Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Top Ten Books That Broke Julia's Heart A Little



Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created here at The Broke and the Bookish. This feature was created because we are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. We'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!
Each week we will post a new Top Ten list that one of our bloggers here at The Broke and the Bookish will answer. Everyone is welcome to join. All we ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND add your name to the Linky widget so that everyone can check out other bloggers lists! If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. Have fun with it! It's a fun way to get to know your fellow bloggers.
For future Top Ten Tuesday topics, check them out here!

Hello everyone! Happy Valentine's Day! Julia (The Competitive Bibliomaniac) here :) Last year for the Valentine's edition of Top Ten Tuesday, I shared my Top Ten Favorite Love Stories. This year we decided to switch it up and go a little anti-valentine's day.

Top Ten Books That Broke My Heart A Little
FYI I am going to be as vague as I can to prevent any spoilers

1. Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
Hilariously enough, this book was on my list of best Love stories too. But then and now, I must admit that Rhett and Scarlett's relationship was tumultuous at best. I cried through the last 100 pages of that book.

2. The Golden Compass by Phillip Pullman
Lyra is such a heartfelt little girl, sort of thrust into a quest. I am constantly heart broken from the love she receives from her family. But the end of this book seriously ravaged me.

3. The Lords of Discipline by Pat Conroy
Oh this book again on one of my lists. This was the story of 4 military brothers. You grow to love these guys so much. Then the end (sense a theme here?) rips out your heart and fries it on a plate.... I need to reread this one.

4. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling
Oh JK Rowling. My innocence was stolen with some of the earlier books. Shock carried me through another book. But the final book just, gawd! I was trying to read a pivotal forest scene in a dorm room without waking my roommate. It was tough.

5. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Oh Suzanne Collins. How much do I love you for this series? Let me count the ways... But in all seriousness, this first book slayed me. The 3rd book slayed me, too, but I was prepared for sadness in the end of series book (see entry: Deathly Hallows). This one just took my expectations and heart and squeezed.

6. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
A book narrated by Death you go into knowing it will be a sad book. This book had ways of lulling me into security and then pulling out the rug. It was a great book.

7. On the Way to the Wedding by Julia Quinn
Surprise! A romance novel that tore my soul. The premise for this one may not tear every soul, but when I reread this recently I was in a particular time in my life where I could really relate to what Lucy was going through. It is the last of the Bridgerton novels too, so there is always that normal heart break when a beloved series ends.

8. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
This is the other book that was on the original love list. If you know anything about this book, you can pretty much surmise that it will be heartbreaking. Time Traveling away from the one you love, urg. How horrid.

9. Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
I think this was the first book I read that I was unsatisfied with the ending. Later in life I would realize I just wanted the "Disney ending" My heart was broken in the book. Love should conquer all right? I guess you never forget your first right?

10. The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie by Jennifer Ashley
So this was like a good heart break if that makes any sense. Lord Ian has some sort of Autism, maybe Asperger's. It's a historical novel so its not diagnosed. But the way people treat him, breaks my heart. It is mended by the end though, so that is good :)

So that is my list. What's yours? Share it below!






74 comments:

  1. Deathly Hallows, Hunger Games, and The Time Traveler's Wife are on my list too :)

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  2. Great list! The Book Thief and The Time Traveller's Wife also made it on my list this week xD I considered adding The Golden Compass but I think I would've chosen the last book in the trilogy, The Amber Spyglass, because of the outcome of two of the characters' relationship xD

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    1. I thought about it, and I did BAWL through the end of that book too. But I think the reason I chose the Golden Compass was the same I chose The Hunger Games over Mockingjay. I just did not expect it.

      Thanks!

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    2. Same here re: Amber Spyglass. I may actually go back and revise my list because I SOB every time I read that for like, an hour afterwards.

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    3. Amber Spyglass was the only book my teeenage self wrote fanfiction about because I wanted the ending to be fixed so bad... though I think my fanfic was just as sad and talked about each moving on in their own world.

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  3. I am SO TOTALLY WITH YOU on The Hunger Games and The Time Traveler's Wife. But I can't believe that I forgot Harry Potter! I am the worst!! And thanks for reminding me--although I wish it hadn't been on a list of HEARTBREAKING books--that I need to get back to my Bridgertons. I love them, and I'm missing them now.
    Great list!!

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    1. A controversial pick, I know, putting a book that by definition must have a happy ending. But i'll be damned if when I read that book last I wasn't crying through the whole thing. Mostly because of me though... I doubt anyone else would lol.

