stargazer

Six Degrees Of Separation – From Shuggie Bain to Dorian Gray

Happy Easter everyone! I have been off work all week and have spent lots of time outside in the lovely spring weather, where temperatures reached 23C (unfortunately, it has gone cold again). In celebration of Easter, spring and the gradual lift of lockdown, I am joining in with my favourite meme.

Six Degrees of Separation is hosted by Kate, who each month decides on a starting book, from which everyone builds a chain of six books. Feel free to join in and post your link here.

Starting point: Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart

This month, we start with Shuggie Bain, which won the Booker Prize 2020. As usual, I haven’t read the starting book and I’m not sure I intend to either.

1. Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid

I have read another one from the Booker longlist 2020 though. Such a Fun Age has the dubious honour of being one of the worst books, I’ve read for a while. Normally, I know my own taste quite well, but perhaps I got caught up in the hype. Shallow, gossipy with annoying characters and intolerable dialogue, this is one I could have lived without.

2. Love and Other Thought Experiments by Sophie Ward

Love and Other Thought Experiments, which also featured on the Booker longlist 2020, was on the other hand one of the best books I’ve read for a while. This is philosophical fiction in its most entertaining form: playful, thought-provoking and extremely clever.

3. Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi

Like Love and Other Thought Experiments, I can easily see Transcendent Kingdom competing for a spot on my best-of-2021 list. Dealing with a broad range of topics, the discussion of religion vs science stands as the dominating theme. But this isn’t a dry, intellectual discussion; Transcendent Kingdom appeals to the heart as well as the head and I can’t recommend it enough.

4. Miracle Creek by Angie Kim

Both in Miracle Creek and Transcendent Kingdom we follow an immigrant family trying to build a new life for themselves in the US. Marketed as a courtroom drama, Miracle Creek offers a great deal more. The taboos around living with an ill or a special-needs child, which drains all energy from the family, is just one of the many issues, the author handles with great insight and honesty.

5. Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro

In Klara and the Sun we also hear about a sick child and a mother trying to cope. I enjoyed reading about Klara, who is an AI character, but overall this novel was a disappointment, especially compared to other Ishiguro novels such as Never Let Me Go and The Remains of the Day.

6. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

A portrait plays a role in Klara and the Sun as well as in The Picture of Dorian Gray. The latter offers plenty of Wilde’s usual sharp and witty dialogue, but is quite dark compared to his famous plays.

So there you have it. This is the first time I’ve created a chain from books, which have all been reviewed on my blog, most of them fairly recently. For regular visitors of this blog, perhaps that is too much repetition? Never mind, next time I’ll do it differently.

55 comments

  1. No, it’s fine. It’s reminded me to order Transcendent Kingdom from the library and to look out for the Sophie Ward. I really enjoyed Shuggie Bain, but it’s no Feel-Good novel. A really interesting chain.

    • Thanks Margaret. I’ve heard so many different views on Shuggie Bain; some have said it was their best read in 2020, others had to DNF. Perhaps, I will change my mind over time, but at the moment I don’t feel like picking it up.

    • Well, you can’t win them all… Hopefully, I will enjoy his next book more. I also just saw his daughter has her first novel out. I bet she feels the pressure!

  3. No worries, I think it’s cool that I can recognize most of these for a change because I saw them on your blog 😄 Oh yeah, and happy Easter, hope you have a pleasant one!

    • Ah good, I suppose recognition doesn’t hurt. Thanks, I am enjoying my days off very much. Have you had some time off work? I was hoping to be able to build up my buffer of blog posts before work takes over again, but so far that hasn’t really materialised. On the other hand, I’ve done lots of other stuff (including relaxing and reading) so all is good. 😊

      • Haha, I always tell myself I’ll write more when work lets up a bit, but then I always spend my free time away from my laptop 😄 but hey, it’s not bad to just relax sometimes!
        Oh, we celebrate Easter in a bit less than a month here, so hopefully I’ll get some time off then. Though there’s rarely any time off for freelancers, to be honest

        • Ah yes, I keep forgetting that Easter doesn’t fall on the same dates in all countries. Actually, a girl at my local bakery told me, she didn’t mind working in the Easter weekend, because for her it wasn’t Easter yet. I hope you will enjoy Easter, when you get to it! 😀

          From time to time, I’ve considered what it must be like to work for yourself. In theory, it gives more flexibility, but I’m sure, I would end up working all the time.

          • Hahah yeah, and to be honest, I always forget Easter dates anyway, since they change every year. And thanks! 😄

            Yup, it’s kind of a double-edged sword in that sense. But for now, I think I prefer it to regular working hours just because I tend to find routine quite suffocating. We’ll see if I’ll keep thinking that in a few years of this though!

          • I think, some people are better suited to this way of working than others. Personally, I would love the flexibility (although during lockdown many of us have got more flexibility working from home) but I might find it nerve wrecking at times with the responsibility and potential uncertainty.

  4. Oh heck, I’m on the library waiting list for Such A Fun Age. I’ll head off to read your review, but what you say here makes me think I won’t enjoy it.

    I’ve heard a few things about the new Ishiguro being disappointing. I’ve a couple from his back catalogue on my To Read pile, so I’m not rushing to read Klara.

    I might give the Ward a look.

    I enjoyed your chain a lot. 😊

    • The new Ishiguro seems to be quite divisive, so of course you may be one of those who love it. But if you already have some of his other books on the TBR, I would probably prioritise those. I had been looking forward to Klara, because I love Ishiguro and am very interested in AI; perhaps my high expectations made the disappointment bigger. Glad to hear you enjoyed the chain! 😊

      • I love him, too, and don’t want to not like a book by him! I’ll no doubt get to it eventually, but I’m not going to rush to read it. I’ve got The Unconsoled, A Pale View of Hills and The Buried Giant waiting for my attention.

