BE Spring ’20: It’s Mandrake Potting Time!
Good afternoon bookworms!
Yup, time to herd all those screaming baby mandrakes back to the potting shed so we can put them in bigger pots to help them grow big and strong! Don’t forget your earmuffs!
This post is part of Bookending Spring 2020, which is organised by Sam & Clo! Today’s post, “It’s Mandrake Potting Time” is hosted by me! If you want to do this prompt, please don’t forget to link back to this post!
Prompt Explanation: Time for all those baby mandrakes to be repotted so they can grow up to be sulking teenagers. Put some earmuffs on (or noise cancelling headphones) and let’s talk about all the books that make you scream or cry!!
So, this is a list of some of my favourite books that have made me cry or scream (and in one case throw the book) because of things the VERY MEAN authors do to my babies!!
It Sounded Better in my Head – Nina Kenwood
Yes, this book is my everything at the moment, and even though I just read it last month, I already want to reread it.
This is the story of Natalie who has anxiety and terrible acne scarring and no love life and is waiting on university results. If that weren’t enough for one person, her two best friends in the whole world have just started dating. Each other. Leaving Natalie as the third wheel in their group of friends.
This book had me bawling my eyes out from about halfway onwards. Natalie’s character felt so real to me, and I could identify with so much that she was going through. It broke my heart into a million pieces – and I LOVED IT.
Gemina – Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
Look, 99.4% of the time, I will try to not put books on my list that are in the middle of a series, but THIS BOOK (and possibly one below) deserves to be on this list. 100 times over. Gemina is the second book in the Illuminae Files trilogy (you know, in case you live under a rock, in a cave, raised by wolves – or you don’t read sci-fi or YA). And, this is the book that I THREW (literally, my copy has dents in it), not once, but twice, while reading.
For those Nik Malikov and Ella Malikova fans of you, you probably know which parts this happened in. I cursed Amie and Jay while reading this so many times, but I just keep going back to them. (I mean, they redeem themselves in other ways…)
Back After the Break – Anita Notaro
I have read this book so many times, that I now start crying every time I open it for a reread. And yet I keep going back to torture myself!! But seriously, if you are looking for a super heartfelt adult contemporary / romance novel, this is the one.
This is the heart-wrenching story of Lindsay, a woman in Ireland who just got her heart smashed by her asshole ex-boyfriend, and is learning to pick up the pieces of her life, only to have it obliterated again.
I know, it sounds awful, right? So what keeps me coming back? Lindsay’s two best friends and the support and love they give each other, and Lindsay’s strength to just keep going are the things that I love about this book. But seriously, have a box of tissues ready!
Emergency Contact – Mary H. K. Choi
I’m really only lying to myself if I don’t add this one to the list, although there is definitely slightly less screaming involved while reading it, and just general tears streaming down my face.
This fantastic book is the story of Penny and Sam, and their struggles with anxiety. Ahh, this book is just so heartfelt that I couldn’t help but cry though… like… most of it?! This was also the first book in a long time that I really connected with the main character, so it’s beautiful to me on so many levels. The friendships in this are hard, but also very worth it in the end. But if you’ve ever faced struggles with anxiety than I really recommend this soft story for you.
The Bride Test – Helen Hoang
I absolutely could have used The Kiss Quotient for this, but, I cried so much more while reading The Bride Test that I had to use it instead.
See, the thing that really gets me with this book is the grief that Kai deals with. As someone who lost their father suddenly and very unexpectedly, this resonated with me so much. This broke my heart into a million pieces, but I also think it helped to heal maybe one or two of the cracks.
Separate to that though, this is a such an amazing story and I loved it with all of my heart.
The Boy Who Steals Houses – C. G. Drews
If there ever comes a day where I stop screaming about this book, I think someone will need to come do a check on me. Because THIS BOOK is amazing, but also completely devastating. (Which is one of the best compliments I can give a book.)
This is an Autism own-voices story of two brothers, Avery and Sam, who were dealt the worst hand in life, and how they have supported each other through the hardest of times. But it’s also a story of a family coming together after illness and loss, and trying to figure out a way forward through the darkness. And when these two families come together, it’s both tragic and wonderful. Also, you could just read the book for the brownies and glitter, because it’s also everything good in the world.
The Start of Me and You – Emery Lord
Ahhh, I reread this book last month because I got a review copy of The Map From Here to There, and while I remembered this one, I couldn’t recall it in depth, and so I wanted to reread it first. And boy am I glad that I did. I honestly had forgotten how much this book makes me feel things. Like, emotion things.
Ok, so this is the story of Paige, who was dating a boy who then died in a terrible accident. But Paige has been dealing with the sad looks from strangers for about a year now, and has decided that it’s time to move on with her life. In order to jump start this process, Paige writes a list of things she wants to accomplish this year. And with a little bit of luck, and a lot of learning to put herself out there, Paige does just that.
