So, two bloggers – Emma and Annabel – started a new meme called Six Degreeds of Separation. It sounded like a lot of fun, so I decided to join in!
Basically, they pick a book and anyone who wants to participate makes a list of six books in a “Read this…then that” format. It can be as specific or general as you want! Jane Austen can lead to Stephen King can lead to Nora Roberts. Whatever!
So, this month the chosen book is Burial Rites by Hannah Kent. It’s a really brilliantly written and atmospheric story set in 19th century Iceland surrounding a woman accused of murder.
Burial Rites by Hannah Kent Goodreads / Amazon
The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare Goodreads / Amazon
/ My Review
This has always struck me as a similar read to Burial Rites in a lot of ways – a harshly judged and misunderstood outsider in a community + a super atmospheric setting.
Across the Nightingale Floor by Lian Hearn Goodreads / Amazon
Oh, you want to talk more about books with birds in the title? Okay! This is the first in a fantasy series set in a fictional Oriental setting. It’s absolutely brilliant and stands alone just fine.
The Emperor’s Soul by Brandon Sanderson Goodreads / Amazon
/ My Review
I absolutely can’t bring up a fantasy Oriental setting without talking about this one. It’s a novella written by one of my all time favorite fantasy authors – I will always be ready to fight that Sanderson is the king of world building. Plus, this is a novella. Lots of fantastic world building compacted into less than 200 pages.
Big Boy by Ruthie Knox Goodreads / Amazon
/ My Review
Speaking of wonderful and complex novellas – this is a contemporary romance with trains, family drama…and enough chemistry to start a fire.
Calico Palace by Gwen Bristow Goodreads / Amazon
Drama, chemistry…trains? How about Calico Palace, one of my favorite novels set during one of my favorite settings – San Francisco during the Gold Rush.
Ride the Wind by Lucia St. Clair Robson Goodreads / Amazon
Talking about my favorite historical periods always brings me local – this is a fictionalized account of a true story about a young girl who was kidnapped in 1836 by the Comanche Indians. She grew up and ended up raising her own family as one of them before being discovered and more or less forced away from them. Really fascinating and heartbreaking story.
