You thought I was kidding about making this post, didn’t you? Listen, I can’t keep throwing out ideas in the hellsite void and not following through. And because I’d already started counting, I might as well share them. I am a huge crybaby, so tears come easily to me. Here’s all the books that made me cry, from a single tear to full on sobbing, rated (by how much they made me cry)! (Chronological, from first to last!)
Turtles All the Way Down by John Green — I know I cried during this book but I literally can’t tell you where or why or give you any details whatsoever. 3/10 (because I keep remembering that Rey/Chewie fic, I docked it extra points)
The Smell of Other People’s Houses by Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock — I think this was a bittersweet cry. It was a steady stream of tears. 6/10
The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto by Mitch Albom — I absolutely expected this, but I also didn’t think I would cry as hard as I did. 8/10
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas — Again, I expected this, but I lowkey don’t even remember why I cried. It was great, though! I should reread this. 8/10
The Fate of the Tearling by Erika Johansen — Literally there was snot running down my face while I was reading this. I’d already known how things were gonna go, but somehow, I still lost my soul. 10/10 would get wrecked again. (lmao 2019 reread here I come!)
Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertali — Leah’s bi problems were hashtag relatable. A small cry. 6.5/10
The Heart Forger by Rin Chupeco — I had highs and lows with this book, from crying to laughing within the same chapter. Near the end, I was absolutely gross crying, snot on my face, a mountain of tissue next to me. 16/10
Orange: Future by Ichigo Takano — This series is a guaranteed tear-jerker. It made me cry but not as hard as the first five, I don’t think. 6/10
The Next Person You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom — Also a guaranteed tear-jerker. Also didn’t make me cry as hard as its prequel. I cried in an unexpected place, though. 7/10
American Panda by Gloria Chao — I was reading this while working in the back room cutting fingers (both mine and an Axolotl’s) and absolutely fucking sobbing. My boss tried to talk to me, but I couldn’t see her through my tears. 9/10
For Everyone by Jason Reynolds — I was already depressed as hell before I started this. It just made the pot boil over. 5/10
My Plain Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, Jodi Meadows — Cried from laughter. 7/10
We Are Okay by Nina LaCour — I wanted to hurt myself, or maybe I wanted the cathartic release. Either way, this did its job. 8/10
The Beast is an Animal by Peternelle van Arsdale — This was so out of left field. I cried at ONE. SINGLE. LINE. I literally didn’t expect it but I had to stop and just like... think about my life and how sad I am as a person. 9/10
Hello, Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly — I didn’t cry while reading this. I cried while talking about it because I got struck with emotions about representation that I wished I had when I was younger. 5/10
The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro — Just a couple of tears near the end because obviously I had to be sad about it. 4/10
The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman — I’m actually emotional only about Lee fucking Scoresby. Texans aren’t real, but I guess he’s the exception. 7.5/10 did not expect.
Sea Prayer by Khaled Hosseini — I had to reread this because it’s so short. My heart broke. 7/10
Returning a Borrowed Tongue edited by Nick Carbó — I cried because I can’t believe I owned a book like this, because the poems struck a chord with me, and because I thought about my life and my culture for two whole minutes. 10/10
