Six Degrees of Separation - Book Style (2)

How is Pushing the Limits related to The Knife of Never Letting Go?

I had such fun doing my last six degrees, that I'm going to try and make it a regular feature every month or so. It's a great way to look back and rethink about the books I've read recently. As before, I've read all of these books in the past month, and all of their similarities are elements that stood out to me in each book.

First: A confession. I went a bit overboard and this list exploded into 9 books instead of 6. I kept thinking about connections and couldn't stop myself. Really it's nine degrees this month. 

NOTE: I've stuck to my no spoilers rule, so you're safe to read these even if you haven't read the books. (Unless I say SPOILER)

Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry and Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard feature main characters who are visual artists. When the books begin, both Echo and Bria have stopped drawing because of things that happened in their past. 

Travel plays a big role Wanderlove and Small Damages by Beth Kephart, so much so that the locations that Bria and Kenzie visit are almost characters in their stories, and have a profound affect on their lives. 

Although the subjects of Small Damages and Raw Blue by Kirsty Eager are very different, both are quiet, internal stories about a characters' personal journey to figure out how she wants to live her life. Also, Kenzie and Carly both have ‘jobs’ where they cook, and they spend a lot of time in the kitchen. 

Raw Blue and Monstrous Beauty by Elizabeth Fama take place along the coast – the former in Australia and the latter in New England of the US. The sea plays an integral part in both stories. Carly is drawn to the ocean to surf daily, and Syrenka is a mermaid, who even when she's on land, longs for the water. 

Graveyards are very important places for meeting spirits in both Monstrous Beauty and The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater.

Birds and bird imagery are big themes in both The Raven Boys and Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier. Magic and mythology also play a role in both stories (I know that sounds vague, but saying more would be a spoiler).

(Slight SPOILER if you haven't read Obsidian yet:) Both Daughter of the Forest and Onyx by Jennifer Armentrout feature main characters who are healers. The ability to heal is integral to who they are and it is key to the plot of both books. 

One word: aliens. In Onyx, aliens are living on earth. In The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness, humans are living on an alien planet.  

So there you have it. A small look at how my brain makes connections between books, and also sampling of what I read last month. Can you make your own six+ degrees out of the books you've read recently? See any connections I missed?