Six Degrees of Separation: From Pride and Prejudice to The Secret Garden

Posted on by luvtoread

This month is the first time I’m trying the Six Degrees of Separation meme, run by Books Are My Favorite and Best. You take a given title, and mentally wander your way through six books, seeing where you end up! There really are no rules, you don’t have to choose books that you’ve read, and it’s fun to see where everyone ends up. There’s a different title each month, and this month’s title is Pride and Prejudice, so how could I resist?

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The tagline on this edition is such fun! “Mom’s fishing for husbands–But the girls are hunting for love…”

Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is one of my favorite novels. It’s such a fun romantic comedy, and the sparkle and wit between Darcy and Elizabeth is a joy to read.

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“You pierce my soul.” Aaah – most romantic line ever!

Thinking of Jane Austen naturally leads me to my favorite Austen book, Persuasion. I adore this slow burn romance, and love the atmosphere of Bath and the sea that is prevalent here.

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Since we’re in “ye olden times”, and the British coast, this leads me to my next selection: Tracy Chevalier’s Remarkable Creatures, which is about the female fossil hunters Mary Anning and Elizabeth Philpot. I read this book when it first came out, and while it was very slow (truly not much happens in it), I found it fascinating and illuminating, and it’s a book I keep thinking about.

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Again, back to the ocean, and what sails on the ocean? Pirates! Who doesn’t love a pirate book? I bring you Cinnamon and Gunpowder by Eli Brown, a fun book that takes place during the Opium Wars, and our British hero, Owen, who happens to be a chef, is kidnapped by pirates and forced to cook for them. And oh yeah, did I mention that the pirate captain is a woman? This was a book club choice, and it really was a fun read and discussion!

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Pirates make me think of the detective Cyrus Barker who features in the Barker and Llewellyn historical murder mystery series by Will Thomas. This series is great fun and is set in Victorian London, with Barker being the detective (very similar to Sherlock Holmes), and Llewellyn is his assistant. Their banter is delightful, and Barker spent a lot of time in China during the Opium Wars, and has history with pirates. Some Danger Involved is the first book in the series.

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Detectives that remind me of Sherlock Holmes bring me to my next book, with a lead detective so dashing and mysterious! I’m talking about Nicholas Brisbane from Deanna Raybourn’s Lady Julia mysteries. These mysteries are set in Victorian London, and the first book, Silent in the Grave, sets up a delicious romance between Lady Julia and Brisbane. In the fourth book of the series, Dark Road to Darjeeling, the scene shifts to India, which leads me to my next selection.

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The children’s classic The Secret Garden begins in India, and then loops back to England. I’ve been hoping to get to this book this year, and I think now that I’ll start reading it!

What a fun meme! I’ve discovered a book to move to the top of my TBR, and got to revisit a few old favorites that I haven’t discussed yet on the blog. Where will next month take us?

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***All of these links are affiliate links which will take you to Amazon. If you purchase something, I get a small commission***

Have you read any of these books? Do any sound interesting? Where does Pride and Prejudice take you?

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28 thoughts on “Six Degrees of Separation: From Pride and Prejudice to The Secret Garden”

  2. Thanks for joining in!

    I LOVE the tagline on that edition of P&P – I wonder if Jane would be horrified or amused?!

    I loved Remarkable Creatures (actually going to hear Tracy speak at the Melbourne Writers Festival in a few weeks).

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    1. It’s a great tagline! And the cover art is funny too 🙂
      Oh, what fun to hear Tracy Chevalier speak! Remarkable Creatures is one of those books that has stuck with me through the years. I often think back on it – it’s so different from many books out there.

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  4. This is such a fun post! I adored The Secret Garden when I first read it as a child and I’m sure you will too. Definitely start reading it. *Goes off to buy female pirate captain book*

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  6. Ah, bliss, you mention two of my favourite books: Persuasion (my own next in thread and favourite Austen book) and The Secret Garden! And may I say that all of your picks seem to have gorgeous covers!

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  7. Love your chain! It’s so much fun seeing the different direction each of us goes off in. I’ve only read the two Austens, but the Tracy Chevalier sounds interesting and might sneak onto my TBR when I’m not looking… 😉 Glad you joined in – it’s one of the posts I most enjoy doing every month, and enjoy reading everyone else’s too. 😀

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    1. It’s such a great meme – I like that it enables me to highlight some books that I read prior to blogging and haven’t had a chance to talk about on the blog yet. I’m looking forward to next month!
      The Chevalier is really fascinating – it’s one of those that I keep thinking about.

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  9. This sounds like a fun tag. I haven’t read any of these but Some Danger Involved does look like an interesting read. I have a faint feeling that I read the review of this or some other book of the same series on your blog.
    Nice read, as always. 🙂

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    1. Thanks! Yeah, I have talked about some of the later books in the Barker & Llewellyn series on the blog before – they are great fun! There’s a new one coming out in October I believe, and you’ll be seeing a review of that one when the book is released 🙂 I really enjoy the series!
      This really is a fun meme – everyone’s posts are always so different!

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    1. Remarkable Creatures is truly a unique book! It’s one that has really stayed with me over the years. I love your choices for the Six Degrees! All Jane Austen inspired!

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  11. Pingback: 6 Degrees of Separation – Pride and Prejudice | Perfectly Tolerable

  12. I came across your blog while looking for Pride and Prejudice related posts. This is awesome. Thank you so much for introducing me to it. (I know its run by BooksAreMyFavoriteAndBest, but I found it first through your blog!)

    I loved your chain 🙂 and you did a really great job of keeping your explanations interesting and easy to follow.

    You can see my chain here: https://perfectlytolerable.com/2017/08/16/6-degrees-of-separation-pride-and-prejudice/

    On a completely random note, about 2 years ago I decided to keep a list of every book I have ever read. I did my best to back-fill the list, but unfortunately it is impossible to remember every book I have ever read. (Cuz I read a lot) Reading thorough your chain I realized I had read Remarkable Creatures in a Woman’s Lit class in college, and that it was not on my list. So thank you! Because of you my list is now one book closer to being complete!

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    1. Thank you! This was my first time taking part in the meme – it’s such a fun one! I’m looking forward to future selections and discovering new books.
      Glad to hear I helped you with your list 🙂 Do you just write the titles down or do you use Goodreads to keep track of everything? I currently use Goodreads but have been wondering if just a typed list (or excel spreadsheet) would be better.

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        1. That is an awesome list!! I am so impressed! I really like your list idea – and the fact that you have the series title & number in series listed. I’ll definitely keep it in mind if I decide to do my own list someday. I used to use Shelfari, and then Shelfari merged with Goodreads and I lost some of my books and I also lost a lot of my “dates read”, which was frustrating. I’ve never really been a big fan of Goodreads, so have been debating keeping my own list on the side. I’ve got lists for books I have, books in series that I’ve read/need to read, etc but I don’t have one for all the books I’ve ever read 🙂

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