Top Ten Tuesday: By the numbers

 

 

 

 

 

Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week's theme is Books with Numbers in the Title. 

I haven't done a TTT for a few months as I have been too busy at work to do the thinking and composing that is required for one of these posts, but this week I have time off so it seems like a good time to make the effort. When I started thinking about this topic, I was sure that I had already done a post with this theme but it turns out I might have only done this in my head. Recently I nearly did a Six Degrees of Separation post using numbers but decided against it for the same reason.

I am still going to go with my original idea which is a play on numbers rather than specifically in the title. Let's see how this go

Battle Royale by Lucy Parker - my first book by this author, but not the last. Also the first book in the Palace Insiders series.

Second Place by Rachel Cusk - I listened to Rachel Cusk's session at Melbourne Writers Festival. I am not sure that she is an author that I would read but it was interesting listening to her talk.

The Cartographer's Secret by Tea Cooper - the third book that I gave a rating of 5/5 this year.

The Fourth Bear by Jasper Fforde - For obvious reasons.

The Life She Imagines by Maggie Christensen - The fifth book in the Granite Springs series.

The Time of Singing by Elizabeth Chadwick - the sixth book I read by Elizabeth Chadwich. She has a new book out which is why I had her on my mind. I also need to get back and read her as I am now a few books behind.

The Seven Sisters by Lucida Riley - Another obvious choice.

84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff -  I know....cheating! but it starts with an 8 right?

Snowy Mountains Daughter by Alissa Callen - The ninth book I read this year. The next book in this series has recently been announced and I can't wait to read it!

The Sundial by Shirley Jackson - the tenth book on my kindle to read right now. This is the upcoming group read for RIP XVI. 

Six Degrees of Separation: Second Place to The Kitchen Child

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.

This month, the book that Kate has chosen as the starting point is Second Place by Rachel Cusk who I am plannning to watch in one of the online sessions at Melbourne Writers Festival (MWF) this weekend.

Another author that I  have seen at MWF is Sarah Dunant. At the time she was talking about her book Blood & Beauty which is about Lucrezia Borgia. One of the talks I attended was also addressed by an art specialist who talked about some of the symbolism in a painting.

I do have a lot of books that I have read which talk about art and history. I ended up choosing Girl in Hyacinth Blue by Susan Vreeland which traces the various owners of a particular painting back through time. (review)

The Riviera House by Natasha Lester is a new release that I read last week which focuses on art that was stolen from owners during World War II, in particular a painting that is owned by one of the main characters in current times. I am planning on posting a review of this book in the next week or so.

As I mentioned I could just do a whole 6 Degrees post on historical fiction books that I have read about art through history. Maybe another time. For today I am linking to Mr Rosenblums List by Natasha Solomons, a book that I read and loved years ago.

There isn't really a logical link between Mr Rosenblums list and my choice, Major Pettigrews Last Stand by Helen Simonson. In my mind though, they are books that seem to have a similar feel, and I think I read them relatively closely together. I just checked my list and there was two months difference. (review)

My final link is actually to a short story called The Kitchen Child by Angela Carter. I chose it because it is read by Helen Simpson (sounds similar to Helen Simionson)  as part of a series that was original released by The Guardian around 10 years. If you have twenty minutes spare, I did listen to this story again as I wrote this post and it was still delightful. (review)

The starting point for next month is The Lottery by Shirley Jackson, and I already know what my first link is!!