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 winner of the 2025 Miles Franklin Literary Award, Ghost Cities by Siang Lu.
Okay, ready for my most tenuous link ever? I have great chats with my local bookseller (at Readings Hawthorn). Last time I was there, we talked about what we were planning on reading next. For her, it was Ghost Cities (like me, she said it hadn’t immediately appealed). For me it was The Cure by Katherine Brabon. My bookseller hadn’t read any Brabon and I mentioned that I was attracted to this one because it reminded me of Hot Milk by Deborah Levy.
How good was Hot Milk? I still think about that book years later. There’s a movie coming out – can’t wait. Another recent movie of a popular book – The Friend by Sigrid Nunez.
I haven’t read The Friend (yet) but saw the film on a recent long plane trip. I rarely see the film before reading the book but it occasionally happens – for example, with Election by Tom Perrotta.
The movie version of Election stars a young Reese Witherspoon. She’s gone on to have her own, very high profile book club. One of her most recent picks is on my TBR stack – Isola by Allegra Goodman.
I’ve been repeatedly drawn to this book and I think it’s because of the cover – a stunning cliff face. Kim at Reading Matters recently reviewed a book that also featured a cliff face that grabbed my attention – The End of the Morning by Charmian Clift (incidentally, the painting on the cover is called Bombo Headland by Ken Searle).
From a chat with a bookseller and cures to cliffs. Where will other chains go? Link up below or post your link in the comments section.
Next month (October 4, 2025), we’ll start with Dominic Amerena’s novel about authors and publishing, I Want Everything.
Oh my I haven’t heard of that author or book for next month, but I’ll give it a shot.
Meanwhile, I wrote one of my poems for this month – before I left for Japan. Here it is: https://whisperinggums.com/2025/09/06/six-degrees-of-separation-from-ghost-cities-to/
Enjoyed your opening tenuous link. Works for me!
Super work! I don’t know what to say! Here’s mine: https://hopewellslibraryoflife.wordpress.com/2025/09/06/six-degrees-of-separation-ghost-cities-by-siang-lu/
I am laid low by a virus I brought back from Adelaide, but here’s mine anyway:
https://anzlitlovers.com/2025/09/06/six-degrees-of-separation-from-ghost-cities-to/
I’ve been thinking about Isola too but I have another of her books unread that should come first. My book group read Kaaterskill Falls 25 years ago! Both Goodman and Perotta live near me.
http://perfectretort.blogspot.com/2025/09/six-degrees-of-separation-from-ghost.html
Well. I have only just borrowed the Charmian Clift from the library, and here it is in your chain! I’ve enjoyed the Nunez, but I don’t seem to get on with Deborah Levy’s work. Your other choices look interesting, but unknown to me. An interesting chain as ever. Here’s mine: https://margaret21.com/2025/09/06/six-degrees-of-separation-from-ghost-cities-to-my-fathers-house/
I love a tenuous link! 😆
My URL is too long for the Linky so here’s mine for this month: https://portobellobookblog.com/2025/09/06/6degrees-of-separation-for-september-2025-from-ghost-cities-by-siang-lu-to-blackberry-wine-by-joanne-harris-booksky-%f0%9f%92%99%f0%9f%93%9a/
Me too with Hot Milk – wonderful! I too love a tenuous link – mine are always so direct!
Hey, a link is a link. Here’s mine https://tcl-bookreviews.com/2025/09/06/tcls-6degrees-of-separation-for-september-6-2025/ and Damn! One of the books I used this month would have been a perfect first link to next month’s chain! Oh well… I think I have something else.
I personally love your first “tenuous” link. It’s so fun to follow your chain. And now I need to look up Hot Milk.
https://www.unsolicitedadvice.space/blog/6-degrees-of-separation-from-ghost-cities-to-kismet
The links might be tenuous, but very interesting indeed! I’ll do my best to find something that even vaguely compares to that.
Great chain! Tenuous links are the best. I’d be keen to read the Clift.
This took me to some interesting books that I hadn’t looked at for a while, all about languages, ending in Syria’s Secret Library.
https://momobookblog.blogspot.com/2025/09/six-degrees-of-separation-ghost-cities.html
I can’t comment on your blog, as it makes me sign in with Google, which leads you to my non-existent Blogger blog. But yours is a lovely chain, full of interest. I’ll head for the Sanders first!
I know. I had to disallow anonymous comments because I got too many nasty ones. Try using another browser. I usually go from Firefox to Chrome or vice versa.
Thanks. And yes, that is a cute one.
Pingback: #SixDegrees of Separation: September ’25 – findingtimetowrite
Chats with booksellers are both hugely enjoyable and very expensive in my experience!
Here’s my chain: https://alifeinbooks.co.uk/2025/09/six-degrees-of-separation-ghost-cities-to-the-hound-of-the-baskervilles/
I haven’t read any of these, but I had fun with your links!
Not creative, I remained with Australian authors: https://wordsandpeace.com/2025/09/06/six-degrees-of-separation-australian-authors/
Reading takes us on so many journeys – and all are different. I enjoyed yours. Here’s mine – https://booksplease.org/2025/09/07/six-degrees-of-separation-from-ghost-cities-by-siang-lu-to-4-50-from-paddington/
I’ve tried to comment on your blog, but it says (not true!) that I’m not logged in. This is what I tried to say: ‘Several of us have gone down the Italo Calvino route to start our chains – interesting. I’m also interested that you had two false starts on Cloud Atlas. As have I. In my case I’ve yet to have that third successful start, though his is a genre I’m not good at. A fascinating chain.’
Thanks, Margaret. I can’t think why you couldn’t comment on my blog – you have before! Let’s hope it’s just a glitch in the system somewhere and gets fixed.
If I had seen the Cloud Atlas movie I wouldn’t have tried again with the book.
WP passeth all understanding. All will be well again next month I’m sure. I’m still not convinced I’ll cope with Cloud Atlas.