Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books That Made You Cry!








Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created here at The Broke and the Bookish. This meme was created because we are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. We'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

Each week we will post a new Top Ten list complete with one of our bloggers answers. Everyone is welcome to join. All we ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND sign Mister Linky at the bottom to share with us and all those who are participating. If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. Don't worry if you can't come up with ten every time..just post what you can!



**SPOILER ALERT** This post contains spoilers from 'The Amber Spyglass' by Philip Pullman, 'Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix' by JK Rowling, and 'Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince' by JK Rowling.


1. Chinese Cinderella by Adeline Yen Mah.
This is a true account of Adeline's childhood in China. Adeline was abused by her family, and she had a thoroughly miserable childhood. It's one of the saddest books I've ever read, I cried almost the whole way through. Early in the book she gets a duck,which soon becomes her only friend. Tragically, the duck is killed by a dog, and Adeline was devestated. Tears began to flow at this point, and I honestly don't think I stopped crying till I finished the book. Great book, but I wouldn't read it again.

2. The Amber Spyglass- Philip Pullman. *Spoiler Alert* This is the final book in Pullman's magnificent trilogy. It's my all-time favourite book, but boy did it make me cry! I was so happy when the two main characters, Will and Lyra fell in love. It seemed natural, and after everything they'd been through, I was sure that Pullman was going to give them a nice happy ending. However, due to forces much bigger than them, they are forced to part. I cried so much during this. Over the course of the three books I'd come to love the characters of Lyra and Will, and I really really wanted them to be happy. For them to be torn apart as soon as they'd discovered that each loved the other was heartbreaking. The maturity of their separation also made me cry- they knew that though this was the most awful thing that had ever happened to them, but it was for the greater good and they just had to accept it. Definitely a tear-jerker.

3. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix- JK Rowling. *Spoiler Alert* Of all the characters that Rowling had to kill off, why did it have to be clever, brave, (and honestly the hottest fictional character ever) Sirius Black? Why couldn't it be someone really annoying like Ron? I don't think I was the only person who cried when Sirius was murdered by his cousin Bellatrix at the end of the book. Sirius had led a miserable existence for most of his life,and I was sure that finally by the end of the book, Sirius would be free. It was not to be, and his death was tragic. I also cried because Harry had lost yet another person he loved. Sirius was a combination of brother, father and friend to Harry and at the time of his death, they had only known each other for around three years. RIP Sirius!

4. Before I Die- Jenny Downham. I think this book made a lot of people cry! Tessa is a sixteen year old who is terminally ill with leukaemia, and the book follows Tessa's last few months of life and what she does with the time she has left. When Tessa is on her deathbed, her younger brother says to her: "Bye Tess. Haunt me if you like. I don't mind". I couldn't stop crying!

5. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince- JK Rowling. *Spoiler Alert* It is Harry's sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and things have got a whole lot darker. Again, Rowling kills off another beloved character- this time Albus Dumbledore. I began to cry while reading Dumbledore's funeral. Harry had lost yet another person in his life, someone who loved Harry and whom Harry loved also. Dumbledore was also an amazing character- he was someone I wanted to be my grand-dad or something. He was brave, wise, had a sense of humour and really loved Harry. A fantastic character who Rowling should not have killed.

6. Genocide: A Comprehensive Introduction by Adam Jones. This is an excellent introductory text to genocide. It discusses several genocides that have occured throughout history, as well as debating whether September the 11th can be considered as genocide. I've never cried so much when reading a book. I remember that after I read it I just curled into a ball beside my radiator and sobbed my heart out that people did such things to other people, that millions of innocent people were murdered. I eventually realized that tears are absolutely useless- action is what is needed to stop such atrocities from happening, not tears.

7. Is Anybody Listening? by Larry O'Loughlin. This is the story of a young girl who fights to save the lives of two people who are in grave danger. Laura hears about the life of Sanjid, a young child who works in a carpet factory and Rosa,a young street kid in Rio de Janeiro. I wept when I learned that Rosa and Sanjid may have been fictional characters, but the lives they lived were real- there are around 158 million child labourers in the world, and thousands of street kids are murdered in Brazil every year. Their crime? Simply being alive.

8. Unweaving The Rainbow- Richard Dawkins. "We are all going to die, and that makes us the lucky ones. Most people are never going to die because they are never going to be born. The potential people who could have been here in my place but will in fact never see the light of day outnumber the sand grains in Arabia. Certainly those unborn ghosts include greater poets than Keats, scientists greater than Newton...In the teeth of such stupefying odds it is you and I, in our ordinariness, that are here". This is part of the opening paragraph of Dawkin's wonderful book. Richard Dawkins really makes you fall in love with science and this book made me cry- cry tears of joy and happiness! When I read the paragraph and what follows afterwards, I realized how incredibly, incredibly lucky I am to be alive, how precious life is. I was laughing and crying while reading it, and I had the biggest smile on my face for ages afterwards!

