100 books like The Top Five Regrets of the Dying

By Bronnie Ware,

Here are 100 books that The Top Five Regrets of the Dying fans have personally recommended if you like The Top Five Regrets of the Dying. Shepherd is a community of 11,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of You Are the Placebo: Making Your Mind Matter

Sandi Holst Author Of Breathe! You Got This!: Fortunes Favor The Inspired

From my list on getting what you want in life.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am the first in my family to go into business for myself. Now, it took me years of thinking about it before I made the jump. I was scared to take that step, but I did it. My expertise came from 25 years of managing hundreds of clients in numerous industries. I loved how successful people can be with the craziest of ideas. How can you find your passion so you are happy and loving what you are doing in life? How do you overcome the fear of failure, move forward with your desires, and become abundant in doing it? 

Sandi's book list on getting what you want in life

Sandi Holst Why did Sandi love this book?

When we are not feeling well or diagnosed with an illness, the first line of defense is the pharmacy. But it doesn’t have to be. Dr. Joe tells us in detail that we can heal ourselves no matter what we are diagnosed with. In my life, I have had times of working long hours and personal stress. It made me unwell.

In 2018 I started to dive into the holistic world where I could take some control in healing myself. Out of all the books I have read over the years, Dr. Joe helped me the most. He helped me with de-stressing my business and personal life. This put me in the driver's seat of healing my medical issues.

By Joe Dispenza,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked You Are the Placebo as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Throughout history up until the present, many cultures have traditionally experienced the effects of verifiable healings, along with hexes, curses, witchcraft, voodoo and other mysterious phenomena. These effects - many of which were elicited by unscientific means - were brought about by the beliefs and lore of the society. Even today, pharmaceutical companies use double- and triple-blind randomised studies in an attempt to exclude of the power of the mind over the body. In You Are the Placebo, Dr. Joe Dispenza explores the history, the science and the practical applications of the so-called placebo effect. Citing many amazing individual cases…


Book cover of The Passion Test: The Effortless Path to Discovering Your Life Purpose

Sandi Holst Author Of Breathe! You Got This!: Fortunes Favor The Inspired

From my list on getting what you want in life.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am the first in my family to go into business for myself. Now, it took me years of thinking about it before I made the jump. I was scared to take that step, but I did it. My expertise came from 25 years of managing hundreds of clients in numerous industries. I loved how successful people can be with the craziest of ideas. How can you find your passion so you are happy and loving what you are doing in life? How do you overcome the fear of failure, move forward with your desires, and become abundant in doing it? 

Sandi's book list on getting what you want in life

Sandi Holst Why did Sandi love this book?

Far too many people are stuck in life and don’t even know what they are passionate about. A few years ago, I read this book and took the test. I not only found my top five passions, but it also helped me hone into my top five passions simultaneously. I am now living them, loving them, and being quite abundant for them. It was the starting point that got me where I am today.

This starting point led me to a successful business in an industry I love. I found new ways to grow and become a leader, so much so that I was inspired to write my book a few years later. 

By Janet Bray Attwood, Chris Attwood,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Passion Test as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The inspirational and life-changing New York Times bestseller that will help you discover the meaning behind your life.

Can a simple test change a person's life? Through their New York Times bestseller The Passion Test, Janet Bray Attwood and Chris Attwood have inspired thousands to shape their lives by discovering their passions and living according to what matters most to them. Readers can identify their top five passions by taking the Test, and then learn exactly how to align their lives with their priorities by following the Attwoods' easy-to-follow step-by-step program of action.

Combining powerful storytelling and profound wisdom from…


Book cover of I Can Make You Rich

Sandi Holst Author Of Breathe! You Got This!: Fortunes Favor The Inspired

From my list on getting what you want in life.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am the first in my family to go into business for myself. Now, it took me years of thinking about it before I made the jump. I was scared to take that step, but I did it. My expertise came from 25 years of managing hundreds of clients in numerous industries. I loved how successful people can be with the craziest of ideas. How can you find your passion so you are happy and loving what you are doing in life? How do you overcome the fear of failure, move forward with your desires, and become abundant in doing it? 

Sandi's book list on getting what you want in life

Sandi Holst Why did Sandi love this book?

Well, that’s a title we are all interested in, isn’t it? I don’t think I hesitated for more than a minute to order it. This changed my mindset about money.  

