books to make you cry + rating criteria

I've been in the mood lately for books that make me cry. Maybe that sounds strange, but I enjoy those! Tearing up while reading a book is quite normal for me, but I'm thinking about the ones that make you want to lie on the couch and dissolve in a puddle. I need a few more in my life, so I'd like to hear what books make that list for you! Two books immediately came to mind, although I'm sure there's more. Interestingly, these books are also on my 5 star favorites list. 

A Tale of Two Cities 

Charles Dickens

Historical fiction

Brilliant story telling, tremendous love and sadness, beautiful writing, history... this book checks all the boxes for me. Not to mention it also starts with my absolute favorite first line. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times... 

I reread A Tale of Two Cities this winter, and yup, ended up in a puddle. 

If you don't know much about the French Revolution, educate yourself on the bare basics before reading this book. It makes it much more comprehensible.

The Book Thief

Markus Zusak

Historical fiction 

Not only is The Book Thief a truly sad story, it's exquisitely written. I love the writing almost more than I love the story. The dark humor, the fact it's narrated by Death, and all the wonderful quotes - I will restrain myself from gushing, but believe me, I COULD. 

However, I must post some of these amazing quotes. 

I am in awe.

Now, on to another book-related topic. I like to give the books I read a star rating from 1 - 5, and have been thinking I need to define what each star means. There's a variety of opinions on this, but I found something that matched my thinking and decided to adopt it as my standard. I found myself giving many books 4 stars, but according to this measure, some of them would only be 3. 

5 stars: it was amazing! These are the books that pull me in and make me feel, I can't stop thinking about, take me on a journey, or give me new thoughts and ideas. Books I'd like to own a copy of and cherish (although I read a lot, I rarely own hard copies).  

4 stars: I really liked it. A great book, one to recommend. It holds my attention and is good entertainment. Doesn't have the "wow factor" of a 5 star.

3 stars: I liked it. Not super remarkable, but still a good read.

2 stars: It was ok. Not awful, but not great either. These books are a waste of time.

1 star: didn't like it. A book that is boring or inferior in some way, one I would never recommend. I may not even have finished it.

I'll be waiting to hear what books make you cry! 😀