Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Top 5 Wednesday: Top Books That Made Me Cry

This week's top 5 topic was actually quite difficult for me.  You see, I am not much of a crier.  It really takes a lot to get me to feel something so deeply.  I have to really connect with the characters and empathize with their situation.

Therefore, it took awhile for me to put this list together, but while staring at my shelves, these few stood out in my memory as books that overwhelmed me enough to make me cry.

Number 5...




The Little Prince by  Antoine de Saint-ExupĂ©ry

After crashing his plane in the middle of a desert, an adult male finds a little boy, called the Little Prince, who fell from space in a rocket ship.  While the man tries to fix his plane, the Little Prince teaches him about life and love.

This is one of my favorite children's books.  I didn't read it until I older, and I got so much more out of it than I would have had I read it as a child. I truly believe that this book is meant more for adults than for kids.  There are so many themes within its pages that I related to, and when the Little Prince spoke of his flower, it really touched me and made me cry.

Number 4...



My Sister's Keeper  by Jodi Picoult

13-year old Anna was born to be a donor for her older sister, Kate, who has leukemia.  This system has always worked perfectly for their family until she decides to sue her parents for the rights to her own body.

This was my first Jodi Picoult book, and it was so sad.  I hadn't seen the movie, so I had no idea how it ended, and I was completely wrecked.  I've read a few more of her books since then, but none of them have affected me the way this one did.

Number 3...




Home Front by Kristin Hannah

Jolene and Michael's marriage is on the verge of divorce when she gets deployed to Iraq.  During her time there, she experiences things that will change her forever, and Michael realizes just how integral she is to the family.  But when she gets home, a whole new battle must be fought since war has brought her back damaged.

This was one of my favorite books of 2012.  It speaks of the breaking up of a marriage, war, and mental illness, and Hannah did well at making the characters' trials relateable.  Even though I have never gone to war or had a spouse with mental illness, I was still able to apply what they were feeling to my own life and find a connection that moved me deeply.

Number 2...




Created to Be a Help Meet by Debi Pearl

This book is completely different than the rest of the ones on my list.  It's about the Biblical role of wives and how God designed marriage to work.

There was a specific chapter in this book that convicted me of the way I was treated my husband and opened my eyes to how much I neglected to appreciate him for who he is.  Rather, I was comparing him to who I thought he should be and being unduly disappointed.

Once I realized that about myself, I broke inside and woke him up sobbing to apologize and tell him I love him.

And the number 1 book that made me cry...




Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling

Ok, let me be real here for a second: When Sirius Black died in this book, I literally threw my copy across the room because I was so upset.  I sobbed and sobbed as if he were my godfather and only real family.

Not only was I heartbroken for Harry, but I remember being so angry with J.K. Rowling for taking Sirius away from Harry.  I vowed I would not finish the book or ever read another one from the series.  Of course, after I calmed down I did end up reneging that vow, but the rest of my Harry Potter experience was coloured by Sirius' death.  I didn't cry when anyone else died because now I knew that Rowling was capable of anything.

So, those are my top 5 books that made me cry.  If you want to join Top 5 Wednesday, just check out the Goodreads group.

2 comments:

  1. We're so on the same page with Order of the Phoenix!

    ReplyDelete