Top Ten Tuesday

Well hi there, guys and gals, and happy Tuesday to you all! Nothing special at all happening today, at least not to me, so lets move on from that thing that some people might think is happening but isn't. At least not here. (Note: I say this now. I was totally planning to have a review up for Jane Eyre today, but I haven't actually read it so... we're going to pretend it isn't that day that everyone thinks it is.) So today's list is all about heartbreak, specifically mine, and even more specifically over books. Weep weep, wail wail. Etc. So, anyway, here are:

Top Ten Books That Broke My Heart A Little


1. It by Stephen King- I love, am scared of, am amused by It, and eventually this book breaks my heart too. I can't even tell you why, but just trust me when I tell you that it's really upsetting, but still well worth reading.

2. Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier- That ending! It's so cruel! And just plain mean to the poor reader! Heartbreaking after you've grown to love the characters, especially.

3. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte- Ok, I know nobody likes Wuthering Heights, BUT it does completely break my heart because Heathcliff's entire existence is so utterly bleak and unkind, and it turns him into someone who is so cruel, when he could have been so much better. I am far less heartbroken about Cathy's fate, because she's a spoilt little bitch and I hate her.

4. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly by Jean-Dominique Bauby- This book breaks my heart more because of the situation rather than any actual events in it. It's basically the true story of its author, who suffered a massive stroke and was left with Locked-In Syndrome, which is basically where your brain still works but you're trapped inside this mostly inactive body. It's heartbreaking because you get to know the guy stuck in this useless body, and you really just want him to recover and to be ok again. The film is equally as heartbreaking.

5. Good Wives by Louisa May Alcott- aka the second part of Little Women, I was left traumatised when I finally read this! Beth! And Amy and Laurie! Far too much trauma for my liking.

6. Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami- It really did. Consistently. In the parts where it wasn't amusing me/freaking me out.

7. The Hours by Michael Cunningham- Another traumatic ending that makes this book (one of my favourites) completely break my heart. The film of this is also worth watching, just because the ending there always always makes me cry, maybe even more than the book (although the book is way better overall).

8. Blonde by Joyce Carol Oates- Even though I knew what was going to happen, and that there wasn't going to be abundant happiness in this fictional biography of Marilyn Monroe, I wasn't quite expecting to be so moved by a story that I already knew pretty well. I was though, in the best and worst kinds of ways.

9. Maus I and II by Art Speigelman- Damn this is a difficult graphic novel to read, but it remains one of the most rewarding, albeit harrowing, reading experiences I've had. So so upsetting, and yet so incredibly meaningful.

10. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky- I find pretty much everything about this book perfect, so in that, it also has the perfect balance of comedy and tragedy, and with each little tragedy, my heart broke just a little bit. In spite of that, (or maybe partially because of it) it was still a wonderful reading experience.

So, yes. Heartbreaking stuff, but mostly in a good, healthy, cathartic sobbing over a book way. If there's anything I sickly enjoy more than having a weep over a good book, then I'm not sure if I've figured out what that is yet! How about you? Any good books that you weep over but still adore desperately?