I turn to Terry Pratchett when I need a book that will restore some of my faith in humanity and reassure me that hope is not a luxury, but a requirement to make it through life, and none of his books do this more for me than the ones about the Death of Discworld. Like a lot of Pratchett's writing, Reaper Man contains two stories: how Death comes to face his sudden mortality, and what happens to wizard Windle Poons when Death is not around to come collect him at the end of his life... or to collect anyone, for that matter. There's a lot of community in this book, as Death works on a farm and is pulled into the rhythm of life in a small town, and as a support group of the misfit undead forms to cope with the loneliness of their peculiar situation. If you want a book with plenty to offer in the way of wordplay, escapism, and heart, look no further.