- Lamb by Christopher Moore. This is in my top 5 favorite books but the ending to it is so sad. And it's not like I didn't know what was going to happen (spoiler: Josh gets crucified) but the book is so funny throughout the first half of it that the emotion in the second half of the book is surprising.
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling. I'm so glad I read the end of this book while I was at home instead of on the T because I'm pretty sure I would have caused a scene and then I would have had to make up some story about a severe allergic reaction or something to cover up the fact that a kids book made me cry. Notable mentions in this category: Order of the Phoenix. I didn't want to include multiple HP's on this list and I didn't bawl as much with this one, but that ending depressed me. Especially after I'd gotten so attached.
- A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. This is such a powerful, tragic story. It is so sad with only a very small silver lining. The story is fiction but so many real women live the hell that Mariam and Laila go through. The book was hard to read and I probably won't be re-reading this one, but I'm glad I read it the first time.
- The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison. Morrison's work is so heavy but this was the first of her books I read and because of that it's the one that hits me the hardest. Incestual child rape: fun for the whole family. (I know that was awful and tasteless and I actually wrote it at first without realizing how bad it was but it also made me laugh out loud so it stays. I have a 10 year old boys taste in humor.)
I tried to come up with more. I even looked through my mostly-complete list of books I have and this is still all I could come up with. I didn't want to go with books that made me just tear up a little bit; nothing I could explain away by saying I have dust in my eye. If you decide to read any of these, fair warning.
What books made you cry?
Update!: I realized I forgot The Book Thief by Markus Zusak and normally I'd just leave it off the list but since this book made me cry in public (dammit) I need to add it. Holocaust books will do that to you.
Update!: I realized I forgot The Book Thief by Markus Zusak and normally I'd just leave it off the list but since this book made me cry in public (dammit) I need to add it. Holocaust books will do that to you.