Top Ten Tuesday #4

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by Broke and Bookish. It was created because of a particular fondness towards lists. Each week, a new top ten question will be posted on the hosting blog for other blogs to join in with on their own blogs. All you need to do to join in is link back to the host somewhere on your post, and add your link to the linky list via the host.

This week's post is:

Top ten books I had strong emotions over

1.
The Lovely Bones was a very emotional book for me. I think I cried pretty much all the way through it! BUT, and this is a big but, I wasn't crying necessarily because it was tragically sad - it was sad, don't get me wrong, but it wasn't tragic. I think what puts a lot of people off reading this one is that they think it will be a horribly depressing read, but in a way it's actually quite a nice read. I wouldn't recommend watching the film adaptation of it at all though, the film version makes me angry - Peter Jackson, as good as he is, slaughtered this one.

2.
The Poisonwood Bible is one of the books I read thinking I was going to hate it. It was a book club book a couple of years ago, and when it was chosen I was really disappointed because it's about a Christian Missionary and his family who go to Africa to bring the word of God to a small village there. I'm not particularly clued-up on religion, having been bought up without it, so books like this aren't usually my kind of thing. But it turned out to be less about religion and more about how particularly the daughters adapted to their new life in Africa. It's definitely an emotional read, and one that has stayed with me since I finished it! Absolutely compelling and very moving!

3.
Before I Die is one that you don't even have to read before knowing that it's an emotional book. It's about a 16 year old girl who is dying from terminal leukaemia, and she makes a list of things she wants to experience before it's too late, which she sets about completing before the inevitable event arrives. I was in floods of tears by the time I finished this book, but it was a heart-warming read all the same.



4.
Night Road is one I read this summer, and although it was an absolutely fantastic read, I did have to read the second half all in one go because it was so emotional that I found myself feeling quite down afterwards. It was part of the Channel 4 TV book club summer reads here in the UK, which I don't think is quite appropriate considering how hard-going it was emotionally. I would recommend reading it, but when you have some time to yourself and are accompanied by a box of tissues and possibly even a tub of ice-cream!

5.
Never Let Me Go is one I've mentioned on other occasions on my blog. It's one of my top 3 favourite books of all time, and it is definitely an emotional read, but definitely one that I have a very strong attachment to. Cathy is a truly wonderful main character, and Ishiguro tells her story alongside Tommy's and Ruth's with such beauty and precision that it's hard not to become completely involved with the story. Always read the book before watching the film adaptation, but this is an adaptation that I do actually recommend watching once you've finished reading - it's one of the best I've ever seen - it captures Ishiguro's novel perfectly.

6.
Room is an obvious choice for this list, but I can't avoid putting it in here simply because it has stuck with me since reading it. That the novel is narrated by a 5 year old boy who has never been outside of the shed he was born in, is enough to make it a heart-wrenching story in itself, but the rest of the novel is shocking, upsetting and yet gripping, compelling and (although this might sound odd given the premise of the novel) heart-warming.



7.
The Bean Trees is different from all the others I've mentioned so far, because it's not a sad, emotional read, but I do feel a very strong connection with it still, despite reading it over a year ago. The character's presence was so strong and real that I felt as though they were stepping off the pages and into the room with me, and so by the end of the novel I genuinely cared for them. That's not saying that I didn't feel this for all the books I've mentioned before this one, but that is my reason for choosing this one in particular. It definitely stands out in my mind.

8.
The Rapture is another one that I've mentioned on previous editions of Top Ten Tuesday, but it's definitely one that needs to be mentioned here. Again, different from the books I've chosen already, I've added this one to the list because the ending genuinely frightened me. That is all I will say for fear of giving the ending away to those who want to read it, but I would recommend that you read it in the day - this is the only book that has ever given me a nightmare!


9.
Delirium is another that I've read this year, over the summer, and it was definitely one of my favourites of the year so far. The idea that love is a disease that needs to be cured is a very interesting idea for a novel, and one that Lauren Oliver pulls off incredibly well. Obviously this, when written well, will make a very emotional read, so I needn't tell you that! Heart-warming and sad at the same time, it's one not to be missed!



10.
Finally, but certainly not least, is Jus Accardo's Touch. Followers that have been with me for a long time will know that I have recently reviewed Touch and interviewed Jus, which has been a wonderful privilege. I am now rather impatiently awaiting the sequel, which is due for release in Spring 2012. Touch definitely touched me - the characters were really well-developed, and I think there is something in the protagonist, Dez, that all of us can relate to at least a little. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. Click here to read my review, and click here to read my interview with Jus Accardo.