Reading List — Recommended by Widows

Below you’ll find our carefully curated list of meaningful books for those in widowhood.

Every book on our list has been read and recommended by widows.

Although not every one of these books may resonate with you personally, we believe that the shared experiences of others can offer validation and hope in times of grief, while practical advice and strategies can be an important part of personal growth and forward momentum.

Collage image of a book with flowers growing out of it

Sometimes in widowhood, especially in the earlier days, it can be hard to read. You may find your focus shifting away from the words, then realize at the end of a paragraph you have no idea what you just read.

Because there’s so much shared wisdom and support to be gained from books, if you’re having trouble focusing on reading, most of these books can also be purchased in audiobook format. You may also want to consider subscribing to Audible.com, which offers more than 700,000 audiobook titles, along with meditations, soundscapes, and more.

Navigating Loss and Grief

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It’s OK That You’re Not OK book cover

It’s OK That You’re Not OK

by Megan Devine

Good Mourning: Honest Conversations about Grief and Loss book cover

Good Mourning: Honest Conversations about Grief and Loss

by Sally Douglas and Imogen Carn

Happily Even After: A Guide to Getting Through and Beyond the Grief of Widowhood book cover

Happily Even After: A Guide to Getting Through and Beyond the Grief of Widowhood

by Carole Brody Fleet

Your Grief, Your Way: A Year of Practical Guidance and Comfort After Loss book cover

Your Grief, Your Way: A Year of Practical Guidance and Comfort After Loss

by Shelby Forsythia

Healing After Loss: Daily Meditations For Working Through Grief book cover

Healing After Loss: Daily Meditations For Working Through Grief

by Martha Whitmore Hickman

Resilient Grieving: How to Find Your Way Through Devastating Loss book cover

Resilient Grieving: How to Find Your Way Through Devastating Loss

by Lucy Hone

Welcome to the Grief Club: Because You Don’t Have to Go Through It Alone book cover

Welcome to the Grief Club: Because You Don’t Have to Go Through It Alone

by Janine Kwoh

I Promise It Won't Always Hurt Like This: 18 Assurances on Grief book cover

I Promise It Won't Always Hurt Like This: 18 Assurances on Grief

by Clare Mackintosh

A Widow’s Guide to Healing: Gentle Support and Advice for the First 5 Years book cover

A Widow’s Guide to Healing: Gentle Support and Advice for the First 5 Years

by Kristin Meekhof and James Windell

Moving On Doesn’t Mean Letting Go: A Modern Guide to Navigating Loss book title

Moving On Doesn’t Mean Letting Go: A Modern Guide to Navigating Loss

by Gina Moffa

I Wasn’t Ready to Say Goodbye: Surviving, Coping and Healing After the Sudden Death of a Loved One book cover

I Wasn’t Ready to Say Goodbye: Surviving, Coping and Healing After the Sudden Death of a Loved One

by Brook Noel and Pamela D. Blair

The Grief Guidebook: Common Questions, Compassionate Answers, Practical Suggestions book cover

The Grief Guidebook: Common Questions, Compassionate Answers, Practical Suggestions

by Gary Roe

Expected Loss: Coping with Anticipatory Grief book cover

Expected Loss: Coping with Anticipatory Grief

by Alan D. Wolfelt

First Aid for Broken Hearts book cover

First Aid for Broken Hearts

by Alan D. Wolfelt

Too Much Loss: Coping with Grief Overload book cover

Too Much Loss: Coping with Grief Overload

by Alan D. Wolfelt

Understanding Your Grief: Ten Essential Touchstones for Finding Hope and Healing Your Heart book cover

Understanding Your Grief: Ten Essential Touchstones for Finding Hope and Healing Your Heart

by Alan D. Wolfelt

Understanding Your Suicide Grief: Ten Essential Touchstones for Finding Hope and Healing Your Heart book cover

Understanding Your Suicide Grief: Ten Essential Touchstones for Finding Hope and Healing Your Heart

by Alan D. Wolfelt

When Your Soulmate Dies: A Guide to Healing Through Heroic Mourning book cover

When Your Soulmate Dies: A Guide to Healing Through Heroic Mourning

by Alan D. Wolfelt

You’re Not Crazy―You’re Grieving: 6 Steps for Surviving Loss book cover

You’re Not Crazy―You’re Grieving: 6 Steps for Surviving Loss

by Alan D. Wolfelt

Personal Development and Growth

Love & Grief: Find Healing, Meaning, and Purpose in Life After Loss book cover

Love & Grief: Find Healing, Meaning, and Purpose in Life After Loss

by Emily P. Bingham

The Other Side of Sadness: What the New Science of Bereavement Tells Us About Life After Loss book cover

The Other Side of Sadness: What the New Science of Bereavement Tells Us About Life After Loss

by George A. Bonanno

Radical Acceptance: Embracing Your Life With the Heart of a Buddha book cover

Radical Acceptance: Embracing Your Life With the Heart of a Buddha

by Tara Brach

Transitions: Making Sense of Life’s Changes book cover

Transitions: Making Sense of Life’s Changes

by William Bridges and Susan Bridges

Bearing the Unbearable: Love, Loss, and the Heartbreaking Path of Grief book cover

Bearing the Unbearable: Love, Loss, and the Heartbreaking Path of Grief

by Dr. Joanne Cacciatore

Normal Broken: The Grief Companion for When It’s Time to Heal but You’re Not Sure You Want To book cover

