Top Ten Books That Made Me Cry

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

This week's topic is:

Top Ten Books That Made Me Cry

1. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak  
2. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
3. My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult
4. Those Who Save Us by Jenna Blum 
5. The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
6. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher 
7. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer
8. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins 
9. Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay
10. A Child Called "It" by Dave Pelzer  

 *Bonus* A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett

  But really, it doesn't take much to make me cry...or at least tear up a little.

 

Top Ten Tuesday: Fictional Crushes

My top ten fictional crushes are posted at The Broke and The Bookish this week.

Head on over there to check out lots of other great fictional crushes!

Jen's Top Ten Fictional Crushes

1. Oskar from Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close:  If I was eight years old I would be in LOVE with Oskar.  We'd definitely get married on the playground during recess.
2. Wes from The Truth About Forever:  Sa-woon!  He's the artistic one, I want him to make me my own sculpture out of stuff he finds at the junkyard.
3. Gale from the Hunger Games Trilogy:  He's strong, dependable, he cares for his family, and not afraid to stand up for what he believes in.
4. Marcus from Sloppy Firsts (the Jessica Darling series):  I haven't finished the series yet but I have a soft spot for Marcus.  I loved his day of the week t-shirts and cryptic messages to Jessica.
5. Roger from Amy & Roger's Epic Detour:  Who wouldn't want a cute boy to take a cross-country road trip with?  If you cry in front of Roger he's not going to freak out on you, he'll give you his sunglasses to wear so people can't tell you've been crying.  Plus, he makes amazing mix CDs.
6. Dexter from This Lullaby:  Be careful, when you first meet Dexter he might accidentally knock you off your feet (literally).  But he's passionate about music, funny (his band has a song about potatoes),  he loves his dog, and he never gives up.
7. Shay from Nightshade:  Okay, so I haven't even read this book yet (it comes out today!) but I loved the marketing campaign for Nightshade.  I loved how you could interact with Shay online and read his blog and watch videos he posted.  He seems like a good guy (plus, he's kind of cute!).  Shay's Facebook.
8. Ethan from Something Blue: I read this book last year so I don't remember much about why I liked Ethan but he is incredibly patient (somehow he managed to put up with Darcy), and he currently lives in England.
9. Sam from Shiver (Wolves of Mercy Falls):  I haven't read Linger yet so my opinion could change but so far I love Sam.  He loves reading (even worked in a bookstore one summer) and comes up with little songs about Grace.
10. Edward from The Twilight Saga:  Don't hate!  I know most people over the age of 16 hate him.  But when I read Twilight I liked how how he acted chivalrous and like a gentleman.

Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Book Quotes

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish.


This week's topic:
Favorite Book Quotes

1. "Atticus told me to delete the adjectives and I'd have the facts." - To Kill A Mockingbird


2. "Sometimes I can hear my bones straining under the weight of all the lives I'm not living" - Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close


3. "People observe the colors of a day only at its beginnings and ends, but to me it's quite clear that a day merges through a multitude of shades and intonations with each passing moment. A single hour can consist of thousands of different colors. Waxy yellows, cloud-spot blues. Murky darkness." - The Book Thief


4. "Stuff your eyes with wonder, live as if you'd drop dead in ten seconds. See the world. It's more fantastic than any dream made or paid for in factories." - Fahrenheit 451


5. "The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue center-light pop and everybody goes 'Awww!'" - On The Road {I didn't like the book, but I love this quote}



6. "...you feel a little bit lost right now about what to do with your life, a bit rudderless and oarless and aimless but that's okay that's alright because we're all meant to be like that at twenty-four." - One Day
   


7. "You don’t know what goes on in anyone’s life but your own. And when you mess with one part of a person’s life, you’re not messing with just that part. Unfortunately, you can’t be that precise and selective. When you mess with one part of a person’s life, you’re messing with their entire life. Everything. . . affects everything." - Thirteen Reasons Why


