Saturday, 1 August 2026

Six Degrees of Separation ~ Land

Marrie O'Farrell 
"Land"
#6Degrees of Separation:
from Land (Goodreads) to A Promised Land

#6Degrees is a monthly link-up hosted by Kate at Books Are My Favourite and Best. I love the idea. Thank you, Kate. See more about this challenge, its history, further books and how I found this here

I read "Hamnet" by Maggie O'Farrell a while ago but hadn't heard of this one. It only just appeared in paperback and I have made myself promise not to buy too many expensive books in the near future, I have too many on my TBR pile already. Which means, as so often, I have not read this book.

So, here is the description:

"'You will never understand how the land remembers, how deep the roots grow'

A spellbinding story of separation, longing, recovery and survival as a family makes a new home in the aftermath of tragedy.

On a windswept peninsula stretching out into the Atlantic, Tomás and his reluctant son, Liam, are working for the great Ordnance Survey project to map the whole of Ireland. The year is 1865, and in a country not long since ravaged and emptied by the Great Hunger, the task is not an easy one. Tomás, however, is determined that his maps will be a record of the disaster.

The British soldiers in charge are due to arrive any day, expecting the work to be completed, but Tomás is sent off course by an unsettling encounter in a copse. His life, and those of his family, will never be the same again. Liam is terrified by the sudden change in his taciturn father. What was it that caused such cracks to open in Tomás and how is Liam, aged only ten, going to finish the mapping, and get them both home?

Land is a story of buried treasure, overlapping lives, ancient woodland, persistent ghosts, a particularly loyal dog, and how, when it comes to both land and history, nothing ever goes away."

I decided to go with the title but not move to another word but look for books that I read that have the word Land in its title.

Agus, Milena "From the Land of the Moon" (IT: Mal di Pietre) - 2006

Grossman, David "To the End of the Land" (Hebr.: אשה בורחת מבשורה/Isha Nimletet Mi'Bshora) - 2008 

Pears, Tim "In a Land of Plenty" - 1977

The connection between the first and the last book? Easy again, the titles all contain the word LAND.

📚📚📚

Happy August!

 Happy August to all my Friends and Readers
New Calendar picture with this
beautiful watercolour painting by Hanka Koebsch
"Sommer auf Bornholm"
"Summer on Bornholm"

Hanka and Frank say to this picture:
"We discovered a beautiful Danish island: Bornholm. Just a few hours by ferry, and we find ourselves in a Scandinavian paradise. Granite cliffs, archipelago landscapes, turquoise waters, and fine sandy beaches—it has it all.
"Wir haben eine wunderschöne dänische Insel entdeckt: Bornholm. Nur wenige Stunden mit der Fähre und wir befinden uns in einem skandinavischen Paradies. Granitfelsen, Schärenlandschaften, türkisblaues Meer und feine Sandstrände - alles ist möglich."

I really envy Hanka and Frank to be so close to Scandinavia, one of my favourite parts of this world. But as long as I can't go, I can always enjoy the pictures those two wonderful artists paint.

Read more on their website here. *

* * *

The month started with a holiday in Dunkirk. We chose the hottest month of the year (well, so far) but it was still nice, our son had found a great place to stay just at the seaside.

* * *

Other than that, not a good month. We buried my brother, then his wife was diagnosed with cancer, his mother-in-law had a stroke and then my other brother's mother-in-law died. I am glad this month is over. What does D:Ream say: 

"Things can only get better!"

* * *

We still managed to see some friends, play some games and have a barbecue in between. That was some comfort.

And same as last year, we went to that Irish-Scottish folk festival near Bremen where we saw three different acts. It was lovely but also quite stressful sitting on those wooden benches 
for six hours. Still, lots of lovely music, different from last year, though they all played Molly Malone. ;) We meant to take my sister-in-law but she was too sick, unfortunately.

* * *

New German expression of the month?

"Fremdschämen" (literally strange and ashamed)
The feeling of shame on someone else's behalf

I know we all know the feeling but do you have a word for that?

* * * 

I have read a few books last month (as usual) but there is only one that I might recommend to everybody: Jeeves and the Wedding Bells by Sebastian Faulks. Written in the good old P.G. Wodehouse style, a must for all his fans.

* * *

* * *

* You can also have a look under my labels Artist: Frank Koebsch and Artist: Hanka Koebsch where you can find all my posts about the two artists. 

* * *

🌊🌞 I wish you all a very Happy August! 🌞🌊