World Book Day- Books about Grief

LauraCW 3 days ago

6 replies

Good morning,

With World Book Day upon us we at the Marie Curie Online Community Team thought it might be interesting to have a discussion about what books have helped us on our grieving journey.

For me two stand out:

You Are Not Alone by Cariad Lloyd- I am a huge fan of Cariad’s podcast ‘Griefcast’ and her book is full of the same raw honesty. It follows her own experience of losing her dad to cancer at the age of 15 and also demystifies certain myths around grief theory. 

I found it really accessible and empathetic and there is also humour in there.

I Promise It Won’t Hurt Like This by Clare Mackintosh- Again this is inspired by Clare’s own personal experience of losing a child. It is very hard to read at times but extremely moving and I liked the way she broke it down into 18 promises. It is both realistic and reassuring.

We would love to hear some of your personal recommendations if you are happy to share.

Many thanks,

Laura, Volunteer for Marie Curie Online Community Team

Bonnie 3 days ago

Hello Laura,

What a great idea, thank you so much for sharing what books you’ve found helpful. 

Reading can bring comfort, for some people it can help to process grief and for others it can be a reminder of happy memories.

One book that always comes to mind for me is With the End in Mind by Kathryn Mannix which is all about death and dying. 

Are there any books that you’ve found helpful while grieving? If you feel comfortable, please feel free to share below 💛

Bonnie, Marie Curie Online Community Team

kellydenise 3 days ago

Happy World Book Day!  Thanks for sharing and opening this conversation Laura! 

It might not be for everyone, but I recently read "The Grieving Brain" by Mary-Frances O'Connor. 
I like to make sense of things, and this book really highlighted what it does to us in our brains when we grieve, which made a lot of sense to me! 

I'd recommend it, and also there is a TedTalk of Mary-Frances talking about the book -  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBoKZAC9iiI 

admin 3 days ago

Thank you so much for sharing a recent read with us Kelly and the TedTalk too 💛

admin 3 days ago

Edited by admin 3 days ago

We also have some booklets on our website that are designed to help people with the emotional and practical issues related to a bereavement. 

Click here to order or download our free booklets.

Please feel free to add any suggestions you have to the thread and remember that our Support Line is there for you if you would like to talk.  

Marie Curie Online Community Team

LauraCW 3 days ago

Thanks so much for your recommendations Bonnie and Kelly!

Kelly I found The Grieving Brain fascinating, so interesting to discover more about the science behind grieving. Thanks so much for the Ted Talk info, I will definitely check that out.

Happy World Book Day and thanks again 💛💛💛 Laura, Volunteer for Marie Curie Online Community Team