As children, most of us heard, “Money doesn’t grow on trees.” But if you think about it, where does paper money come from? “Trees.” Paul simply helps us change our mindset about money, and I have learned to think about money positively and abundantly. Once I did this, money came from all directions, expected and unexpected.

By Paul McKenna,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked I Can Make You Rich as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Are you ready to become rich?

If you've ever wondered why it is that some people find it easy to make money while others struggle, it's not because they are more intelligent, work harder or have better luck - it's simply because they think and act differently.

Do you want to make more money? Do you want to improve the quality of your life? Do you believe you can be rich? What if it was easier than you think?
Over the past decade, Paul McKenna PhD has made a unique study of the mindset of people rich not only in…


Book cover of Simply Amazing Women: Life After Heartbreak

Sandi Holst Author Of Breathe! You Got This!: Fortunes Favor The Inspired

From my list on getting what you want in life.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am the first in my family to go into business for myself. Now, it took me years of thinking about it before I made the jump. I was scared to take that step, but I did it. My expertise came from 25 years of managing hundreds of clients in numerous industries. I loved how successful people can be with the craziest of ideas. How can you find your passion so you are happy and loving what you are doing in life? How do you overcome the fear of failure, move forward with your desires, and become abundant in doing it? 

Sandi's book list on getting what you want in life

Sandi Holst Why did Sandi love this book?

This book is about overcoming life’s challenges and achieving success in your business and personal life. Life is tough. The age-old saying, “Whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger,” is present in each of these ladies' stories.

Reading about their challenges made me stronger to get past mine. Even though my challenges were far from theirs, they gave me strength in my daily business and personal life to continue to move forward. To not only be inspired but help inspire others. The result of our challenging journeys is always health and happiness.  

By K. C. Armstrong,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Simply Amazing Women as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Life After Heartbreak: 13 inspiring examples to encourage and inspire you.
Simply Amazing Women continues celebrity radio host K. C. Armstrong's theme of human resiliency. Each of his 13 interviews showcases a woman who courageously faced severe challenges and ultimately used the experience for the benefit of others. It's not just about being a survivor; it's about surviving to ease the path of people facing their own life challenges: addiction, discrimination, poverty, violence, and more. You will see yourself in these women and relate to their qualities of self-preservation and empowerment.
Armstrong (formerly of the Howard Stern Show) uses his…


Book cover of On Death & Dying: What the Dying Have to Teach Doctors, Nurses, Clergy & Their Own Families

Hari Ziyad Author Of Black Boy Out of Time

From my list on loss and grief from a certified death doula.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a journalist, author and screenwriter, my work has always pondered loss and grief. I think this has something to do with the fact that of my mother’s religion; she was a convert to Hinduism and started conversations about the inevitability of death and how the soul and the body aren’t the same when us children were at a very young age. It probably also has something to do with the constant presence of death within my family and communities as a Black and queer person in a violently anti-Black and queerantagonistic world. I currently volunteer at a hospice, and provide community-building programming to death workers from diverse communities.

Hari's book list on loss and grief from a certified death doula

Hari Ziyad Why did Hari love this book?

A quintessential text of death and dying research, this incredibly insightful and compassionate exploration shines a blaring light on all of the hidden contours of a topic we often shy away from.

You’ll almost certainly come away from these pages with a new understanding of the stages of grief (they probably don’t refer to what you were taught they refer) and the importance of honesty and connection when facing mortality. It's an invaluable resource for anyone seeking to better comprehend the human experience.

By Elisabeth Kübler-Ross,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked On Death & Dying as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. The five stages of grief, first formulated in this hugely influential work forty years ago, are now part of our common understanding of bereavement. The five stages were first identified by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross in her work with dying patients at the University of Chicago and were considered phases that all or most people went through, when faced with the prospect of their own death. They are now often accepted as a response to any major life change.

However, in spite of these terms being in general use, the subject of death is still surrounded…


Book cover of Final Gifts: Understanding the Special Awareness, Needs, and Communications of the Dying

Eve Joseph Author Of In the Slender Margin: The Intimate Strangeness of Death and Dying

From my list on grief to normalize mourning and confirm you're not going crazy.

Why am I passionate about this?

