What was the last book you read that provoked a really emotional response from you?

The Hunger Games trilogy.

I read Unbroken by Lauren Hillenbrand after seeing an interview on TV. It was just terrifying to read all that the guy had to deal with. I kept thinking “okay this is where it gets better finally” and it only gets worse…

Goosebumps as a kid.

The Millennium Trilogy by Stieg Larsson. I was on the edge of my seat, holding my breath and even losing sleep over it for the majority of the time I was reading the books. More recently, The Hunger Games trilogy has had a similar effect on me (though not to such an extreme). I’m almost finished with the second book and can’t wait to get started on the third one.

The Bible.
0/10, would not recommend.

Just finished The Swerve by Stephen Greenblatt. A fascinating book about the philosophy of Epicurus, as found in a poem by Lucretius, lost until 1417 when it was discovered and then helped to spark the Renaissance. Greenblatt traces this amazing work from the end of Rome to our present day. A remarkable and wonderful book—totally absorbing.

@Michael_Huntington I just re-read Song of Songs a couple nights ago, and it made me reach for the tissues in an entirely different way.

I really connected with Tropic of Cancer over the summer, which on the surface might make me sound like a dick, but it was the refusal to live life on other people’s terms that moved me. It’s so hard to separate what you want from what society tells you to want and even harder to break out of the tracks our society would put us on. Like it or not Tropic of Cancer is very much about giving the middle finger to anyone who would tell you how to live your life and having the balls to actually cut your own path.

I also read a really hot Allen Ginsberg poem the other day. Tres sexy.

I’m currently reading the Iron Druid Chronicles by Kevin Hearne. I’ve read the first 3 books and just need to find the 4th (it’s here packed in a box somewhere) so I can read it before the 5th one comes out. I’ve both laughed and cried through each book. Crying is pretty normal for me when I read, but laughing this way is rare for me. I hope the rest of the series is as good as the first 3 books.

The Fox Effect: How Roger Ailes Turned a Network into a Propaganda Machine for sheer outrage.

Sacre Bleu by Christopher Moore literally made me laugh out loud. I’m smiling just remembering it. The story is a romp through the last decades of nineteenth century France and the artists of the age.

Two biographies on Libby Holman.

I’m certain there’s been something more recent, but I’m drawing a complete blank. The last book I remember being very emotionally affected by was The Lovely Bones. I cried. A lot.

I loved The Hunger Games and Millennium trilogies, but they didn’t affect me as deeply as TLB did.

Letter to a Child Never Born by Oriana Fallaci

The book Under a Cruel Star, about living under Communism in Czechoslovakia. It made me cry or gnash my teeth every three pages or so.

@fundevogel : Nice one, I remember reading that poem years ago, but it strikes me as much hotter now ;) Have you read Who Be Kind To ? I think it’s my all-time favorite by him.

My Sister’s Keeper. I very rarely read fiction, at all, but that book hit a personal note with me. Hated the movie.

State of Wonder by Ann Patchett.

@Aethelflaed I just wanted to add a thank you for asking this great question. What a great reading list we are compiling here.

Are Your Prescriptions Killing You?: How to Prevent Dangerous Interactions, Avoid Deadly Side Effects, and Be Healthier with Fewer Drugs, by Armon Neel. PharmD.

Raises some important questions but too anecdotal to apply to me, ME, ME.

@ETpro ;)

The last book I read that provoked a really emotional response for me was Life Knocks by Craig Stone. I laughed, I cried and I had a knot in my stomach during most of it. It was also very thought provoking. Knowing that it was a true story, except for the main character’s name, made it that much more emotional for me.

I’m not usually emotionally moved by books, whether fiction or non-fiction, but the last one that provoked a visceral response was Jeff Sharlet’s C Street: The Fundamentalist Threat to American Democracy, which infuriated me (it’s about religious fundamentalists in our government mucking about here and abroad, especially Africa). Really dislike how certain powerful elements feel entitled to meddle in other countries.

The book immediately prior to that that elicited a response from me was one long-time entry on my to-read list, The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini. It made me feel sad about how outside forces have really wrecked Afghanistan over the last few decades.

The Heart is a Lonely Hunter. Read it years ago, saw the movie this afternoon, and will read it again tonight. I’ve related to Carson McCullers and her “defective” characters my whole life. And as I get older, I am able to understand why.

@Espiritus Corvus YES. I’ve got that on my shelf waiting for me. Always like to hear good things about my TBR pile.

Also, The Road was awesome. I’m looking forward to seeing the movie.