Mortality & Death

"Nothing can be said to be certain," wrote Ben Franklin, "except death and taxes." And yet, death is often ignored, dismissed, or delayed as an experience worth contemplating—until we are forced to reckon with it head-on. The books in this collection do their own reckoning.

Sounder

by William Armstrong

Publication year 1969

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Grief, Loneliness, Disability, Race, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Death, Social Class, Justice

Tags Historical Fiction, Animals, Classic Fiction, Southern Literature

Sounder is a 1969 book for young readers by American author William H. Armstrong. In the novel, a young boy grows up in a Black sharecropping family on a sprawling plantation in the 19th-century in the American South, where he lives with his parents, his siblings, and his faithful dog, Sounder. Bored and lonely, the boy dreams of returning to school and learning to read, and he copes with his life of obligation by hunting... Read Sounder Summary

Sphere

by Michael Crichton

Publication year 1987

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Loneliness, Mental Health, Death, Animals, Appearance & Reality, Space, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Loyalty & Betrayal, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Action & Adventure

Sphere (1987) is a novel by best-selling author Michael Crichton, the sixth novel he released under his own name but his 16th novel overall. The novel follows protagonist Norman Johnson as he travels to the bottom of the ocean with a team of scientists to explore an unknown spacecraft. Inside the craft is a sphere that when entered enhances imagination and allows people to manifest reality from their unconscious mind. Sphere was made into a... Read Sphere Summary

Spy School

by Stuart Gibbs

Publication year 2012

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Death, Loyalty & Betrayal, Friendship, Community, Teamwork, Safety & Danger, Memory, Daughters & Sons, Science & Technology, Childhood & Youth, Education, Power & Greed, Shame & Pride, Fear, Order & Chaos, Trust & Doubt, Perseverance, Good & Evil, Justice, Politics & Government, Appearance & Reality, Truth & Lies, Conflict, Fathers, Loneliness

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Action & Adventure, Children`s Literature, Realistic Fiction, Humor

... Read Spy School Summary

Starside

by Alex Aster

Publication year 2026

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Fear, Grief, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Hope, Loneliness, Love, Regret, Revenge, Shame & Pride, Sexual Identity, Death, The Past, Appearance & Reality, Family, Friendship, Self Discovery, Politics & Government, Good & Evil, Loyalty & Betrayal

Tags Fantasy, Romance

Starside (2026) is a romantasy novel by Alex Aster, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Lightlark saga. Aster is a notable figure in the BookTok literary phenomenon, where her viral social media pitch for Lightlark catapulted her from a rejected author to a bestselling sensation. As the first installment in a new series, Starside builds on the author’s established brand of high-stakes fantasy, fast-paced action, and romantic tension. The novel is set... Read Starside Summary

Starters

by Lissa Price

Publication year 2012

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Aging, Siblings, Death, Social Class, Childhood & Youth, Community, Memory, Science & Technology, Future, The Past, Guilt, Family, Appearance & Reality, Trust & Doubt, Fear, Politics & Government, Power & Greed, Beauty, Truth & Lies, Good & Evil, Conflict

Tags Science Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Fantasy, Romance, Action & Adventure

Lissa Price’s Starters is a young adult science fiction novel set in the near future after the Spore Wars, during which biological weapons were used against the United States and wiped out much of the unvaccinated middle-aged population. As a result, many teens were left without families, and the elderly feared for their place in society. Starters without grandparents were barred from essentially every type of work. This led to teens being rounded up to... Read Starters Summary

Stella

by McCall Hoyle

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Death, Friendship, Animals

Tags Realistic Fiction, Animals, Health, Grief & Death, Trauma & Abuse, Children`s Literature, Disability

... Read Stella Summary

Stella Maris

by Cormac McCarthy

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Grief, Music, Space, Loneliness, Death

Tags Historical Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Mental Illness, Philosophy, Mystery & Crime Fiction, American Literature, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy

... Read Stella Maris Summary

Stone Cold

by Robert Swindells

Publication year 1993

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Trust & Doubt, Equality, Apathy, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Loneliness, Memory, Regret, Shame & Pride, Mental Health, Death, Family, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Economics, Politics & Government, Good & Evil, Justice, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Action & Adventure

... Read Stone Cold Summary

Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening

by Robert Frost

Publication year 1923

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Beauty, Death, Environment

Tags Lyric Poem, Science & Nature

“Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” is a short, structured poem written in 1922 by the American poet Robert Frost, one of the foremost poets of the 20th century. The poem was originally published in 1923 in the magazine New Republic, and then in Frost’s poetry collection New Hampshire. The poem explores themes of nature, beauty, duty, life, and death, and is written using simple and accessible language that has made it beloved by... Read Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening Summary

Strange Buildings

by Uketsu, Transl. Jim Rion

Publication year 2026

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Fear, Forgiveness, Grief, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Regret, Shame & Pride, Disability, Death, The Past, Place, Family, Religion & Spirituality, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Horror & Suspense

Published in Japan in 2023, Strange Buildings is a mystery horror novel by the pseudonymous author and YouTuber Uketsu. It’s the sequel to his best-selling novel Strange Houses, which was adapted into a major motion picture in Japan. The story follows a writer who, after the success of his previous book, receives submissions from readers about unsettling buildings with bizarre architectural features. He selects 11 unrelated cases to investigate with his friend Kurihara, an architectural... Read Strange Buildings Summary