"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.
Publication year 2004
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Life/Time: The Past, Natural World: Animals, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Natural World: Flora/plants, Natural World: Place, Relationships: Family, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Values/Ideas: Fate, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil
Tags Historical Fiction, Magical Realism, History: World, Romance, Fantasy
Published in 2004, Alice Hoffman’s novel Blackbird House chronicles a house on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and its inhabitants over a 200-year span. The story, which invokes elements of magical realism, begins during the War of 1812 and ends in the present day. Shifting between first-person and third-person point-of-view, the novel delves into the themes of Love as Motivation, Resilience Resulting from Adversity, and The Power of Place in Shaping Lives.Other works by this author include... Read Blackbird House Summary
Publication year 2000
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Life/Time: Aging, Life/Time: Mortality & Death
Tags Health / Medicine, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), History: U.S., African American Literature, Gender / Feminism, American Literature, Classic Fiction
Publication year 2025
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Regret, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Relationships: Fathers, Relationships: Teams, Self Discovery, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger
Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Romance
Publication year 2023
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Regret, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Identity: Femininity, Identity: Gender, Identity: Masculinity, Identity: Mental Health, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Natural World: Environment, Natural World: Place, Relationships: Teams, Self Discovery, Society: Class, Society: Colonialism, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Identity: Race
Tags Fantasy
Publication year 2002
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Society: War, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Identity: Gender, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Siblings, Relationships: Teams, Society: Immigration, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger
Tags Children's Literature, Action / Adventure, Contemporary Literature
Publication year 2018
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Relationships: Siblings, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Regret, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Literature, Relationships: Mothers, Relationships: Marriage, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Relationships: Fathers, Life/Time: The Past
Tags Historical Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Grief / Death, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2012
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Mothers
Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Irish Literature
Broken Harbour (2012), a literary thriller by Tana French, is the fourth installment in her Dublin Murder Squad series. The novel won numerous awards, including the Irish Crime Fiction Award and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Mystery/Thriller. French has been praised for her blend of literary characterization, setting, and use of language alongside propulsive plots. Broken Harbour is told from the first-person point of view of Detective Mick “Scorcher” Kennedy. The plot involves... Read Broken Harbour Summary
Publication year 2024
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Identity: Language, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Relationships: Siblings, Relationships: Teams, Values/Ideas: Fame, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Music
Publication year 2008
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Life/Time: The Past, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Natural World: Food, Natural World: Place, Society: Community
Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Historical Fiction
Publication year 1901
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Regret, Identity: Masculinity, Identity: Mental Health, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Relationships: Marriage, Society: Economics, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed
Tags Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, German Literature, History: World, Classical Period
Thomas Mann’s novel Buddenbrooks: The Decline of a Family was first published in 1901 and came to be recognized as a monumental work in the canon of modern literature. Thomas Mann (1875–1955) was a German novelist and recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1929 for his novels, Buddenbrooks and The Magic Mountain. Mann draws on his own family history to craft Buddenbrooks’ narrative, demonstrating profound understanding of societal and familial dynamics in the... Read Buddenbrooks Summary
Publication year 1995
Genre Short Story, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Values/Ideas: Art, Life/Time: Mortality & Death
Tags Realistic Fiction, Arts / Culture, Grief / Death, Psychology, Education, Education, Classic Fiction
Publication year 2019
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Identity: Race, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Relationships: Mothers, Society: Community, Society: Nation, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Race / Racism, Social Justice
Publication year 2024
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Regret, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Natural World: Environment, Relationships: Fathers, Relationships: Friendship, Society: Politics & Government, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger
Tags Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Action / Adventure
Publication year 2025
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Identity: Gender, Identity: Mental Health, Identity: Sexuality, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Self Discovery, Values/Ideas: Equality
Tags Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, LGBTQ
Publication year 2023
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Self Discovery, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice
Tags Romance, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 1970
Genre Short Story Collection, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Identity: Race, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Relationships: Marriage, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal
Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery / Crime Fiction
Publication year 1937
Genre Short Story, Fiction
Themes Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Society: War
Tags Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Technology, Education, Education, American Literature, History: World, Classic Fiction
Stephen Vincent Benét lived from 1898 to 1943. Much of his writing examines subjects from American history, including his highly acclaimed narrative poem John Brown’s Body. Benét won four Pulitzer Prizes, including one for “By the Waters of Babylon.” First published in 1937 in The Saturday Evening Post as “The Place of the Gods,” the postapocalyptic story follows a young man’s journey for truth and explores the themes of The Destruction of War, Coming of... Read By the Waters of Babylon Summary
Publication year 2017
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Identity: Indigenous, Identity: Mental Health, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Life/Time: The Future, Life/Time: The Past, Natural World: Animals, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Natural World: Climate, Natural World: Nurture v. Nature, Society: Colonialism, Society: Community, Society: Globalization, Society: Politics & Government, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags Science / Nature, History: World, Anthropology, Psychology, Biology, Animals
Publication year 2025
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Identity: Race, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Mothers, Values/Ideas: Equality, Identity: Mental Health
Tags Romance
Publication year 2014
Genre Graphic Memoir , Nonfiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Life/Time: Aging, Emotions/Behavior: Apathy, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Gratitude, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Regret, Identity: Mental Health, Life/Time: Mortality & Death
Tags Humor, Grief / Death, Biography