Tag Archives: death

Top 10 Books Dealing with Tough Subjects

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This week, The Broke and Bookish decided to take a more sombre note for their weekly lists. We’ve all read more than our fair share of sad books, but here are my top 10 books that deal with subjects of death, disease, civil rights, etc. (in no particular order):

10) The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. We all know his books to be tender, sad tales, but this was my first and only book I’ve read by him. Cancer is the scariest six-letter word out there, that can make even the strongest person wither. Add to that the connection between Hazel and Augustus, and you’ve got yourself a story that’s too difficult to bear.

9) The Help by Kathryn Stockett. What African Americans had to endure in the past, and what some of them are still enduring today, is painful. They weren’t even treated as humans, and had little to no rights. Racism takes centre stage in this novel, which made me cry. The movie was done well too.

8) Bridge to Terebethia by Katherine Paterson. My grade six teacher made us read this for class and I don’t remember ever being scarred by book that young. It was terrifying and for the longest time I thought everyone I loved was going to die.

7) Night by Elie Wiesel. Horrific. Jaw-dropping. True. Wiesel takes you back through his memories of the Holocaust as a young boy. No matter who you are, you cannot but be affected by this memoir.

6) Just Listen by Sarah Dessen. Almost all of Dessen’s novels revolve around some form of issue, but this one takes the cake. Sexual assualt, bullying and eating disorders all rolled up into one beautifully-spoken story.

5) The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. Another gripping Holocaust story. As you know, I love WWII stories, and although this is fiction, it’s one of the best stories based on that time. It will make you cry.

4) Me Before You by Jojo Moyes. You all know how much I treasure this book. And although the romance aspect had a strong play there, I also loved this book because of the controversial topic it covered. Death is never easy, particularly assisted suicide. BAWL.

3) Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White. Okay, I realize this is a children’s story that was probably read to you before bed. But take a moment and think about what this book is truly about: a young pig is taken from the only family he knows into an unknown place. He makes a couple of good friends (especially Charlotte the spider), finds a life for himself there, and then Charlotte dies. Dealing with death at a young age, even the death of a spider, is heartbreaking.

2) The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks. Sparks is good for those Hollywood-style, romantic, make-you-cry-your-heart-out books. The Last Song was the first and only book I’ve read of his, but it struck a cord with me. Any death is hard to bear, but losing your father…I don’t even want to think about that.

1) Forever by Judy Blume. It’s not your typical love story, which is why I like it. It was my first introduction to sex in grade 11, and boy did I get a bucketload of information. Loss of virginity, teenage pregnancy, realistic relationships (because hey, not everyone has a happy ending with their girl/guy). Pretty groundbreaking for the time it was published.

The Fault In Our Stars: Book Review

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Book Review #8: The Fault In Our Stars

Author: John Green

Genre: Young adult fiction

Days to Read: 4

Synopsis (as taken from Chapters): Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel’s story is about to be completely rewritten. Insightful, bold, irreverent, and raw, The Fault in Our Stars is award-winning author John Green’s most ambitious and heartbreaking work yet, brilliantly exploring the funny, thrilling, and tragic business of being alive and in love.

My thoughts: Despite The Fault In Our Stars being a YA novel, I thoroughly enjoyed this beautiful — yet tragic — piece. From the first chapter, Hazel became a memorable character. She didn’t speak or think like the usual female heroines you see in most young adult novels, which was refreshing for me. She was determined in her seclusion, her situation and her future, and she didn’t care tuppence about what others thought of her — that is, until Augustus entered her life. He was her funny bone. He breathed fresh air into her atmosphere and renewed her outlook on life. They both gave each other just another reason to live. But, of course, once you began to fall in love with the characters, you knew something bad was lurking around the corner. I won’t say what, however, because I don’t want to spoil anything for those who haven’t read it yet. The characters were enticing, and each relationship between the characters only strengthened the story. I must say, though, I was not a fan of Peter Van Houten. I found him annoying and every scene he was in only dragged the story down just a bit. I’m not entirely sure what John Green’s reason was to include him, except perhaps to show Hazel and Augustus (and us too) that not everyone could live up to their expectations; disappointment will sometimes occur in life and they must rise with each challenge they meet. Still, he could have made Van Houten a little more bearable for the readers. On the whole, though, The Fault In Our Stars was a fantastic introduction to John Green’s work, and I can’t wait to read more of his stories!

I wrote a review on this novel for my university’s print newspaper, The Reflector, and I thought I’d share with you my first paid review:

“No book in January was given the amount of media buzz that John Green’s The Fault In Our Stars received. After hearing positive remarks about his new book, I decided to read it with an open mind. The Fault In Our Stars was a very difficult book to get through. Not because it was boring — oh no, quite the contrary. I found it difficult because it was so heartbreaking. John Green created his characters with such depth, complexity and honesty that I felt like I knew Hazel Lancaster and Augustus Waters for many years. It isn’t easy to write about cancer, much less deal with it personally, but John Green gives a convincing account of how cancer marks you. He doesn’t rationalize, sentimentalize or romanticize the realities of cancer, but rather touches you with the story of two teens looking for a forever within their numbered days. Once you open the book, I promise you will not be able to think of much else.”

My Rating: 4.5/5

Top 5 Novels That Bring Out The Sap In Me

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Admit it: We all love to tear up. Or cry. Or just outright sob hysterically.

To be honest, it doesn’t take much for my eyes to get misty — whether it’s a budding romance, a death, an accident, an illness or just a perfect ending, I will cry. So pretty much half of the books on my bookshelves bring me to tears.

But here are the top five novels that bring out the ultimate sap in me:

5.  The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

This book is heartbreaking. The ending had me crying fully for 30 minutes, and I had to go back to work with my eyes red and puffy. Warning: If you plan on reading this, make sure you finish it when you’re alone.

4.  Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

This has got to be one of my favourite novels in the world. Just being immersed into a Jane Austen or Charlotte Bronte world makes me smile, and this novel had me tearing up by the end from happiness. It’s one of the sweetest love stories I’ve read and always leaves me yearning for a Darcy of my own.

3.  The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks

To be fair, this is the only Nicholas Sparks novel I’ve read, but it killed me. My friend gave it to me from his mom’s collection, knowing I’d fall in love with it, and that I did. It was a terribly sad novel and was beautifully written. I won’t spoil the ending, but let me just say I couldn’t help but cry for a long time afterwards. I’m not a big fan of Miley Cyrus, but I didn’t mind the movie version of it, either.

2.  Night by Elie Wiesel

This book was very difficult to go through. Each chapter brought on a new tragedy and it was hard to believe that this was a true story. But alas, it was. I cried a lot during it which gave me some awkward looks in class, where we were reading it. The Holocaust is one of my favourite subjects to read about, and this book was the best.

1.  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

Hands down, this novel produced the most tears. My eyes were working out hardcore from the first chapter on. And it got progressively worse as the pages continued — from Hedwig and Dobby’s deaths to the demises of Snape, Lupin, Tonks, Colin Creevey, and Fred (SOB). Not to mention that after growing up with these characters, the deaths of those I loved made it even harder.

What are your top 5 tear-inducing novels?