Six Degrees

Usually our Friday posts include a list of books or authors with similar writing styles, characters, genres, or tones. But where's the fun in always doing the expected?

Have you ever played the six degrees of Kevin Bacon? A Madison librarian, Sarah Statz Cords, came up with a variation for those of us better at naming authors than actors. That said, we won't limit you to just books, if a movie or television show helps you connect the dots between your six items, go for it! Post your list here, or on our Facebook Page.

I'll start us off:

1) The Nine: inside the secret world of the Supreme Court by Jeffrey Toobin has been on my To Read list ever since my father, brother, and sister all told me that they loved it.

2) True Believers by Kurt Andersen is a book that I did read this year. The main character, Karen Hollander, has just turned down the opportunity to become a member of the Supreme Court because of a dark secret in her past.

3) Less of a secret was her youthful love for all things James Bond. While Karen and her friends preferred the books, today most of us are more familiar with the movies, including Judi Dench in the role of M.

4) Judi Dench's career has included a number of parts in movie adaptations, including Mrs. Fairfax in the 2011 film of Jane Eyre, my all time favorite book.

5) I can't bring myself to watch any of the movie versions of Jane Eyre, but I did read The Flight of Gemma Hardy by Margot Livesey. A retelling of Jane Eyre set in the 1950s and '60s.

6) The narrator of the audiobook for The Flight of Gemma Hardy is one of my favorites: Davina Porter. She's also the voice behind Diana Gabaldon's wonderful Outlander.



Think it's too easy? Try to find the connections between your favorite book and favorite movie (no points if your favorite movie was based off of your favorite book), have a friend pick the two titles you have to connect, or see how many lists you can make that include your favorite author.