I ♥ the premise of this meme {WWW Wednesdays} due to the dexterity it gives the reader! Smiles. Clearly subject to change on a weekly rotation, which may or may not lead to your ‘next’ read providing a bit of a paradoxical mystery to your readers!! Smiles. ♥ the brilliance of it’s concept!
This weekly meme was originally hosted by Should Be Reading who became A Daily Rhythm. Lovingly restored and continued by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words. Each week you participate, your keen to answer the following questions:
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What are you currently reading!?
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What did you recently finish reading!?
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What do you think you’ll read next!?
After which, your meant to click over to THIS WEEK’s WWWWednesday to share your post’s link so that the rest of the bloggers who are participating can check out your lovely answers! Score! Perhaps even, find other bloggers who dig the same books as you do! I thought it would serve as a great self-check to know where I am and the progress I am hoping to have over the next week!
Join the Convo via: #WWWWednesday
Life rarely goes as it is planned when your a book blogger whose also dealing with chronic migraines – however, despite those hurdles, for the most part, my [2019] went far better than my wreck of [2018]. Having said that – there are still bouts of migraines I have to battle through and they can effectively erase the hours I have to give to the stories, books and blog posts I’ve been earnestly working towards bringing to Jorie Loves A Story.
I ought to have known having a rough beginning with #Mythothon2 this year, the rest of the month might not bode as well for me as I had forecasted it to develop – however, ever the optimist, I buckled down and tried my best to stick to my primary reads and dig into the mythological wonderment my dear bookish bestie Lou has brought into my life since she developed #Mythothon originally in Autumn, 2018.
This is a recapture of how my #Mythothon2 adventures set the stage for a fantastical journey of epic proportions which brought new narrators into my life (as I’ve been sampling a heap of lovelies via OverDrive!), audiobooks to savour which I shall hope to devour as the year marches towards New Year – whilst a few select readings which have enchanted me, truly for how they carry forward their own set of Mythos and folklore.
Last year, I had the joy of discovering this lovely & beautiful readathon #Mythothon hosted by a bookish mate of mine, Louise @ Foxes Fairy Tale – wherein she encouraged all of us to seek out re-inspired tales straight out of Greek Mythology and to take ourselves visually to a hidden sub-niche of Speculative Fiction – across genres and stories of interest, as there are many Gods & Goddess within Greek Mythos to be explored. You can re-visit the Reading List I composed for #Mythothon Year One – whilst I share with you today the reading list I’ve compiled for the second year.
Ideally, the concept behind the Mythothon readathon isn’t just to INSPIRE us to read stories which befit the prompts each year Louise hosts the readathon *but!* rather INSPIRE us to dig deeper and read harder the months between the readathons! In other words, each #Mythothon we participate in is a case to uncover those hidden niches of literature which recapture the Ancient Mythologies being re-told, re-envisioned and/or re-told in such a way to ENCOURAGE us to seek out the original canons by which all re-tellings are based upon.
Now without further delay,
let’s dig into what #JorieReads during #Mythothon2!
- follow the official social feeds via @Mythothon
- full details via @foxesfairytale the blog!
#Mythothon Reading Prompts
& Categories of Interest
List compiled by Louise @ Foxes Fairy Tale
The stories highlighted were my #favouritereads!
Whilst the stories in this colour I didn’t get round too as of yet!
HELHEIM – LAND OF THE DISHONOURABLE DEAD:
Read a book about or featuring death in a significant way.
The Gracekeepers by Kirsty Logan (Scottish Mythology)
The Familiars by Stacey Hall
(17th Century witch trials with folklore/mythos)
NIFLHEIM – REALM OF MIST:
Read a book with a “cold” coloured cover.
The Kings and Queens of Roam by David Wallace
MUSPELHEIM – REALM OF FIRE:
Read a book with a “hot” coloured cover.
Gabriel Finley and the Raven’s Riddle by George Hagen
The Sisters of the Winter Wood by Rena Rossner
MIDGARD – LAND OF HUMANS:
Read a contemporary novel.