9. Juno and Juliet- Julian Gough. This is another book that made me cry- rolling around, can't breathe, marvellous tears of laughter! This book is the story of two beautiful identical twin girls who go to university in Galway, Ireland. It's also the funniest book I've ever read! Juliet is incredibly sarcastic, and many of the lines she comes out with are hilarious. I call this book my happy book- whenever I want to read something that is guaranteed to put me in a good mood and make me cry with laughter, I pull this book off my shelf and get reading!

10. Heidi- Johanna Spri. I cried when I read this book for the first time since I was seven- fifteen years later the book still makes me cry! Every time I read the part where Heidi goes back to the mountains after living in the city for months, a tear slips out. It's a tremendously happy moment when she finally goes back to her home on the mountains with her grandfather, where she is reunited with what she loves. This is not just a children's classic,it is a classic book for people of all ages!



Next week the topic is: Top Ten Most Unfortunate Character Names...you know those names when you are just sitting there thinking, "Author, you really could have picked a kickass name but you decided to name them THAT."

48 comments:

  1. Fun! I thought I'd thought of the Top Ten Tuesday meme, but since you were definitely there before me, I'd better hop on! But now I need to adjust my list -- I was planning to include Heidi and then forgot!

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  2. Anna--I haven't heard of most of these on your list! Some of these sound like real heart wrenching books!

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  3. I didn't cry when Dumbledore died (probably because someone had spoiled that for me a few days before), but I definitely teared up a bit in Deathly Hallows when everyone died.

    However, the novel that made me cry more than any other was Flowers for Algernon. Such an amazing book.

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  4. I agree with you with Chinese Cinderella and Before I Die. Ive got Jodi Picoult's on my list :)

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  5. I agree with you with Chinese Cinderella and Before I Die. Ive got Jodi Picoult's on my list :)

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  6. I cried when Sirus died, it was one of the saddest moments in the Harry Potter series.

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  7. Great list! When I was reading HEIDI at the age of ca. 9 I let milk overboil because I was so captivated.. :") So I have always the smell of burned milk in my nose when I think about HEIDI - even now.. :"D

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  8. I haven't heard of most of these books except Harry Potter, of course. Oh well! I'm off to compare notes with everyone else's list! Happy Tuesday!

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  9. I just obtained a copy of Heidi. Didn't know it was a tearjerker. Maybe I'll wait on it till after Christmas.

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  10. Great list!

    I also have the half-blood prince on my list :)

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  11. I haven't read a lot of these books, but they sound awesome so I'm adding some to my list. I also love that you included book that makes you laugh so hard you cried.

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  12. I hated Before I Die. I cried at it, yes, but I still hated it.

    I agree with the Harry Potter choices. Two of the best characters gone. *sigh*

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  13. The deaths of Sirius and Dumbledore were emotional for me as well...not just the loss of the characters themselves but for Harry...He finally had others who loved him...and they died. Just killed me
    !!

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  14. Sadly, I will not be participating this week because I can only come up with one - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I cried through the entire chapter when Harry is walking into the woods to die. I also cried a little when Cedric died, but that was more out of shock than anything. I used to cry to books a lot, but I can't remember which ones they were. Oh, and I completely agree about Ron - I would have much preferred to see him go. :]

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  15. I just started following your blog, I haven't read any of your top 10, but I may have to check a few out.

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  16. First time doing this meme! I am not familiar with many books on your list, but I may need to add a few to my ever-growing want list, you know - for when I need a good cry!

    Sarah

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  17. Ahhhh your discussion of The Amber Spyglass brought all that sadness back to me. It's been way too long since I read those books.

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  18. I have a different Harry Potter book than you included. Funny how such an amazing series can be threaded with sadness.

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  19. Great question! But I think my list may look a bit different lol.

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  20. I was so sad when Sirius died and did not see it coming, which made it that much harder. Nice list !

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  21. I cried like someone had killed my best friend when I read the end of HBP. AND for some reason, I cry every single time I read book 4 and Cedric dies. When he asks Harry to bring his body back, I LOSE IT!

    Also cried like a baby during ALL of the Hunger Games books. Just seeing the name 'Peeta' makes me tear up.

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  22. Great list. The two Harry Potter books you mentioned were really sad, I didn't even think of those.

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  23. I haven't read any of these. I can't see myself crying at Harry Potter though... those books just didn't grab me the way they seemed to have grabbed the rest of the world.

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  24. Hmm, great topic! I'd have to say The Book Thief, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, and The Time Traveler's Wife are my top three. I sobbed through the final pages of all three!

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  25. Fun Topic this week! I had fun with this one.
    You're list is great!

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  26. I know so many other people cried during the Harry Potter books...but I must say I never did! I think I was too high on an adrenaline rush when reading them to get super emotional about it. Anyway awesome list!