      So a personal choice.

      It can be replaced with either of the following if need be: The Kite Runner, A Thousand Splendid Suns or The Outsiders.

      :)

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  4. Good call with Deathly Hallows! I was trying to think more romantic-y ones! Book Thief is on my TBR list! Looking forward to reading it.

    Michele | Top 10

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  5. Deathly Hallows made it to my list as well! Some great picks on your list-- Gone With the Wind- what a classic.

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  6. Can't believe I didn't even think of Gone with the Wind. Talk about a heart-breaker!

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  7. I didn't include The Deathly Hallows on my list, but YES that book definitely broke my heart because of what happened in it and because it was the last Harry Potter book. Good pick!

    Definitely agree about The Time Traveler's Wife! That book was such a heart-breaker :(

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  8. I have Gone with the Wind on my list too. If I kept going, I definitely would have had Tuck Everlasting on there too. Such a sad story. Oh and my last 3 were all Harry Potter books.

    http://www.babiesbooksandsigns.com/2012/02/top-ten-tuesday.html

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  9. I forgot about tuck everlasting. Shoot The Red Fern grows made me sob too, man middle school was embarrassing! ;-)
    Jen

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    1. I can't believe I forgot "Where the Red Fern Grows." That book was probably my first as a child to really make me cry.

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  10. So glad I am not the only one with a Julia Quinn novel on this list :-)

    Nat

    http://bibliojunkies.blogspot.com/2012/02/top-ten-tuesday-books-that-broke-my.html

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    1. My list had a Julia Quinn on the list too--When he was Wicked :)

      Annabeth
      @Cloudy With a Chance of Books

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    2. I guess it is really a testament to how much emotion she can put into a novel. When He Was Wicked was a great book too that also pulled at my hearstrings.

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  11. I didn't even think about any of my sad kid books! Where the red fern grows, old yeller...those were some heart breaking ones!

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  12. I cheated :) Almost all the books on my list do have a happy ending, but they just broke my heart into pieces on the way there. There's a Julia Quinn on my list too. I love the Jennifer Ashley you mentioned. Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage also broke my heart and should have made my list

    Annabeth Albert
    @Cloudy with a Chance of Books

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    1. I love that romance novels get included. I love the whole series (both Bridgerton and Mackenzie). Both authors who can pour the emotional depth into the pages.

      At least they all end happy :)

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  13. This was a fun TTT :) I think the top ones on my list are Where the Red Fern Grows (love love but sob sob), Norwegian Wood and Harry Potter of course, but I went with Order of the Phoenix...
    great list!

    http://inner-aspen.blogspot.com/2012/02/top-ten-tuesdays-top-ten-books-that.html

    Aspen

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  14. Not reading romance very often, I had to think long and deep about this one. I also only recently started documenting what I read, so a bunch of books that broke my heart isn't on my list because I can't remember their name!

    I really need to try "The Book Thief" again... couldn't get into it in December, but I think I was going through a phase...

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  15. gone with the wind is on my list, too. some of the best love stories are the ones that break your heart, too! happy valentine's day!

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    1. "some of the best love stories are the ones that break your heart, too!" So true!!

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  16. I had quite a few of these on my list too, The Book Thief probably broke my heart the most though!

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  17. The Golden Compass is on my to read list, but the movie threw me off. Everyone I've talked to though, says it is a fantastic book.

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    1. I never saw the movie, but I heard it was horrid. They changed to whole ending of the book too.

      Give the book a chance. It's pretty good :)

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    2. Yep, the movie was atrocious but the book is great. The other two books get a little weird, but the first one is definitely worth a read!

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  18. Tuck Everlasting was such an amazing book! Great list!

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  19. How did I forget to add Tuck Everlasting to my list? Talk about conflicted emotions over that ending! I have HP and Hunger Games on my list as well! :]

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  20. Great list. I can't believe I forgot The Hunger Games on mine. It was my first Top Ten because I am horrible at choosing top anything lol. I always read them and they are so fun though, so I had to join in.

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    1. Don't worry. I almost always forget something on my TTTs. I missed like 4 books that I can think of just sitting here.

      Guess it is just top of the moment.

      Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday! Glad you could participate :)

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  21. I think I'll be surprised if people don't include The Hunger Games in their lists. I see a few on your list that I need to add to my wish list. =)

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  22. I didn't even think of Tuck Everlasting. I STILL am upset about that. OMG JUST DRINK THE WATER

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    1. It's such a huge decision to make for anyone, let alone a young girl! I dont know if i would do it... eternity is a long time..

