5 Mar 2011

MY WORLD BOOK NIGHT TOP TEN .........


The first ever World Book Night is being held tonight. With events all over the UK (click HERE for listings) and on BBC2 TV this should be a fun night.

In order to celebrate I thought I'd post ..........

The top 10 books that have me reaching for the tissue box.
(In no particular order.)

The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams. A sentence from which is to be found on the header of my blog, this is a story all about a stuffed toy rabbit and his quest to become real. Beautifully written and illustrated - a must have book that never fails to have me in tears.

The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom. All about the life and death of Eddie who, having died in an accident, finds himself in five 'other' heavens where he encounters 5 people who have affected his life whether he knows it or not.
In many ways such a simple little book, this is an extraordinarily beautiful story and so very profound in its own way.

Of Mice And Men by John Steinbeck. Whilst many people came to know this book when studying it at school, I discovered it later in life and quickly realised that a box of tissues (man sized ones) were definitely needed.
The story of two migrant workers (George and Lennie) during the great depression in America, I defy anyone to read this without shedding a tear or two.

Wintersmith by Terry Pratchett. Not a huge fan of Terry Pratchett (I leave that to Husband dearest) I loved this, the third outing in the Tiffany Aching series of books,  and found it very moving. A traditional fairy-tale in many ways, Tiffany finds herself drawn into the dance that welcomes winter and finds herself face-to-face with the Wintersmith.

The Boy In The Blue Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne. A 'holocaust' story, this tells the tale of a young boy (Bruno, aged 9) who finds himself moving with his family to a place called 'Out-With' which just so happens to be the concentration camp Auschwitz. Written with children in mind, this is a wonderfully moving story that I'm sure will touch even the hardest of hearts.

The Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore. That much beloved poem all about the night before Christmas when "Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse". Guaranteed to bring a lump to my throat, how sentimental am I?

Charlotte's Web by E.B. White. The film of this was a childhood favourite of mine - I didn't read the book until  a much later date - and even today both never fail to move me to tears. A story of life and death - Wilbur is a pig who is saved from slaughter by an intelligent spider, the Charlotte of the title, and this is the resulting tale.

For One More Day by Mitch Albom. What is it about this author? So many of his books move me to such emotions.
A mortality tale of sorts, this tells of a suicidal baseball player (Chick) who gets to spend one more day with his mother .... who died eight years previously.

Balthazar Jones And The Tower Of London Zoo by Julia Stuart. This novel had me crying both tears of joy as well as tears of sadness. Meet Balthazar Jones who, struggling to cope after the death of his son, gets to look after the various animals now resident in the Tower Of London.

Rutka's Notebook - A Voice From The Holocaust. Not a huge fan of autobiographies/biographies or memoirs,  I had to have this book which as the cover explains is "The Long-Lost Diary of 14-Year-Old Rutka Laskier - The Polish Anne Frank." Moving in the extreme, I cannot understand why this is not as widely known as Anne Frank's Diary.

The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett. I'm pleased to say there were only tears of joy with this novella which chronicles what happens when Queen Elizabeth II (the uncommon reader of the title) becomes obsessed with a mobile library.

So, what are your top 10 books?

18 comments:

Misha said...

The Boy In The Blue Striped Pyjamas book and movie version ripped apart my heart! What a sad book! Great list, Tracy!

Arti said...

Well my top ten includes - Da vinci code, Angels and demons, the lost symbol(Dan Brown), Not a penny more not a penny less (Jeffery Archer), Five point someone, One night at a call centre (Chetan Bhagat), The great train robbery (Michael Crichton), Swami Vivekanand, The Chinaman (Shehan Karunatilaka) and some books by Erle Stanley Gardner!!!
Have a great day Tracy:)

(Diane) Bibliophile By the Sea said...

I totally agree with you regarding Of Mice and men and The Boy in the Striped Pajamas....so emotionally charged.

serendipity_viv said...

I am refusing to read The Boy In the Striped Pyjamas because I know it will make me cry! A lovely list of books. I hope you enjoy the BBC2 coverage tonight. I shall be watching too.

Kelly said...

I've read several on your list and have the Julia Stuart novel waiting in my Kindle.

Charlotte's Web was always a favorite as a child. I still love the illustrations that were in my copy! Any book where the animal dies can bring a tear to my eye.

You might remember I had a favorite five entry once for books in general as well as children's books and books in a series.

Anonymous said...

oh charlottes web is such a touching story ,for me marley and me upset me as a dog lover at the end ,all the best stu

Oddyoddyo13 said...

Charlotte's Web! Saw the movie first when I was six, was shocked that Charlotte died, and practically bawled.

Golden Eagle said...

Charlotte's Web--I should read that book again. :)

Suko said...

Wonderful list, Petty. I have read many of these. I am also a Mitch Albom fan.

purplume said...

Is it just fiction. The book that impacted me most was the Womanly Art of Breastfeeding. I used to read Joyce Carol Oates until her books scared me too much. As a child I was very impacted by a little lives of the saints book that had been my mother's. I loved a children's book that I have no idea of the name. It had drawings of chubby cheeked little people and if I ever find it, I will buy it. It also was my mother's and probably long out of print.
I loved a book my father gave me that had 365 stories, one for each day.

Unknown said...

My top 10 would probably be (in no particular order)
Sophie's World - Jostein Gaarder
Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
P.S. I love you - Cecelia Ahern
Heaven - V.C. Andrews
Twilight - Stephenie Meyer
Sookie Stackhouse Series - Charlaine Harris
My Sister's Keeper - Jodi Picoult
A Fair Cop - Michael Bunting
The Book Thief - Markus Zusak
A Cuckoo in Candle Lane - Kitty Neale

Gina said...

Sounds like a fabulous night and some fabulous reads! The STRIPED PYJAMAS one is suppose to be pretty emotional...and I love THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS poem - definite classic. Who can forget CHARLOTTE's WEB? Great choices...seriuosly need to reread a few of these.. ^_^

Anonymous said...

This is an interesting list indeed. Thanks.

All the best, Boonie

Betty Manousos said...

Great list, Tracy now I need to have to check them out asap.

I'm on a blog break...just passing by to say hi and to wish you a lovely week ahead!

Big hugs!

B xx

chitra said...

Hi , just came to say hello.I would be travelling whole of next week.Shall visit you after that.TC

Nikki - Notes of Life said...

I'm not sure about a top 10, but the most emotional book I've read is Five Chimneys: A Woman Survivor’s True Story of Auschwitz. A book that stays with you for life.

The Bookworm said...

Wonderful post. I like The Velveteen Rabbit also.
Books that had me crying were The Poisonwood Bible and The Road.

Jenners said...

Charlotte's Web always brings me to tears.

And I liked that you included some that made you cry from joy or sentimentality.