half of what i say is meaningless

So, I’ve had His Dark Materials on my mind lately, especially the end. And I don’t want to go into specifics for anyone who might not want spoilers, but it got me thinking. I read The Amber Spyglass when I was a wee thing, and it was the very first work of fiction (be it a book, show, or movie) that made me cry. I remember reading with my mom throughout my childhood, and she’d be sobbing over Anne of Green Gables (I mean, yeah, that one part is really sad) or Black Gold or whatnot and I’d be a rock. Never shed a single tear. But Will and Lyra changed that. Ever since that book, I cry at a lot of books/shows/movies.  But not always the ones you’d expect. Um. So, this post is about things that have made me cry! And by “things” I mostly mean TV shows, but feel free to bring in other works. I want to know what makes you cry! That sounds weird, but it’s true. And gosh, I hope I'm not the only one who thinks about these things.

This is not a comprehensive list. Gods, but there are way too many for me to remember!

( a mixed bag )

So readers, what makes you cry? Enquiring minds want to know. Well, I do anyway.  Maybe that’s just my morbid curiosity talking. But what tugs on your heartstrings like no other?  I hope I'm not the only one who enjoys talking about these things!



*The absolute worst movies I've ever seen, if anyone wants to know, would be the following (in no particular order): Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen, Nine, and Vantage Point.

[Error: unknown template qotd] For fun: Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal (hilarious and irreverent) and The Return of the King.
For fun and work: Flight by Sherman Alexie (I love it when I can find a way to "research" by reading books I want to read)
For work: The Canterbury Tales and other assorted things.

I love reading, and have been an avid reader for most of my life.  During the school year, my "fun" reading gets pushed to the side but I am constantly reading a ton of stuff for my classes.  My love of literature bleeds into my love for writing, and I do believe that reading is the best way to learn how to write.

As for what I would recommend, well, that's a huge question.  A few of my favorites, off the top of my head though:
Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie, The Poisonwood BIble by Barbara Kingsolver, Catch-22 by Joseph Heller, anything by Ursula K. LeGuin, Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials...the list goes on.  Oh, and my favorite short story writers are Kelly Link (uber-weird and gorgeous) and Sherman Alexie (funny and heartbreaking and just astonishing.  And for the graphic novel fans out there, Neil Gaiman's Sandman series is fantastic (and, of course, peachy keen).