This June, as we embrace (or mostly await!) the warmth of summer, here we present a curated list of new and upcoming books on grief. From poignant memoirs to evidence-based insights into grief, these selections offer knowledge and practical tools for navigating the complexities of loss. Explore how these reads can provide comfort, relatable experiences, and strategies to manage the challenging and ongoing journey through grief.
Learn more about ‘Books for Grief’ for more books and recommendations – including reads that have been reviewed and recommended by others who’ve used our grief support services.
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The Grief Cure: Looking for the End of Loss
by Cody Delistraty (Author)
In this exploration of Prolonged Grief, journalist Cody Delistraty discusses his personal loss and examines what modern science, history, and literature reveal about our relationship with grief.
After losing his mother to cancer in his early 20s, Delistraty struggled to move forward. Conventional advice urged him to follow the five stages of grief and return to normalcy. Instead, he embarked on a journey through the new frontiers of grief, meeting researchers, technologists, therapists, and communities worldwide who offer novel ways to address the pain of loss. From memory deletion neuroscience to laughter therapy and psilocybin, Delistraty uncovers a fresh understanding of living with grief.
His journey coincides with the recognition of Prolonged Grief Disorder by the American Psychiatric Association and the World Health Organisation. This diagnosis has led to innovative treatments and important debates on whether severe grief should be approached medically.
Combining emotional depth with rigorous research, Delistraty’s narrative engages with historical and contemporary thinkers, providing a profound insight into how we might best face loss.
How to Grieve What We’ve Lost: Evidence-Based Skills to Process Grief and Reconnect with What Matters
by Alexandra Kennedy (Author), Mary Beth Williams (Author), Russ Harris (Author), Sameet M Kumar PhD (Author), & Soili Poijula (Author)
Grief is a journey that can sometimes lead to personal growth. This guide, created by mental health and grief experts, supports in healing the pain of loss — regardless of its cause —and helps you consider a renewed purpose.
Grief manifests in many forms: the death of a loved one, the end of a relationship, job loss, or changes to a cherished place. You may also grapple with a loss of identity in an uncertain world. But what if you could transform your grief into lasting positive growth?
How to Grieve What We’ve Lost offers effective tools from acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), mindfulness, and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) to help you heal and reconnect with things that matter. Inside are strategies for immediate relief, like present-moment awareness and mindful breathing, and tips for creating a safe space for grief, honouring your feelings, and building a support network.
The books aims to help you:
- Identify what matters
- Honour your grief
- Prioritise mental health and self-care
- Learn and grow from your loss
Whether facing personal or collective grief, the evidence-based skills in this book will support healthy mourning, leading to personal growth and renewed meaning in life.
GRACE: A Model for Grieving: Five Steps to Healing from Loss: A Five-Step Guide for Healing After Loss
by Kay Towns (Author)
GRACE: A Model for Grieving, created by a licensed professional counsellor, addresses the limitations of current grief models by incorporating spirituality, cultural variables, and situational factors. This book critiques the strengths and weaknesses of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and introduces a new framework that aligns with individual beliefs, goals, and sense of purpose in the grieving process.
The GRACE model guides readers through five steps:
- Redefine grief
- Re-story the loss narrative
- Adopt healthy grieving methods
- Connect with self and others
- Engage in a new normal
This approach personalises the grieving process, accommodating spirituality and supporting gender and cultural differences. In times of widespread primary and secondary losses, this comprehensive model aims to better support individuals and communities through their grief journeys.
Photo by Susan Q Yin on Unsplash
📝 Grief Processing Worksheets
13 Supportive Worksheets | 7 Audio Files
Work on processing your grief with worksheets designed by Clinical Psychologists to guide you through the complexities of grief.
- Equip yourself with practical, evidence-based tools to navigate your emotions.
- Reclaim a sense of hope and control on your journey.
- 7 bonus audio meditations to boost self-compassion and emotional regulation.
🧠 Understand the ‘Stages’ of Grief
Many people first encounter grief through the idea of “stages,” but the model is often simplified or misunderstood.
Our Stages of Grief page looks at where the framework began, what each stage represents, and how it can support understanding – without suggesting that grief unfolds in a tidy order.
Explore the page to learn:
📘 A clear explanation of what the Five Stages are (and what they’re not)
🧭 Why grief rarely moves in a straight line
🌊 How feelings can rise and fall in waves
🧩 Other grief models that may resonate more with your experience