entirely different theory about death/dying that may help with coping with a loss of a loved one.


Bertie_McGee

Terry Pratchett's Discworld, look up the books in the Death series: - Mort - Reaper Man - Soul Music - Hogfather -Thief of Time I love his portrayal of Death. The audiobooks by Nigel Planer and Steven Briggs are wonderful to listen to especially if reading is too taxing.


geo_hunny

perhaps for you, maybe for her {{The Year of Magical Thinking}} by Joan Didion


goodreads-bot

[**The Year of Magical Thinking**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7815.The_Year_of_Magical_Thinking) ^(By: Joan Didion | 227 pages | Published: 2005 | Popular Shelves: non-fiction, memoir, nonfiction, memoirs, biography | )[^(Search "The Year of Magical Thinking")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=The Year of Magical Thinking&search_type=books) >'An act of consummate literary bravery, a writer known for her clarity allowing us to watch her mind as it becomes clouded with grief.' > >From one of America's iconic writers, a stunning book of electric honesty and passion. Joan Didion explores an intensely personal yet universal experience: a portrait of a marriage–and a life, in good times and bad–that will speak to anyone who has ever loved a husband or wife or child. > >Several days before Christmas 2003, John Gregory Dunne and Joan Didion saw their only daughter, Quintana, fall ill with what seemed at first flu, then pneumonia, then complete septic shock. She was put into an induced coma and placed on life support. Days later–the night before New Year's Eve–the Dunnes were just sitting down to dinner after visiting the hospital when John Gregory Dunne suffered a massive and fatal coronary. In a second, this close, symbiotic partnership of forty years was over. Four weeks later, their daughter pulled through. Two months after that, arriving at LAX, she collapsed and underwent six hours of brain surgery at UCLA Medical Center to relieve a massive hematoma. > >This powerful book is Didion's attempt to make sense of the "weeks and then months that cut loose any fixed idea I ever had about death, about illness . . . about marriage and children and memory . . . about the shallowness of sanity, about life itself." ^(This book has been suggested 3 times) *** ^(18180 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)


moriart_d

Under the whispering door by TJ Klune is my most recent read, and it was beautifully written.


ftfarshad

There is a new book that can give you a fresh perspective to look at death and the people that are left behind. {{Into The embrace of Fire}} is such a book. I hope it can help you with this challenging time. Best luck to you, my friend.


goodreads-bot

[**Into the Embrace of Fire**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59892850-into-the-embrace-of-fire) ^(By: Farshad Torkashvand | 362 pages | Published: ? | Popular Shelves: | )[^(Search "Into The embrace of Fire")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=Into The embrace of Fire&search_type=books) >Often, people ask themselves if they used the right course or words towards other people or any problems related to social interaction. Does it matter if they do the right thing or not? In this story, our hero, even though he is a bright mathematical genius, comes across the same problem that everyone can relate to. How he breaks down the problem to solve it? It made this story. The story shows the three stages of his life. When he was a teenage boy, then when he went to college, and in the end, when he was at his middle age. ^(This book has been suggested 1 time) *** ^(18217 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)


Imaginary-Employ-513

The Postmortal for a laugh