Six Degrees of Separation is a meme hosted by Kate over at Books Are My Favourite and Best. It works like this: each month a book is chosen as a starting point and linked to six others to form a chain. A book doesn’t need to be connected to all the titles on the list, only to the one next to it in the chain.
This month we’re starting with Asako Yuzuki’s novel, Butter, which I’ve not read but I gather it explores the epistolatory relationship between a gourmet cook jailed for murder and a journalist.
Butter makes me think of indulgence leading me to Joanne Harris’ Chocolat.
Not much of a leap from there to Jonathan Coe’s Bournville set in the town Cadbury’s built for its workers.
Bournville chocolate has often been described as bittersweet leading me to Stephanie Danler’s SweetBitter set behind the scenes in a prestigious New York restaurant.
Sarah Gilmartin’s Service is a #MeToo restaurant novel about a celebrity chef and the woman he assaulted.
C Pam Zhang’s Land of Milk and Honey is also about a chef. This one’s tasked with wooing investors, serving delicacies on a high mountain top while the rest of the world starves. Zhang’s novel is the only one I’ve read to include a list of dishes eaten while writing it.
Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir’s Butterflies in November includes a set of recipes, many of which most of us would prefer to avoid. Sheepshead Jelly anyone?
This month’s Six Degrees has taken me from a French small town chocolaterie to an Icelandic road novel. Part of the fun of this meme is comparing the very different routes other bloggers take from each month’s starting point. If you’re interested, you can follow it on Twitter with the hashtag #6Degrees, check out the links over at Kate’s blog or perhaps even join in.
Lovely chain. Looks like several of us went the foodie route! YUM!
Thank you. Hard to resist, isn’t it!
Love the foodie chain. I’ve yet to read Butter, but own a copy. The only ones I haven’t read in your selection are Sweetbitter (but I have seen the TV series) and the Zhang, which I would like to read.
Thank you! I’ve been wondering about the TV series. The book is brilliant which puts me in two minds about it.
Same. My finger keeps hovering on that one. (But have you, either of you, seen “The Bear”, for a fab kitchen TV series?)
No, but I’ll check it out.
Great chain Susan – Chocolat to Bourneville is inspired!
Thanks, Cathy!
Delicious sounding chain
Thank you!
This is the first Six Degrees post I’ve read this month, but it’s certainly an appetising one!
Quite a few of us seemed to have food on our minds!
Excellent! And, as always, I’m off to add books to my TBR thanks to you!
There’s far too much food in these chains, and now I am overcome with a desire for chocolate!
Lots of foodie reads this month, which I am loving!
I have Bournville on my Kindle to read at some point!
It’s all very tempting, isn’t it! Hope you enjoy Bourneville when you get to it.
Excellent chain! I visited the Cadbury factory once and heard all about Bournville. Haven’t read the book though.
https://portobellobookblog.com/2024/06/01/6degrees-of-separation-june-2024-from-butter-by-asako-yuzuki-to-summer-at-the-ice-cream-cafe-by-jo-thomas/
Thank you! I’ve never been but I’m sure I’ve missed a treat. Thanks for the link.
Great links, and bravo to go from butter to butterfly!
https://wordsandpeace.com/2024/06/01/six-degrees-of-separation-from-murder-to-informer/
Ha! Thank you. I was so busy concentrating on the other links I didn’t notice that one until I posted. Thanks for your link.
Loved the foodie theme throughout, especially those chocolately links–both of which books I do need to read at some point. Land of Milk and Honey sounds well worth exploring too!
I couldn’t resist! Glad you enjoyed it.
Can’t go wrong with food, right?
Indeed! Particularly when it’s chocolate.
Such a delectable serving this time ’round!
Thank you!
Love your link from Chocolat to Bournville . Can you still buy Bournville I wonder? I didn’t like it much when I was younger because it was too bitter but now you have me hankering to give it a go!
Thanks! I’m sure you can. Cadbury’s Dairy Milk is still around although I haven’t had any for years.
My mother bought us some Galaxy bars at Easter and gosh they are sweet and not very chocolatey. We seem to be heading the way of the American style of chocolate. Yuk