As previously disclosed, I’ve been adding to this lovely space & inking out my participation for the first ever #mythothon throughout the weekend, though specifically *Sunday!* night [7.10.18] as most of my ideas were held captive until I could get back onto my blog properly — however, I did share my link *early!* ahead of the additions I’ve made before I completely *forget!* as yes, that’s actually has happened in the past!
The reason this whole #readathon appealled to me is due to the fact I shied away from reading *ANYthing even remotely related to #GreekMythos throughout my life courtesy of a 7th Grade English teacher who made me LOATHE the subject!! It was quirky & odd – he *loved!* the whole Mythological arena but it was how he presented it & how he quite literally forced us to :love: it with him which rankled and became a lifelong aversion! Til now, of course!
In truth, I’ve been toying with the idea of adding Classical Mythos & Mythos retellings to my Classics Club List – as much as the fact, there are rare moments where I have ventured into Mythos whilst reading as a book blogger. Some were misses for me – one rather became an #epicfail of EPIC proportions whilst the other one let me down for the potential I saw inside it.
The re-telling which captured my heart is of course:
The Darkest Summer by Rebecca J. Greenwood (see also Review)
a modern re-imagining of *Persephone & Hades*
As I started to *compile!* my ideas for my [potential] reading list to fill in the BINGO card – guess what happened?! I suddenly realised I have a few #backlogue review choices which would fit in nicely with a few of the prompts inasmuch as I have a stack of *5!* Luna Books I never had the chance to read – hoping one or two might fit inside this readathon as well! I wish Luna Books had stayed round – Mum gifted me a membership to the books by mail subscription list the year they folded – talk about bad timing! I hope to collect more one day – for now, the ones I’m missing will be ILL’d (ie. interlibrary loaned).
Some of the prompts are most likely going to force me to shift OUT of Greek Mythos and enter into some parallel worlds of Mythology & Lore – however, for the most part I wanted to a) stay as strictly within the Greek side of Mythos for the month and b) not feel tempted to read Shakespeare as I have plans for the Bard as a Classic Clubber!
Uniquely enough – when I first decided to jump on board this #readathon train of #bookJOY – I thought to myself – will I even be able to source more than one or three authors to read? Would you believe I apparently am more *attached!* to this particular genre of interest than originally believed!?
So much so, I am finding myself totally keen on Celtic, Norse, Hindi, Indian, Welsh, Egyptian, Scottish, Scandinavian, Japanese and other cultural mythological worlds to explore next! In truth, I think for each #mythothon we endeavour to participate in as the years move forward we can find equal enjoyment in tackling a new sub-niche of Mythology!
- full details via @foxesfairytale the blog!
#Mythothon BINGO Card created by @FoxesFairyTale
#Mythothon Reading Prompts
& Categories of Interest
List compiled by @FoxesFairyTale
Full List of Book Recs for this #readathon!
(including one I suggested retelling the story about Persephone & Hades!)
Secondary List of Book Recs for this #readthon courtesy of fellow reader Alexa [blogging over @ A Thousand Worlds] of whom I have visited half a dozen times just to read why each of the stories are begging her to be read and explored during #mythothon! This is the best reason to join readathons – to see what everyone is reading, selecting & contemplating!
How to understand the order of this list:
if you see me marking a title by ‘Choice’ it refers to the fact I am hoping to find traction within the selection but I might not and thereby, it is the ‘first’ attempt for that particular prompted category of interest. If you see me marking a title ‘Main Choice’ it refers to the fact I will definitely be reading that selection and most likely it is due to being a novel for review. If you see several stories in one category you could say I was overly inspired! Meanwhile as this is an evolving list – if perchance as I’m reading one story of ‘choice’ is not to my liking and I’ve either a) run out of my secondary choices or b) never listed one – I shall be selecting something different to read and thereby will update this list accordingly. Also of note – links to all forthcoming reviews will be archived on this list for easy referencing to read what my ruminations were per story.
Zeus. King of the Gods. God of the Sky.
Read a book at least 400 700 pages long.
Choice One: Illium (Book One of the Illium Duology) by Dan Simmons
UPDATE: REQ 2nd November (local library) | not my cuppa
I was thrilled to spy this title on the list of book recommendations by Louise (our hostess) as I was the girl who started reading the Hyperion Cantos without realising I was a) not the traditional demographic for the series & b) never quite able to convince blokes who read it c) a girl can read both Hard & Soft Science Fiction! A concept they fail to recognise – then again, that is partially why I was inspired to shout about my love of the genre during #RRSciFiMonth all these years! I digress. At first I thought it might have been a ‘miss’ for me but I re-read a reviewers spin on this and felt… hmm. Just maybe. NOTE: I am sometimes an overachiever if you noticed I switched the upper page count limit! Bonus Points: If Zeus is the God of the Skies at least I picked a story set within them – you know, in the upper Cosmos!?
