The most recommended loss books

Who picked these books? Meet our 191 experts.

191 authors created a book list connected to loss, and here are their favorite loss books.
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Book cover of Open House

Regina Buttner Author Of Absolution

From my list on women taking back their power from controlling men.

Why am I passionate about this?

I was raised in a loving but strict Catholic family in the 1970s, when girls like me were still expected to grow up to become traditional wives and mothers, rather than go to college and pursue a career. In a Pre-Cana class intended to prepare me and my fiancé for marriage (it didn’t work so well, as evidenced by our rancorous divorce twelve years later), I learned the concept of “family of origin,” and the profound impact a person’s upbringing has on them as an adult. I became fascinated by the psychic baggage each of us carries around, and how it affects our personal relationships and life choices.

Regina's book list on women taking back their power from controlling men

Regina Buttner Why did Regina love this book?

Samantha is the woman I used to be—a devoted and eager-to-please wife who is an expert at turning a blind eye to the cracks in the facade of her marriage. Getting to know Sam in the pages of this novel was a lifeline for me at a very difficult time in my personal life. I was delighted to see how she opens both her home and her heart to unconventional friends and experiences, and in the process, discovers a surprisingly joyous new life for herself.

By Elizabeth Berg,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

BONUS: This edition contains an excerpt from Elizabeth Berg's Once Upon a Time, There Was You.

In this superb novel by the beloved author of Talk Before Sleep, The Pull of the Moon, and Until the Real Thing Comes Along, a woman re-creates her life after divorce by opening up her house and her heart.

Samantha's husband has left her, and after a spree of overcharging at Tiffany's, she settles down to reconstruct a life for herself and her eleven-year-old son. Her eccentric mother tries to help by fixing her up with dates, but a more pressing problem is money.…


Book cover of Telling the Bees

M. Jean Pike Author Of All the Broken Places

From M.'s 3 favorite reads in 2023.

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Reader Romance Novelist Women’s Fiction Writer Reading tutor

M.'s 3 favorite reads in 2023

M. Jean Pike Why did M. love this book?

I’ve always been fascinated by beekeeping and this lovely novel was a treasure trove of information and folklore about bees. I appreciated the way the author skillfully weaved the information into the story.

What made the story even more compelling is that the bees themselves became central characters. The novel chronicles elderly beekeeper Albert’s life and his lifelong friendship with his neighbor and fellow beekeeper, Claire, and the rift that tore their friendship apart. This is a beautifully written story and one that I will not soon forget.

By Peggy Hesketh,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Albert Honig's most constant companions have always been his bees. A never-married octogenarian, he makes a modest living as a beekeeper, as his father and his father's father did before him. Deeply acquainted with the workings of his hives, Albert is less versed in the ways of people, especially his neighbour Claire, whose beauty and vivaciousness transformed his young life. Yet years passed by, feelings were repressed, and chances missed.

Until one day Albert, led by a trail of bees, discovers Claire's body. Through the quiet minutiae of life, he begins to examine the truths that lay hidden under the…


Book cover of Case Histories

Debbie Chase Author Of The Mannequin Mystery

From my list on mystery books that keep you guessing.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have always been intrigued by missing persons. I wonder how their family copes with having no closure on the situation and how they can live wondering where their loved one is and whether they are dead or alive. I have read these recommended books many times to satisfy this craving. I enjoy a sense of the macabre even though the story may be about mundane everyday topics. This only adds to the sense of dread and wonder. I enjoy the intriguing twists and turns, keeping me on my toes and wanting more until the end. I hope you enjoy the books on this list as much as I have.

Debbie's book list on mystery books that keep you guessing

Debbie Chase Why did Debbie love this book?

I recommend this book and the author’s fabulous writing, comprising of dread and humour (which I love), all rolled into one. Three separate case histories, interlinked, each littered with fabulous, memorable characters. Jackson Brodie, the Detective trying to solve the case, is one of the best, with brilliant detective skills and a haunting personal life.

An intriguing mix of family drama and mystery, giving it more depth than just an ordinary thriller. I have read this book many times, and it’s always new, never boring, and the ending is still a surprise.

By Kate Atkinson,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Case one: A little girl goes missing in the night. Case two: A beautiful young office worker falls victim to a maniac's apparently random attack. Case three: A new mother finds herself trapped in a hell of her own making - with a very needy baby and a very demanding husband - until a fit of rage creates a grisly, bloody escape.Thirty years after the first incident, as private investigator Jackson Brodie begins investigating all three cases, startling connections and discoveries emerge ...


Book cover of The Midnight News

Tanya Bellehumeur-Allatt Author Of Peacekeeper's Daughter: A Middle East Memoir

From Tanya's 3 favorite reads in 2023.

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Wholehearted Dreamer Sojourner Poet Cellist

Tanya's 3 favorite reads in 2023

Tanya Bellehumeur-Allatt Why did Tanya love this book?

Jo Baker is my favourite contemporary British novelist, so when I saw this book on the shelf at Barnes and Noble, I knew I’d love it. When I flipped to the back cover and saw that it was endorsed by Emma Donoghue, Joanna Quinn, and Natasha Solomons, three outstanding female novelists, I was triple sure.

Jo Baker has managed to create a thriller with a compelling romance at its centre. Like Charlotte, the novel’s protagonist, I too fell in love with ‘the boy who feeds the birds’.

This is a fascinating exploration of mental health and trauma set during the London Blitz. 

By Jo Baker,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

'A tour-de-force' IRISH TIMES
'Riveting and moving' NINA STIBBE
'Gripping' THE TIMES
'It had me by the throat' EMMA DONOGHUE

London, 1940. As enemy planes fly over the city, twenty-year-old Charlotte Richmond is trying to make the best of things. She has a dull but steady job at the Ministry of Information, a friend to share gin and secrets with, and an attic room of her own. All she has to do is keep her head down. She knows where her father will send her if she makes a nuisance of herself again.

But amid the chaos of the Blitz,…


Book cover of Open House
Book cover of Telling the Bees
Book cover of Case Histories

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