six degrees of separation

Six Degrees of Separation: From Stasiland to The Mirror and the Light

Which day is it?  At the moment it seems very hard to keep track of the passing time.  One thing is for sure: if it is the first Saturday of the month, then it is time for Six Degrees of Separation, hosted by Kate over at BooksAreMyFavouriteAndBest.

This month we are starting with Stasiland by Anna Funder, a fascinating-sounding collection of stories about life for people in the former East Germany.  I have particularly been encouraged to add this to my To Be Read pile after listening to a recent episode of one of my most favourite podcasts, the BBC’s A Good Read, in which comedian Angela Barnes picked Stasiland as her book choice. Continue reading →

Six Degrees of Separation: from Wolfe Island to The Passion

Here we are at the start of another month, bringing with it the chance to write another Six Degrees post.  This is a monthly book meme hosted by Kate over at Booksaremyfavouriteandbest.  I don’t seem to be able to concentrate much on proper reading at the moment.  So thinking about books is a good substitute for now.

This month we start with Wolfe Island by Lucy Treloar.  This does not appear to have been published in the UK yet, but its premise sounds like it will be worth a read in due course:  a woman lives in isolation on a small island which is threatened by rising sea levels.  The arrival of four unexpected visitors turns her already threatened life upside down. Continue reading →