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 A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.
Dickens was the first festive book that came to mind when I was setting the book for December but as it happens, my daughter is reading ‘Tis the Season by Ann Martin. My daughter hasn’t been a keen reader but Ann Martin has helped to change that – she loves the Main Street books.
I didn’t read many series as a child, with the exception of the Nancy Drew mysteries by Carolyn Keene.
There’s a reference to Nancy Drew in Craig Silvey’s Jasper Jones.
In fact, there are loads of literary references in Jasper Jones, including to Truman Capote. When I think Capote, I think of the Seinfeld episode where George attempts to hire the movie of Breakfast at Tiffany’s instead of reading it before his book group discussion.
Confession time: when my book group picked Liane Moriarty’s Big Little Lies I couldn’t face reading it… so I listened to the audio. Not quite as bad as George but almost…
The movie rights to Big Little Lies were snapped up by actress Reece Witherspoon, and it seems she has optioned a bunch of books, including the wonderful Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed.
Where will other chains go? Link up below or post your link in the comments section.
Next month (January 5, 2019), we’ll begin with The French Lieutenant’s Woman by John Fowles.
I managed to get from Dickensian London to Mars which I thought was quite a leap!!
Quite the leap indeed!
A fun meme for the summer of the year but one I took on very different paths. https://whisperinggums.com/2018/12/01/six-degrees-of-separation-from-a-christmas-carol-to/
Enjoyed this Kate. I didn’t read Big little lies either, but watched the miniseries on a long plane trip!
Perfect viewing for a plane trip. I know Moriarty has a huge fan base – Australia and worldwide – but I find her stories oddly predictable!
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From one 19th century book to another!
https://anzlitlovers.com/2018/12/01/six-degrees-of-separation-from-charles-dickens-a-christmas-carol-to/
Nicely done (I haven’t read your end book).
It’s Feminism 101, Kate. I think you’d love it.
Hi Kate, my links at first were far too serious for Christmas cheer. I went from Carol by Patricia Highsmith and Childhood of Jesus by J M Coetzee. I diverted to How The Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr Seuss;The Magic Pudding by Norman Lindsay; Christmas Wombat by Jackie French. and finished with Yes, Virginia,There is a Santa Claus by .Francis Pharcellus Church
Well it’s lucky we have no rules or expectations 😉 Very glad to see The Magic Pudding in there, though – it was a favourite of mine growing up.
I love your links here, and ending with one of my favourites no less!
What did I wait so long for Tiny Beautiful Things – an amazing book. I’ve put Strayed on my list of authors who I would travel a very great distance to see (the list also includes John Irving and Judy Blume).
I would have a similar list!
Another great chain, Kate – and absolutely nothing wrong with ‘reading’ a book in audio format! Here’s my post https://leapinglife.blog/2018/12/01/six-degrees-of-separation-from-a-christmas-carol-to-letters-from-father-christmas/
It does feel a bit like cheating! I usually have a hard copy of any audio books I listen to – I sometimes want to mark bits. That said, it’s why I pick books like BLL – unlikely that I will want to save any passages in that for later!
lol – no I can’t see the need for any marking there. Great TV series though…
Great choices! Reading via audiobook definitely still counts as reading! 🙂 That’s the thing that puts me off book groups, I don’t know if I could bring myself to read the books if they didn’t interest me…
Sometimes it’s great to be out of my reading comfort zone – I have certainly discovered some great books that way but it is hard to b enthusiastic about a genre that you are simply not into.
I was tempted to go down the seasonal route but went for something a little darker in the end… Audio books definitely count if they’re unabridged. I’ve not really got into audio books myself but I’m planning to try one out for a long flight I have next year. https://whatcathyreadnext.wordpress.com/2018/12/01/6-degrees-of-separation-from-dickensian-london-to-the-teifi-valley-6degrees/
I find audios good for listening to when I walk or if I’m doing lots of cooking or chores. And I agree, abridged is a waste of time.
That’s the same cover of the only Nancy Drew book I still own – loved them as a child though!
