There’s No Crying in Reading.

Okay so that statement may be a bit of stretch. Or a downright lie.

Maybe I should amend that to say There’s No Crying in Reading for ME.

Recently I saw a film adaptation of a very well loved and known book. This book and film are both serious tear jerkers. There was full on ugly crying going on in that theater from almost every person present. It was a sob fest.

I, on the other hand, barely shed a tear.

That’s not to say that I don’t cry during emotional moments. Crying is actually my go to emotional reaction at pretty much any heightened state of emotion.

I can watch a movie 100 times, and still cry at the same parts. I’ve even teared up reading human interest stories on the internet. (You know the ones that “restore your faith in humanity”) Heck, I’ve been known to cry during car commercials if they’re sentimental enough. And do not even get me started on those gosh darn ASPCA commercials with Sarah Mclachlan.

Bottom line: I AM A CRIER.

This would be me and my little brother circa 20 years ago. Clearly you can see I’m all hunky dory while he’s having a meltdown. Not much has changed.

Despite all these instances that tend to bring a tear to my eye, I can count the number of books that have ever made me cry using just 8 fingers.

Now you may be thinking, “So what, only 8 books have made you cry. That’s a lot”

Well let’s take into consideration the fact that I have read hundreds of books. Many of which have had some seriously gut wrenching and highly charged moments full of emotion, pain, and vulnerability. Numerous books I’ve read have killed off characters I connect with and like more than actual human beings.

Yet, I still don’t find myself getting emotional enough to cry while reading very often.

Maybe it’s weird I find that interesting about myself, but I do especially since it’s often a natural reaction for me. Scores and scores of people will review a book, and mention a moment that made them cry. Even my close friends will tell me about moments in books we’ve read that sent them hunting for tissues. Me, not so much.

Apparently I have the emotional range of a piece of paper.

At least when it comes to reading.

So I thought I’d use this post to share the 8 books that have ever made me cry, so we could all have a moment of “feels” together. (I’m sure you all want to share that moment with me.)

The books that make up this list vary in genre and subject matter, but each one had my tear ducts working something fierce. Honestly though, I wanted to share with you those books that reached in and made this “cold hearted” reader shed a tear.

The 8 Books That Have Made Me Cry: (If you click on the link, you’ll find your way to the Amazon page for each book)

• The Last Lecture: This autobiography by Randy Pausch details his last lecture as a professor, as he was dying from pancreatic cancer. His lecture was all about achieving your childhood dreams, and its chalk full of words of wisdom and life lessons. The whole book is laced with emotion, but what really got me was the last chapter when he reveals what this lecture was really all about for his audience and his family.
• Two Kisses for Maddy: Now I went into this memoir knowing it was going to be seriously emotionally charged, as the book follows a new father in the first year of his daughter’s life. The life that began on the same day his wife died. I stayed strong in this one until the very last page. The words Matt Logelin wrote on that page still give me chills and set my tear ducts to work with how much power and love they hold. (Even now as I’m typing I’m getting chills)
• Tuesday’s with Morrie: Now if you are ever looking for a book full of emotion, Mitch Albom is your guy. Tuesday’s With Morrie tells of Albom’s meetings with his ailing professor slipping away from ALS. This is probably the only book I’ve cried multiple times throughout reading. It just had so many moments that were beautiful, emotional, powerful, and just sad as Albom and his professor reconnect.
• Such a Pretty Face: This is one that made me cry not out of sadness, but out of shear healing. The main character in this book goes through a major journey. Think major transformation. At the end, there is the purest moment of healing this character experiences, and that had me balling like a baby. It was freaking powerful. Amazing Grace was also playing in the scene, so I was just doomed.
• The Promise of Stardust: To say this book takes you through the lowest lows of serious emotion is an un
  

  Just look at all these “feels” books!

  derstatement. The Promise of Stardust follows the main character as he must decide and battle to keep his wife on life support to keep their unborn child alive. At the end of the day this book is overflowing with love and pain, and I couldn’t not cry while reading this one. It just was utterly breathtaking in so many instance.

• Love You, Mean It: This is another book that I persevered with not crying until the very last page. This co-written memoir is told by 4 widows of the 9/11 attacks. Their journey in this book is paved with mountains of pain and emotion. All 4 of these women are reeling throughout this book, but in the end their message is clear: “Cherish the love you receive. Remember, the heart’s capacity for love is unending. Make the decision to live. It would be wrong not to”.
• All You Could Ask For: This wonderful book details the relationships and support system 3 women battling cancer build together. Each woman goes on her own individual journey, but one in particular had me running for the Kleenex. Katherine’s story, and her ending thoughts that come to terms with her diagnosis and what truly makes life worth living are phenomenally powerful and emotional.
• The Fault in Our Stars: So this is the book/film adaptation I mentioned in the beginning of this post. And while I shed only a few tears during the movie, I’ll admit that I might have sobbed at the end of reading the book. Not because it was sad, but because of the intense love you could feel in the end. This book isn’t about dying, it’s about living, and John Green’s wonderful words at the end surmising that just did me in.

So there you have it. The list of the whopping 8 books that have EVER made me cry.

Now while these books don’t get trophies or anything for making me cry, they do have the distinction of having truly powerful moments that I couldn’t not tear up at. Apparently sometimes I do have more emotional range than a piece of paper!

That’s not to say other books haven’t come close, or that the other books I’ve read haven’t gutted me to the emotional core or pulled at my heartstrings. I guess the books above just knocked me upside the head with emotion.

And if I could, I would so totally give them all a trophy. Probably a bronze Kleenex box.

So now that we’ve had our “feels” moment together, I’d love to hear what books have ever made you cry. (We can compare notes! Haha)

Please feel free to comment on the post with whatever books have brought a tear to your eye, for whatever reason. (And Lord knows I’d love to know the reason!)

And just to end the post on a high note, I’ll leave you with the line from one of my all-time favorite movies that inspired the title for this post.

Enjoy, and Happy Reading!