GreekMythology

Clytemnestra: The spellbinding retelling of Greek mythology�s greatest heroine | Costanza Casati

2024 TOP 10 PART 2:
6) The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon
7) Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson
8) The Labors of Hercules Beal by Gary D. Schmidt
9) Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds
10) Clytemnestra by Costanza Casati

5 Bonus Ones: - Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan - Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver - Women in White Coats by Olivia Campbell
- The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter
- Stolen Focus by Johann Hari

Kristy_K Great choices! I loved Long Way Down and The Frozen River is also in my top reads of 2024. 2d

20 likes1 comment

BookwormAHN

Hera | Jennifer Saint

so-so

This is the mythical retelling of the Queen of the Gods, Hera. I really wanted to like it, and the beginning and very end were good but the middle drug. It felt like the longest book, but it was actually under 400 pages.
#WinterGames2024 #HolidayBookDragons #WGwordsearch #WinterClearDown #SeasonalMonsterSmash @PuddleJumper #AVeryMerryBingo #AVeryScaryChristmas @Jadams89 #Adventathon @BookmarkTavern #LittenListen @aperfectmjk #MidDecemberReadathon

BookmarkTavern This one‘s on my TBR! 5d

53 likes1 stack add1 comment

Tamra

The Children of Jocasta | Natalie Haynes

pick

Natalie had fun writing this novel and I had fun listening to it! 😊 5🌟

Cathythoughts Five Stars ! Stacked ❤️👍🏻 2w

Tamra @Cathythoughts I recommend reading Natalie‘s Afterword first. I think it would be helpful for more context - I‘m not very knowledgeable re: Greek mythology. I love how it‘s ongoing mutable storytelling! 2w

Cathythoughts Thanks ! I‘ll read the afterword. Yes , it‘s ongoing, some things in life don‘t really change that much. We were only discussing this idea at a recent bookclub. ❤️ 2w

Tamra @Cathythoughts I envy your bookclub! 😘 2w

Cathythoughts @Tamra If you ever come across the sea to Ireland …. 😘 2w

44 likes3 stack adds5 comments

Robotswithpersonality

Hera | Jennifer Saint

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pick

WOW. Knocked it out of the park. 🤌🏻
They're always asking the muse to sing of the wrath of Achilles, but when it comes to rage he's got nothing on Hera. Two thirds of the way through this book, I'd say it was a toss up between survivor narrative or villain origin story, considering the Olympian levels of toxic relationships going on. 1/?

Robotswithpersonality 2/? This is the first of the Greek myth retellings I've read where I didn't know where it would go, how it would end, even if I could surmise certain plot beats, but I am so, so pleased with how Saint chose to end it. 2w

Robotswithpersonality 3/? It's a little depressing to realize that she had to extend past canon to make a worthwhile ending because Hera's tales really are that dark, discouraging, she is for the most part a thwarted wife and mother who visits vengeance on everyone else because she doesn't have the power to strike directly at Zeus. 2w

Robotswithpersonality 4/? As someone familiar with the majority of the incidents depicted, I found it impressive to see the author weave them together into one narrative, but I do worry that those not familiar with the many times Hera finds herself in a no-win situation, will find it a special kind of exhausting to see her encounter what is broadly the same issue, Zeus wins and nothing goes her way, over and over again, before the plot proceeds to anything different. 2w

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Robotswithpersonality 5/? The ending is worth it to me, because it subverted my expectations and went a different way than I've seen any of these modern retellings go, without truly changing any of the myths we know, but again, if I went into this with less knowledge of her story, I might be frustrated that there wasn't a more cathartic climax to compensate for the torturous tone preceding the ending. 2w

Robotswithpersonality 6/? I appreciate that Saint didn't quite aim for reconciliation or resignation, at least not between Hera and Zeus, because that definitely would have read as loving her abuser/accepting her victimization territory.
Part of me is very curious about what Saint does next, because I'm not sure how you top this take on the Olympians as an ensemble cast, the relation to mortals, the ultimate fate of the Olympians, as antiquity slowly fades 2w

Robotswithpersonality 7/7 into a modern view of the world.
I owe the author a lot for finally presenting me with a version of Hera that I don't just sympathize with, but actually enjoy the existence of. I'm a lot happier imagining her where this story ends, and would gladly see more iconoclastic myth retellings.

⚠️SA, misogyny 2w

2 likes6 comments

TheDaysGoBy

Percy Jackson and the Titan's Curse | Rick Riordan

pick

Finished this up on my lunch hour. The series is still really enjoyable. It‘s a fun world and I look forward to reading the next installment

22 likes

CBee

Mythos: A Retelling of the Myths of Ancient Greece | Stephen Fry

I consider myself semi knowledgeable in Greek mythology, but Stephen Fry is letting me know that there is still much more to learn! Bosporus and Oxford are basically the same word and get their origins from the story of Io (and Zeus being a cad, again). Plus I learned why the peacock is sacred to Hera! Enjoy 😊 #weirdwords #weirdwordwednesday
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Io_(mythology)

CBee @TheBookHippie @dabbe @slategreyskies @peanutnine @mandarchy @Megabooks @lil1inblue @Amiable @Daisey @psalva @Deblovestoread @TheSpineView @CatLass007 @BookmarkTavern @Cuilin @IndoorDame 2w

TheSpineView 😎😎😎 2w

Amiable I knew that “ford“ indicated water crossings -- where I live there are a number of towns near the shore that have it in their name (i.e. Guilford, Waterford, Milford, Stratford, etc.). I didn't know that Bosphorus was connected. Cool! 2w

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CBee @Amiable very cool! I didn‘t even connect “ford” with a water crossing before 🤷‍♀️ 2w

dabbe I have no clue about the meaning of oxford; thanks for sharing, #wordsmithextraordinaire! 💙❄️💙 2w

BookmarkTavern How interesting! 2w

TheBookHippie Facinating!!! 2w

CBee @dabbe the more you know 😊 2w

CatLass007 That‘s a lot of history for one word! Excellent!! 2w

45 likes9 comments

ElizaMarie

Lore Olympus: Volume Six | Rachel Smythe

2 Graphic Novels in November. I loved them both! They were so very beautifully drawn :)

#NovemberReCap

23 likes

ElizaMarie

Lore Olympus: Volume Seven | Rachel Smythe

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I finished both 6 and 7 on Thanksgiving - I hate that I have to wait forever to read the next one (I do read the webcomic ones, but.. I like it in the book better).

TheBookHippie Cutie pie!!! 3w

dabbe 🖤🐾🖤 3w

22 likes2 comments

Soubhiville

Stone Blind: A Novel | Natalie Haynes

pick

The writing style made it difficult to feel close to any characters, making this a low pick for me. I did like the twisting of the old myth to approach Medusa from her side of the story a bit more. There are a lot of characters (as is appropriate for a mythology retelling) and I didn‘t particularly care for any of them.

AmyG Awwww sweet girl. 3w

dabbe 🖤🐾🖤 3w

57 likes2 comments

DGRachel

Lore Olympus: Volume Seven | Rachel Smythe

pick

Not my favorite of the series, but still wonderful. It ends on a jaw-dropping cliffhanger and I can‘t wait for the next volume.

charl08 I'm only on 4, trying to space then out a bit! 3w

DGRachel @charl08 I understand. It takes me less than an hour and a half to read one volume and I‘m always a little sad to be done. 3w

Graciouswarriorprincess I just finished this one too. Agree with you. 3w

43 likes3 comments

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