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  23. Julia, this may sound like a kinda lame compliment, but props for being able to do a prompt like this without spoilers! I had a put a warning on my post, but you were neither too vague nor too specific, especially on "Deathly Hallows."

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    1. Thanks! No compliment is lame. :)

      It was hard at some points, but I am glad I succeeded.

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  24. I wish I had thought of The Time Traveler's Wife! You're right, you have to know it's going to be sad, but I just kept hoping . . .

    I had Tuck Everlasting and Gone with the Wind, too--ah the heartbreak of childhood.

    Great list!

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  25. Oops, I have this feeling I accidentally posted my list under and earlier Top Ten...sorry if I've double-posted somewhere, and thanks for a great topic! I really enjoyed musing over these books.

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  26. Maybe it's good I've only read a couple of those (and they made my list, too!) There's only so much "rip your heart out" reading I can take!

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    1. Yeah, reading something happy in between is almost essential. It's the worse when you read something you think is going to be happy and then are completely blindsided!

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  27. I have a few of these on my list as well! I think some books are just universally seen as sad. Then there are others that tend to be more personal.
    Happy Valentine's Day!

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  28. I really liked this one! Great Top 10. Here's ours Top 10

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  29. so many heart-breaking stories to choose from, it was hard to keep it to ten. I agree with you totally on Harry Potter--books 6 and 7. And the Book Thief was great wasn't it. kaye—the road goes ever ever on

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  30. Even thinking back to these books jerks my heart </3

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  31. What a great idea for a Top Ten list only I'm having a hard time picking just 10!

    New follower here. Nice blog!

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  32. Fab list! I had Mockingjay on mine and would agree with The Book Thief and the last Harry Potter in particular. Mine's here if you'd like to take a look.

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  33. The same scene did it for me in Deathly Hallows. Also, a particular cottage scene (or just before it rather). So sad.

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    1. Oh yes. I know exactly what you mean. There were so many points in HP 7... also early on with the broom travel.. I am pretty sure I had to put the book down and go do something else for a minute.

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  34. I should probably say that I decided to make things a bit happier on my own blog, by talking this list and pairing it with a happier (ish) book that relates to the original somehow.

    it's number 16 in that list above :)

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  35. the time traveler's wife is on a lot of people's lists and i must agree that it's a tear jerker. and harry potter. that just killed me. thanks for sharing and happy valentine's day!

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  36. Thanks for the great question! I enjoyed sifting through my bookish past to figure out which books I actually cried while reading.
    jfeldt

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  37. Great picks! HP7, Lord Ian & The Book Thief are on my list, too :)

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  38. I didn't think of Gone With the Wind but that is a perfect choice. So many of the ones I came up with this week I hate the endings of, but at the same time I wouldn't change them for the world.

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  39. Gone with the Wind broke my heart because if she had made some different choices, she could have been so happy! Harry Potter is on my list too because I couldn't believe how many amazing characters she killed off and I just didn't want to see that series end.

    http://www.deadtreesandsilverscreens.com/2012/02/top-ten-tuesdays-heartbreakers.html

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    1. yeah i am pretty sure all i did during that book was yell at Scarlett

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  40. This was challenging for me, but enjoyable to think through it all. Also, fun to see how different people find different things heartbreaking- whether it is sad endings or deaths in books or broken hearts. Thanks for provoking some thoughts!

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  41. Fun :D I love Top Ten Tuesday!! Deathly Hallows & Mockingjay both made my list!

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  42. I have to agree with a lot of your choices, Gone With the Wind definitely broke my heart too, though I ended up not having room on my list.

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  43. This was a fun but difficult list to make. Great picks!

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  44. This is fun, I'm new to Top Ten, great picks!

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  45. Awesome list! I should have put Book Thief on my list too...although I feel like it ends up on almost every Top Ten that I post =)

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    1. I feel the same way. When I was writing this one I just kept thinking "I need to read more good books." lol

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  46. Great picks. This is my first time to the Top Ten and I love it. I had a few of the same books!

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  47. Hunger Games, Harry Potter, and Book Theif all made my list as well.

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  48. Congratulations on your wonderfully successful meme! I wish I had as many comments and interactive readers at my blog, Bildungsroman. Pop over and say hi!

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  49. Wow!! that was a hard one! but definitely showed in which books our hearts truly ached for <3

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