Practical help

The Chiltern Compass Library

‘Dying to Know’ – Andrew Anastasios – 60 illustrated thoughts that reflect on bringing death to life (2007)

‘The D Word; talking about dying’ – Sue Brayne – A guide for relatives, friends and carers who are likely to be or currently involved in end-of-life care (2010)

‘Bittersweet; how to turn sorrow into creativity, beauty and love)’ – Susan Cain – An exploration of the importance of letting grief in and using it to improve creativity and connection (2022)

‘When the Time Comes: stories from the end of life’ – Dr Magnolia Cardona and Nurse Ebony Lewis – Short patient stories illustrate this roadmap for the end of life (2021)

‘Dear Life; a doctor’s story of love, loss and consolation’ – Dr Rachel Clarke – A memoir by a palliative care physician about the death of her father and the role of hospices in life and death (2020)

‘The Story of a Heart’ – Dr Rachel Clarke – The unforgettable story about how one family’s grief transformed into a lifesaving gift by the transplanting of a heart from a young girl to a young boy (2024)

‘Assisted Dying’ – Edited by Lesley Close and Jo Cartwright – A series of essays from specialists in the field making the case in favour of assisted dying (2014)

‘Moments of Meaning; living life while facing death’ – Jill Cox – Vignettes of her own and other people’s stories, which illustrate the challenges and coping strategies associated with a life-limiting diagnosis (2017)

‘End of Life; a guide’ – Marie Curie Cancer Care – This booklet explains what happens at the end of life and how to plan for it (2013)

‘The Welcome Visitor; living well, dying well’ – John Humphreys and Dr Sarah Jarvis – This book confronts the challenges we face as a result of medical advances and longer life expectancy – ‘the first step must be that death can be as welcome as inevitable’ (2009)

‘Living with Death without God’ – Valerie Jack – A revealing series of interviews investigating how to navigate death without the support of a religious framework (2023) – as featured in the Chiltern Compass Conversations series

‘With the End in Mind’ – Dr Katherine Mannix – End-of life stories from a palliative care consultant which provide insight into how to die well (2017)

‘And Finally; matters of life and death’ – Henry Marsh – a memoir about the impact of a terminal diagnosis on a neurosurgeon and how it has shaped his views on life and death (2022)

‘One Last Thing; how to live with the end in mind’ – Wendy Mitchell – Living with a diagnosis of early onset dementia, Wendy explores all angles of death and dying – ‘To get on with living we need to talk about death’ (2023)

‘The Book about Getting Older’ – Dr Lucy Pollock – a common sense guide about how to navigate later life (2021)

‘Write It All Down’ – Cathy Rentzenbrink – How to put your life on the page (2022) – as featured in the Chiltern Compass Conversations series

‘The Last Act of Love’ – Cathy Rentzenbrink – A devastating memoir about the prolonged death of her teenage brother, the affect it had on her and her parents and how they eventually came to terms with it (2015)

‘Advance Care Planning in End of Life Care’ – edited by Keri Thomas, Ben Lobo Karen Detering – An in depth analysis of Advance Care Planning as implemented across the globe (2018)

‘The Later Years’ – Sir Peter Thornton – A simple guide to organising the rest of your life (2025)

‘Badgers Parting Gift’ – Susan Varley – A picture book for children to help understand death and grief and how to come to terms with it (2013)

‘Healing Grief; a guide to loss and recovery’ – Barbara Ward – Full of sound advice about how to cope with loss and grief (1993)

‘A Matter of Death and Life; love, loss and what matters in the end’ – Irvin and Marilyn Yalom – A memoir by a world-renowned psychiatrist and his wife concerning her death (2021)