It’s the first Saturday of the month so it must be time for #6degrees of separation. It works like this: 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. Kate’s choice is Ethan Frome, which I read recently and enjoyed. So much in fact that I wondered why I haven’t read any more of her books, something I will have to rectify. I’m pretty sure the only work I’m familiar with was the movie ‘The age of innocence’ by Martin Scorsese. Which lead me onto a book about Scorcese and other young filmmakers in the 1970’s that were at the crest of a wave of exciting movies that defined 1970’s film culture - Easy Rider, The godfather, The exorcist, Mean Streets, Jaws and Close encounters, Star Wars…..

Peter Siskinds ‘Easy Rider, Raging Bulls - How the sex, Drugs-Rock N Roll generation saved Holly'wood’ a joyous gossipy romp of a book through the making of some of my favourite movies and the careers and big personalities of some of those involved. One of whom is Dennis Hopper, who also starred in another of the big 70’s movies, ‘Apocalypse Now’, which is loosely based on the a novel called….

‘Heart of Darkness’ by Joseph Conrad, narrated by Charles Marlow as he embarks on a voyage along the Congo River into the heart of Africa, in his quest to find the reclusive Ivory trader, Kurtz. The Belgian Congo of the 1960’s also features in…..

‘The Poisonwood Bible’ by Barbara Kingsolver, about evangelical Baptist preacher, Nathan Price, who takes his wife and four daughters to set up home and mission in the Congo during a tumultuous time in post colonial Africa. Another Post colonial book I loved was….

‘The god of small things’ by Arundhati Roy, the 1997 Booker Prize winner. I can still remember how much I enjoyed the luscious prose of this book, which felt like a language of its own at times. It’s set in Post Colonial India and follows a multi generational family, jumping between 1969 & 1973. Speaking of small things….

is Claire Keegans absolutely masterful novella ‘Small things like these’ which I just recently read and reviewed, set just before Christmas in Ireland, 1985. It features Coal Merchant Bill Furlong, who finds himself taking a stance against the Catholic Church, which might change everything for his family. Although the town isn’t named, mention is made at one stage of Enniscorthy, which of course features in one of my favourite novels of recent years….

Colm Tóibins wonderful ‘Brooklyn.’

So that’s it for #6degrees this month. I started in Massachusetts and ended up in Brooklyn, via Hollywood, The Congo and South East Ireland. I really enjoy doing these, you don’t know which way its going to go and it’s great to rediscover some of my favourite books.

Please post yours below!