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It’s the first Saturday of the month which means it’s time for 6 Degrees of Separation!
Here’s how it works: a book is chosen as a starting point by Kate at Books Are My Favourite and Best 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.
Kate says: Books can be linked in obvious ways – for example, books by the same authors, from the same era or genre, or books with similar themes or settings. Or, you may choose to link them in more personal or esoteric ways: books you read on the same holiday, books given to you by a particular friend, books that remind you of a particular time in your life, or books you read for an online challenge. Join in by posting your own six degrees chain on your blog and adding the link in the comments section of each month’s post. You can also check out links to posts on Twitter using the hashtag #6Degrees.
This month’s starting book is Beach Read by Emily Henry. As is often the case, it’s a book I haven’t read or, to be honest, am likely to read as it doesn’t really sound my thing.
But picking up on the ‘beach’ element of the title, my first link is to The Beach at Doonshean by Penny Feeny. It tells the story of Julia, a widow, who decides to return to a wild corner of Ireland, the site of a tragedy thirty years before, in an attempt to lay to rest the past.
The Truth Must Dazzle Gradually by Helen Cullen is also set in a remote part of Ireland. It tells the story of married couple, Maeve and Murtagh, and the impact a tragic event has on the members of their family.
Strains in a relationship form the basis for The House of Birds by Morgan McCarthy. Oliver’s girlfriend, Kate, inherits a derelict house. She wants to strip it, sell it and move on but the house holds a mysterious allure for Oliver, as well as a secret.
There’s another house with a mystery associated with it in The House at Helygen by Victoria Hawthorne. When Henry Fox is found dead in his ancestral home in Cornwall the police rule it a suicide but his pregnant wife, Josie, believes it was murder and embarks on a quest to learn the truth.
Staying in Cornwall and the theme of family secrets, in The Birdcage by Eve Chase three half-sisters gather at Rock Point, the Cornish cliff house where they once sat for their father’s most celebrated painting, ‘Girls with Birdcage’.
A painting is also the focus of Molly & The Captain by Anthony Quinn. The portrait of his two daughters – a painting known as ‘Molly & The Captain’ – by famous artist William Merrymount forms a connection between the lives of characters separated by over three hundred years.
My chain has taken me on a journey from a beach house on Lake Michigan to Georgian Bath. Where did your chain take you?
Well, I wouldn’t decline to read any one of these, I don’t think. Molly and the Captain is available in my library, so maybe that’s the place to start. Great chain – thanks!
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A very neat chain, Cathy. The Cullen’s on my list!
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I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
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Fascinating chain. I haven’t read any of these but a couple have piqued my interest.
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I have never heard of any of the books on you chain this month, but just about all of them caught my attention. Especially the last two – The Bird Cage and Mollie & the Captain.
Lovely chain!
Happy New Year!
Elza Reads
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Very nice work. I like the sound of two of these books–I love finding new-to-me books each month. Molly & the Captain–I like the premise.
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I love your connections and I enjoy a good family drama so I’ll want to check some of these out since I dont’ know of any of them. Thanks for the visit.
Terrie @ Bookshelf Journeys
https://www.bookshelfjourneys.com/post/sunday-post-32
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Great chain with an interesting set of books. Especially, The Birdcage intrigues me with the Cornish setting, references to art and a couple of family secrets. Might be right up my alley.
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Great chain, Cathy. I am definitely intrigued by a couple of these books.
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I don’t know any of these books but settings involving Ireland and Cornwall, and interesting houses, are all appealing. Good chain.
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I don’t think I’ve heard of any of the books in your chain this month – so thank you to introducing me to so many new authors…
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This meme is responsible for me adding so many books to my wishlist!
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