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 I begin with Air by Christian Kracht. I have two reasons to link it to Douglas Stuart’s stunning novel, John of John. Firstly, both are set on remote Scottish islands. Secondly, the main character in Air, an interior designer, is tasked with finding ‘the perfect shade of white’. In John of John, one of the characters sorts seemingly identical seashells into a graduation of shades of white. Isn’t that a glorious similarity?
I listened to Douglas Stuart speak about John of John at the Edinburgh International Book Festival. I also listened to Cory Doctorow discuss his book, Enshittification.
Stay with me for a tenuous link… Doctorow also appeared at Melbourne’s recent Now or Never Festival. The Festival combines technology and art. One of the installations I saw there used plant pheromone (stress hormones), which reminded me of Peter Wohlleben’s book, The Hidden Life of Trees.
Books about trees… one that I haven’t read came to mind – The People in the Trees by Hanya Yanagihara. It’s about an anthropologist on an expedition to a remote Micronesian island in search of a rumored lost tribe.
Similar, but set in the Amazon, is Ann Patchett’s State of Wonder (also not read!).
And making this chain into a circle, I’ll finish with Ann Patchett’s latest, Whistler, which she spoke about at the Edinburgh International Book Festival.
I went from Scottish islands and shades of white to trees and the Amazon – where will other chains go? Link up below or post your link in the comments section.
Next month (October 3, 2026), we’ll start with Rachel Cusk’s latest novel, Life of M.
My bookgroup started off with Hannah Kent’s ‘Always Home Always Homesick’. I’ve read ‘John of John’ (another Booker Prize on the way?) and Enshittification, so this time even though I haven’t read your starting book, I’ve at least read two of the links. My chain is at https://residentjudge.com/2026/09/05/six-degrees-of-separation-from-always-home-always-homesick-to/
Here’s mine, I substituted ‘buddy read’ for ‘bookclub read’ : https://anzlitlovers.com/2026/09/05/six-degrees-from-colettes-la-chatte-to/
There was an article in the Guardian this week about Rebecca West’s lengthy book ‘Black Lamb and Grey Falcon’. I’ve never read any of her books, and from your posting, I think that I should! I won’t be reading the Cusk book either.
Ah. I found the article, and am not impressed…
He more or less tells us that he doesn’t like reading, that it was a battle to read West, but tells us virtually nothing about the book except how many pages it has. Unless you count the random quotations, there is not one shred of evidence that he did actually read it or that he learned anything from it.
And without having set eyes on it myself, I can guarantee that there was something to learn because it was West who wrote it. We only need to resurrect a bit of history to note that it was published in 1941 and was based on travels in Yugoslavia, to make us seek something more thoughtful about this book, and here it is, also at The Guardian but by Geoff Dyer in 2006. (I’ve shortened its long link): https://tinyurl.com/v5zuepyp
If that ain’t an indication of how the readership of The Guardian has changed, I don’t know what is.
If I can find a copy I might read it for Doorstoppers in December.
I’m keen to read John of John. Sorting seashells is a delightful pastime, but after reading Shuggie Bain I’m not expecting a delightful book.
I started this month with Wreck by Catherine Newman.
https://rosereadsnovels.wordpress.com/2026/09/05/six-degrees-of-separation-wreck-by-catherine-newman/
I love the way you linked up your chain this month. My links were more prosaic: https://margaret21.com/2026/09/05/six-degrees-of-separation-from-a-family-matter-to-the-master/
I love the whites and seashells links, I’m about to go for a walk on the beach and I’ll take careful note of the shades of the shells!
https://justreadingabook.wordpress.com/2026/09/05/six-degrees-from-lorna-doone/
Interesting. I don’t know any of these books. I went a slightly different route with mine, going back to the first times I did this meme and looking for books I was reading when I did them! https://tcl-bookreviews.com/2026/09/05/tcls-6degrees-of-separation-for-september-5-2026/
I almost bought Air last week. Great chain!
I hope you’ll enjoy State of Wonders as much as I did!
I’ve enjoyed some of Ann Patchett’s other books, but still need to read both State of Wonder and Whistler!
https://shereadsnovels.com/2026/09/05/six-degrees-of-separation-from-the-matchbox-girl-to-ace-king-knave/
Here is my post for this month:
https://readingwithagriffin.blogspot.com/2026/09/six-degrees-of-separation-call-me.html
State of Wonder was good but too full of snakes and insects for me to fully enjoy (I know, what would you expect from the Amazon). I had Whistler out from the library but did not have time to read it before it was due. It is in high demand!
Here is my chain: https://perfectretort.blogspot.com/2026/09/six-degrees-of-separation-from-founding.html
My book group is reading Wild Dark Shore for September so I started with our August book instead.
That first link is hard to beat. I went to Ireland and back in mine: https://alifeinbooks.co.uk/2026/09/six-degrees-of-separation-unravelling-to-spill-simmer-falter-wither/
That first link is delightful! I have Whistler on my TBR, like many people!
I managed to fill my whole chain with books that I read with my book club: https://www.joyweesemoll.com/2026/09/05/six-degrees-great-expectations-to-the-half-has-never-been-told-bookclub/
I had to use an older book club book since none of the present ones were either translated or we already had it as a starter book, so Shutter Island it was.
https://momobookblog.blogspot.com/2026/09/six-degrees-of-separation-shutter-island.html
Your first two books remind me of one by Jasper FForde about colours: Shades of Grey (and no, only six, so not that many as in the other book).
https://momobookblog.blogspot.com/2017/11/fforde-jasper-shades-of-grey-road-to.html
Fun links! I loved State of Wnder. Another amazing book with trees is The Overstory, by Richard Powers.
Hilarious that next month theme is The Life of M. You’ll see why when you discover my chain: https://wordsandpeace.com/2026/09/05/six-degrees-of-separation-initials/
Very creative! And I love seeing Hidden Life of Trees here! https://hopewellslibraryoflife.wordpress.com/2026/09/05/six-degrees-of-separation-silver-bone-a-novel-by-andrey-kurkov/
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I like the emerging trees and forests theme in your chain. Mine is all about animals. https://maamej.wordpress.com/2026/09/06/six-degrees-from-raising-hare-to/
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I know I would love to read both the ‘Trees’ books! I have seen mention of The Hidden Life of Trees across a couple blogs I love. And State of Wonder sounds wondrous as well 🙂
mine is here – pretty late but …. https://www.ladyinreadwrites.com/a-goat-a-lira-and-some-magic/#Six_Degrees_When_a_GOAT_Takes_a_Turn_in_the_Air