Charlie Hernández and the League of Shadows by Ryan Calejo
(South American Mythology and Folklore)
In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan
ALFHEIM – LAND OF THE ELVES:
Read a book that’s part of a series.
Hope’s Prelude (Trinity Stones series, Book One) by L.G. O’ Connor
Sif and the Dwarf’s Treasures (Thunder Girls, Book Two) by Joan Holub
JOTUNHEIM – LAND OF THE GIANTS:
Read a long book.
Cycles of Norse Mythology by Glenn Searfoss (*800+)
[ special notes below! ]
VANAHEIMR – LAND OF THE VANIR GODS:
Read an award-winning or nominated book.
→ (by an award-winning author) Forest of Wonders by Linda Sue Park
ASGARD – LAND OF THE ÆSIR GODS:
Read any book you choose!
The Lemorian Crest (Cobbogoth, Book Two) by Hannah L. Clark
ODIN, GOD OF WISDOM AND MAGIC:
Read a non-fiction book.
The Once and Future Queen by Nicole Evelina
[ special notes below! ]
THOR, GOD OF THUNDER:
Read a book that makes a lot of noise: hyped, controversial etc.
Mirage by Somaiya Daud
FRIGG, GODDESS OF BEAUTY, LOVE, FERTILITY AND FATE:
Read a book with a fantasy or magical element.
Heroes of the Valley by Jonathan Stroud
HEL, GODDESS OF THE UNDERWORLD:
Read a book with a duel or multi-POV.
No More Goddesses (Book One: Myths & Mayhem) by Kim Baccellia
IDUN, KEEPER OF THE APPLES OF YOUTH:
Read a YA or MG novel.
Jaclyn and the Beanstalk by Mary Ting
FREYR, GOD OF FERTILITY:
Read a book with a sequel.
The Black Gryphon by Mercedes Lackey
SKADI, GODDESS OF HUNTING AND WINTER:
Read a book with a weapon on the cover.
Empire of Sand (The Books of Ambha, Book One) by Tasha Suri
HUGINN AND MUNINN, ODIN’S RAVENS: ‘
THOUGHT’ AND ‘MEMORY’: Read a book set in the past.
The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
SLEIPNIR, AN EIGHT-LEGGED HORSE:
Read a book about an animal or with an animal on the cover.
The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan
LOKI, GOD OF MISCHIEF:
Read a standalone novel.
Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman
Wildcard Extras:
Unless noted otherwise, these are rooted in Norse &/or Vikings Mythos
- This section was postponed as I did not resume my subscription to Scribd as of yet.
My Top Priorities : What I am currently reading:
The following titles I received in exchange for an honest review,…
Edda’s and Sagas of the Northland recount epic struggles for control of the world. In this land lost amid the cycles of time, canny gods confront shrewd giants, while valiant heroes battle honorable foes.
Cycles of Norse Mythology takes the reader on a thrilling exploration of the Norse Universe as the Gods and Giants are exposed in their complex interactions. From the creation of the world to its violent ending, this comprehensive re-imagining breathes life and modern relevance into the Norse gods and their foes, while remaining faithful to the traditional myths. Through engaging, lyrical storytelling, this work presents the gripping adventures of the Norse Gods in a style to delight modern readers of all ages.
Cycles of Norse Mythology comprises six cycles of 100+ interconnected stories that encompass the entire breadth of Norse Mythology. All tales are extended to create greater tension between the reader and the characters. Sequence gaps are filled by interpolations based on cross references in classic and modern literature.
→ Cycle 1: Prophesy. Odin travels the dark road to Niflhel seeking knowledge from the withered lips of the long dead seeress. In this frozen land, he is forged to his purpose by the harsh lashings of the seeress as she relates the creation stories of the cosmos, the nine worlds, the sun and moon, day and night, the origin of giants, dwarves, elves, mankind, and the gods themselves.