My covers were all bordered with creamy yellow – I couldn’t find them online anywhere and unfortunately I don’t have my copies any longer 🙁
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I definitely think listening to an audio book counts as reading it! I would not at all compare it to watching the movie instead! Thanks for hosting Kate, this was a fun one this month!
https://booksaremyfavouriteandbest.wordpress.com/2018/12/01/six-degrees-of-separation-from-a-christmas-carol-to-tiny-beautiful-things/
I just linked to you instead of me, lol. Here’s mine.
https://wp.me/p8JgHh-27q
On the basis that listening/ watching takes less energy than reading… 🙂
Thanks for joining in.
nice! I have had hard time with Nancy Drew. Here is my chain: https://wordsandpeace.com/2018/12/01/six-degrees-of-separation-christmas-in-monte-cristo/
Oddly, I loathed mysteries as a child, bypassing all the Secret Sevens and Famous Fives, but Nancy won me (I have no memory of why!).
Once more I haven’t read any of these books – apart from A Christmas Carol! I thought my chain would be a Christmas one but it didn’t end up that way. My chain – https://booksplease.org/2018/12/01/six-degrees-of-separation-from-a-christmas-carol-to-no-further-questions/
My reading of A Christmas Carol was so long ago that it shouldn’t even count!
Great chain – I enjoyed the Nancy Drew books as a child too. All of my links were Christmas themed this month: https://shereadsnovels.com/2018/12/01/six-degrees-of-separation-the-christmas-edition/
I’m impressed that you managed a Christmas theme because when I sat down to think of a Christmas book, I struggled!
Here is Muse & Views Bookclub contribution for December! Always a challenge and fun!
https://bookclub9.blogspot.com/2018/12/six-degrees-of-separation-from.html
Happy Holidays Everyone!
Happy Holidays to you as well and enjoy your end-of-year get together.
Great list! How funny we both inclued Capote for totally different reasons 🙂
I love it when that happens 🙂
Having had to first bow my head in shame and admit to never having read A Christmas Carol, I finally managed to make my way through to a history of philosophy as expressed in Sophie’s World. https://cafesociety956.wordpress.com/2018/12/01/six-degrees-of-separation-from-a-christmas-carol-to-sophies-world/
Christmas Carol is a very short story so you could whip through it. That said, my reading of A Christmas Carol was so long ago that it shouldn’t even count and I really ought to ‘whip through it’ again.
I do love the way you do your links, I am not that creative. I like all the mentions of connections to TV shows and films. I have linked my 6 Degrees post above. I missed the past few months and am glad to be back.
Merry Christmas! I also had some children’s books on my journey. Maybe it’s the Christmas vibe. Also, listening to a book definitely counts.
https://wordpress.com/post/kathryngossow.net/9299
I went from London to Newfoundland this month via the bah humbug route! I’m glad your daughter’s found an author to set her on the reading path.
I love the range of links in other people’s chains. Childhood favourites seem to feature for a lot of us, and I’m no exception. I enjoyed thinking about this chain, and about what Christmas means.
https://thinkaboutreading.wordpress.com/2018/12/02/six-degrees-of-separation-from-a-christmas-carol-to-eleanor-oliphant-is-completely-fine/
Duh, started checking out everyone’s links but forgot to add my own! Have remedied that now…
I’ve made my chain, I just need to write it up and post it. I ended up at High Fidelity, by way of muppets and Syria.
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I enjoyed thinking about A Christmas Carol. I thought of the illustrated version and then other illustrated books (one of my favourite things). My list is here: https://soundslikewish.org/?p=11847
Thanks for this fun and inspiring idea!
https://arussianaffair.wordpress.com/2018/12/09/six-degrees-of-separation-from-a-christmas-carol-to-war-and-peace/
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Hi Kate, like your links.
I’ve just linked Christmas Carol to Harry Potter, had a fun time working it out, thanks for a great challenge. Mine is at https://cathum.wordpress.com/2018/12/10/what-links-a-christmas-carol-to-the-philosophers-stone/ Is it too early to wish you a Happy Christmas?
Whether it is or no, I’m sending festive wishes anyway.
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