Bookie Brunch

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Founder: Sasha Soren (Random Magic)

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Today's host: Songs and Stories 

Next week’s host: The Book Nerd

This week’s discussion open through: July 17

Hello! Welcome to this week's Bookie Brunch! Pull up a chair and order your favorite drink while we discuss a bookish topic with the four lovely bloggers who have stopped by to discuss the subject of books that make you cry. I am filling in as host for Giada who couldn't make it today, but hopefully we will be seeing her again soon. :)

Today's guests are:

Irena, of This Miss Loves to Read. (@MissIrenne)

Mariah, of A Reader's Adventure. (@ReaderAdventure)

Maricar, of Black Plume. (@BlackPlumeTwits)

Melody, of Book and Music Lover. (vlogger)

The topic is:

What is one book that made you cry, and what was it that affected you about that particular story?
Related topic to consider: Are you a Happily-Ever-After kind of person or do you like tragedies more?

Because of the topic, I am going to have to issue a spoiler alert for the novels P.S. I Love You by Cecelia Ahern, If I Stay by Gayle Forman, Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins and Delirium by Lauren Oliver.

Irena, with a cup of warm milk flavored with a teaspoon of forest honey, answers:

I remember that I cried fat tears while reading P.S. I Love You by Cecelia Ahern. What touched me so much was the strength of the character Gerry's unconditional love for his wife Holly. Gerry and Holly were always meant to be, but when Gerry died, Holly lost one half of her soul. When he was still alive and sick, Gerry knew how his death would affect Holly, so he meticulously planned a sort of rehabilitation programme for Holly in the form of letters that Holly received during the year after his death. He loved her so much that he helped her overcome her sorrow and move on with her life even after his death. Several passages describing Gerry's planning and then Holly's reactions to his letters made me cry. They were all filled with strong, warm love from Gerry's heart. Books don't make me cry much. They affect me in different ways, but Gerry and Holly's story made me cry.

Related Topic: In general, I do prefer happy endings to tragic finales. However, it all depends on a story. The ending has to fit the general tone of a story. Sometimes, the perfect ending requires tears and blood, then other times it must include smiles and butterflies. I don't really care if an ending is happy or sad, as long as it corresponds to the story it brought to its conclusion.

Mariah, enjoying a glass of orange juice, replies:

I can't pick just one book that made me cry, but here are three that had an impact on me: A Long, Long Sleep by Anna Sheehan, Linger by Maggie Stiefvater, and The Beautiful Between by Alyssa B. Sheinmel.

I'm not one of those people who tear up at everything it takes a combination of things to make me cry at a book.

1. (And most important) I have to have a connection to the characters.

2. A cause I can believe in.

3. A personal connection to the storyline.

Now not all of these things are going to be in every book I read. But at least two of these things is in every book I read that makes me cry.

Happy or Tragic?

I have mixed feelings when it comes to happy or tragic endings. I mean I always wish for happy endings but sometimes they annoy me because they are improbable. Tragic endings while painful right after reading them, are sometimes (after time I have time to process it) better and more satisfying than happy ones. (Though after reading some tragic endings I might have the urge to throw my book against the wall :) )

Maricar, cradling a hot cup of coffee, says:

One book that I shed tears while reading was If I Stay by Gayle Forman. There is this line where Mia's grandfather is talking to Mia while she is in a coma which I really relate to because those words, as I said in my review, echo my Mom's words for her dying Mom. Here are the lines:
 

“It’s okay, If you want to go. Everyone wants you to stay. I want you to stay more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my life. But that’s what I want and I could see why it might not be what you want. So I just wanted to tell you that I understand if you go. It’s okay if you have to leave us. It’s okay if you want to stop fighting.”

If you haven't read If I Stay yet, those lines were critical for Mia (the main character) because as she contemplate choosing between dying and living those lines gives assurance to her. So I guess the letting go part is what really sent me to tears while reading. It is always hard for me to let go. There are others lines too that almost breaks my heart like when Adam said this lines to Mia:

“If you stay, I’ll do whatever you want. I’ll quit the band, go with you to New York. But if you need me to go away, I’ll do that, too……maybe coming back to your old life would be too painful, that maybe it’d be easier for you to erase us. And that would suck, but I’d do it. I can lose you like that if I don’t lose you today. I’ll let you go. If you stay.”

