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.

The Bone Clocks

by David Mitchell

Publication year 2014

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Good & Evil, Hope, Memory, Gender Identity, Indigenous Identity, Death, Future, Appearance & Reality, Climate, Social Class, War, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed

Tags Fantasy, Science Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Magical Realism

The Bone Clocks (2014) is a work of literary fantasy and the sixth novel by English author David Mitchell. It was longlisted for the 2014 Man Booker Prize, and also received the 2015 World Fantasy Award.Spanning nearly 60 years and featuring five different narrators, The Bone Clocks follows Holly Sykes, a young woman from Kent, England, who becomes embroiled in a secret war between two groups of immortal beings called the Horologists and the Anchorites... Read The Bone Clocks Summary

The Book of Disquiet

by Fernando Pessoa

Publication year 1982

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Literature, Apathy, Hope, Loneliness, Nostalgia, Regret, Mental Health, Death, Self Discovery, Art, Beauty

Tags Philosophy, Life-Inspired Fiction, Modernism

The Book of Disquiet is a fragmented modernist novel by Portuguese author Fernando Pessoa. Originally published in Portuguese in 1982 and in English in 1998, the title is a posthumous assemblage of Pessoa’s philosophical musings on life, urbanity, identity, and dreams. The novel is narrated by Bernardo Soares, one of Pessoa’s numerous heteronyms, or literary personas. Soares lives in Lisbon, where he works as an assistant bookkeeper. When he isn’t working, he occupies his time... Read The Book of Disquiet Summary

The Book of Joy

by Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu

Publication year 2016

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Joy, Gratitude, Forgiveness, Death, Friendship, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Self-Improvement, Religion & Spirituality, Philosophy, Psychology, Inspirational, Psychology, Philosophy

In The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World, co-authors Douglas Abrams, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and Archbishop Desmond Tutu share their discussion on the nature of joy and the methods to achieve it in the face of adversity. Originally published in 2016, this work falls within the genre of spiritual and self-help literature. The Dalai Lama, the exiled spiritual leader of Tibet, and Archbishop Tutu, a leader in the fight against... Read The Book of Joy Summary

The Book of Magic

by Alice Hoffman

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Love, Femininity, Death, Future, The Past, Animals, Appearance & Reality, Objects & Materials, Place, Mothers, Siblings, Self Discovery, Community, Education, Art, Beauty, Fate, Good & Evil, Literature, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Fantasy, Romance, Historical Fiction

... Read The Book of Magic Summary

The Bottle Imp

by Robert Louis Stevenson

Publication year 1891

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Good & Evil, Power & Greed, Death

Tags Fantasy, Classic Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Gothic Literature, Education, Education, British Literature, World History

Robert Louis Stevenson’s “The Bottle Imp” is a short and comedic story in the parable genre. The story features themes of Self-Sacrifice for Love, Money Can’t Buy Happiness, and The Reality of Evil. “The Bottle Imp” was first published as a serialized newspaper story in 1891 and was included in Stevenson’s collection, Island Nights’ Entertainment (1893). The story is a humorous take on the trope of “making a deal with the devil,” where the protagonist... Read The Bottle Imp Summary

The Bridge of San Luis Rey

by Thornton Wilder

Publication year 1927

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Fate, Death, Appearance & Reality, Order & Chaos

Tags Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction, Dramatic Literature

Thornton Wilder’s philosophical novel The Bridge of San Luis Rey (1927) opens with a catastrophic event in colonial Peru. On July 20, 1714, a centuries-old Incan rope bridge collapses, plunging five travelers to their deaths. Witnessing the tragedy, a Franciscan friar named Brother Juniper embarks on a six-year investigation into the lives of the victims, hoping to uncover a divine pattern and answer the question of whether their deaths were part of God’s plan or... Read The Bridge of San Luis Rey Summary

The Brooklyn Nine

by Alan Gratz

Publication year 2009

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Guilt, Hope, Loneliness, Memory, Daughters & Sons, Friendship, Grandparents, Fathers, Mothers, Teamwork, Disability, Indigenous Identity, Gender Identity, Race, Immigration, Social Class, Community, Education, War, Nation, Self Discovery, Politics & Government, Place, Equality, Fate, Loyalty & Betrayal, Safety & Danger, Wins & Losses, Truth & Lies, Aging, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, The Past, Midlife, Death

Tags Historical Fiction, Children`s Literature, Sports, Realistic Fiction, World History

... Read The Brooklyn Nine Summary

The Burning Bridge

by John Flanagan

Publication year 2005

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Loyalty & Betrayal, Friendship, Perseverance, Fear, Hope, Gender Identity, Coming of Age, Death, Appearance & Reality, Teamwork, Self Discovery, War, Good & Evil, Safety & Danger

Tags Fantasy, Action & Adventure

... Read The Burning Bridge Summary

The Butcher Game

by Alaina Urquhart

Publication year 2024

Genre Short Story Collection, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Fear, Hate & Anger, Love, Revenge, Shame & Pride, Mental Health, Death, Environment, Plants, Good & Evil, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger

Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction

... Read The Butcher Game Summary

The Butterfly Lion

by Michael Morpurgo

Publication year 2016

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Loneliness, Love, Memory, Coming of Age, Death, Animals, Friendship, War, Loyalty & Betrayal

Tags Children`s Literature, Education, Education, Animals, World History, Historical Fiction, Action & Adventure

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The Cancer Journals

by Audre Lorde

Publication year 1980

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Death, Community

Tags Health, Gender & Feminism, LGBTQ+, Women`s Studies, Disability, Biography

Audre Lorde was a poet, essayist, activist, and memoirist whose writings on lesbian feminism and race were integral to second-wave feminism. Lorde was born in New York City on February 18, 1934 to Grenadian immigrant parents. She attended Hunter High School, where she edited the school’s literary magazine. She published her first poem, which had been rejected by an English teacher, in Seventeen magazine. She later attended Hunter College, where she trained to become a... Read The Cancer Journals Summary

The Caretaker

by Ron Rash

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes War, Family, Power & Greed, Grief, Loneliness, Love, Disability, Coming of Age, Death, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Truth & Lies

Tags Historical Fiction, Southern Literature, Southern Gothic, Korean War

... Read The Caretaker Summary