First Saturday of the month, time for the super monthly tag Six Degrees of Separation, which is hosted by Kate at Booksaremyfavouriteandbest, Six Degrees of Separation #6degrees picks a starting book for participants to go wherever it takes them in six more steps. Links to my reviews are in the titles of the books chosen.
This month our starting book is…
Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld
I’ve yet to read this novel, but it sounds such fun – I have a copy, so am inclined to promote it up my TBR piles.
My first link will be via the name ‘Curtis‘…
Kingdomtide by Rye Curtis
Which leads me to a novelist with that as a surname. Kingdomtide is a wonderful Coen-esque novel in which a merlot-sodden park ranger goes in search of a missing seventy-two-year-old Cloris Waldrip who has crashed in a small plane in the forest. Cloris is a superb character, and the novel is comic in a quirky way. I loved it.
My link is via the ducks on the cover to…
Ducks, Newburyport by Lucy Ellmann
I’ve not read this doorstop of a novel. I own a copy, and will probably never get around to reading itt. I do know that it is written as a single sentence, which is my link to…
Portrait of the Mother as a Young Woman by Friedrich Christian Delius
This was indie novella Translation specialists Peirene’s third title back in 2010. In it a pregnant young German woman wanders through Rome, and we experience her train of thought, written in one sentence, but only 117 pages this time! It flows by.
My link is that the title of this book is a variation on a literary classic, (Joyce) as is…
The New Sorrows of Young W by Ulrich Plenzdorf
The title here alludes to Goethe, and this novel, about a teenaged dropout, published in 1972 is already considered a modern classic in Germany. It has a cassette on the front cover, as does…
French Rhapsody by Antoine Laurain
Laurain’s 2016 novel, is very much a state of the nation story, when a non-delivered letter inviting a now defunct band to visit a record company to discuss business turns up 33 years later. Alain embarks on a mission to find the other members of the band, and their demo tape that had so impressed back in 1983. Wonderful!
My final link is via the defunct band route to…
Dashboard Elvis is Dead by David F Ross
A teenage runaway from Texas meets a Scottish band called the Hyptones on tour in the US and sparks fly. Decades later Jude, now a successful photographer in New York, arrives in Scotland – to search for her heritage (her father was Scottish), or to search for Jamie from the Hyptones? More sparks will fly. An absolutely superb thrillerish novel. Loved it.
I can even tie my last choice back to our starter – via sunglasses on the covers – how about that?
My six degrees have taken me from LA up to New England, then off to Rome, Germany and Paris, before arriving in Glasgow.
Where will your six degrees take you?
Oh yes, do promote Romantic Comedy up the TBR stack – it is an absolute delight.
Very interesting chain here. There are a couple of these I’d put on my TBR!
The only one I’ve actually read here is the Laurain, which was a joy. I may go for the Ulrich Plenzdorf next.
I think that’s my favourite Laurain, although his new one (review coming soon) was lovely.
I’ll look out for it …
Enjoyable chain, Annabel. Dashboard Elvis sounds brilliant!
Dashboard Elvis was really excellent. I’m keen to read more by its author – he has a novel called ‘The Last Days of Disco’ (or something like that) which sounds irresistible to me with my love of rock ‘n’ roll in literature!
A doorstopper written as a single sentence???? (faints) I love the cassette on the cover as a link!
Apparently, it’s very readable, and is punctuated and paragraphed, just stream of consciousness.
Somehow it made me think of this song a singer had done here in India, called breathless which is just as it sounds, no stops.
Cool! Laurain goes well. Someone else had The President’s Hat. I want to read your last two books. I’ve only read The Red Notebook.
Really cool chain!
Ellmann’s is definitely challenging, even though I do enjoy that type of creative writing.
I liked this one by Laurain, but definitely not his best I think. I encourage you to try his latest, which is fabulous:
https://wordsandpeace.com/2023/06/26/book-review-an-astronomer-in-love/
And thanks for mentioning Goethe, I so want to reread his Werther, which I enjoyed so much as a teen.
Here is my chain: https://wordsandpeace.com/2023/08/05/six-degrees-of-separation-walking-the-line-between-romance-and-comedy/
Thanks Emma. We’ll agree to differ on the Laurains, I did love his new one though – review coming but wasn’t in time for Paris in July’s end. It’s the rock’n’roll thing that made me love French Rhapsody so much! I confess I haven’t read any Goethe, nor am likely to if I’m honest.
Wow, going full circle!
Those are amazing to see how one person can go from one book to another- and it does look pretty fun! Alas.. im not sure how I would approach it yet 😅
Interesting links. I like the Elvis one the best