It’s time for #6degrees. Start at the same place as other wonderful readers, add six books, and see where you end up!
This month we begin with Arthur Golden’s international bestseller, Memoirs of a Geisha. I took this book on holiday with me to Far North Queensland and have fond memories of sitting on the beach and by the pool, absorbed in Golden’s sumptuous story.
When I returned to FNQ a number of years later, my holiday reading was Jonathan Safran Foer’s Everything Is Illuminated – somehow the romp around the Ukraine was at odds with my poolside location and I didn’t much enjoy this book.
I have one Foer book on my shelf that I’m yet to read – Tree of Codes. Which makes me automatically leap to Peter Wohlleben’s The Hidden Life of Trees.
The Hidden Life of Trees examines how trees communicate with each other – some of the ideas described in the book were used to introduce the narrative in Donal Ryan’s latest novel, From a Low and Quiet Sea.
Ryan’s book is structured as three stand alone short stories, which are linked in a final, fourth chapter. It reminded me a little of Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout, which also read like a collection of short stories.
Olive Kitteridge was made into a very good television series (I don’t often say that!). Another television series, based on a book, that I have enjoyed recently is Howard’s End (by E. M. Forster).
Where will other chains lead? Link up below or post your link in the comments section.
Next month (May 5, 2018), we’ll begin with Barbara Kingsolver’s bestselling novel, The Poisonwood Bible.
