Today’s Booking Through Thursday carries on with the ‘recent theme’ and asks us “What’s the saddest book you’ve read recently?”I tend to read a lot of books with sad themes for some reason. I think some people, me included, are naturally drawn to things that evoke an emotional response like sadness. I guess there is nothing written in the book of life that says we as human beings must be happy all the time. I can think of several sad stories I read and loved:
The Bluest Eye; Toni Morrison
The Things They Carried; Tim O'Brien
Tuesdays With Morrie; Mitch Albom
The Kite Runner; Khaled Hosseini
Death Be Not Proud; John Gunther
My Sister's Keeper; Jodi Picoult
The Blue Notebook; James Levine MD
Christian the Lion; Bourke and Rendall
I so loved these books, even though they brought tears to my eyes (something that does not happen very often). Both are HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
What are your saddest reads recently? Why do you read sad books? Have you read the books I mentioned, and, if so, did they move you?
You can read more Booking Through Thursday answers here.
You can read more Booking Through Thursday answers here.
THE BLUE NOTEBOOK was really rough! So powerful!
ReplyDelete-Amy
Life by Candlelight
Wow tear jerkers all!
ReplyDeleteI do like books that make me cry. I sobbed at the end of "My Sister's Keeper." I love that just reading words can evoke such strong emotions within you. And a good cry can be very cathartic.
ReplyDeleteIt's been awhile, but The Time Traveler's Wife and Crow Lake are the two books that have made me cry the most.
ReplyDeleteI remember also balling my eyes out when I finished My Sisters Keeper. The Kite Runner was a sad one but one of my all-time favorites!
ReplyDeleteI read The Blue Notebook. that's actually my Btt answer :D
ReplyDeleteI thought it was one of the bleakest books I've read so far.
I haven't read Night yet simple cause I know it's a tear jerker. I need to set time aside for that.
ReplyDeleteThe Bluest Eye is such a powerful book.
I think the saddest book I've read in recent memory was "Disgrace" by J.M Coetzee. It was such a brutal and devastating book... but really amazing for all the power Coetzee harnesses through it. It is never maudlin or manipulative, which I also really respected.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by my blog.
ReplyDeleteThe Blue Notebook is one book I have heard of but have not bothered to find out about...I have just read about it via your amazon link.
I am going to add it to my to-read list.
I have read several of these, and yes, they are very sad books.
ReplyDeleteI agree with some of your choices here. I've read some of the books on your list, have seen others in movie form, and for one I read the book then saw the movie--My Sister's Keeper. And I cried a lot during the movie, because I anticipated what would happen next.
ReplyDeleteI have read a few of those and I agree with you.
ReplyDeleteBooking through Sad Ones
I have read My Sister's Keeper and definitely a sad one. I don't know which sad books I've read recently but I do love them. They definitely evoke a strong response from the reader and they seem to make you think more than other novels.
ReplyDelete-Lauren
Those are definitely sad books. The Things They Carried and The Blue Notebook definitely got me. Two that come immediately to my mind are All Quiet on the Western Front and The Book Thief as well.
ReplyDeleteI think that I read sad books for the same reason you mentioned. I don't enjoy being sad, but sometimes it feels good to cry over a sad story. I read Death Be Not Proud when I was in junior high...I remember feeling so so sad. I had a best friend during my school years, who, when she would come to my house, she would take Where The Red Fern Grows off of my shelf and just read the part that made her cry. I never understood why she did that.
ReplyDeleteI have read The Bluest Eye and in fact rereading right now! I don't remember much from before, and now am only about 20 pages in, so good luck to me, although I know I'll be bawling (I always do). Almost every book that I liked has made me cry. (I really am a crybaby, lol.) The last one that really made me weep was I think Lady Rose and Mrs Memmary by Ruby Ferguson. The Elegance of the Hedgehog is also a sad book.
ReplyDeleteI don't love it when a book makes me cry. There are some books I love that make me cry - The Time Traveler's Wife is one, and The Book Thief - but mostly, if the book is going to be tremendously emotional, I often don't reread. Just because I feel so drained when I do read them and get all emotional. I guess the drained thing doesn't happen to you, haha.
ReplyDeleteI have The Blue Notebook here to read. Now that I know it made you cry, I'll have to make sure I'm in the perfect frame of mind to read it. Sometimes I really want a good cry (Mrs. Mike by Benedict and Nancy Freedman was my heavy weeper go-to book when I was in my teens) but sometimes I need to avoid the heartbreakers.
ReplyDeleteWell, no, I guess there's no rule that we have to be happy all the time. But I try to stay that way as much as possible! I guess everyone has their own preferences in reading as in everything else. Haven't read any of the books you mention, although I've heard good things about almost all of them.
ReplyDeleteI've been a sucker of tear-jerker, both books and movies. I've got Marley and Me and The Heart is a Lonely Hunter. To get through your list I'll need lots of Kleenex handy! :)
ReplyDeleteThe Bluest Eye would probably be my next Morrison book. Beloved was very sad and dark. I cannot account for the reason why I haven't read The Kite Runner. Too hype maybe.
I love sad books, but I haven't read any of those yet. It sounds like I should - especially The Bluest Eyes, as I love Morrison's writing.
ReplyDeleteOh boy, I cried so much at the end of My Sister's Keeper. It took me a while to recover after I finished.
ReplyDeleteHere's my BTT.
I've seen The Blue Notebook around. I needed a box of tissues while reading Tuesdays With Morrie.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you completely! I enjoy reading poignant books for that very reason. I love when books make me feel the emotion of the character. The Kite Runner...*sigh*
ReplyDeleteMy Sister's Keeper..the end of that one had be in tears.
ReplyDeleteIs it odd to like something so much that makes you cry...?
Olive Kitteridge had many sad and depressing moments in it, and yet it was strangly beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI read My Sister's Keeper and that was definitely a tearjerker!
ReplyDeleteYou've listed some great books, along with several from my tbr list. There's nothing like a good cry ;-)
ReplyDeleteI'm having a really hard time with The Blue Notebook. The book is written well and I think handles the subject matter well, but it's the subject matter that is making this book difficult. But I'm determined to finish it :)
ReplyDeleteI often say the best books are the ones that can make me both laugh and cry. You've listed some wonderful (and sad) books. The Blue Notebook is on my TBR pile and I'm really looking forward to reading it.
ReplyDeleteYour list reminded me of A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS, another tear-jerker!
ReplyDeleteMy cousin told me about The Things They Carried and I know I need to read that one. Tuesdays made me bawl my eyes out!! The Bluest Eye was pretty sad wasn't it?
ReplyDeleteYou've got some tear jerkers there! I remember reading The Kite Runner while I was out at a coffee shop one time and I came to one particular place in the book where I just couldn't hold back the tears.
ReplyDeleteIt's been a while since I read a very sad book but one that always makes me sad just thinking about it is The Book Thief. Oh goodness, it's so good but so sad.
I quite enjoy sad books but definitely have to be in the mood for them. My Sisters Keeper did get a few tears from me. The Blue Notebook i'm considering. I am reading The Glass Castle now.
ReplyDeleteI almost forgot about The Glass Castle, which is heartbreaking but also inspiring.
ReplyDelete