It’s July, which means it’s time for the return of the Six in Six meme, hosted by Jo of The Book Jotter! I think this is the perfect way to reflect on our reading over the first six months of the year. The idea of Six in Six is to choose six categories (Jo has provided a list to choose from or you can come up with new topics of your own if you prefer) and under each heading list six of the books or authors you’ve read so far this year.
I’ve used four of these categories before, but the first and last ones are new to me this year. I had fun putting this post together, but it’s not as easy as it looks; some titles could have been placed in more than one category and, as I’ve read more than thirty-six books this year, I wasn’t able to include everything.
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Six books with a colour in the title:
The Red Sphinx by Alexandre Dumas
Midnight Blue by Simone van der Vlugt
The Red House Mystery by AA Milne
Golden Hill by Francis Spufford
The Silver Swan by Elena Delbanco
Golden Bats and Pink Pigeons by Gerald Durrell
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Six books set in different countries:
The Tea Planter’s Wife by Dinah Jefferies (Sri Lanka)
Archangel by Robert Harris (Russia)
The Shadow Land by Elizabeth Kostova (Bulgaria)
The Gustav Sonata by Rose Tremain (Switzerland)
A Dictionary of Mutual Understanding by Jackie Copleton (Japan)
The Valentine House by Emma Henderson (France)
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Six books with a touch of mystery
They Came To Baghdad by Agatha Christie
The Unseeing by Anna Mazzola
Duplicate Death by Georgette Heyer
Prague Nights by Benjamin Black
Miraculous Mysteries edited by Martin Edwards
The Coroner’s Daughter by Andrew Hughes
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Six classic novels
East of Eden by John Steinbeck
Lost Horizon by James Hilton
I, Claudius by Robert Graves
Frenchman’s Creek by Daphne du Maurier
The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky
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Six books about a real historical figure
Mata Hari by Michelle Moran (Mata Hari)
The Winter Isles by Antonia Senior (Somerled)
The Empress of Hearts by E Barrington (Marie Antoinette)
The Vatican Princess by CW Gortner (Lucrezia Borgia)
The Shadow Queen by Anne O’Brien (Joan of Kent)
First of the Tudors by Joanna Hickson (Jasper Tudor)
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Six books with covers I loved!
The Wild Air by Rebecca Mascull
The Wonder by Emma Donoghue
The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry
The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
The Witchfinder’s Sister by Beth Underdown
The Muse by Jessie Burton
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Are you taking part in Six in Six? How is your reading going this year?
She Reads Novels 
Great lists! You are right; this collection seems easier than it it. I wouldn’t be able to put one together. Anyways, you have read a lot in just six months!
It’s definitely more difficult than it seems!
Thank you for joining in for the 6th time!
I do love the covers you have chosen. I know we shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but I know I do!
And thank you for hosting for the 6th time. 🙂 I try not to judge too, but I always find myself drawn to covers with pretty colours and patterns!
Love the categories you chose! i have no idea how I would even begin to group the books I’ve read this year. 🙂
Give it a go, even if all you do is pick 6 books you have loved so far this year you can still join in,
It’s not easy, but once you start to look at the books you’ve read, sometimes themes and similarities start to jump out at you. And as Jo has said, you don’t need to do all six categories. 🙂
Impressive! I am especially blown away by the fact that you were able to find unique titles to fit in all the categories!! You had a good 6 months worth of reading! 🙂
Some of those books would fit into more than one category, but I was determined to find a different six for each category. It was good to be reminded of some of the great books I’ve read this year (as well as some that were not so great) and I’m looking forward to the next six months.
I love your categories, and you’ve read some great books. I hope the next six months will be as good!
I think this is a lovely way to look back at the last six months before moving on to the next six.
I like your categories and you have done much better than I have at reading from the classics – I’ve read just one this year! Love the covers too. I’ve done mine too and enjoy this way of looking back at what I’ve read.
Yes, this is a great way to look back at your reading. I’m happy with the number of classics I’ve read so far this year – although I still managed to miss my Classics Club deadline in March!
I really enjoyed the categories you’ve chosen this year Helen, particularly the cover one as you have read some books with gorgeous covers! I have also taken part in this meme again this year (post scheduled for Tuesday) and I found it hard because I had books that could have gone in more than one category too.
I think there are a lot of beautiful covers around at the moment so I enjoyed choosing my favourite six for the last category. I’ll look forward to your post on Tuesday. 🙂
Oh I do love a good book cover and was pleased to see the covers for Wild Air and the Bear and the Nightingale which I have just ordered. Working on my Six Books blog post now.
I love the covers of The Wild Air and the Bear and the Nightingale, and I’m pleased to say that I enjoyed reading them both too. 🙂
This sounds like fun. It going to think about doing it. We have all month to post?
Yes, you can post anytime in July, so there’s still plenty of time!
OK, I have to look at what I’ve read and see if I can come up with six categories of six.
I enjoyed reading through your categories – such a variety of books! Also love the covers you chose. This is such a fun meme. A great way to look back at the last six months worth of reading.
I always enjoy putting my post together for this meme each year! The covers category was a new one for me this time and I had fun picking out my favourite six.