It’s time for #6degrees. Join in and see which direction your book chain takes you.
This month we begin with controversial bestseller by a member of the eighties ‘literary Brat Pack’ – Bret Easton Ellis’s Less Than Zero.
Another member of the literary Brat Pack was Jay McInerney, whose book, Bright Lights, Big City launched his career and remains one of the best eighties New York stories you’ll read.
I’m currently reading Rob Lowe’s autobiography, Stories I Only Tell My Friends. Lowe was a member of the Brat Pack, and also starred in the movie version of John Irving’s The Hotel New Hampshire.
Hotels provide the link to Amor Towles’s most recent book, A Gentleman in Moscow – it tells the story of a man sentenced to house arrest in a grand hotel.
When you think about living in a hotel, it’s hard to go past Eloise by Kay Thompson.
Eloise lives in New York’s Plaza Hotel. The Plaza gets a cameo in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
Apart from a brief visit to Moscow, I didn’t really stray far from New York and Hollywood this month. I wonder where other chains will go? Link up below (or add your link in the Comments section).
Next month (December 2, 2017), we’ll begin with a book that I haven’t read because I’m a scaredy-pants – Stephen King’s It.
I’ve always had a great affection (ahem) for Rob Lowe and loved Hotel New Hampshire, although I’d forgotten that Jodi Foster was in it. What’s his autobiography like?
Almost halfway through and it’s excellent. Surprisingly well written, entertaining. Well worth a read if you like Rob! (The chapter on The Outsiders is sensational).
I like your hotel theme, I loved Hotel Hampshire. However, I went on a different path. I went to Decemption Point by Dan Brown; onto the Turning by Tim Winton; then Diary of a Bad Year by J M Coetzee; next is Such is Life by Joseph Furphy; naturally followed by The True History of the Kelly Gang by Peter Carey; and finishing with a memoir, Being a Chum was Fun by Nancy Lee.
Love your link between the Furphy and the Carey!
HaHa, I’m a scaredy pants too Kate. I’ve read a couple of Stephen King’s novellas, but nothing in his horror genre.
I did a different thing with my Six Degrees this month. Here it is: https://whisperinggums.com/2017/11/04/six-degrees-of-separation-from-less-than-zero-to/
I love your literary brat pack approach and then the shift to hotels. The other hotel book that comes quickly to my mind, besides Hotel New Hampshire, is Anita Brookner’s Hotel du Lac. I read a lot of Brookners before blogging and keep feeling I want to read her now just to have a record of her on my blog. Maybe I could do it via a Six Degrees one day!
I also went with the Brookner but in the end, Irving always wins for me. also considered using Hinton’s The Outsiders instead of Hotel New Hampshire (it also has a Robe Lowe/ literature link).
I only read my first Brookner this year – Fraud – and really enjoyed it. Will certainly be reading more. Not sure how her work has bypassed me to date.
Gosh, the only one of these that I’ve read is A Gentleman in Moscow, which I really liked. … I’m still waiting for inspiration to come from the starter book, I’d never heard of it or the brat pack either so clearly I have not been paying attention.
Oddly, Moscow is the only one in my chain that I haven’t read!
The literary Brat Pack (and the actor set) were very much ‘it’ when I was in my teens and early twenties, so I guess I was highly aware. Ellis hasn’t got a good rap in this month’s #6degrees (!) but I think his books were important for their time.
Yeah, I think I should have read Ellis when I was younger…
That said, whe I read his last one (Imperial Bedrooms), I thought ‘I’m too old for this…’ (Even though he’s my generation!).
ROTFL!
Once again, yet more books I haven’t read – apart from The Great Gatsby that is! I like the hotel theme – and there are so many ‘hotel’ books that would fill several chains (no pun intended!)
Yes, once I settled on hotels, my mind went in lots of directions!
I finished my chain with Stephen King’s Misery. Did I get a surprise when I discovered It was up next month! Love the brat pack/hotels theme you came up with.
Hi Kathryn, I enjoyed your links, but I can’t comment!
This month is going to be a tough one since I’ve never read Less than Zero. You made it look so easy !
I reckon start with the excesses of the eighties and go from there 🙂
Thanks for the hint!! Shall give it a go tonight
Great #6degrees! I especially love your connections between A Gentleman in Moscow, Eloise, and The Great Gatsby! I had some trouble with my chain at first, but then it all came together pretty quickly.
Pingback: #6Degrees from Less than Zero to… – findingtimetowrite
Ha, I referenced F. Scott Fitzgerald too – hard not to, since he also represented his generation, just like Brett Easton Ellis did his.
Exactly!
I have to admit to a soft spot for Rob Lowe, too, who I regularly meet in The West Wing. I’m escaping real life… I’m a little behind with my post which will be up tomorrow.
Must say, his autobiography is really, really good – thoughtful, insightful and intelligent.
Love your use of the Brat Pack for the first few links!
Just as you find a place for crime, I always try to squeeze in some eighties or some Irving!
We are back after missing a month. Here is the Muse & Views Bookclub’s contribution to “Six Degres of Separation”
https://bookclub9.blogspot.ca/2017/11/six-degrees-of-separation-from-less.html
Thanks for playing along! I did wonder if last month your book group had finally run out books! 😀
Well, in looking back I noticed that we have used “Rules of Civility” and “My Sister’s Keeper” and “The Language of Sisters” before. If it works for more than one, I don’t think it is a problem?
Not a problem at all!
Sometimes when I’ve used the same book in different chains I’ve linked them in entirely different ways although did one earlier this year with a book that I’d used before and the chain fell together quickly and easily – because I’d repeated the same links! 😬
Man, there are so many Irving books I haven’t read.
You haven’t read Hotel?? It’s one of my favourites (and it’s short so you could knock it off in a weekend).
Pingback: Six Degrees of Separation: Less Than Zero by Bret Easton Ellis – Hopewell's Public Library of Life
Eloise is PERFECT!! I wish I’d remember’d her! lol
Pingback: Six Degrees of Separation – From Ellis to… – FictionFan's Book Reviews
I love the sound of the Rob Lowe book brings back happy memories of those Brat Pack films!
I’ve actually read two of the books in your chain this month! Eloise and The Great Gatsby. Usually I haven’t heard of the books you add, let alone have read them! My chains are always so different than yours.
https://perfectlytolerable.com/2017/11/07/6-degrees-of-separation-less-than-zero/
P.S. I am a scaredy-pants too! I don’t do scary books or movies whatsoever!
Reblogged this on Tasmanian Bibliophile @Large and commented:
So very tempted to join in …
Thank you! And please do join in – it’s good fun.
Less Than Zero made a negative impression on me in high school–and then I still went on to read American Psycho. I ended up with some John Irving on my list this month too!
Hooray for John Irving!
Wendy, I left a comment on your blog but fear it may have disappeared into the ether??
Pingback: 6 Degrees of Separation: From Less Than Zero to The Inspector Barlach Mysteries | Lizzy's Literary Life
Love this idea for a post/ meme! Will join in on future dates 😀