Spring Showers

I have to admit, I'm not a crier. I have to find something pretty upsetting to burst into tears. So, when I had the idea for this post, I thought it would be a really easy one to write, as I wouldn't have many books to mention. However, I jotted down all the books that have made me cry over the past few years, and it's actually a bit of a chunky list! So, grab your kleenex, because we're about to re-live some of the most depressing books of all time!

The first book that I remember making me cry was Black Beauty by Anna Sewell. When I was about 8 or 9, my cousin Verity, who lives on a farm in Australia, sent me a VHS of the film and I loved it. I come from a long line of animal lovers, most of my Mum's family have lived on farms, owned, bred and shown horses (as well as dogs!), so a love of horses is in my blood. I remember sobbing the first time I watched the film, I thought it was so beautifully told. Fast-forward 6 years later, and I bought a copy of the book. I thought that over the years I had desensitised myself enough that the book wouldn't affect me too much, but boy was I wrong! By the time I finished it, I was sobbing like the little girl I was the first time I saw the film. If you love animals as much as I do, then Black Beauty is a classic that you must read at least once in your life!

Sticking to the theme of horses, the next book that made me blub like a baby was War Horse by Michael Morpurgo. I saw the film while on holiday in Penzance, and I went into the cinema with a huge grin on my face, then came out with thick streaks of mascara and eyeliner down my cheeks. That movie seriously messed me up. I cried in the car for about 20 minutes afterwards! I've never been so upset by in a film in my life. So, because I was so affected by the film I was a little hesitant to read the book, but I went for it anyway. Turns out, that's not true! The book is so much worse! I must have burst into tears four or five times while reading it. I know the book is in a series, but I just couldn't put myself through it again. I'd definitely recommend animal lovers to read this book, but make sure you do it over a weekend, so you can cry in the comfort of your own home!

Another Michael Morpurgo book that made me into a blubbering mess was Born to Run. I received this book as going away present from my Nana M when I moved back to England when my obsession with dogs was at it's peak. It took me two days to read it, and I was so upset by the end my Mum had to make me promise that I'd never read it again! I cannot stand animals being sad or in pain, just the thought of it makes me want to cry, so you can imagine how upset I got when I had to read an entire book about the misfortunes of my favourite animal. It really is a hard read, and I personally wouldn't recommend it to anyone under the age of 13, especially if they love dogs as much as I do! But, I definitely think every dog lover should read this book at least once. It is a beautifully heart-breaking story, which will make you see dogs in a whole new light. 

The Chaos Walking series by Patrick Ness is the only trilogy I've ever read that made me cry in each of the books. I won't tell you why it kept making me cry, as it would spoil some key moments in the series, but they do include a dog (again with the animals, I hope I'm not giving you the impression that I cry over every animal I come across)! If you haven't read this series, GO READ IT NOW! Seriously, this series is a m a z i n g ! If you love Y.A, then this is a must-have in your collection!

Cecilia Ahern is one of my auto-buy authors, one of the main reasons for that is because she writes such emotionally powerful character driven stories that I can completely lose myself in. P.S I Love You and Love, Rosie are two such books. They are both so incredibly romantic and well written that I ended up sad, angry and happy crying during both of them. If you love a good romance, then these books are must-haves! You will not regret having them in your life, I promise!

Other books that made me cry are: The Help by Kathyrn Stockett, Room by Emma Donoghue and The Fault In Our Stars by John Green. These novels cover Racism, Abuse, and Cancer - three topics that guarantee you'll find me in the corner wailing. Room is probably one of the only books that I regret reading, it just hit a little too close to home to me, it really is a difficult read. TFIOS is beautifully told, and I tell everyone to read it and watch the film. I'm seriously obsessed with Hazel & Augustus' love story! The Help, now that book was quite difficult for me to read. I get myself very upset over racism, the fact that people can be treated differently because of their appearance or heritage is truly disgusting to me. So, I did find The Help quite upsetting at times, but all the tears were really worth it. It's such a wonderful story, and I'd highly recommend it to anyone!

The book that has affected me the most though, is a little known book called The Girl With Glass Feet by Ali Shaw. I borrowed it from the library when I was going through a very difficult time, and it truly transported me to another world. It's a beautiful read about a young girl who visits a magical island in search of a cure for a life-threatening condition - she's slowly turning into glass! Although it is quite a sad book, I absolutely love it! I think it's such a wonderfully told story, and it really distracted me from the sad things that were going on in my own life. If you enjoy quirky and magical reads, then I highly suggest you check out The Girl With Glass Feet, just get plenty of tissues ready for the ending!

So, those are some of the books that have made me cry over the years. Did you cry during any of these books? And what are your top 5 tear jerker reads? Let me know in the comments below, I'm always looking for new books to read!