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  27. I've only read the first three Harry Potter books but I can see how the death of characters would impact fans.

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  28. Oh yes, Chinese Cinderella I wept, wept wept while I read it. Injustices really get to me. I also wept while reading Before I Die but decided to not put it on my list because I didn't like the first part of that book.
    -Anne
    http://headfullofbooks.blogspot.com

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  29. I liked this question -- got me thinking. I'm sure there are others I didn't put on my list, but I can't remember!! This is my first time participating -- thanks! I've looked at a bunch of your lists and they are inspiring.

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  30. I figured that Harry Potter would be on most people's lists. Good for you for thinking outside the box a little :) Here's mine.

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  31. I cried at the ending of both HP books as well! And the Amber Spyglass, that was so sad! I like to think Lyra will find a way to make things right outside of the book.

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  32. I don't know most of the books on this list, but I completely agree on the HP books. I cried at the end of the last 4 harry potter books, but only put two of them on my list.

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  33. I don't think I could come up with 10. I'm not really a crier when it comes to books (or movies, for that matter).

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  34. I could only come up with eight. But this was a very fun topic. Thanks for hosting :)

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  35. I thought the icon would be the link. I think I got it figured out.

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  36. I feel the same way about OotP. Sobs.

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  37. I've sobbed through many of a book, although none on your list. The two I really remember for making my snivel are Crow Lake and The Time Traveler's Wife.

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  38. Wow, all the book in the list sound amazing! I've never read any of them, but on my list they go. Thanks for a great question. Angie

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  39. I completely agree with you on the Harry Potter books and The Amber Spy Glass. Although I think I cried even more during Deathly Hallows.

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  40. I bawled like a complete baby in both Harry Potter books you mentioned. And don't even get me started on the seventh book...that was just a sobfest all around. I love the theme this week and always love reading your lists :)

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  41. Nice list. Amber Spyglass is on mine too, though mostly for Lee's death. I was sad about Lyra and Will, but I sobbed for Lee and Hester.

    OotP is on my list too, though that's more for Harry's reaction to Sirius' death than the event itself. The concluding few chapters of Deathly Hallows beat out HBP for me :)

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  42. I was a day late... but I posted mine!

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  43. I was a day late too. But I still posted mine. I had fun reading all of the others too.

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  44. I'm surprised HP and The Deathly Hallows wasn't on that list. I cried like a baby during many parts of that book. #1. When Dobby died and Harry chose to dig the grave by hand. #2. When Ron and Harry reunited and all was forgiven. #3 When Harry began is journey into the Forbidden Forest with his parents, Sirius and Lupin at his side.

    Seriously good stuff!

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  45. Man I BAWLED through Amber Spyglass! It is the only book i have ever written a fanfic for becuase I wanted them together so much. Damn I wanted to do this list. I am going to pretend it's still Tuesday and just post them here.

    1. Amber Spyglass
    2. Gone with the Wind
    3. The Lords of Discipline
    4. HP and the Deathly Hallows
    5. HP and the Order of the Phoenix
    6. The Book Thief
    7. The Time Traveler's Wife
    8. Flowers for Algernon
    9. Another Place at the Table
    10. The Blood of Flowers

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  46. I barely ever cry at books - although was close with a couple of the Harry Potters - but the last few chapter or two of Before I Die had me weeping uncontrollably. Amazing book.

    Great list, by the way!

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  47. harry potter is really sad so is the chinese cinderella. where the red fern grows is really sad though

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  48. The fault in our stars(John Green)
    Looking for Alaska(Also by John Green. These two tear out your heart just a smidge.)
    Order of the Phoenix, Half Blood prince and Deathly hallows.(J.K. Rowling. They need no explanation.)
    The catastrophic history of you and me (Jess Rothenberg. It is completely different from what you get on the blurb, but it's still REALLY HEARTBREAKING.)
    The Sky is everywhere.(Jandy Nelson. Oh man. Oh man oh man oh man. It's one of those books it's so beautifully written you keep re-reading it but still cry every darn time.)
    If I stay(Gayle Foreman. It is so orginal and different to any other book I've read.)
    Life on the refrigerator door(Alice Kuipers. It is so quirky and originally and oridinary but the last five or six pages leave you wanting to eat a giant tub of Ben and Jerry's under a quilt and cry yourself to sleep for a month.)
    Thirteen Reasons why(Jay Asher. A slightly darker book, but brilliant and clever none the less.)
    Hunger games.(Suzanne Collins. Okay who didn't cry over THOSE three deaths?)
    Infernal Devices.(Cassandra Clare. This is a series, I know. It wasn't even one thing it's just the book series is pretty much seeped in despair and sadness and rips your heart from your chest, throws it on the floor, stamps on it and breaks it into a thousand pieces.)

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