→ Cycle 2: The Victory Gods. Returned to Asgard, Odin learns the truth of prophecy and the ultimate cost of purpose. As the Æsir expand their number and their power, Gullveig’s brutal death at their hands sparks a bloody war with a rival clan, the Vanir; their eventual truce unifies the godheads in an uneasy alliance. Post-war rebuilding introduces the primary gods and goddesses, along with the Einherjar, valorous warriors gathered from battlefields across Midgard. Meanwhile, Thor’s martial journeys into Jotunheim underscore the constant tension with the offspring of Ymir.
→ Cycle 3: The Sword of Vengeance. Accompany the fiery blade born of love and hate that is destined to play a pivotal role in the shaping of the Norse universe, through the tragedies of Volund its creator, Nidud king of the Njara who is ordered by the Odin to capture the blade, and Svipdag the chosen son of man fated to recover its keen edge, and who ultimately gifts it to the Æsir for his marriage to Fryeja .
→ Cycle 4: Premonitions. Victory, jealousy, and revenge follow the Æsir gods and goddesses as they seek to avert their ultimate fate. The Fenris wolf is tricked and bound. Baldur’s death sends shudders through the nine worlds as innocence dies and the first portents of Ragnarök begin to align. Vali, fresh born from his mother’s womb, slays Baldur’s hapless killer. Freyr gives away the Sword of Vengeance for a bride; an ill-fated gift which ultimately finds its way into the hands of Surt at Ragnarök. Loki’s devious and sometimes, vicious attempts to humble the gods highlight the strife and dissent of within the Æsir clan and result in his horrible punishment.
→ Cycle 5: Ragnarök. Unable to avoid the final confrontation, the Æsir gather their band of chosen warriors and prepare for battle. The rainbow bridge shatters as ancient enemies charge onto Vigrid Plain, eager to end the reign of the victory gods. Follow the fortunes of the primary combatants as they boldly face known defeat, the Æsir goddesses awaiting their fate in the great hall of Fensalir, and the remnants of mankind who survive to greet the dawn.
→ Cycle 6: Of Gods and Men. While Cycles 1-5 focused on interactions among the gods, this cycle encompasses stories of direct interaction between the Æsir gods and mankind. These stories contrast human folly with the morality inherent in Norse Mythology.
→ Glossary: Norse Mythology heralds from an era when names reflected the character attributed to an object, such as a weapon, a person’s character, or their current station in life. This glossary provides a quick reference to the meaning behind names and terms used in the book.
→ Source Reference: References for further reading are included for persons who want to delve deeper into the study of Norse Mythology. This bibliography is restricted to books published in or translated into English and is by no means, exhaustive. As with all resources, the harder and longer you look, the more there is to be found.
A special glimpse into what is so dearly engaging and enthralling about this impressive work of Norse Mythology and how Searfoss has dearly enchanted my mind with contemplating the layers and evolution of his vision for this narrative! It is #beyondEPIC and definitely a #mustread for ANY reader participating in this #Mythothon2 readathon whose been curating select readings [focused] strictly on Norse Mythos and/or Folklore.
The person featured in this initial cycle is self-sacrificial in his pursuit of knowledge and the insight gained from a self-directed pursuit of perfected wisdom. He is willing to give more than most in order to accept the life he has chosen for himself – even if that means losing portions of himself in order to feel fulfilled. This is one aspect of Mythology I did not quite explore when I was in seventh grade (when I first was introduced to the grittier texts and stories of Greek Mythos) – how a person would be willing to sacrifice part of their sensory gifts if it meant heightening themselves to a higher level of understanding; the ultimate pursuit of their individual nirvana (or so it felt to me).
They’re a student of the Runes – a ritual I learnt whilst attending a Yule festival wherein the stones themselves tell their own tales and even if the person who reads them is hoping to interpret something relevant to themselves or to those they readily know of near to them, the runes have a way of revealling only what they wish the reader to see and understand. In essence, runes are a way of fuelling a catalyst of prophecy by what you can ascertain and intuit out of them.
