Systematic Student:
tear-jerkers

I haven't participated in this meme before, hosted at The Broke and the Bookish, but I read several blogs that do it fairly regularly. And, when I saw this weeks topic, I felt like I had to take part. I get really attached to well written fictional characters, and I cry more while reading books than I'd like to admit. So, here's my top ten (and I'm trying very hard to avoid any spoilers, so some of my comments will seem vague or strange. Apologies in advance, but no spoilers.:) (Other than the fact that each book is, for one reason or another, sad enough to make me cry.)

1. Where the Red Fern Grows: For anyone who knows me, Duh. If you don't, and you read my blog with any kind of regularity, you'll know soon. It's my favorite book of all time, I've read it over 50 times (I stopped counting a few years ago) and I sob every time I read it. (My review)

2. My Sister's Keeper: I scared my roommate with this one. I was sobbing when I finished. She came in to talk to me, and I'm sobbing on my bed. She didn't know I was reading and got all concerned, until I told her my book made me cry, and then she just gave me a bit of a weird look. I still can't talk about the ending in detail without tearing up...

3. The Hunger Games Trilogy: Obviously people are going to die. Look at the synopsis! You know going into this story, that most of the characters will end up dead. And then, you go ahead and love them anyway, and then can't believe when they really die! Sigh... (My review)

4. Harry Potter asst.: After so many books, you start to love these people, and when they are no longer there, I cry.

5. If I Stay: Have you read what this book is about? I cried. The whole time. I cried when her family and friends talked to her in the hospital, and I cried when she would remember certain memories happy times with her family. I had tears streaming down my face for the whole story. (My review)

6. The Forest of Hands and Teeth: Seriously? It's a book about zombies. People are going to die, and that's sad. (My review)

7. Walk Two Moons: Because Sal is such a great, strong character and the story is so full of hope and then I cried.

8. A Thousand Splendid Suns: Because the sad scene is twofold — one part full of love and life, and the next full of anger, hatred and injustice. My heart breaks.

9. Pack Up Your Troubles: A Collection of Verse: This book of poetry is not inherently sad. But, it was my grandfather's favorite book, and he used to quote poems from it all the time, and several of the poems were read by my father at his funeral. I got this book the Christmas after he died, and I teared up every time I touched it, or came across one of his favorites.

10. The Book Thief: Even though our narrator, Death, likes to give awful spoilers, I spent the whole book hoping he was wrong. And when he wasn't, I cried.

If I Stay by Gayle Forman is easily one of the best books I have read this year. It's an intensely personal story about the struggle of a young girl whose world is changed in the blink of an eye.

Mia's life is full. She's been very blessed. She has a wonderful boyfriend, is an incredibly talented Cellist and she has a wonderful close family who gets her. She is close to her parents and younger brother, in a way that few people are really able to experience, especially as a teenager. We are given just enough time in the beginning of the book to meet Mia's family and in those few pages, we are able to see the connection this family shares.

Her family is involved in a horrible accident, and Mia is rushed to the hospital in a coma. She watches everything around her trying to understand the changes to her life, and where to go from there. Because she realizes it's her choice. She can choose to live or die. And what would you decide?

The book is Mia's struggle to make that all important choice. The story is told in flashed between then and now. We switch between scenes with Mia and her family and friends in the hospital, and her memories of the important people in her life. We are introduced to everyone through Mia's memories as she lays in a coma in the hospital, in limbo between life and death. It's heart wrenching to watch as each loved one comes to her bedside to talk. They give her words of hope, love, encouragement, understanding, and peace. They plead for her to remain, even while understanding why it's so hard. Every page teams with emotion and every memory tears at your heart.

I won't go into detail about the complete impact and effect music has to this story other than to say it is essential to almost every character. Music is a way of life for these people and it's changed each of them. Mia's boyfriend Adam is in a band that might be about to make it big, Mia's been playing the Cello for years, her father used to be in a band and on and on.