Normal Broken: The Grief Companion for When It’s Time to Heal but You’re Not Sure You Want To

by Kelly Cervantes

Self Love for the Broken Hearted book cover

Self Love for the Broken Hearted

by Adele Childs

When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times book cover

When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times

by Pema Chodron

The Grief Experience: Tools for Acceptance, Resilience, and Connection book cover

The Grief Experience: Tools for Acceptance, Resilience, and Connection

by Kelly Daugherty

The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living book cover

The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living

by Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman

The Grieving Body: How the Stress of Loss Can Be an Opportunity for Healing Book Cover

The Grieving Body: How the Stress of Loss Can Be an Opportunity for Healing

by Mary-Frances O’Connor

The Grieving Brain: The Surprising Science of How We Learn from Love and Loss book cover

The Grieving Brain: The Surprising Science of How We Learn from Love and Loss

by Mary-Frances O’Connor

Second Firsts: A Step-by-Step Guide to Life After Loss book cover

Second Firsts: A Step-by-Step Guide to Life After Loss

by Christina Rasmussen

Moving Forward: The Widow’s Journey book cover

Moving Forward: The Widow’s Journey

by Arlene Sacks

Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, and Finding Joy book cover

Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, and Finding Joy

by Sheryl Sandberg and Adam Grant

Conscious Grieving: A Transformative Approach to Healing from Loss book cover

Conscious Grieving: A Transformative Approach to Healing from Loss

by Claire Bidwell Smith

Resilience: The Science of Mastering Life’s Greatest Challenges book cover

Resilience: The Science of Mastering Life’s Greatest Challenges

by S.M. Southwick, D.S. Charney, and J.M. DePierro

Grief Hack: A Creative Process for Transforming Loss book cover

Grief Hack: A Creative Process for Transforming Loss

by Madonna Treadway

The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma book cover

The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma

by Dr. Bessel van der Kolk

Complicated Grief: How to Understand, Express, and Reconcile Your Especially Difficult Grief book cover

Complicated Grief: How to Understand, Express, and Reconcile Your Especially Difficult Grief

by Alan D. Wolfelt

The Anxiety of Grief: How to Understand, Soothe, and Express Your Fears after a Loss book cover

The Anxiety of Grief: How to Understand, Soothe, and Express Your Fears after a Loss

by Alan D. Wolfelt

A Year of Gratitude: Daily Moments of Reflection, Grace, and Thanks book cover

A Year of Gratitude: Daily Moments of Reflection, Grace, and Thanks

by Joree Rose

A Year of Mindfulness for Beginners: Daily Mantras, Meditations, and Prompts book cover

A Year of Mindfulness for Beginners: Daily Mantras, Meditations, and Prompts

by Lee Papa

A Year of Positive Thinking: Daily Inspirations, Wisdom, and Courage book cover

A Year of Positive Thinking: Daily Inspirations, Wisdom, and Courage

by Cyndie Spiegel

A Year of Self-Motivation for Women: Daily Inspiration, Courage, and Confidence book cover

A Year of Self-Motivation for Women: Daily Inspiration, Courage, and Confidence

by Ashton August

A Year of Self-Esteem: Daily Reflections and Practices for Embracing Your Worth book cover

A Year of Self-Esteem: Daily Reflections and Practices for Embracing Your Worth

by Judith A. Belmont

Memoirs

Notes on Grief: A Memoir book cover

Notes on Grief: A Memoir

by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Saturday Night Widows: The Adventures of Six Friends Remaking Their Lives book cover

Saturday Night Widows: The Adventures of Six Friends Remaking Their Lives

by Becky Aikman

Dancing in My Nightgown: The Rhythms of Widowhood book cover

Dancing in My Nightgown: The Rhythms of Widowhood

by Betty Auchard

Memorial Days book cover

Memorial Days

by Geraldine Brooks

New Life, No Instructions: A Memoir book cover

New Life, No Instructions: A Memoir

by Gail Caldwell

Grief Is for People book cover

Grief Is for People

by Sloane Crosley

The Year of Magical Thinking book cover

The Year of Magical Thinking

by Joan Didion

Grief Is Love: Living with Loss book cover

Grief Is Love: Living with Loss

by Marisa Renee Lee

A Grief Observed book cover

A Grief Observed

by C. S. Lewis

Future Widow: Losing My Husband, Saving My Family, and Finding My Voice book cover

Future Widow: Losing My Husband, Saving My Family, and Finding My Voice

by Jenny Lisk

From Scratch: A Memoir of Love, Sicily, and Finding Home book cover

From Scratch: A Memoir of Love, Sicily, and Finding Home

by Tembi Locke

The Hot Young Widows Club: Lessons on Survival from the Front Lines of Grief book cover

The Hot Young Widows Club: Lessons on Survival from the Front Lines of Grief

by Nora McInerny

No Happy Endings: A Memoir book cover

No Happy Endings: A Memoir

by Nora McInerny

A Widow’s Story: A Memoir book cover

A Widow’s Story: A Memoir

by Joyce Carol Oates

Black Widow: A Sad-Funny Journey Through Grief for People Who Normally Avoid Books with Words Like “Journey” in the Title book cover

Black Widow: A Sad-Funny Journey Through Grief for People Who Normally Avoid Books with Words Like “Journey” in the Title

by Leslie Gray Streeter

Confessions of a Mediocre Widow: Or, How I Lost My Husband and My Sanity book cover

Confessions of a Mediocre Widow: Or, How I Lost My Husband and My Sanity

by Catherine Tidd

Books for Widowed Parents and Their Children

For a list of suggested books and other resources for widowed parents and their children, please visit our PARENT page.