Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve always been interested in the bigger questions of life, spirituality, and the way our minds work, but it wasn’t until I came up close and personal with grief that I really delved into reading more about death and the afterlife. After my husband died, I read just about every book I could find on the topic, especially those that taught me more about the greater mysteries of love, loss, mental illness, and myself.


I wrote

It Rains in February

By Leila Summers ,

Book cover of It Rains in February

What is my book about?

On the 24th of February 2007, my husband Stuart drowned at sea, leaving me widowed with two young daughters. I…

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Dinner at God's House

Leila Summers Why I love this book

This book made me laugh, shed a tear, and, most importantly, think deeply about the meaning of life and my own life choices. It isn’t about God in the religious sense but rather takes place in a fictionalized afterlife.

I enjoyed the author's authentic, personal voice, quirky ideas, and overall message about learning to love yourself.

By Todd B. Lieman ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Dinner at God's House as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

What kind of life is possible when you finally learn to forgive, trust, and love yourself?

Erik Bernstein wasn’t afraid of death. He was afraid of life. He battled with inadequacy and the feeling that he never belonged. He became an expert at deflecting intimacy to mask his shame, lies, self-doubt, and bad choices. From the time he was eleven years old, or even younger, death was never far from his mind. Needless to say, death was front of mind as he sat in the back corner of the synagogue, watching his own funeral.

Long confused by religion and the…


Book cover of The Truth about Butterflies

Leila Summers Why I love this book

There is something so warm and real about this incredible memoir as if I was sitting down with the author, Nancy, and she was telling me her story over tea, and even as the daylight faded, more tea was poured, and the story continued because I wanted to hear more about her late daughter Nicole.

This story is told with such grace that, even for those with different or no spiritual beliefs, the author’s faith in God is simply part of the story and is endearing rather than offensive.

By Nancy Stephan ,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

They belong to each other, Nancy and Nicole—mother and daughter. They’re two halves of a whole, two facets of the same breath—until the day Nicole exhales. . . and never inhales again.

After the death of her daughter, and quickly losing her own battle with grief, Nancy moves from the house she can no longer bear to live in. While packing, she finds a box in the attic. Inside she uncovers treasures she didn’t know existed and evidence that her and her daughter’s lives had been more divinely entwined than she could’ve imagined.

The Truth About Butterflies is a true…


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Book cover of The Parent's Guide to Birdnesting: A Child-Centered Solution to Co-Parenting During Separation and Divorce

The Parent's Guide to Birdnesting by Dr. Ann Gold Buscho,

Based on research about how divorce can affect children, you will learn how to best support your children's resilience, as well as your own. For parents who are separating and want to put their children first, birdnesting could be the interim or long-term shared parenting solution you’ve been looking for.…

Book cover of Long Goodbye

Leila Summers Why I love this book

I couldn’t put this book down. It is a well-written, riveting story told by the lawyer who represented the Cruzans in their legal battle to remove the feeding tube from their daughter, Nancy, who had been in a persistent vegetative state for years.

If you enjoy medical and law topics as I do, then you will certainly enjoy this book. Moreover, it made me really think about the ethics of life and death. 

By William H. Colby ,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Looks at the 1987 right-to-die trial affecting the parents who wished to remove the feeding tube from their vegetative daughter, and examines the surrounding protests that held them in the courtroom for the next seven years.


Book cover of An Uncommon Friendship

Leila Summers Why I love this book

I found this memoir to be truly fascinating, perhaps because I am so interested in the way the mind works, as well as relationships between people.

I was particularly intrigued by the unusual glimpse into the world of mental illness described in great detail from two very different perspectives: the narrator, wife, friend, and caregiver, Monique, and her mentally ill husband, Stewart shared by way of interspersed emails and stories. Even after they divorced, Monique continued to care for Stewart through his mental illness and cancer diagnosis.

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Book cover of Self-Love for Women

Self-Love for Women by Stephen Whitehead,

A ground-breaking book with a highly original theme; helping women achieve self-love and thereby overcome the toxic consequences of male dominance, patriarchy, and traditional gender values. Within these pages, we meet twelve ordinary women and hear of their hopes, loves, despair, pain and triumphs. Through these stories, we learn about…

Book cover of Life on the Other Side

Leila Summers Why I love this book

I read this book as fiction, being that it is written by a psychic, and I’m still not convinced that anyone knows what exists on the other side. As such, I was fascinated by the wonders and possibilities that are put forth and it was extremely encouraging to me during my time of grief.

My young daughters also loved the “book about heaven” and would insist on me reading parts of it to them at bedtime after their dad died.  

By Sylvia Browne , Lindsay Harrison ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Life on the Other Side as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Renowned psychic, spiritual teacher, and #1 New York Times bestselling author of End of Days Sylvia Browne has changed millions of lives with her unique gifts. Now, she leads readers on an adventure of the spirit: a surprising glimpse into the next world, where their loved ones patiently await them.

Take a journey you will never forget and discover the answer to life’s greatest question:

“What’s on The Other Side?”

In this extraordinary and inspirational book, Sylvia reflects upon her past experiences, hypnosis sessions, and research to tell the truth about The Other Side. She explains the process of leaving…


Explore my book 😀

It Rains in February

By Leila Summers ,

Book cover of It Rains in February

What is my book about?

On the 24th of February 2007, my husband Stuart drowned at sea, leaving me widowed with two young daughters. I knew it wasn't an accident. Stuart had been talking about ending his life for a year. His most recent suicide attempt had been only three weeks earlier. Afterward, he described that day as the most peaceful day of his life. Sitting next to the dam, he smoked his last cigarette. He drank a hundred sleeping pills and did a final check to make sure everything would look like an accident.

The last thing he remembered was swimming out into the crystal-clear water. He said that he was no longer scared of dying, that there was nothing scary about it. Living was the scary thing.

Book cover of Dinner at God's House
Book cover of The Truth about Butterflies
Book cover of Long Goodbye

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