It’s time for #6degrees, inspired by Kate at Books Are My Favourite and Best. We all start at the same place as other readers, add six books, and see where it ends up. This month’s starting point is Theory & Practice by Michelle de Kretser (2024). It won the Stella Prize, which recognizes Australian women's writing but does not get much attention in the US.
First Degree
I haven’t read Theory & Practice but years ago my friend, Margaret Evans Porter, recommended another book by that author, The Rose Grower (1999), which is set during the time of the French Revolution but far away in Gascony (I think Margaret was drawn to this book because she is not only a historical novelist but also an avid rose grower).
Second Degree
Margaret’s delightful book, A Pledge of Better Times (2015), takes place soon after the death of Charles II during the unrest of his brother James II’s rule. It’s about Duke of St. Albans, the late king's bastard son by actress Nell Gwyn, who rebels against his newly crowned uncle's manipulation. My review.
Third Degree
I suppose my theme is rebellion and revolution, which is suitable because I am writing this on July 4th. In Campion Towers, a juvenile historical by John and Patricia Beatty (1965), Charles II is a fugitive from Oliver Cromwell and has not regained his thrown. The English Civil War is seen from the perspective of an American girl, orphaned and sent to her English relatives. My review.
Fourth Degree
My next link is “towers” – familiar to many readers is the Malory Towers series: Darrell Rivers first arrives as a 12-year-old at boarding school in Cornwall in First Term at Malory Towers (1946). My sister and I loved Enid Blyton’s boarding school books and longed for midnight feasts and wild pranks. Which do you like best: Malory Towers, St. Clare’s, or The Naughtiest Girl in the School? There was a funny article in the New York Times this week about a man in Britain who accidentally found his wife’s childhood Blytons! I also came across one of my books at a book sale a few years ago – although I had not donated it!
Fifth Degree
Another book set in Cornwall is The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher (1987). This was her big breakout book and is about Penelope Keeling who starts reflecting on her life after a mild heart attack. For those who have read this recently, doesn’t Penelope have the worst adult children? My review.
Sixth Degree
I haven’t read Theory & Practice but years ago my friend, Margaret Evans Porter, recommended another book by that author, The Rose Grower (1999), which is set during the time of the French Revolution but far away in Gascony (I think Margaret was drawn to this book because she is not only a historical novelist but also an avid rose grower).
Margaret’s delightful book, A Pledge of Better Times (2015), takes place soon after the death of Charles II during the unrest of his brother James II’s rule. It’s about Duke of St. Albans, the late king's bastard son by actress Nell Gwyn, who rebels against his newly crowned uncle's manipulation. My review.
I suppose my theme is rebellion and revolution, which is suitable because I am writing this on July 4th. In Campion Towers, a juvenile historical by John and Patricia Beatty (1965), Charles II is a fugitive from Oliver Cromwell and has not regained his thrown. The English Civil War is seen from the perspective of an American girl, orphaned and sent to her English relatives. My review.
My next link is “towers” – familiar to many readers is the Malory Towers series: Darrell Rivers first arrives as a 12-year-old at boarding school in Cornwall in First Term at Malory Towers (1946). My sister and I loved Enid Blyton’s boarding school books and longed for midnight feasts and wild pranks. Which do you like best: Malory Towers, St. Clare’s, or The Naughtiest Girl in the School? There was a funny article in the New York Times this week about a man in Britain who accidentally found his wife’s childhood Blytons! I also came across one of my books at a book sale a few years ago – although I had not donated it!
Another book set in Cornwall is The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher (1987). This was her big breakout book and is about Penelope Keeling who starts reflecting on her life after a mild heart attack. For those who have read this recently, doesn’t Penelope have the worst adult children? My review.
The Shell Detectives by Emylia Hall (2023) is also set in Cornwall and was recommended by my friend Cath. I just started it but the plot involves a recent widow, Ally Bright, who lives on the Cornish coast. She finds a body on the beach while walking her dog and naturally sets out to solve the mystery, as one does. At least, I would if I ever discovered a body. 
Have you read any of these? France, England, Cornwall – not much geographic diversity this month! I am thinking about my lovely visit to Cornwall three years ago this weekend with Cath and her dear husband Peter: it was such a good time and I was so glad to have time with them before his untimely loss in 2024.
For next month, August 2, 2025, Kate has chosen The Safekeep by Yael Van Der Wouden.
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