luvtoread

It’s a new month and time for another Six Degrees of Separation entry! Six Degrees of Separation is a monthly meme where Kate from booksaremyfavouriteandbest selects a title and then those of us who participate take that title and then link to other books. It’s such a fun meme and I look forward to seeing which title is selected each month!

***this post contains affiliate links. The Amazon links are affiliate links which means that if you click the link and make a purchase on Amazon, then I will receive a small commission.***

This month the title is one that I’ve read, A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles. So let’s see where this month takes me! Hint: we’re going to stay in Russia this month since there is so much inspiration there for good reads.

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Official Synopsis from Goodreads: The mega-bestseller with more than 1.5 million readers that is soon to be a major television series

He can’t leave his hotel. You won’t want to.

From the New York Times bestselling author of Rules of Civility–a transporting novel about a man who is ordered to spend the rest of his life inside a luxury hotel.

In 1922, Count Alexander Rostov is deemed an unrepentant aristocrat by a Bolshevik tribunal, and is sentenced to house arrest in the Metropol, a grand hotel across the street from the Kremlin. Rostov, an indomitable man of erudition and wit, has never worked a day in his life, and must now live in an attic room while some of the most tumultuous decades in Russian history are unfolding outside the hotel’s doors. Unexpectedly, his reduced circumstances provide him entry into a much larger world of emotional discovery.

Brimming with humor, a glittering cast of characters, and one beautifully rendered scene after another, this singular novel casts a spell as it relates the count’s endeavor to gain a deeper understanding of what it means to be a man of purpose.

Links:   Amazon   |   Goodreads   |   My Review

 I liked this book, but didn’t love it as much as I expected to. I was expecting to have more of a focus on the history of the Russian Revolution in this read, and I didn’t get that. But I did get much more of that in my first selection in this month’s chain:

The Revolution of Marina M by Janet Fitch

Links:   Amazon |   Goodreads   |   My Review

 Oh I loved this book so much. Epic historical fiction is one of my favorite types of books, and this book did not disappoint. Dramatic, graphic, inspirational, and unforgettable. Book Two of Marina’s story, Chimes of a Lost Cathedral (link goes to Amazon), has just been released, and I’m waiting to dig into this read when I can devote a big section of time to it. Another book I loved about the Russian Revolution was:

I Was Anastasia by Ariel Lawhon

Links:   Amazon   |   Goodreads   |   My Review

 This one was a twisty read about Anastasia told in an interesting way. Told with two narratives, one narrative has Anastasia headed toward that fateful day in Ekaterinburg, and another narrative has Anna Anderson, one who claims to be Anastasia, and Anna’s narrative works backwards. While in some ways confusing, this had a fabulous ending and I ended up loving it! Another book I loved that focused on Anastasia was:

Romanov by Nadine Brandes

 Links:   Amazon   |   Goodreads   |   My Review

 This one is a YA re-telling with a fantastical spin, and I really thought that concept worked well here. The Romanov story is one that I find fascinating. Another book that I’ve read about the Romanov’s is:

The Tsarina’s Daughter by Carolly Erickson

Links: Amazon   |   Goodreads

 I don’t remember too much about this book. I read it a very long time ago! This read focuses on Tatiana, another Romanov sister. Another book that focuses on another Russian royal is:

Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman by Robert K. Massie

Links:   Amazon |   Goodreads

 This one is a bit different from the other reads in my chain as it is a nonfiction read, a biography of Catherine the Great. I also read this one quite a while ago, and I remember that it did take me quite a bit of time to get through. Another read that focuses on Russia that took me forever to get through is:

War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy

 Links:   Amazon |   Goodreads   |   My Review

 I do not understand the popularity of this book! Maybe it’s just because it took me so long to finish this one, but I just do not understand why so many people love this. I still haven’t seen the recent-ish miniseries, and perhaps that will help clarify characters and plot that I missed while reading. Oh well, they can’t all be great!

There’s my chain for the month of September! I stayed in Russia, a country whose history I am fascinated by, and one day I hope to travel there! Where will next month take me?

Have you read any of these books? Are there any famous classics that you can’t stand? Can you believe it’s already September!!??