May 7: Thursday Thirteen #17

Here are 13 of the books I’ve read this year. Book title links go to their Amazon pages; additional links are to blog posts I’ve written about some titles. Several of these books have been made into movies, but I haven’t seen any of them.

1. The Teahouse Fire, by Ellis Avery. I just finished this one the other day. The story is told from the point of view of an American girl, raised in Paris, who is abandoned in Japan. Got that? It’s hard to imagine what it’d be like in her shoes, but the story moves quickly and the characters are well developed. There’s great detail about Japanese culture and specifically the significance of tea ceremony.
2. Me Talk Pretty One Day, by David Sedaris. In preparation for the reading I attended last month, I re-read most of Sedaris’ books. I recommend them, every one of them, because they will have you laughing out loud unless you’re made of stone.
3. Naked, by David Sedaris. Not so much reviewed as quoted here. Such a great book, as are all of his.
4. Atonement, by Ian McEwan. I did not enjoy this book. I tried, really. Never got into it.
5. The Color Purple, by Alice Walker. I read this right after seeing the stage musical on its tour through Portland. Good story, very well written, and easy to read. Tough subjects, yes, but told in an intriguing way that easily held my interest.
6. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, by Jonathan Safran Foer. This is about a quirky kid whose father dies in the World Trade Center on 9/11. The boy finds a key in his dad’s belongings and begins a quest to find what the key unlocks. Along the way he meets fascinating people and makes friends, and ultimately is comforted by the answers he finds. It was tragic but heartwarming in many ways.
7. The Mermaid Chair, by Sue Monk Kidd. Ugh, I hated this book. Trash. Reviewed in January.
8. The Future of Love, by Shirley Abbott. Another 9/11 novel; this tells stories of a handful of people who are all connected in some way and how they deal with New York life in a post-9/11 era. Disappointing; it could have been hugely fascinating but never quite took hold.
9. Far From You, by Lisa Schroeder. Young adult novel, written in verse. Lisa used to be my Pampered Chef consultant, and now she’s an accomplished author of several genres of books. Cool, huh? Reviewed in January.
10. I Heart You, You Haunt Me, by Lisa Schroeder. This one is Lisa’s first young adult novel. Very quick read—also written in verse—and bittersweet story. Reviewed in January.
11. Life of Pi, by Yann Martel. This is one of the best books I’ve read in a while. If you’re looking for a unique and compelling story that leaves a lot of interpretation up to its reader, check it out. Reviewed in January.
12. Shopgirl: A Novella, by Steve Martin. This was very short (thank goodness) and a complete waste of time. It was trashy and not in the fun beach-read way.
13. The Cider House Rules, by John Irving. It took me a long time to get through this book—it’s a tough read—but it was incredibly detailed (in a good way) and thought-provoking. I recommend it.

If you’ve got any book recommendations, please share them in a comment. I’m always looking for new authors to read. Also, every time I blog about reading I try to remind y’all of the fabulous book trading site Bookins, which is where I get most of my books nowadays.

And what is Thursday-13? Read all about it here.