Sunday, September 06, 2020

Six Degrees of Separation: Rodham to Light Between Oceans



Welcome to this month's edition of Six Degrees of Separation, which is a monthly meme hosted by Kate from Books Are My Favourite and Best.  The idea is to start with a specific book and make a series of links from one book to the next using whatever link you can find and see where you end up after six links.  I am also linking this post up with The Sunday Salon, hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz.



The starting point this month is Rodham by Curtis Sittenfeld. I can't imagine that I will ever read this book as I don't think it is my kind of book. It is an alternate telling of the life of Hilary Rodham Clinton, asking the question of what her life would have been like had she not married Bill Clinton.




For my first link in the chain, I have gone down the alternate history route, but kind of an extreme alternate. In the world that that Jasper Fforde has created for the Thursday Next series,  which starts with The Eyre Affair, dodos are the pet of choice, you can travel from one side of the world to the other in a tube, and the Crimean War still rages on even though it is 1985.



For my next link, I am focusing on the Crimean War and choosing The Rose of Sebastopol by Katharine McMahon. The Rose of Sebastopol is about a young woman who goes off to the Crimean War to be a nurse alongside Florence Nightingale.



I am following the war time nurse thread for my next link which is to Daughter of Mars by Thomas Keneally. This book is about a young woman who heads off from country Australia to the front in World War I.



Normally I try to use books I have read for these posts, but this time I am using a book I am going to read as my next link. The Wreck is by Meg Keneally, who is Thomas Keneally's daughter. They have written a historical mystery series together which I also have on my shelves, but this book is due to be released this month.



From here I kind of got stuck on the lighthouse motif, choosing Lighthouse Bay by Kimberly Freeman, because lighthouses are supposed to try and prevent wrecks, and because it is a really good book!



For my final link I chose Light Between Oceans by M L Stedman, once again because of the lighthouse, although I was trying to make a pun about preventing physical wrecks but not necessarily preventing emotional wrecks! It's a stretch though.

For this month I have travelled from an alternate world where dodos and mammoths roam to the Crimea, to the Mediterranean of WWI and then to the Australian coast. Where have your links taken you?

Next month's starting point is The Turn of the Screw by Henry James.


37 comments:

  1. Well done! I like all your connections to the first book.

    I've not read anything by Thomas/Tom Keneally, but I have a copy of his novel A River Town on my shelf. It's been there for years! Have you read it?

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  2. Nicely done!
    The Wreck arrived in my letterbox on Friday so I’ll be reading it soon too.

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    1. Thanks Shelleyrae. I've started The Wreck and so far it is really good!

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  3. Excellent. I would like to read that Light Between the Oceans.

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    1. It certainly was a popular choice a few years ago Davida!

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  4. I think I would read the Rodham book if I got around to it. You did well with all your links.

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    1. Thanks Kathryn! And thanks for hosting such a fun event!

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  5. Hi Marg! I didn't do my Six degrees of separation yet. Will try to have it done by tomorrow or Tuesday at the latest. Love your degrees! The Light Between Oceans broke my heart... But it was a great read.

    Hope you will have a good week, will link back again when I'm done with my Six degrees.

    The Sunday Post #10

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    1. Hi Elza! Plenty of time. I look forward to seeing your post when you do it!

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  6. The Six Degrees of Separation is serendipitous. Whew, do I need a little of that. Love your weaving from Rodham to Light Between Oceans. I really didn't know anything about the Crimean War. I do see that it began in 1853, and we were too busy in America with our terrible race troubles then to look in on a war elsewhere, I suppose. A lighthouse does promise safety, but certainly not emotional safety. Not sure anything does that. Thanks for sharing this lovely game. Very fun.

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    1. I don't know a lot about the Crimean War either Deb. What I do know I learned in books! lol

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  7. Now that you explained the premise of Rodham I will give it a miss.

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  8. Love your chain!! I usually enjoy alternate history but haven't read much of it. I sort of want to read Rodham to see what her life could have been, but am not that intrigued.

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    1. I haven't read a lot of alternate history either Athira!

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  9. cool...thanks for introducing me to some new to me authors. i am very partial to lighthouses too. everywhere i go i have to hunt them down. :-)
    sherry @ fundinmental

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  10. I rarely can think up books for the 6-Degrees project but I might be able to do this one. Let me think...I am always surprised where the lists end up Rodham to a light house in Australia. What a leap! My Sunday Salon posting

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    1. What I love about this meme is that you can make it twist and turn anyway you want it Anne! Could a simple jump to get you going, or one that you had to give a lot of thought. It doesn't matter.

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  11. I love your chain this month! I have read two of those books - The Daughters of Mars and The Light Between Oceans - and have The Rose of Sebastopol on the TBR.

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    1. It's amazing to me how often I think of that book for things like 6 Degrees Helen.

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  12. Very interesting! I've read Rose of Sebasitpol and Light Between Two Oceans. Our troops have been in Iraq/Afghanistan so long it might as well be the Crimean War still.

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    1. LOL Lisa! It has been a very long time hasn't.

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  13. Great chain - so many interesting books. Will need to investigate!

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  14. Great chain! I loved "The Light Between Oceans".

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  15. Great chain! I didn't get a chance to put up a post this time but must next month as I've just started reading The Turn of the Screw! Perfect timing.

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    1. You can post at any time during the month Iliana!

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  16. I loved The Eyre Affair! I wouldn't have thought of it for an alternate history although it really is. The Light Between Oceans was good too, even if I did find it sad. Great chain!

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  17. I've only read two of the books you mentioned: The Light Between Oceans and Lighthouse Bay. Enjoyed them both.
    I love the Monsarrat series that Meg Keneally writes with her father. Have yet to catch up with her two novels. Hopefully, when the library opens again.
    Great chain, Marg!

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    1. I have one of the Monsarrat books here. I am going to have to read it now I think!

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  18. Great chain! I loved The Light Between Oceans.

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