Six Degrees of Separation - November 22

First Friday of the month, so time for #6degrees of separation, hosted by Kate over at Books are my favourite and best. Each month a book is chosen as a starting point and linked to six others to form a chain. A book doesn’t need to be connected to all the titles on the list, only to the one next to it in the chain.

The starting point for this month is Jamie Oliver’s ‘The naked Chef’ which I have to admit I haven’t read. I turned Vegan a couple of years ago and I have a couple of books that I keep returning to (the happy pear). But I read an interview with Jamie recently and he seems like a nice chap and after checking out his website I can see a few vegan recipes I can try out.

Anyway, obviously he's a chef, as is Anthony Bourdain, who was the subject of one of 12 essays previously published in the ‘New yorker’ and now making up 'Rogues - true stories of grifters killers rebels and crooks .' Patrick Radden Keefe spends time with the much missed travel presenter and presents a fascinating portrait of the man, highlighting his frantic creative energy. In one of Bourdains excellent 'parts unknown’ episodes, he met with....

….Mark Lanegan, frontman of the band screaming trees, also sadly no longer with us but author of one of my favourite rock memoirs 'Sing backwards and weep.' It's an uncompromising account of a life spent tackling demons, and full of eye opening anecdotes of a wild rock and roll lifestyle. Lanegan was very much part of the seattle scene back then, which is where...

…….orthopaedic doctor Tom Baxter is based, and where he wishes he'd stayed, before taking the family on a trip to Australia in 'The island' which goes badly wrong when they try to see some koalas in the wild. This is a high octane, hugely enjoyable thriller where the author Adrian McKinty throws the kitchen sink at his characters. Sticking to the 'island' theme....

Donal Ryans recently published 'The queen of dirt island' is about four generations of women living in rural Tipperary. Another wonderfully written book, these strong characters and the stories of love and loss whilst dealing with life in Ireland kept me engrossed. We've had a queen, now lets have a....

King, as in Stephen King and his most recent 'Fairy tale' which is anything but. As ever, King spins a good yarn and I enjoyed this and the fun he has with some well known fairy tales, even though at 600 pages it felt a tad long. Since we're talking tales, what about finishing with...

The way home: Tales from a life without technology where Mark Boyle gives up electricity and eschews modern living to live in a hut in the West of Ireland. Looking at the news on a daily basis makes this an ever attractive proposition but I'd miss reading everyones six degrees of separation picks each month.

Until next time.

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NonFiction November - My year in Nonfiction