As soon as the subject of interest turnt to ravens – I must admit, I sat a bit straighter as I had a feeling I was going to enjoy this segue. Ravens, as you know were part of why I loved reading Corvidae a Cosy Horror and Speculative Fiction anthology of short stories which involve the ‘corvids’ : ravens, magpies, crows and (?). By happenstance, I also have observed many a flock of crows of whom I have no doubts of being in the same general family both immediate and extended; as if you watch them long enough, you understand more than they wish you did.
In this instance, he’s able to call the ravens down to him – to personally evoke an exchange of information and to extract more about this world – which is noted as having nine world in total. This interested me – is this similar to the seven continents of our world? Or is it dimensional space and not physical land and sea? A combination of both or an elevation of a lifetime heightened through wisdom and knowledge few obtain. There are layers to life as much as there are layers to time – time is temporal and the universe is infinite; betwixt the two, who can aspire to understand it all within one lifetime?
What I am reading next:
As Louise has a very loose attachment to which aspects of Mythology and Mythos (or legends and fables) origins we focus on during her #Mythothon readathons, I’ve taken a bit of liberty to re-visit one of my *favourite!* finds which are the after canon series involving Camelot – specifically tied through Guinevere, King Arthur and Merlin. You’ll find this next section of #currentreads focusing on this canon of interest.
After I post my review for the First Cycle within Cycles of Norse Mythology – I will have re-established the balance I had lost with my last migraine. I’ll be reading and reviewing the following two books back-to-back as they encapsulate a shared point of interest, perspective and are a continuation of a hidden new niche of Historical Fiction I am truly #blessed to have uncovered as a book blogger! Stay tuned – this October is mythologically intriguing!
Guinevere’s journey from literary sinner to feminist icon took over one thousand years…and it’s not over yet.
Literature tells us painfully little about Guinevere, mostly focusing on her sin and betrayal of Arthur and Camelot. As a result, she is often seen as a one-dimensional character. But there is more to her story. By examining popular works of more than 20 authors over the last one thousand years, The Once and Future Queen shows how Guinevere reflects attitudes toward women during the time in which her story was written, changing to suit the expectations of her audience. Beginning in Celtic times and continuing through the present day, this book synthesizes academic criticism and popular opinion into a highly readable, approachable work that fills a gap in Arthurian material available to the general public.
Nicole Evelina has spent more than 15 years studying Arthurian legend. She is also a feminist known for her fictional portrayals of strong historical and legendary women, including Guinevere. Now, she combines these two passions to examine the effect of changing times and attitudes on the character of Guinevere in a must-read book for Arthurian enthusiasts of every knowledge level.
Ever since I first tucked inside the Guinevere Tale Trilogy, I have become enchanted by the story of Guinevere inasmuch as I’ve become dearly curious about the knowledge Ms Evelina gleamed about her through her tireless research – all of which produced this work of Non-Fiction. Ahead of #Mythothon Year Two, I reached out to the author whose left me bereft and thankful for reading her trilogy as I exited the fictional account of Guinevere’s life to see if I could read what inspired the journey I had just taken into the world of Camelot.
You can happily re-visit my ruminative thoughts about this Feminist Historical narrative per each review I showcased for the three installments which were at the heart of them emotionally convicting and uniquely told through a lens on Evelina could have conceived.
(*) after-which, kindly view my review of “Sign of the White Foal” as it serves as a segue between Evelina’s trilogy and the next story I’ll be discussing in a moment which teleports us back into this sub-niche of focus through Merlin’s POV. Sign of the White Foal is the masculine counterpoint to the Guinevere Tale Trilogy.
Jon Black’s award-winning novel Bel Nemeton combines 6th century Arthurian historical fantasy with brainy 21st century pulp.