I was eleven when my brother died in a car accident and, although I didn’t know it at the time, this experience shaped me in ways I couldn’t anticipate. Many years later, when I began working as a social worker at a local hospice, I realized that I was drawn to the work as a way to finally grieve that early loss. As I helped people navigate their own losses I found myself feeling my own grief for the first time. It wasn’t until I started writing about the hospice work that I found my brother again. I am powerfully drawn to the parallels between writing and the work of dying. 

Eve's book list on grief to normalize mourning and confirm you're not going crazy

Eve Joseph Why did Eve love this book?

Maggie Callanan and Patricia Kelley were both hospice nurses when they wrote this book in 1992 and their book, having sold over 500,000 copies, is still a guide for those who find themselves in the presence of the dying.

The authors act as interpreters for the living and help them understand the language the dying often use. As a hospice social worker, it was not uncommon for me to hear the dying speak of packed suitcases or imaginary taxis pulling up to their doors.

This book helped me to engage with that language and to enter the altered reality that the dying often experience. It encourages us to let go of the rational and invites us into the mystery of death and dying in ways that are life-changing. 

By Maggie Callanan, Patricia Kelley,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Final Gifts as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In this moving and compassionate classic—now updated with new material from the authors—hospice nurses Maggie Callanan and Patricia Kelley share their intimate experiences with patients at the end of life, drawn from more than twenty years’ experience tending the terminally ill.

Through their stories we come to appreciate the near-miraculous ways in which the dying communicate their needs, reveal their feelings, and even choreograph their own final moments; we also discover the gifts—of wisdom, faith, and love—that the dying leave for the living to share.

Filled with practical advice on responding to the requests of the dying and helping them…


Book cover of Gratitude

Denise Kiernan Author Of We Gather Together: Stories of Thanksgiving from Then to Now

From my list on gratitude making every day feel like Thanksgiving.

Why am I passionate about this?

Denise Kiernan is a multiple New York Times bestselling author of narrative nonfiction books including The Girls of Atomic City, the Last Castle, and We Gather Together. Throughout her career as a journalist and an author, she has explored underrepresented stories and characters and the impact they have had on history. These stories of the unsung offer fresh perspectives on historical tales we think we already know. At the heart of many of Kiernan’s nonfiction explorations are women from a variety of different backgrounds and time periods. She has devoted her last three books to the history of Thanksgiving and gratitude, writing separate books for all ages.

Denise's book list on gratitude making every day feel like Thanksgiving

Denise Kiernan Why did Denise love this book?

The late Oliver Sacks was a neurologist who wrote eloquently about medical topics until he was taken from us by cancer in 2015.

Before he died, he wrote four lovely essays talking about his illness, and the great privilege of being human. Sacks was one of our greatest writers, thoughtful and incisive. Because he was dying as he wrote this, you may wish to wait to digest this book if you have recently experienced the loss of a loved one, and come back to it when you’re in a better place.

By Oliver Sacks,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Gratitude as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Oliver Sacks died in August 2015 at his home in Greenwich Village, surrounded by his close friends and family. He was 82. He spent his final days doing what he loved: playing the piano, swimming, enjoying smoked salmon - and writing . . .

As Dr Sacks looked back over his long, adventurous life his final thoughts were of gratitude. In a series of remarkable, beautifully written and uplifting meditations, in Gratitude Dr Sacks reflects on and gives thanks for a life well lived, and expresses his thoughts on growing old, facing terminal cancer and reaching the end.

I cannot…


Book cover of The Calling

A.M. Potter Author Of Bay of Blood

From my list on Canadian detective and mysteries.

Why am I passionate about this?

I write North Noir, detective fiction set in the Northeastern USA and Canada. I like mystery/detective stories told with descriptive flair, with clever twists and unforgettable protagonists. Why would you want to read my recommendations? I’ve read hundreds of mystery/detective novels, in all subgenres, from cozy to noir. I’ve been a book review editor, for all types of books. I don’t go for bent cops or over-the-top bloodbaths. If you like character-driven mystery/detective novels, try these five.

A.M.'s book list on Canadian detective and mysteries

A.M. Potter Why did A.M. love this book?

The Calling is certainly bloody but not in the vein of over-the-top whodunits. The killings aren’t sensationalized. An apparent mercy killer talks himself into dying people’s homes and then murders them to get their blood for a sacrifice that brings his brother back to life. Spooky and compelling. Although the killer is a messianic zealot, he’s believable, which is a tribute to the author’s talent (NB: Inger Ash Wolfe is the crime fiction pen-name of Michael Redhill.) The Calling is the first novel in a fine series featuring DI Hazel Micallef.