  5. Thanks for that enjoyable post. I couldn’t read Klara and The Sun – I got about a third of the way through. I didn’t like the atmosphere of the book. Generally, I love Ishiguro. Dorian Gray I have read many times even though I find parts of it horrific.

    • Thank for reading! 😊 I have seen other people having to DNF Klara as well, so you are not the only one. Hopefully, he will return to his more melancholic and poignant stories, which are the ones I love the most. Some scenes in Dorian Gray are horrific, but it’s a great story.

    • Probably repetition doesn’t matter. I just thought of the countless times, I have mentioned how much I love Transcendent Kingdom and Love and Other Thought Experiments – perhaps, I’ve reached the limit! 😉 Miracle Creek was a pleasant surprise for me, a very readable page-turner, but with a lot of interesting topics.

    • I find that a very sensible prioritisation! 😁 Having said that, there are quite a few people, who love Such a Fun Age, so who knows…

  8. Interesting list, and I have even read one, The picture of Dorian Grey, and of course I’ve heard of the Ishiguro. I read all of his books, but one, up to 2009’s Nocturnes, but haven’t read the last few novels. I should.

    • Thanks Sue. The last Ishiguro isn’t one of his best, so I wouldn’t read it just for the sake of it. I am very interested in AI, which contributed to my enjoyment of Klara.

      • This is going to sound weird but I’m not sure how interested I am in AI! I’ve seen a couple of TV shows and they’ve interested me but not fully engaged me, as if knowing they are artificial stops me fully investing and yet AI is intriguing to think about just how far it can, and will, go.

        • It doesn’t sound weird at all not to be interested in AI, I am sure that goes for a lot of people. There is probably still a long way to go, before we reach AI comparable with human intelligence, although it is getting closer. Also, we are already surrounded by AI, even if we don’t think about it. The algos behind Google is some of the most sophisticated AI today and I bet most of us use Google on a daily basis.

  9. I was keen to see how you were going to lead from Shuggie Bain to Dorian Gray! I find the “mystery” in Dorian Gray very spine-shilling, with a portrait at the heart of it all indeed. And I’ve seen other bloggers call Klara disappointing too, I guess Ishiguro didn’t manage that AI question all that well.
    ~Lex

    • I think you can probably connect all books to each other one way or another. That’s what I like about Six Degrees, there aren’t really any rules. 😊 Yes, I’ve also seen very mixed reactions to Klara. There are many readers, who seem to love it, but I didn’t think he added a lot to the AI discussion, which admittedly is complex.

  11. Happy Easter! This is an interesting meme. Maybe I will try it out one day … I still have not read ‘The Transcendent Kingdom’ and ‘Klara and the Sun’. The latest book by Ishiguro is at the top of my reading list.

    • I look forward to hear your opinion on Klara and the Sun. It seems to be quite divisive, with some people loving it and others having to DNF. Six Degrees is good fun, so if you like to “play” with books, you should definitely give it a go. Also, it’s a nice way to meet new bloggers.

    • Thanks Jonetta! The Sophie Ward book really was quite unique and enjoyable, combining contemporary literature, philosophy and sci-fi.

  14. My chain ended with an Oscar Wilde book this month too. Sorry to hear you were disappointed with Klara and the Sun. I’ve enjoyed some of Ishiguro’s earlier books but that one doesn’t sound very appealing to me.

    • Well, to me Klara was disappointing, but it seems like lots of readers enjoy it. Oscar Wilde is one of my favourite writers, I will look into the book you included in your chain.

    • Thanks! Haha, my gut instinct told me, Normal People wouldn’t be for me, so I never even made an attempt. I wonder why that same gut instinct failed me when it came to Such a Fun Age. I haven’t read The Buried Giant, but I didn’t think Klara and the Sun was really bad. It just wasn’t anywhere close to some of his other books, which I’ve enjoyed in the past.

  17. I’m on the waiting list for Trascendent Kingdom – probably thanks to you, Stargazer! No interest in Klara; I have no wish to tarnish my love for Remains of the Day! Great chain though!

    • Thanks Sandra. I really hope, you will enjoy Transcendent Kingdom, when you get to it. To be honest, I can’t recall anyone who didn’t like it. I fully understand your stance on Klara. It’s interesting, how Klara and The Remains of the Day are almost opposites in terms of setting; one is in a future, sci-fi world, the other in old England, with social classes, butlers and lords. Both settings appeal to me, it was the storyline in Klara, which disappointed.

  18. I’ve had Such a Fun Age lurking on my Kindle for a long time but never quite bracing myself to read it – I thought this was because it was an e-book, which is not my preferred format, but after reading your thoughts on it, I might give it a miss anyway.

    • From what I’ve seen on your blog, I somehow doubt Such a Fun Age would be your kind of read, so probably it makes sense to give it a miss.

  19. I don’t mind being reminded of what you’ve already reviewed recently on your blog. Reminds me of the gazillion of books I still need to get around to hahah Especially Dorian Gray! Great post! 😀

    • Most people probably read so many posts, so they barely notice if there is any repetition on one specific blog. Dorian Gray is certainly worth reading, I hope you get the chance to read it, sooner or later.

  20. I don’t find it repetitive at all! In fact I like posts like these and remind me books you enjoyed and didn’t. I really wanna read love and other thought experiments! But sigh just too.many.books! 😭

    • I am glad to hear that. 🙂 Yes, there really are too many books, but I guess it’s a positive problem – much better than the opposite! 😉

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