Another month, another new starter book for the cool six degrees of separation bookish meme. The book that starts it off this month is Hydra by Adriane Howell.

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My First Six Degrees: Swimming With Krill From Hydra!

Hydra – A Theater for Dreamers – Dreamers –  Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpré — Love in the Library — Up From the Sea — Good Eating: The Short Life of Krill  – Hydra

The Pairs

Hydra – A Theater for Dreamers

Hydra by Adriane Howell –> A Theater for Dreamers by Polly Samson

The link: Hydra.

I have not read Hydra but it certainly sounds intriguing, and dark! Hydra is a dark Australian gothic novel of dark suspense and mental disquiet, with black humor throughout. As Anja finds herself adrift when her career goes awry, she finds herself drawn to a desolate, deserted beach-house, where a ‘other’ presence inhabits the grounds with her.

As for A Theater for Dreamers, I got the copy last year via NetGalley but somehow never got around to reading it. Well, this summer sounds like a good time to spend in Hydra, Greece, right, for this is a tale set on the Greek island of Hydra, where a young woman named Erica finds herself drawn into a bohemian world including Charmian Clift and George Johnston, as well as Leonard Cohen and others. Among these artists, she will find an unraveling utopia where everything is tested—the nature of art, relationships, and her own innocence.

A Theater for Dreamers – Dreamers

A Theater for Dreamers by Polly Samson –> Dreamers by Yuyi Morales (picture book)

The link: the word “dreamers.”

I read Morales‘ Dreamers a while ago and it really resonated with me in so many ways. Though I never reviewed this one, it is one I do recommend highly.

Dreamers is a celebration of making your home with the things you always carry: your resilience, your dreams, your hopes and history. It’s the story of finding your way in a new place, of navigating an unfamiliar world and finding the best parts of it.

Dreamers –  Planting Stories

Dreamers by Yuyi Morales –> Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpré by  Anika Aldamuy Denise with illustrations by Paula Escobar (picture book)

The link: the theme of immigrating with hope and stories in your heart; also, stunning illustrations in each book!!

Planting Stories is an inspiring picture book biography of storyteller, puppeteer, and New York City’s first Puerto Rican librarian, who championed bilingual literature. You can see my thoughts on the book here.

Planting Stories — Love in the Library

Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpré —> Love in the Library by Maggie Takuda-Hall and illustrated by Yas Imamura  (picture book)

The link: Libraries.

Love in the Library: Set in an incarceration camp where the United States cruelly detained Japanese Americans during WWII and based on true events, this moving love story finds hope in heartbreak. A beautiful read indeed, and one that is necessary as well.

Love in the Library — Up From the Sea

Love in the Library —> Up From the Sea by Lesa Lowitz  (a middle-grade novel in verse)

The link: Japan

Up from the Sea is a powerful novel-in-verse about how one teen boy survives the March 2011 tsunami that devastates his coastal Japanese village. Once I started this, I could not stop …

Up From the Sea — Good Eating

Up From the Sea — Good Eating: The Short Life of Krill by Matt Lilley and illustrated by Dan Tavis (6 – 8 years, nonfiction picture book)

The link: “Up from the sea”

Up from the Sea is a fun exploration of a tiny animal at the base of the ocean food chain! I read this one as part of the Cybils readathon late last year, and thoroughly enjoyed it. The krill sure is a fascinating creature!!

Closing the Circle

I guess if I wanted to, I could close the circle and link the krill (a sea-creature) back to Hydra (also a sea-creature!!).

My Second Six Degrees: From Hydra to Timbuktu and Back

Hydra – A Theater for Dreamers – Dance Me to the End of Love – Up to this Pointe – Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage – Cruelest Journey: Six Hundred Miles to Timbuktu – The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu and Their Race to Save the World’s Most Precious Manuscripts — Hydra

The Pairs

Hydra – A Theater for Dreamers

The link is Hydra here, and brings Hydra by Adriane Howell –> A Theater for Dreamers by Polly Samson together.

A Theater for Dreamers – Dance Me to the End of Love

The Link: Leonard Cohen (features in the first book and wrote the second one here)

This Art & Poetry edition of Dance Me to the End of Love was first published by Welcome Books i 1996, and this deliriously romantic song by Leonard Cohen is brilliantly visualized through the sensual paintings of Henri Matisse. A beautiful book through and through – both in the lyrics of Cohen’s song and Matisse’s artwork accompanying it.

Dance Me to the End of Love – Up to this Pointe

The link: dance

Up to this Pointe by Jennifer Longo (12 years and up) takes on a journey of self-exploration (of the dancer protagonist, I mean) as well as to Antarctica! When Harper’s plan goes south, literally and figuratively, it is up to Shackleton’s ghost to reach her in the south pole and to teach Harper that success isn’t always what’s important, sometimes it’s more important to learn how to fail successfully.

A lovely read for all!

Up to this Pointe – Endurance

The link: Antarctica and Shackleton

Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing was a stunning read about Shackleton’s attempt to reach the south pole. Read it!

Endurance – Cruelest Journey

The link: cruel incredible journeys!

Kira Salak’s adventure-travel memoir Cruelest Journey: Six Hundred Miles to Timbuktu was a book I picked by accident! And in the words of Bob Ross, turned out to be a “happy little accident!”

Cruelest Journey –> The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu

The link: Timbuktu!

I read The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu and Their Race to Save the World’s Most Precious Manuscripts by Joshua Hammer when it came out (I think via NetGalley) but realized I never reviewed it at all. It was, from what I recall, a most interesting read! And had books, adventure, intrigue, and more!

Closing the Circle

Closing the circle with the link – bad-ass – the librarians and Hydra, the mythical creature…

And Now, the End of this Post

Dear reader, the usual list of question for you on my #sixdegreesofseparation post – have you read or heard about any of these books? Your thoughts on those you have read? Also, any recommendations for similar reads? And what do you think of these chains/degrees of separation? What would be on such a list/chain for you? Do let me know and do join in the fun as well once a month (the first Saturday) at booksaremyfavouriteandbest.