After Arthur’s death, Camelot’s fall, and his final break with Nimue, Merlin of Camelot is left with only his thirst for knowledge, hunger for new experiences, and a desire to forget. The great druid and sage leaves Britain’s shores behind, wandering the world of the 6th century. Merlin’s travels take him to the wild unknown of Dark Ages Europe, a wizardly duel deep in the Arabian Desert, the exotic riches of the Silk Road, the pomp and pageantry of the Sui Emperor’s court, and beyond.
Fifteen centuries later, time has obliterated all traces of Merlin and his journey. Almost. A chance discovery at archeological excavation in Central Asia leaves Dr. Vivian Cuinnsey, professor of Celtic linguistics, wondering if Camelot’s great druid was more man than myth. Traveling to Uzbekistan to discover the truth for herself, she is immersed in a web of intrigue revealing there are those who will kill to learn Merlin’s secret. Teaming up with morally-ambiguous treasure hunter Jake Booker, they begin their own globe-trotting adventure, racing all comers to discover the location of Merlin’s tomb. And his treasure.
It was quite serendipitous I crossed paths with Mr Black and had the chance to discuss with him the key components and elements of his novel Bel Nemeton – as foresaid, this novel picks up the threads of Camelot’s after canon through the portal of following Merlin. After finding this on the footheels of reading Sign of the White Foal wherein I already became acquainted with a more masculine version of Camelot as you tuck closer to one of the male leads, I was especially curious about how this story would play out.
Therefore, after conversing with the author about the story and his writerly style, I determined this was definitely the ‘next’ step for me as I moved from Evelina to Thorndycroft to Black; the latter two authors of whom are in the early beginnings of their serials. As I have a prequel series to read for Thorndycroft be as it were and Black is going to be continuing this with future installments as well.
What I read / listened to during #Mythothon2:
I first want to re-highlight the stories I either read and/or listened to which simply were not my cuppa tea during the readathon itself:
- Wanders Far by David Fitz-Gerald
- The Gracekeepers by Kirsty Logan (audiobook)
- The Kings and Queens of Roam by David Wallace (audiobook)
- Gabriel Finley and the Raven’s Riddle by George Hagen (audiobook)
- Charlie Hernández and the League of Shadows by Ryan Calejo (audiobook)
- In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan (audiobook)
- The Black Gryphon by Mercedes Lackey (audiobook)
- The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan (audiobook)
As it concerns the audiobooks I borrowed through my libraries OverDrive catalogue – I didn’t attach myself into these stories as I felt I might have when I selected them to be read. In many instances, I barely heard five minutes of the story and realised my error. In other cases, I attempted to hang in there for at least a first chapter but found my attention to the plot and the disassociation I felt towards the characters to be too off-putting to remain patient. Therefore, I boomeranged the audiobooks to the next person in queue if there was a hold request for them.
Regards to the Lackey novel – I clearly was mistaken about wanting to read that particular series which had a year-long RAL attached to it by two book bloggers I had hoped to join en-route of the stories – I’ll simply have to take an immediate ‘pass’ on that one!
Whilst at the same time, these are the stories I barely had the chance to glimpse past the surface of their moorings and am continuing onward into their folds:
- The Wisdom of the Middle Ages by Michael K. Kellogg *Non-Fiction
- Cycles of Norse Mythology by Glenn Searfoss
- Bel Nemeton by Jon Black
What do you think you’ll read next?
Betwixt and between all my selections for #Mythothon2 have been the audiobooks I’ve chosen to listen to via my local libraries OverDrive catalogues. I had initially planned to write-up posts detailing a #25MinutePreview for the stories themselves but it took nearly a fortnight to fix a technical glimpse wherein I was unable to listen to the audiobooks; lost most of my check-outs and had to re-queue the selections back into my holds queues.
The titles you see on this list [now] are the ones I was able to *keep* and will have a forthcoming showcase or two on my blog during the month of October.
