The 52 Book Club: 2025 / 2026 Challenge discussion

28. Includes a funeral

A funeral is a ceremony (sometimes called a “celebration of life” or a “memorial service”) that honors and memorializes the life of an individual who has died. Funeral practices vary in different cultures, and this will be reflected in your reads. For this prompt, choose any book that includes a funeral. There may be several chapters (or the entire book) designated to this event, or it may only be mentioned in a paragraph or two.

The book picked could be a humorous recounting of a funeral for a pet goldfish, or an emotional story that moves you to tears. It could be for a character who was hated by his family or one who works as a funeral director or mortician (also known as an undertaker.) It could be a non-fiction read about burial practices, or a book that was chosen simply because it has the word “funeral” in the title.

Creatively, you could also choose a book that has a cemetery or hearse on the cover. It’s up to you what extent the book involves a funeral, and whether you want a light read or something heavier.


Click here for our Goodreads List of suggestions

Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson

These Fleeting Shadows by Kate Alice Marshall

Company of Liars by Karen Maitland

I think “the seven ages of death” by Richard Shepard works. He’s a forensic pathologist …

Night Shift Witch by Cate Lawley or The Pretenders (The Cemetery Girl Trilogy #1) by Charlaine Harris

Lady of Ashes by Christine Trent is the first in a series of mysteries in which the main character is a female undertaker in Victorian England.

I'm reading "I'm Glad My Mom Died" by Jenette McCurdy for this category

I'm reading The Black Dress for this prompt.

Lessons in Chemistry includes a funeral.

“The Winners” by Fredrik Backman fits this prompt and also a couple of others (such as last book in a series).

I just finished Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson. I highly recommend it!

“It ends with us” by Colleen Hoover

I read Wuthering Heights for my Classic Book Club selection. It was listed on the Masterlist under fashionable character, but I thought this was a better fit. There were multiple funerals in this book.

The Broken Girls by Simone St James

Emily of New Moon by LM Montgomery

As I Lay Dying by Faulkner
The Loved One by Evelyn Waugh
Big Mama’s Funeral by Marquez

A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson or What Moves The Dead by T Kingfisher

Foster by Claire Keegan

Charming Billy by Alice McDermott

I read The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Stolen by Tess Stimson

I'm reading For the Record by David Cameron. It has been on my TBR list for years, and features the funeral of Margaret Thatcher

I read Sam by Allegra Goodman. This book includes a Memorial.

I read The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston about a romance and a ghost. The family owns a funeral home. The story and characters are not your typical Rom-Com but it's a fun novel. Enjoy !

Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine by Gail Honeyman

I used Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin for this prompt
There are several funerals that are mentioned.

"The Godfather" by Mario Puzo. Given the number of execution-style murders, I expected this to have more than its fair share of funerals. At last we pay respect to Vito Corleone.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

" After the Funeral" by Agatha Christie

The Keeper of Stories by Sally Page

I read After You'd Gone by Maggie O'Farrell. 5 easy stars!

I am reading In the Shadow Garden by Liz Parker. This is a light and easy read involving magic and a bit of mystery. The funeral brings the founding families of the town together to resolve a past that no one remembers. This novel fits a few of the other prompts as well.

I read The Gift of Asher Lev

I read One Hundred Twenty-One Days by Michèle Audin, a French mathematician. This is her debut novel, translated from French.

“Lessons in Chemistry” - absolutely loved this book! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Promise - Ann Weisgarber

I read (and Loved) We are the Light by Matthew Quick

We Are the Light

I’m listening to an audiobook “Late in the Day” by Tessa Hadley which opens with news of the death of one of four friends / two couples, and features his funeral and the events that follow but also looks back on their relationships to each other as they evolved. As expected with Tessa Hadley, it’s a very good and engaging story and I will review it fully on my “read” shelf once I’m finished.

I’m going to read Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston

I read Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling. There's a funeral at the very end (spoiler alert lol)

Prompt #29 Takes you down a rabbit hole—Demon Copperhead

I read The Last Juror by John Grisham.

UZUMAKI by Junji Into. Liked it, but it grossed me the hell out.

I read The Optimist's Daughter by Eudora Welty. The funeral scene was sad, funny, tacky, and poignant. Full of strong Southern women.

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin has a funeral. The book is well done, but I think I preferred the Storied life of A. J. Fikry. I think it says something about my age as I prefer books (Storied Life) to Role playing computer games (Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorow)!

Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner

I loved Crying in H Mart - I read it for one of last year’s prompts

I read Parable of the Talents by Octavia E. Butler, 4 Stars

I am reading After the Funeral by Agatha Christie https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5... for this prompt because the book I was told would fit the prompt really didn't.