By Inger Ash Wolfe,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Calling as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

There were thirteen crime-scene pictures. Dead faces set in grimaces and shouts. Faces howling, whistling, moaning, crying, hissing. Hazel pinned them to the wall and stood back. It was a silent opera of ghosts.

Detective Inspector Hazel Micallef has lived all her days in the small town of Port Dundas and is now making her way toward retirement with something less than grace. Hobbled by a bad back and a dependence on painkillers, and feeling blindsided by divorce after nearly four decades of marriage, sixty-one-year-old Hazel has only the constructive criticism of her old goat of a mother and her…


Book cover of Inside the O'Briens

Heather Frimmer Author Of Better to Trust

From my list on brain dysfunction.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a radiologist specializing in emergency room and breast imaging and a lifelong book nerd. Though I chose radiology as my medical specialty, I have always been fascinated by the complicated workings of the human mind. I majored in psychology in college and strongly considered careers in both psychiatry and neurology. Books exploring the fragility and fallibility of the human brain never fail to catch my attention. These stories explore the essence of what it means to be human and highlight the resilience of the human spirit.  

Heather's book list on brain dysfunction

Heather Frimmer Why did Heather love this book?

I adore stories about medical ethics and weighted decisions, those which cause me to ponder what I would do if faced with a similar choice. 

Joe O’Brien, a veteran police officer, is devastated to receive a diagnosis of Huntington’s disease. With a fifty percent chance of inheriting the disease, each of his four adult children must decide whether to get tested. Will they decide to learn their fate and face the consequences or roll the dice and take their chances?

By Lisa Genova,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Inside the O'Briens as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A New York Times bestseller ▪ A Library Journal Best Books of 2015 Pick ▪ A St. Louis Post-Dispatch Best Books of 2015 Pick ▪A GoodReads Top Ten Fiction Book of 2015 ▪ A People Magazine Great Read

From New York Times bestselling author and neuroscientist Lisa Genova comes a “heartbreaking…very human novel” (Matthew Thomas, author of We Are Not Ourselves) that does for Huntington’s disease what her debut novel Still Alice did for Alzheimer’s.

Joe O’Brien is a forty-three-year-old police officer from the Irish Catholic neighborhood of Charlestown, Massachusetts. A devoted husband, proud father of four children in their…


Book cover of Heartwood: The Art of Living with the End in Mind

Julie F. Kay Author Of Controlling Women: What We Must Do Now to Save Reproductive Freedom

From my list on how reproductive rights are human rights.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m an author and human rights lawyer passionate about making reproductive rights accessible in law and in real life. My written work translates my legal cases into stories to engage readers in the fight to expand rights for all. My legal work leading the Abortion Coalition for Telemedicine seeks to make medication abortion legally available in all 50 states, regardless of a person’s ability to pay for it. I have 2 daughters and am always looking to learn from their experience in an ever-changing world and from a diverse range of other women making decisions about whether, when, and whom to have and raise children. 

Julie's book list on how reproductive rights are human rights

Julie F. Kay Why did Julie love this book?

There are three things that Americans try to avoid talking about: sex, money, and death. This book takes us on a journey to explore the meaning of life and how we find wisdom in its endings.

Examining our habits, culture, and rituals it shows us different ways to face loss. As someone who has never liked to peer too closely into the dark cave to explore the meaning of death, I found the book gently and intelligently leading me by the hand into thinking about loss. Reading it even helped me to reconcile the pain of my mother’s loss and death by Alzheimer’s, shifting my focus to the parts of her that remain with and as a part of me.

I highly recommend it to all humans! 

By Barbara Becker,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Heartwood as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

When her earliest childhood friend is diagnosed with a terminal illness, Becker sets off on a quest to immerse herself in what it means to be mortal. Can we live our lives more fully knowing some day we will die?

With a keen eye towards that which makes life worth living, interfaith minister, mom and perpetual seeker Barbara Becker recounts stories where life and death intersect in unexpected ways. She volunteers on a hospice floor, becomes an eager student of the many ways people find meaning at the end of life, and accompanies her parents in their final days.

Becker…


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