The audiobooks I’m listening to for a #25MinutePreview (the audiobook version of #25PagePreview) wherein I am sampling the stories I’ve borrowed to read:
- Mirage by Somaiya Daud
- Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman
- The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
- The Sisters of Winter Wood by Rena Rossner
- The Beast’s Heart by Leife Shallcross
- Empire of Sand by Tasha Suri
- The Magnolia Sword by Sherry Thomas
- The Illuminator by Brenda Rickman Vantrease
- The Lost Queen by Signe Pike
- The Affair of the Mysterious letter by Alexis Hall (inspired by Sherlock Holmes)
- The Familiars by Stacey Hall
It ought to be said – as my readings through #Mythothon2 become extended into October – they will be concurrently appreciated alongside my readings for #SpooktasticReads which is a mini-event I co-host attached to @WyrdAndWonder!
Remember: You’ll notice I’ve included a story inspired by Sherlock Holmes – when it comes to Mythology and the concept of stories which work through after canons of Mythos origins – I started to re-contemplate what that could mean in the scope of Classical Literature. How there are certain stories which befit this category of interest because the distance between the original stories and more contemporary variants are such a wide range of years that you could in theory conclude the Classical stories such as: Sherlock Holmes, Jane Eyre and the collective works of Jane Austen – could in theory mind, be considered their own unique ‘Mythos’ of popularity because of how widely received they are and how readily they are re-spun.
Leave me comments if you love these kinds of stories & let me know your thoughts on Mythos Retells! Add your thoughts, comments & recommendations for me in the *threads below this post and/or TWEET ME!
Before you leave —
I did post the following in case you didn’t see my tweets
to announce the posts directly:
Merlin’s Shakespeare Interview
{Sources: Book cover for “Cycles of Norse Mythology” and the book synopsis were provided by the author Glenn Searfoss and are used with permission. Book cover for “The Once and Future Queen” and the book synopsis were provided by the author Nicole Evelina and are used with permission. Book cover for “Bel Nemeton” and the book synopsis were provided by the author Jon Black and are used with permission. #Mythothon Year Two Bingo Card and #Mythothon Year Two Prompts & Category Interests provided by @FoxesFairyTale and are used with permission. Post dividers badge by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination. Blog graphics created by Jorie via Canva: #WWWWednesday Meme Banner, #Mythothon Year Two banner and the Comment Box banner.}
Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2019.
I’m a social reader | I tweet my reading life:
If you open this first tweet, it shows the whole *thread I created for #Mythothon2:
Find out which stories of #Mythology #JorieReads during #Mythothon2 – esp how Norse Mythology serendipitously alighted on her bookshelf!😉And why she's visiting Camelot@HFVBT @NicoleEvelina @AuthorDAVIDFG @BlackOnBlues
📖🏹https://t.co/huzEnOigVo pic.twitter.com/RuMbq3HU00
— Jorie Story 📖🎧 (@joriestory) September 18, 2019
Reached unique twist and turn in my pursuit of #Mythology stories – whilst sampling #audiobooks I’ve knocked these off my TBR List:
The Kings and Queens of Roam
Gabriel Finley & the Raven’s Riddle
Charlie Hernandez & the League of Shadows#Mythothon2 | borrowed 8x #HistFic?— Jorie, the Joyful Tweeter ?? (@joriestory) September 20, 2019
Ergo I borrowed these #audiobooks:
We Hunt the Flame👈wicked excited!
The Lost Queen👈 LOVE the narrator!
The Familiars
The Sword of Summer
The Sisters of the Winter Wood
Forest of Wonders
In Other Lands
The Black Gryphon#Mythothon2 // any thoughts?
Links to posts/reviews?🤔😌— Jorie Story 📖🎧 (@joriestory) September 20, 2019
Comments via Twitter:
Yes, I did!😁I love using #Canva for making badges, banners, etc for using on my #blog and on Twitter; they really make it easy for you to find and use their free resources to create your own style of graphics; thanks for the compliment.🤗🙌
— Jorie Story 📖🎧 (@joriestory) September 18, 2019
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- #Mythothon 2019
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