Sometimes you just need a cry, don't you? So check out these eight books that you'll put down a little soggier than when you picked them up
My Sister's Keeper by Jodie Picoult We dare you to try and get through Jodie Picoult's controversial novel about 13-year-old Anna who's been acting as her sick sister's spare parts since she was born. When it comes time for Anna to donate a kidney to Kate who's dying of leukaemia Anna applies for medical emancipation claiming she has the right to protect her own body. The movie came out in 2009 and there wasn't a dry eye in the cinema.
Mr Wigg by Inga Simpson It's not a complicated tale - but its beauty is in its simplicity. Join Mr. Wigg as he shares with you his life on a small farm in New South Wales. He led a quiet life with his wife until she passed away the winter before. His entire life is made up of his stone fruit orchard and his family - it's really that simple. It's a contemplative story that will touch your heart and is one of the most solid gifts for book lovers.
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak Set during World War Two in Nazi Germany, Liesel Meminger is ten-years-old. She's been abandoned by her Communist mother and has been dumped with two foster parents. Life is tough and then the family takes in Max Vandenburg, a Jew. It's thought-provoking, tragic and one of those books that everyone should read at least once. We should probably add that this story is told by Death.
5 Days Left By Julie Lawson Timmer There are no easy ways out in this story - 5 Days Left unites two individuals who have five days to make some live altering decisions for their family. An honest and shocking look at the progressive Huntington Disease. This won't be everyone's cup of tea but Timmer tells her story very truthfully and captivates her reader. You'll have to wait though as it won't be published until September 2014.
Kadian’s Journal by Thomas Harding Brace yourself, especially if you're a parent. Kadian's Journal is the true story of Thomas Harding as he deals with the tragic death of his 14-year-old son Kadian after he is killed in a bicycle accident. The story starts on the day of Kadian’s death, and examines the sheer depth of loss and grief from a father's perspective. Wonderful memories of his son are shared as the book aims to keep some part of Kadian alive forever.
A Song for Issy Bradley by Carys Bray Bray tells the sad tale of the Bradley family, a strict Mormon family dealing with the loss of one of their own. An emotionally charged read that brings you up high only to have you fall down again.
Night by Elie Wiesel You'll find yourself thinking about this book days after you've finished it and imagining the horridness described by Wiesel. This is the true story about him and his father during the height of the Holocaust in a Nazi Concentration Camp. Night is the first of a trilogy of books - Dawn & Day but you'll do well to get through the first.
The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks Nicholas Sparks is an imagined storyteller with some of the most romantic novels under his belt - with The Notebook being arguably one of the best known. It's the tangled story of Noah and Allie from different sides of the tracks who fall in love when Allie's family comes to South Carolina for the summer. Torn apart by disapproving parents - will they ever find one another again? Look out for the poignant and heart-wrenching end.
Now, here are 15 classic books you have to read at least once...