This book makes me cry about 18 different times, and I am so in love with it. I hope Emery Lord writes a third book about this kid, because she is so pure and lovely.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix – JK Rowling
This is my favourite book in this series, and no one and nothing will deter me from this.But Meeghan, I hear you say, this is the book where Sirius dies! Yup, and that is the reason why it’s my favourite. Not because I hate Sirius – I don’t – he’s one of my favourite characters. The reason it’s my favourite is because this is one of the first books that truly made me feel that wrenching loss from a character dying.This is the book that broke me in, and I’ll always be grateful for that.
So every time I reread this book (which admittedly hasn’t happened for a while), I cry from nearly the start to the end, and I love this book all the more for it.
Well, this ended up being longer than I was anticipating, and I could list about 50 more books that made my cry A LOT. In saying that, I do love books that pull at your heart strings and give you emotions. Me, rocking on the ground crying, is a very natural state of being!! And this is the nicest way that I know to do it!!
What books make you cry?
22 Comments
Marley @ Dragon on a Book
I’m also currently (internally) screaming about It Sounded Better in my Head! There was also a lot of quieter screaming while I was reading it, it’s that kind of book!
meeghan
It’s such an amazing debut. I loved it so much!!
lilisblissfulpages
Yes!!! When Sirius died. ???
meeghan
OMG YES!! Absolute heartbreak!!
Mere
I liked It Sounded Better in My Head too!! Uh, the first one is Clockwork Princess. I cried at the end, full out sobbing. Song of Achilles ripped my heart in two, shredded it and stomped on it.
meeghan
Oooh, I definitely need to add Madeline Miller to my TBR!!
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Clo @ Cuppa Clo
Gemina omg the amount of stress I was experiencing read that goddamn book. I was just messaging my bestie who had to deal with my cussing the book out (she’s not a huge reader but she puts up with my shrieking) so I definitely cussed, shrieked and internally cried over Gemina. BUT I also couldn’t put it down either haha. Clockwork Princess the epilogue when I read it for the first time I was sobbing, so much so that I was struggling to breathe properly. It may have been because the characters in TID mean a lot to me and so the ending ripped my heart out and if that’s not bad enough, I actually read the ending before I finished the book. (hello I have a bad reading habit) and so I literally threw the book back on the shelf and didn’t read it for another year because I wasn’t ready for that ending haha. Yasssss to The Boys Who Steal Houses! Loved that book and ATPN so much, they just hit me hard in the feels haha, thank you so much for being a wonderful host!
meeghan
I am always happy to be a host!! Next time I’m totally going to do a ‘winter’ post during summer!! Just to fit in with my freezing cold climate!! ?
And oh my gosh – Clockwork Princess!! How could you read the ending like that Clo?! I also bawled my eyes out… but can we get a Jessa trilogy now?? (Keeping in mind I have still not read TDA, Ghosts, Scrolls or Chain yet…)
Clo @ Cuppa Clo
Hehehe you should! Look it hurt reading the ending like that and Jessa moments are present in TDA and I believe Ghosts haven’t read that yet and Chain I have but haven’t started I adore both ships *swoons*
meeghan
Same!! The only love triangle where I have loved both sides equally. ?❤️
Jayati
ahhhh, your post has me screeching! I agree with all your thoughts (on the books I have read).
It Sounded Better in My head is so amazing and I loved it and oh god, I don’t know how the author did it!
I have to agree that Gemina is the best in the series – I loved the characters more and could relate to them and it all was just perfect.
Emergency Contact really hit me in my heart, I feel. yes, the story is beautiful and the emotions somehow just seeped out of it? I don’t know how to explain it really.
meeghan
Hard same on feelings. I can’t explain most of them either… but they were definitely there!!
northernplunder
guess i need to pick up geminia soon tbh
meeghan
It’s wonderful and amazing, and I love it – even though it made me very upset!! ?
Isabelle @ Nine Tale Vixen
this is such a fun/emotional prompt, and I was definitely tempted but I don’t think my mental health could take it haha. (maybe some other time, though!)
I still have very vivid memories of reading Emergency Contact, for sure that’s a really evocative one! Gemina (and the rest of the trilogy), yes, my goodness, I have So Many Opinions and Feelings.
recently the books that come to mind as making me cry are Fredrik Backman’s, particularly My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She’s Sorry and the two Beartown books – they took a bit to get into, but the emotional payoff is incredible ?
meeghan
Ooooh, I will definitely add these to my TBR!! Thank you!!
theorangutanlibrarian
It sounded better in my head sounds great! Bot who steals houses and bride test are both awesome!
meeghan
Yes, they’re all so fantastic. I highly recommend It Sounded Better in my Head!!
Rukky @ Eternity Books
It Sounded Better in My Head sounds super painful already, and I am tempted to pick it up right now. And I’ve said this for probably around a year that I need to read TBWSH because every time I hear you talk about it, my mind internally screams that I’m wasting my reading time reading other things ? fingers crossed I’ll buy it this summer and finally read it!! And love it too!!
Great post ✨
meeghan
Thanks Rukky!! ISBINH was so great. I think it will probably make my top 10 for the year… I really recommend it, if you’re interested. The main character was highly relatable!!
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