#6degrees is a monthly meme hosted by Kate @Books Are My Favourite and Best.
Oftentimes I haven't read the starting book for this meme, but I can assure you that I only play the next 6 books with ones I have actually read.
If I've read the book during this blogging life, then I include my review, otherwise, you just have to take my word for it!
This month the starting book is A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.
Are you game?
Now I could simply pick another book about twins as my next link.
Too easy! I cry rashly!
Did you know that the title of Her Fearful Symmetry was based on a poem by William Blake?
It is and I'm sure there are oodles of books out there based on or named after famous lines in poems, but the stand out based-on-poetry story for me is Steven Carroll's The Lost Life.
I adored everything about this story - the language, the love and the poem.
However the other two books in the proposed quartet haven't grabbed me quite as much.
I'm still hopeful for the fourth.
Which is a similar experience that I had with the Elena Ferrante tetralogy.
The first book was intriguing, but I struggled to finish the set.
My energy and care factor fizzled out.
Sadly I also failed to care about or connect to Lorena Hickok in Amy Bloom's White Houses (review to come shortly).
I wanted to, but I felt like I was kept at arms length the whole time.
My next leap combines several links from the books above.
The Monkey's Mask by Dorothy Porter includes a degree of poetry, LGBTQ and glorious language.
It also still haunts me to this day.
So my final link is to another book/author that also continues to haunt/obsess me years after reading her.
Angela Carter's The Bloody Chamber really got under my skin.
I dreamt about her stories and 'researched the shit out of' each and every one (thank you Matt Damon & The Martian).
Who would have though way back there at the beginning of this post, that A Christmas Carol would end with us being marooned on Mars with Matt Damon!
From ghosts to twins, poems to tetralogy's, lesbians to fairy tales, with a final nod to popular movie culture (& one of my most used in real life movie quotes), we have another exciting month of #6degrees.
Where did you end up this month?
 |
Old image alert - Kate
|
A Christmas Carol?
Where do we go after that?
Do we follow the seasonal story path or the famous author road?
Perhaps I could choose another story about redemption or kindness?
Too easy! I cry rashly!
Instead I will follow the ghost story element - straight into the arms of Audrey Niffenegger and Her Fearful Symmetry.
Now I could simply pick another book about twins as my next link.
Too easy! I cry rashly!
Did you know that the title of Her Fearful Symmetry was based on a poem by William Blake?
It is and I'm sure there are oodles of books out there based on or named after famous lines in poems, but the stand out based-on-poetry story for me is Steven Carroll's The Lost Life.
I adored everything about this story - the language, the love and the poem.
However the other two books in the proposed quartet haven't grabbed me quite as much.
I'm still hopeful for the fourth.
Which is a similar experience that I had with the Elena Ferrante tetralogy.
The first book was intriguing, but I struggled to finish the set.
My energy and care factor fizzled out.
Sadly I also failed to care about or connect to Lorena Hickok in Amy Bloom's White Houses (review to come shortly).
I wanted to, but I felt like I was kept at arms length the whole time.
My next leap combines several links from the books above.
The Monkey's Mask by Dorothy Porter includes a degree of poetry, LGBTQ and glorious language.
It also still haunts me to this day.
So my final link is to another book/author that also continues to haunt/obsess me years after reading her.
Angela Carter's The Bloody Chamber really got under my skin.
I dreamt about her stories and 'researched the shit out of' each and every one (thank you Matt Damon & The Martian).
Who would have though way back there at the beginning of this post, that A Christmas Carol would end with us being marooned on Mars with Matt Damon!
From ghosts to twins, poems to tetralogy's, lesbians to fairy tales, with a final nod to popular movie culture (& one of my most used in real life movie quotes), we have another exciting month of #6degrees.
Where did you end up this month?
Very clever Brona ... I enjoyed this, particularly the link on lines of poetry. I still have to read Carroll. I feel very remiss about his gap.
ReplyDeleteThe idea of being on Mars with Matt Damon and a copy of A Christmas Carol sounds like the perfect way to spend Christmas...
ReplyDeleteI have not read any of these. I ended up in Monte Cristo!. Here is my chain: https://wordsandpeace.com/2018/12/01/six-degrees-of-separation-christmas-in-monte-cristo/
ReplyDeleteI was tempted to read Elena Ferrante tetralogy but going off your experience I'm glad I didn't bother. I didn't care much for Her Fearful Symmetry but I enjoyed The Martian - the film that is, I haven't read the book. Not sure I'd want to be marooned on Mars though, even with Matt Damon!
ReplyDeleteLovely chain this month Brona! (and we're in heated agreement on Ferrante although it hasn't stopped me taping the television series...).
ReplyDeleteI just visited Campobello Island last month, and it was really neat. They host a "Tea with Eleanor" program, though I wasn't there for that, so I've been curious about White Houses. Interesting chain!
ReplyDelete