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 Lynne Truss’s commentary on grammar, Eats, Shoots & Leaves.
I have a few grammar reference books on my shelf but my favourite is The Greatest Gatsby by Tohby Riddle (it’s a visual guide to grammar and was of great help to my kids when they were younger).
My next link is rather obvious – The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
Next up is Nick by Michael Farris Smith – released earlier this year, the novel imagines Nick Carraway’s life before Gatsby.
I’m unlikely to read Nick, but it did get me thinking about prequels and sequels written by other authors. Scarlett by Alexandra Ripley came to mind – I read it when it was released because I loved Margaret Mitchell’s Gone With the Wind (from memory Scarlett was terrible!).
Scarlett ends with the burning of a house. A burning house features in Celeste Ng’s Little Fires Everywhere.
Little Fires Everywhere starts with a climatic event and then rewinds to show how things lead to that point. R. O. Kwon uses the same technique in The Incendiaries.
Gatsby and fires sums up my chain this month. Where will other chains go? Link up below or post your link in the comments section.
Next month (August 7, 2021), we’ll start with a bestselling work of autobiographical fiction, Postcards From the Edge by Carrie Fisher.
Too bad you couldn’t slip Rebecca in there somewhere!
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Neat links, Kate, particularly the Gatsby-Nick-prequel thread!
I thought about going to one of the grammar books. I gave my Mum every grammar/editor memoir/word book that came out around her birthdays/mothers days/Christmases so now I have quite a few in my collection! Most of them I’d love to read myself but I wonder if I ever will. https://whisperinggums.com/2021/07/03/six-degrees-of-separation-from-eats-shoots-and-leaves-to/#comment-143338
Next month? Back to a book I haven’t read. Oh well!
Scarlett is my least favorite book of all time LOL (I’m not joking but the laughter is real–I do not want to make anyone feel bad if they liked it!). I like your chain. I am still curious about Nick, but like you, I probably won’t read it. I loved Gatsby all thru high school a thousand years ago when Carter was president. lol.
I’m not sure if I linked properly, but here is my chain. For the first time ever, I have actually read the starting book!
https://residentjudge.com/2021/07/03/six-degrees-of-separation-from-eats-shoots-and-leaves-to/
Wow… you went from non-fiction to fiction far faster than I did. https://tcl-bookreviews.com/2021/07/03/tcls-6degrees-of-separation-for-july-3-2021/
Great chain, Kate! I love the sound of The Greatest Gatsby. And have you come across Have You Eaten Grandma? by Giles Brandreth? It’s hilarious. Meanwhile, here’s a link to my chain https://leapinglife.com/2021/07/02/six-degrees-of-separation-from-eats-shoots-and-leaves-to-the-golden-thread/
Why have I never heard of the Greatest Gatsby?! It sounds wonderful
Yet another reminder that I should read The Incendiaries!
I didn’t know about The Greatest Gatsby either – sounds like a really good way to get children to understand grammar a bit better. I’ve prepared a post but will be putting it up tomorrow and linking above.
Nick sounds interesting; Scarlett I was warned off so haven’t picked ot up so far and sounds like it should stay that way.
Yes, Scarlett was a disappointment after Gone With the Wind! I’m not planning to read Nick either. Here’s my chain:
https://shereadsnovels.com/2021/07/03/six-degrees-of-separation-from-eats-shoots-leaves-to-the-diary-of-a-provincial-lady/
Such an interesting chain, I think I would like “The Greatest Gatsby”, sounds interesting. And probably “Nick”, must be fun to read about Nick Carraway, I always preferred him over Jay Gatsby. I never read Scarlett because usually I don’t like those sequels to books I loved written by other people. And I heard many people saying they disliked Scarlett.
My Six Degrees of Separation is rather boring in comparison. It led me via a few other books about language to The Story of the English by Joseph Piercy.
Mind you, this was the first time I actually had read the book, so that made for a change. LOL.
Have a great reading month. Looking forward to all the other bloggers’ posts and see what they came up with.
Scarlett was terrible. A total chop shop.
I am so out of touch with six degrees (sighhhhh). I’ll try and get back into for the second half of the year. Finding my groove at last in my new normal.
WordPress is fighting me today! But I am trying to say that my former roommate was the editorial assistant on Scarlett. I remember when staff excitement turned to fear about how the book would be received.
http://perfectretort.blogspot.com/2021/07/six-degrees-of-separation-from-eats.html
I had never heard of Greatest Gatsby before today! It sounds delightful, and of course, the chain follows so naturally from that. And I am seeing a lot of praise for Celeste Ng these days, seems like I should read some of her work soon.
Nice links! I have to admit hating The Great Gatsby, mostly because of the social milieu, but the grammar book on it sounds great, or greater!
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Little Fires and The Incendiaries appeal and I might get to them one day. Which is a statement that sort of segues into my chain.
https://thinkaboutreading.wordpress.com/2021/07/04/six-degrees-of-separation-from-eats-shoots-and-leaves-to-six-other-books-for-which-life-is-too-short/
Is it permitted to say that Great Gatsby holds little appeal to me? I’ve read it about three times, trying to discover what it is about this book that people think is so wonderful. I don’t get it….
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