8. "Wish on everything. Pink cars are good, especially old ones. And stars of course, first stars and shooting stars. Planes will do if they are the first light in the sky and look like stars. Wish in tunnels, holding your breath and lifting your feet off the ground. Birthday candles. Baby teeth." - Francesca Lia Block


9. "No matter how careful you are, there's going to be the sense you missed something, the collapsed feeling under your skin that you didn't experience it all. There's that fallen heart feeling that you rushed right through the moments where you should've been paying attention." - Invisible Monsters


10. "To be left alone on the tightrope of youthful unknowing is to experience the excruciating beauty of full freedom and the threat of eternal indecision" - I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings

Bonus:


11. "All subjects are the same. I memorize notes for a test, spew it, ace it, then forget it. What makes this scary for the future of our country is that I'm in the tip-top percentile on every standardized test. I'm a model student with a very crappy attitude about learning." - Sloppy Firsts
    
    

Top Ten Tuesday: Top TBR

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

This week's topic is:

Top Ten To-Be-Read Books

Currently there are 197 books on my TBR shelf on Goodreads. There are the ten that I want to read the most (note: there is a good possibility I might change my mind by tomorrow).

Books are linked to their Goodreads page.

1. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
   {I think I'm one of the only people on the planet who hasn't read this book yet}


2. Amy and Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson {I may have to break down and buy this one. There is a fairly long wait list at the library}


3. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer, Annie Barrows {this is the first book that I bought for my nook by I still haven't read it}


4. Suite Française by Irène Némirovsky {I've had this sitting on my bookshelf for a few months...sadly it has just been collecting dust. I need to read this book soon!}


5. A Mango-Shaped Space by Wendy Mass
{I've wanted to read this book since I heard about it}


6. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
{I know, I haven't read this one either...and I do own it}


7. The Night Trilogy: Night, Dawn, Day by Elie Wiesel
{Another book I own but still haven't read}


8. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
{Somehow I made it through high school without reading this book...I don't believe it was ever assigned in any of my classes}


9. The Tea Rose by Jennifer Donnelly {Just recently discovered this historical fiction book. it sounds really interesting}


10. The Maze Runner by James Dashner {I've heard if you're a fan of the Hunger Games trilogy this is another good series to try}

Which book should I read first?

Top Ten Tuesday: Words I Love

My top ten favorite words are featured at The Broke and Bookish this week. Go check everyone's list out!

Here's my list:

1. Atrocious: "Utterly revolting, or of very poor quality". This is one of my favorite words to use when describing something I don't like.

2. Facetiously: "Joking or jesting often inappropriately". I love this word because all five vowels are in alphabetical order. I know there are other words like this, but this is the first one I remember learning.

3. Lackadaisical: "Lacking life, spirit, or zest". This is such a fun word to say, which seems kind of ironic considering the definition.

4. Dessert: "A usually sweet course or dish (as of pastry or ice cream) usually served at the end of a meal". I love dessert. Cake, pie, cookies, pudding, brownies, ice cream, you name it I will devour it (especially if it has chocolate in it).

5. Wanderlust: "Strong longing for or impulse toward wandering". Ahh..the travel bug. I love traveling to new places and exploring.

6. Onomatopoeia: "The use of words whose sound suggests the sense". Another fun word to say and I love words that are onomatopoeia's: buzz, hiss, beep, knock, sizzle, zap, squish.

7. Oxymoron: "A combination of contradictory or incongruous words (such as cruel kindness)". Ever since I was first taught this word in elementary school I've pictured an 'ox' and a 'moron' in my head.

8. Surreptitious: "Done, made, or acquired by stealth". It's like clandestine...but way cooler.

9. Pterodactyl: "Any of various pterosaurs (suborder Pterodactyloidea) of the Late Jurassic and Cretaceous having a rudimentary tail and a beak with reduced dentition". My favorite dinosaur! Who doesn't love dinosaurs?

