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.

These Summer Storms

by Sarah MacLean

Publication year 2025

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Grief, Hate & Anger, Love, Death, The Past, Place, Family, Fathers, Mothers, Siblings, Self Discovery, Social Class, Fame, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Romance

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The Seven Rings

by Nora Roberts

Publication year 2025

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Memory, Death, The Past, Place, Family, Friendship, Marriage, Self Discovery, Community, Good & Evil

Tags Fantasy, Horror & Suspense, Gothic Literature, Romance

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The Sheltering Sky

by Paul Bowles

Publication year 1949

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Colonialism, Marriage, Death

Tags Historical Fiction, Post-War Era, Trauma & Abuse, Psychological Fiction, Love & Sexuality, Colonialism & Postcolonialism, American Literature, Travel Literature, Classic Fiction

An American writer and composer who lived in Morocco for most of his life, Paul Bowles was a peripheral member of the post-World War II counter-cultural group of writers known as the Beat generation. The Sheltering Sky (1949), his first novel, is his best-known work, although he wrote other novels, numerous short stories, and works of nonfiction, most notably travel narratives. He also translated several works by Moroccan writers. The Sheltering Sky was adapted into... Read The Sheltering Sky Summary

The Shipping News

by Annie Proulx

Publication year 1993

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Perseverance, Forgiveness, Grief, Hope, Loneliness, Love, Regret, Shame & Pride, Mental Health, Midlife, Death, Environment, Nature Versus Nurture, Place, Community

Tags American Literature, Coming of Age, Trauma & Abuse

Annie Proulx’s novel The Shipping News (1993) is a work of literary fiction that earned both the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the National Book Award. The story follows Quoyle, a large, ineffectual third-rate newspaperman from upstate New York. After a series of personal calamities, including the deaths of his parents and his cruel, unfaithful wife, Quoyle moves with his two young daughters and paternal aunt to their ancestral home on the stark coast of... Read The Shipping News Summary

The Shoemaker's Wife

by Adriana Trigiani

Publication year 2012

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Family, Fate, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Hope, Joy, Memory, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Midlife, Death, Future, The Past, Animals, Place, Marriage, Mothers, Self Discovery, Community, Economics, Immigration, Politics & Government, War, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Trust & Doubt

Tags Historical Fiction, Romance

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The Sicilian Inheritance

by Jo Piazza

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Forgiveness, Hope, Loneliness, Memory, Nostalgia, Revenge, Femininity, Gender Identity, Mental Health, Sexual Identity, Death, The Past, Daughters & Sons, Family, Mothers, Equality, Emotions/Behavior: Courage

Tags Horror & Suspense, Italian Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, World History, Historical Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction

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The Silkworm

by Robert Galbraith

Publication year 2014

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Perseverance, Fear, Grief, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Loneliness, Memory, Regret, Revenge, Shame & Pride, Disability, Gender Identity, Masculinity, Mental Health, Death, Appearance & Reality, Marriage, Teamwork, Justice, Power & Greed

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense

J.K. Rowling has published seven novels in the Cormoran Strike mystery series under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith, beginning in 2013 with The Cuckoo’s Calling. The Silkworm was released in 2014 as the second installment of the series. The novel received praise for its intricate plotting and satirical take on the publishing industry, though it also drew criticism for its controversial portrayals of gender and graphic imagery. Set in the London literary world, The Silkworm satirizes... Read The Silkworm Summary

The Sisters Brothers

by Patrick Dewitt

Publication year 2011

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Masculinity, Death, Community

Tags Historical Fiction, Satirical Literature, Western, Symbolic Narrative, Trauma & Abuse, US History, Addiction & Substance Abuse, Gender & Feminism, American Literature, American Civil War, Mystery & Crime Fiction, World History, Action & Adventure, Humor

The Sisters Brothers is a 2011 novel by Canadian writer Patrick DeWitt. Set in 1851, it traces the journey of Charlie and Eli Sisters, two hired killers traveling from Oregon to San Francisco to find a man called Warm, who allegedly stole something from their boss, the Commodore. The darkly comic Western is in the picaresque genre, as the brothers’ episodic misadventures explore different communities populating the American West.The Sisters Brothers is divided into 64... Read The Sisters Brothers Summary

The Skeleton Tree

by Iain Lawrence

Publication year 2016

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Masculinity, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Death, Animals, Environment, Plants, Food, Objects & Materials, Fathers, Siblings, Self Discovery, Fate, Safety & Danger

Tags Action & Adventure, Survival Fiction, Children`s Literature, Realistic Fiction

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The Son of Neptune

by Rick Riordan

Publication year 2011

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Death, Teamwork, Friendship, Fate, Safety & Danger, Coming of Age, Memory, Guilt, Objects & Materials, Good & Evil, Fathers, Perseverance

Tags Mythology, Fantasy, Children`s Literature, Action & Adventure

The Son of Neptune is the second novel in Rick Riordan’s The Heroes of Olympus series. Released in 2011, this novel continues the story begun in The Lost Hero, following Percy Jackson as he stumbles into the Roman demigod camp, Camp Jupiter, after losing his memory and eight months of his life. At the camp, Percy meets Hazel, daughter of Pluto, and Frank, son of Mars. Together, Percy, Hazel, and Frank are charged with a... Read The Son of Neptune Summary