The writing in this book is incredibly powerful. There is a genuine connection to each character and a realness that makes you believe in them. I would say that Forman is a genuinely gifted writer. I can't remember the last time I believed in people so much, felt so much like the people I was reading about were real. I had tears streaming down my face for the vast majority of the book, and I was unable to put it down. It's a short book, and I read it in one sitting, but that in no way takes away from its impact. This book is beyond a doubt powerful, emotional, and compelling. Never doubt that its important.

Blue by Lou Aronica is a book that is impossibly hard to categorize. It is, at once, an adult story of life, love and divorce, a young adult story of learning to life with what life has handed you, a high fantasy story with rich and beautiful world building and a tragedy about learning what it means to heal.

Blue is told through three main view points. Chris is a man in his early 40s, divorced and the father of 14 year old Becky, who was, is and always will be the center of his world. Becky is our second narrator. She was diagnosed with Leukemia at age 5. It has been in remission for years, but she's starting to feel weak again. Chris and Becky created a fantasy world called Tamarisk when she was sick as a way to take her mind off the pain and help her deal with what was happening to her body. Miea is the Princess of this world, and now, 4 years after they have stopped telling the story, Miea is our third narrator. Her beloved Tamarisk is real, and in serious trouble. A blight is killing the vegetation and nothing they do is able to stop the damage.

There is also a fourth voice to the story, one that is only around for a few paragraphs here and there. Through some careful manipulation on his part, he opens a pathway between Miea and Becky, allowing her to visit the fantasy world that helped her accept her illness. As she begins spending time there, Tamarisk starts to minimize the empty space between Becky and her father that has grown since Chris moved out of the house after the divorce. They begin to draw closer together, much as they were when Becky was young.

I didn't really know what to expect from this book going into it. I thought the idea of a made-up, healing fantasy world come to live was interesting, so when I was approached to review this book, I accepted. I didn't know what to expect, but man, I didn't expect this! Blue is so much more than it appears to be. Most of my thoughts are tied up in how complex this story is, and how full of meaning each passage is.

I felt for these characters. My heart broke for Chris. His thoughts are constantly tied up in his daughter, wanting desperately to do right by her, but no longer understanding how to bridge the gap his divorce has broached between them. When Polly, his ex-wife, approached him asking for a divorce, Christ was caught completely off guard. Their marriage hadn't been good for a long time, but Chris was determined and willing to stick it out, because he wanted to stay in the same house as his daughter, didn't want to miss any nights tucking her into bed.

Although he desperately wants to be a good father, and he truly loves his daughter, there were times when I was almost uncomfortable with the intensity of his thoughts and focus on his daughter. Don't get me wrong. There was never any mention or hint of inappropriate behavior, but everything revolved around Becky. He himself mentions that his whole being is consumed by Becky (although I am paraphrasing a little bit) and that doesn't leave much room for anything else. I don't really know how to properly articulate what about the descriptions made me uncomfortable, but there was just this underlying feeling of... not-rightness.

A hugely important part of the story is Tamarisk, the fantasy land where Miea is now the Queen, desperately trying to salvage and save her home. The world building here was fantastical and beyond beautiful. The world has a song to it, and smells of chocolate and raspberries. It's a beautiful place to be and the imagination it took to create that world is astounding. When Becky begins traveling to Tamarisk, she is delighted by the reality of this world she created.

Although Tamarisk is a stunning part of the story, the real draw to the story for me was the relationships. Becky has a way about her that draws people in. I would like to meet this little girl, shake her hand, and spend a day talking to her. Having an illness as serious as Becky's gives people a unique approach to life. Becky desperately wants to live, and she understands the value of relationships and love. Lonnie has been her best friend and truest confidant since pre-school. She was there for the prior illness, but she's stayed by Becky's side the whole time.

There is so much love and hope on the pages of this book that I feel full of it right now. It's a story that will stick with me for a long time and one that will draw my mind back again and again. There is so much to say about this book, but telling you too much would lessen the experience for you. So I can only tell you that this is a book worth reading.

*Disclaimer: I received this book from the author through Pump Up Your Book.