Saturday, October 5, 2024

Six Degrees of Separation, from Long Island to Vintage 1954




Six Degrees of Separation
is a monthly meme, now hosted by Kate @ books are my favorite and best.

On the first Saturday of every month, a book is chosen as a starting point and linked to six other books to form a chain. Readers and bloggers are invited to join in by creating their own ‘chain’ leading from the selected book.

This month we start from yet another book I haven't read, though I have read the previous book in the series:

0. Long Island by Colm Tóibín



Long Island is the long awaited sequel to one of Tóibín's most memorable novels: Brooklyn. We are following again the fate of the heroine, Ellis Lacey. From Goodreads: "From the beloved, critically acclaimed New York Times bestselling author comes a spectacularly moving and intense novel of secrecy, misunderstanding, and love, the story of Eilis Lacey, the complex and enigmatic heroine of Brooklyn, Tóibín’s most popular work, twenty years later." This reminded me of another book whose heroine name is also Lacey, though it is the first name, not surname, of the heroine.



1. Pretend You Didn't See Her by Mary Higgins Clark



Lacey Farrell is the heroine of this thriller - a murder witness placed in a witness protection program by the police, with new identity and new life. But originally she is a young woman works as real estate agent. Lately I have read another book, whose heroine shares the same occupation.



2. The Girl Who Reads on the Metro by Christone Féret-Fleury



Julie leads a boring, unwholesome existence in Paris as a real estate agent. She struggles to follow her routine life, because deep inside, she's an imaginative girl. And that's why her daily métro journey is the one sparkle in her otherwise dim existence. Her imagination brings life to her fellow passengers as if they are characters in her book. Julie instantly reminded me of another imaginative girl I have read about long ago.


3. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn



Francie Nolan is a little girl who comes from a poor family in Brooklyn. Excerpt from my review: "In a way, her ‘dreamy’ father had a contribution to Francie’s imagination quality, and fortunately, she also inherited her mother’s toughness and practical way of living. With all these, Francie became the first of the Rommelys who could go to college and had a decent career." There is a very strong tree near the Nolans' house. "Now here is the resemblance of Francie and the strong-built Tree of Heaven. Throughout the story, you would be taken to witness how Francie strove from the poverty, the loneliness of being unique, and the strong need of love." This tree reminded me of another tree in another title which also becomes a crucial point of the story.



4. The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury



Six boys prepared to go for trick-or-treating, and found in front of a haunted house, a huge tree with branches, laden with Jack-o-lanterns - The Halloween Tree! That Halloween would be the one they'll never forget. Last year I have read another book by Ray Bradbury with adolescent boys as main character, about a summer one of the boys will never forget.|



5. Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury



Dandelion Wine is Ray Bradbury's remembrance of his childhood. Quoting from my review, "[...] summer is Douglas' favorite season. During summer holidays Douglas and Tom, his little brother, used to stay at their grandfather's house, and help him preparing bottles of Dandelion wines. In Douglas' view, each bottle contains the essence of every event that had happened during that summer holiday, that he wishes not to forget." Another book where certain wine transported the characters to a unique experience is...



6. Vintage 1954 by Antoine Laurain



I'm glad this chain ended with one of my favorite authors. "The year 1954, wine and UFO. These are three elements that Antoine Laurain had woven into a fantastic time-travelling story set in Paris." Here is my complete review if you're intrigued.


Have you read those books? If you do #sixdegree, how it worked out for you this time?

14 comments:

  1. I enjoyed reading your post. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is the only one of yours that I've read but I am tempted to read Vintage and The Girl Who Reads on the Metro. My chain went a completely different way - https://booksplease.org/2024/10/04/six-degrees-of-separation-from-long-island-by-colm-toibin-to-last-seen-wearing-by-colin-dexter/

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    1. Thanks, Margaret! I wish you'd get to read both, especially Vintage 1954. I'll take a look on your chain later!

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  2. I haven't read any from your appetising chain, and the Laurain is the one that tempts me first, as I love the ones by him i've already read. Yours is so different from my own chain!

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    1. Oh... now I'm curious to take a look at your chain!

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  3. I read a lot of Mary Higgins Clark books years ago and I think Pretend You Don't See Her was one of them, although I can't remember much about it now. I'm interested in the two Ray Bradbury books as I enjoyed one of his others, Something Wicked This Way Comes.

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    1. And I've been meaning tor read Something Wicked This Way Comes. Ah...maybe next year! I wish you'd have fun with whichever Ray Bradbury you'll read next, Helen! ;)

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  4. Some interesting choices for your chain 🙂

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    1. Thank you Claire! I've enjoyed building this chain!

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  5. Wait... that Antoine Laurain is a time-travel story? Oh... hm... No matter. Lovely chain here.

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    1. It's a great time travel, like the movie Midnight in Paris

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    2. I wish you'll get to read this, Davida! Agree with Emma, it has the Midnight in Paris vibe.

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  6. awesome connections! I loved 3 and 6, and 4 and 5 are on my TBR!
    https://wordsandpeace.com/2024/10/05/six-degrees-of-separation-from-murder-to-music/

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  7. Vintage 1954 was such a fun read! Now I want to track down The Girl Who Reads on the Metro!

    Great chain!

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  8. The Girl Who Reads on the Metro sounds quite compelling, and time-travel with Laurain sounds fun too!

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What do you think?