“A Grief Observed” by C.S. Lewis. 

Written with love, humility, and faith, this brief but poignant volume was first published under a pseudonym, as it was considered too raw. Written moment-to-moment as Lewis processed the loss of his wife to cancer, this is more than a mere book on grief, but a visceral hand outstretched in the darkness, a reluctant guide through the “mad midnight moments” of mourning and loss.

Key learnings that Lewis discusses are:

• Pain is instrumental in the process of spiritual growth
• Through hardship we often gain the best wisdom
• Memories are treasures that will comfort you tomorrow

This work inspired the award-winning film The Shadowlands, starring Anthony Hopkins. Writing A Grief Observed as “a defense against total collapse, a safety valve,” he came to recognize that “bereavement is a universal and integral part of our experience of love.” A Grief Observed reminds us that, “Grief is like a long valley, a winding valley where any bend may reveal a totally new landscape.” 

“Navigating Grief Workbook”, by Anna Darbonne, PsyD.

Move through grief while holding space for the feelings that accompany loss.  

Grief can feel destabilizing and overwhelming. This grief workbook gives you evidence-based exercises to help with processing grief and loss of any kind. Reflecting on and responding to the prompts and exercises will facilitate greater self-awareness, self-compassion, and self-confidence as you navigate healing after loss.  

• Information on grief and grieving― Deepen your understanding of grief and prepare yourself to interact with it in healthy ways.  
• Tools for moving through grief―Case studies help normalize your experience, affirmations raise your spirits, guided journal prompts get you started on sorting through your inner world, and activities promote healing.  
• Expert guidance―Advice from a licensed clinical psychologist empowers you with knowledge and validation. If you are seeking additional books about grief and loss, this workbook can be used with its companion, Navigating Grief: A Guided Journal.  

Begin grief recovery with the Navigating Grief Workbook. 

“Grief Day By Day: Simple Practices and Daily Guidance for Living with Loss”, by Jan Warner. 

Supportive readings and exercises to help you move through life after loss, one day at a time

Grief is complex; it may present itself differently on any given day. This grief recovery handbook offers daily reflections and practices that address the day-to-day emotions and experiences that accompany the grieving process so you can create a life in which peace―and even gratitude―can coexist with your grief.

Explore the stages of grief with a collection of quotes, musings, meditations, and more that are tied together by a weekly theme, allowing you to reflect on each concept in depth. Work through topics like loneliness, grief attacks, exhaustion, hope, love, and creating meaning. You’ll find opportunities to write, draw, meditate, do breathing exercises, and more as you learn to live fully with your grief.

This grief recovery handbook helps facilitate healing with:

• 365 Daily reflections―Find a year’s worth of readings that can be revisited as many times as you like as you move through the grieving process.
• Weekly themes―Explore feelings and experiences common to grief, including things left unsaid, unhealthy coping mechanisms, guilt, intimacy, and faith.
• 52 Healing exercises―Discover activities that help you process your feelings at the end of each week and develop skills for coping with grief as it arises.

Make peace with your grief one day at a time with the daily readings and exercises in this standout among grief books.

“GriefWork: Healing from Loss: Reproductible Assessments, Exercised & Educational Handouts”, by Fran Zomore and Ester R.A. Leutenberg.

GriefWork – Healing From Loss is for therapists, counselors, group facilitators, and other professionals working to help grieving people heal from their losses. The handouts guide clients through stages of shock, disorganization, reorganization, and a New Normal, a term to convey that everyone’s grief has a unique expression and is that particular person’s ”normal”. Clients are encouraged to deal with sorrow, express feelings, share with peers, develop internal and external support systems, accept, adjust, and move forward. The book helps leaders understand and empathize, and teaches participants to heal and grow. Activities facilitate introspection and interaction. The book’s reproducible handouts and art work ”map” the journey from numbness to normal. Instead of using solely with grieving groups, consider using the the activities with participants in other groups. The human experience dictates that clients have already experienced, or will face future grief/loss issues. The book is an essential resource for an inevitable part of life.

“Chicken Soup for the Grieving Soul: Stories About Life, Death and Overcoming the Loss of a Loved One”, by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen.

When you’re grieving, it helps to read stories from other people who have been through the same thing. Losing a family member or dear friend is a shared human experience. You’ll find comfort, inspiration and camraderie in these revealing personal stories from other people who have lost loved ones.