Related Topic: I think I'm more on in between, lets called it "Satisfying Endings". Happily Ever After is too sweet for me, as if they are for fairy tales with prince & princess while tragic ending are a bit cliché especially if not delivered well. I want my endings to be realistic whether it is sad or not. Something that will fall in line with the story and the characters. 

Let's take for example the book I mentioned earlier from the first question. If I Stay is a perfect example of a story with a satisfying ending. Mia's family died in the accident so obviously its not a Happily Ever After ending but I won't call it tragic because Mia survive & she chooses to stay in the end. Though it is ambiguous and uncertain I find hope in those kind of endings. Something to look forward to. 

Melody, Mango Snapple in hand, answers:

Hmmmmm well, let's see.....a couple books have made me cry, but I think the one that really affected me the most was Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins. I cried like a baby during that! I think it was because of all the action and deaths of my favorite characters. It was also because I realized how cruel humans could be if they tried. I know, it's fiction but looking back at how monarchies could turn into tyrannies, shows that it's not that much of a stretch. The horrible things that the Capitol did in that book, shows how precious human life is, and how easily it is lost. After finishing that book, I felt like I would never be the same and I would cry just thinking about it. I was left feeling kind of raw because of how much that book made me feel for the characters and their lives. The message I feel that it sent between the lines of all the action and romance was very strong.

Related Topic: I am definitely a Happily-Ever-After kind of person. I feel there's nothing better than having the happy ending you've been waiting for. When reading a book, the hero has to go through so many obstacles, and when they get their happy ending, it's very satisfying. It's like showing us that, no matter how hard things get, there can always be a happy ending. This, I feel, is very inspiring because I think we all just want our own happy ending! =D

I take a sip of my blackberry milkshake and say:

I don't cry very often when reading and it has only happened once this year when I was reading Delirium by Lauren Oliver. I think it was a combination of several things that led to my weepy state, first of which was the fact that I thought it was a standalone novel. Silly, right? I don't know where I got that idea. So, when I reached the ending, that beautiful, awful ending, I cried. Because I didn't know that it was the first in a series, I thought that was the end of it, and while the ending was perfect it made me so sad. I think it struck me so much because of the complete, unhesitating sacrifice Alex made. He didn't even think about doing anything else when he realized he couldn't make it out. He knew Lena wouldn't leave him so he told her that he was right behind her, giving up any hope of his own freedom while ensuring hers. That is the best kind of love; completely unselfish. I read the last few pages over and over again in an attempt to convince myself that there was still hope for Alex before I finally ended up checking the internet and learning about the upcoming sequel, Pandemonium. Then I felt really stupid but also oh so happy with the knowledge that Alex at least has a chance.

Related Topic: I used to be a die-hard Happily-Ever-After reader. I would avoid anything that even smacked of tragedy. Recently, however, I have slowly come to appreciate the beauty of sorrow. I only realized this change of mind when I was working through a novel in my head, a story I have told myself a dozen times, and I suddenly killed both of the main characters at the end. What really shocked me, though, was that I liked that ending a thousand times better than the ending in which they married and lived happily-ever-after. So, while I still for the most part prefer happy endings, I can now appreciate a tragedy when it fits the story.

Brunch Goodies

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Take-Home Goodies


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Brought by: Sasha Soren (Random Magic)
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Bookie Brunch is a weekly meet-up, held every Sunday, where book bloggers can have a cup of tea and chat about a particular bookie question of interest. The discussion is open from Sunday through Wednesday, and you’re welcome to drop by any time to add your opinion or read what other people have to say. This discussion is open as well to general readers or bloggers in a different field, authors, publishers and publicists.

Courtesy guidelines: Thank you for coming! All thoughtful comments will be considered and probably get a response from fellow bloggers. In fact, you’re encouraged to talk about it and share viewpoints or include links to relevant materials. We’d like everyone to have a nice time. Differing viewpoints are just fine, even if strongly expressed, but inflammatory or off-topic comments will be removed.

Contact Bookie Brunch:

If you would like to be a host, contact: @StoryWings

If you want to bring goodies for a giveaway: @StoryWings

If you want to suggest a topic or question for discussion, you can reach me at @LiederMadchen

To see an archive of past brunches go here: Fluidity of Time

So, what is a book that made you cry and why did it affect you? Do you enjoy tragedies or Happily-Ever-Afters?

Thank you for stopping by!

                     Lieder Madchen