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 The Safekeep by Yael Van Der Wouden.
There’s a good reason why my first link is to Adventures of a Young Naturalist by David Attenborough – I heard Van Der Wouden speak at the Melbourne Writers Festival this year, and she discussed her creative writing project called ‘Dear David‘.
I picked that particular Attenborough because I had the very good fortune of hearing him speak in Melbourne when the book was released, and I took two of my sons, one of whom requested the book for his birthday (despite it probably being challenging reading for him at the time).
The most recent book I bought that son was about the history of Nike – Shoe Dog by Phil Knight. I haven’t read it, but I have read the history of Reebok – Shoemaker by Joe Foster.
I only read Shoemaker to fulfill a category in last year’s What’s in a Name? reading challenge (that’s not to say it wasn’t interesting). Another I read for that challenge was The Joy of Wild Swimming by Lonely Planet.
I love books about swimming, and I’m engrossed in an excellent swimming memoir at the moment – The Chronology of Water by Lidia Yuknavitch.
The Chronology of Water has been made into a film that is featuring at the 2025 Melbourne International Film Festival. Another book-turned-into-film that debuted at MIFF (in 2016) was Joe Cinque’s Consolation by Helen Garner.
From David to Joe, with shoes and swimming in-between. Where will other chains go? Link up below or post your link in the comments section.
Next month (September 6, 2025), we’ll start with the winner of the 2025 Miles Franklin Literary Award, Ghost Cities by Siang Lu.
My goodness, other people’s minds make the most interesting leaps! What a great chain!
I only heard the term ‘wild swimming’ recently – I thought swimming was just swimming, wherever you were.
Dear David is a great title for a project, impossible to guess where that might land.
I forgot to add my chain, here it is https://rosereadsnovels.wordpress.com/2025/08/02/six-degrees-of-separation-the-safekeep-by-yael-van-der-wouden/
Starting with pears (on the cover) and ending with apples! Love it!
Great chain Kate … love the swimming ones, though I don’t like swimming, and the MIFF film ones. Thumbs up!
Here is my chain: https://whisperinggums.com/2025/08/02/six-degrees-of-separation-from-the-safekeep-to/
I included a Helen Garner as well. Here’s my chain https://residentjudge.com/2025/08/02/six-degrees-of-separation-from-the-safekeep-to/
Oops, I’m running late with mine, I forgot!
Here is mine – oddly enough I started at The Safekeep, which I read very recently, and ended up at a book of poems for young children: https://aidanvale.blogspot.com/2025/08/six-degrees-of-separation-aug-from.html
This was a good reminder to read Joe Cinque’s Consolation. I actually picked it up a couple of months ago from the books box outside my daughter’s school and it’s on Readings Top 30 Australian Books of the 21st century (so far).
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Thanks so much for introducing me the The Safekeep, Kate. Such an interesting premise, and story. Here’s my post for the month: https://margaret21.com/2025/08/02/six-degrees-of-separation-the-safekeep-to/
A very elegant and unexpected set of links. I won’t be able to take part this month: my computer has been packed up, all my earthly goods are in storage and I’ll be couch-surfing until I can move into my new flat in Germany in September. But I’ll visit as many blogs as I can and see what people have come up with.
That was a very interesting chain. Here’s mine https://tcl-bookreviews.com/2025/08/02/tcls-6degrees-of-separation-for-august-2-2025/
Another inspired chain and love that you go from pears to apples via shoes and swimming. Who would have thought it?
Here’s mine for this month – too long for the linky apparently 😄 – https://portobellobookblog.com/2025/08/02/6degrees-of-separation-for-august-2025-from-the-safe-keep-by-yael-van-der-wouden-to-love-letters-from-paris-by-nicolas-barreau-booksky-%f0%9f%92%99%f0%9f%93%9a/
I must read that David Attenborough book – he’s a remarkable man, so inspirational.
This is the link to my chain for this month: https://booksplease.org/2025/08/02/six-degrees-of-separation-from-the-safekeep-by-yael-van-der-wouden-to-cat-among-the-pigeons/
These books all sound so intriguing, although I haven’t read any of them! I do hope to read The Safekeep soon, though. Here’s my chain:
https://shereadsnovels.com/2025/08/02/six-degrees-of-separation-from-the-safekeep-to-enlightenment/
I’d not spotted the pears to apples covers until I read Kim’s comment. Your cover is so much beter then the UK edition.
Here’s my chain: https://alifeinbooks.co.uk/2025/08/six-degrees-of-separation-the-safekeep-to-metamorphosis/
I hadn’t noticed the fruit immediately but I like it, despite not having read any of these. Here is my chain:
https://perfectretort.blogspot.com/2025/08/six-degrees-of-separation-from-safekeep.html#more
This was a tough one but I found something in the end:
https://momobookblog.blogspot.com/2025/08/six-degrees-of-separation-safekeep.html
Marianne, so sorry. Google is not letting me comment on your blog except via my now defunct Blogger account. For once I’ve read all the books in your chain, apart from Lacuna, Which I’d like to read. And I do warmly recommend The Safekeep.
I was afraid this was going to happen. See here:
https://momobookblog.blogspot.com/2025/07/anonymous-comments.html
I had so many nasty comments lately that I had to block anonymous comments. I solved my problems with commenting on various posts by going either to Firefox if Google doesn’t let me comment or the other way around. Maybe that will help.
Oh, thanks. I have just responded to your comment made on WordPress. I don’t use Firefox, and even the thought of changing to it exhausts me! Things like that always seem to make the rest of your sites go belly-up! To be fair to WP, via Askimet they seem quite good at fishing out spam and gratuitously nasty comments before they reach us.
I only use it when I can’t comment via Google.
They want us to change to their site but if I cahnged to WordPress, I’d surely have problems with other Blogspot bloggers and the same would be for you.
I guess you have read why I don’t really want to read The Safekeep. I have too many unpleasant memories with Dutch people calling us Nazis and am always remembered about it when reading a book by a Dutch author. I don’t mind reading other books by Dutch writers or books about WWII, just not a combination of the two.
I see. Well, that is fair enough (re your reading choices). WP and Blogger both have their issues. We might as well stick with what we know!
My sentiments exactly.
Good job!! Joy of Wild Swimming!
https://hopewellslibraryoflife.wordpress.com/2025/08/02/six-degrees-of-separation-the-safekeep-a-novel-by-yael-van-der-wouden/
I adored the Yuknavich, so fresh, in yer face and different!
I would love to read so many of the books on your chain today, especially David Attenborough’s book. Here is my chain – https://www.ladyinreadwrites.com/books-to-keep-a-chain-of-wondrous-stories/
What a fun chain! I love the personal connections of having heard Van Der Wouden and David Attenborough speak.
Here is my chain: https://www.unsolicitedadvice.space/blog/six-degrees-of-separation-from-safekeep-to-rescue-ink