10. Beach: "A shore of a body of water covered by sand, gravel, or larger rock fragments; a seashore area". I've always lived within 15 minutes of the ocean. I love it, it's one of my favorite places to be.

*All definitions are from Merriam-Webster Online.

What are your favorite words?

Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Literary Heroines

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week's topic is:

"Favorite Literary Heroines"

1. Katniss: The Hunger Games trilogy
2. Liesel: The Book Thief
3. Scout: To Kill A Mockingbird
4. Lisbeth: The Millennium trilogy
5. Charlotte: Charlotte's Web

I'm sad to say that this was a hard topic for me this week! I need to read more books with strong female characters.

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Can't Believe I've Never Read

I would have had this posted earlier but I've had my nose in Mockingjay all afternoon!

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week's topic is:

"Books I Can't Believe I've Never Read"

1. The Count of Monte Cristo
2. Little Women
3. The Great Gatsby
4. Harry Potter
5. Pride and Predjudice
6. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
7. Night
8. Jane Eyre
9. A Wrinkle in Time
10. the Chronicles of Narnia

Top Ten Tuesday: Characters I Hate

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. This week's topic is

Top Ten Characters I Hate:

*I tried explaining why I dislike these characters but I was unable to do so without including spoilers for most of these books! *

1.) Elspeth from Her Fearful Symmetry

2.) Darcy from Something Borrowed/Something Blue

3.) Victoria from Twilight

4.) the Commander from The Handmaids Tale

5.) August from Water For Elephants

6.) President Snow from The Hunger Games

7.) Bob Ewell from To Kill A Mockingbird

8.) Vronsky from Anna Karenina

9.) the White Witch from The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe

10.) Gomez from The Time Traveler's Wife

Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Fictional Characters

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish (http://brokeandbookish.blogspot.com/).



Top Ten Favorite Fictional Characters
(in no particular order):


1.) Oskar from Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

2.) Katniss from The Hunger Games

3.) Wes from The Truth About Forever

4.) Scout from To Kill A Mockingbird

5.) Lisbeth from the Millenium Trilogy

6.) Max from The Book Thief

7.) Martin from Her Fearful Symmetry

8.) Aunt Tootie from Saving CeeCee Honeycut

9.) Rosie from Water For Elephants

10.) Gale from The Hunger Games

*I don't have time to write out explainations today...I'll try to remember to come back and edit !

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Most Intimidating Books!

Jen's Top Ten Most Intimidating Books:

1. Anna Karenina - Tolstoy: I bought this book three month's ago with every intention of reading it after finishing my (then) current book...then I thought I'll read one more book and then start it...and then well I'll just read one more book and then start Anna Karenina. It's still sitting on my bookshelf.

2. Infinite Jest - David Foster Wallace: I've heard such great things about this book! I went to Borders to buy this book (with a coupon!) but the size scared me (1,000+ pages) and I ended up putting the book back on the shelf. I kind of regret not buying it...but I'm sure another Borders coupon will come my way!

3. The Count Of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas: It's HUGE!

4. Moloka'i - Alan Brennert: I've heard such great things about this book I'm afraid I'll end up hating the book.

5. Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov: I'm afraid of being grossed out by it

6. Shogun - James Clavell: It's a brick!

7. Mockingjay - Suzanne Collins: So far I've loved this trilogy. I'm afraid I might be disappointed with how Collins ends it.

8. Hamlet - Shakespeare: I've never read any Shakespeare outside of school. What I read in school was pretty much watered down for us (abridged versions with notes in the margins). I think I'd pick Hamlet to read first because I've heard the Lion King was loosely based on it and the Lion King is one of my favorite Disney movies.

9. One Hundred Years Of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez: Earlier this year I attempted this book. I didn't make it very far, I kept getting all of the names mixed up!

10. A Farewell To Arms - Hemmingway: Hemmingway just intimidates me and I don't know why!

*I've learned that big books scare me!