→ ADDED: 22 Nov: Choice Two: The Glass Town Game by Catherynne M. Valente
UPDATE: borrow from local library
blessedly Louise helped sort out some alternative choices for both LGBT & 400+ selections as I was trolling through *Mythos* Lists like a boss earlier on Thanksgiving afternoon, only to realise a) my back injury was slowly killing me something fierce and b) I was simply NOT finding the stories I wanted to be reading! She kindly sent me two *handwritten!* notes and this was amongst her choices! I loved other titles she rec’d me, though sadly they would need to be ILL’d rather than local borrows!
Hera. Queen of the Gods. Goddess of Marriage, Mothers and Families.
Read a book about royalty.
Choice One: (inspired by Alexa’s List)
Enthroned (King Arthur & Her Knights, Book One) by K.M. Shea
UPDATE: REQ via interlibary loan 2nd November
Being that I will have finished reading “The Lost Queen” by Signe Pike & the final installment of Nicole Evelina’s trilogy about Camelot “Mistress of Legend” it would be a fitting time to read a third entry into #Arthurian worlds! Reminds me – Arthurian Mythos would be a keen experiment, too! What is not to love about reading as story rooted in this niche of joy!? I had no idea what to read for this prompt – now let’s hope the library can come through for me!
Choice Two: Roar (Stormheart, Book One) by Cora Carmack
UPDATE: Will be requesting (local library) | local borrow
It wasn’t the fever of excitement surrounding this novel which interested me it was the epic sounding world-building and the premise! I had forgotten it involves royalty and although I’ve heard a fair amount of positive, neutral and a few negative qualms about this story – I’d still like to dive into the text and see what I see – will I enjoy it, will I loathe it – sometimes the unexpected reaction is just as keen to entertain in your reading life as the one where you are almost certain you’ll find a pleasurable reaction! I remembered this title *after!* I queued Enthroned!
Hebe. Goddess of Eternal Youth. Read a Middle Grade or Young Adult book.
Main Choice: No More Goddesses (Book One: Myths & Mayhem) by Kim Baccellia
as I was meant to read & review this a few years ago but due to life situations & other stresses which interrupted my chance to read it, I felt now would be a good time to dig back into it! I had already planned to read this for #RRSciFiMonth which I fondly refer to as #SciFiNovember – so it is rather fitting it befits *both!* reading challenges I am focusing on this year! Outside of #NonFictionNovember, that is! This is an entry for Young Adult Mythos!
Poseidon. God of the Sea. Read a book which features
the sea – mermaids, pirates, surfers etc.
IF I had to pick a topic of interest –
it would definitely be mermaids however, I have more than one choice!
Choice One: Emerge (Mer Chronicles, Book One) by Tobie Easton
UPDATE: will be requesting (interlibrary loan)
I used to host for Chapter by Chapter Book Tours &/or directly with Month9Books – until I decided to forego hosting for the blog touring company as I mostly was hosting strictly Month9 and/or Rebelight Publishing titles – either for review (Rebelight) or for guest features (Month9) as they only gave out ebooks rather than print. Sadly earlier this year I learnt Rebelight is no longer a publishing house – something I’m still adjusting too as I really *loved!* this Canadian publisher (and their authors!). This is a title and a series I discovered whilst hosting for Month9 – or rather attempting too – a lot of my posts never left the ‘draft’ status due to life & tides. Now, this is a full series – Emerge (book one) followed by Submerge (book two) and Immerse (book three) – the latter of which must be forthcoming as it is only listed on Month9’s site.
Choice Two: The Tail of Emily Windsnap (Emily Windsnap, Book One) by Liz Kessler
UPDATE: borrowed from my local library
I’ve been wanting to read this series for such a LONG time!! I am unsure what held me back – the premise is charming and I’ve been following the author on Twitter for years – not to mention I wished my library had purchased “Read Me Like A Book” which now that I think about it, I can ILL this year! I can only ILL six months outside of publication but theoretically that was awhile ago (*cough) Definitely going to see how many of these lovely stories about Emily I can read during #Mythothon as I have a feeling they might become insta-classics for me to belove!
Choice Three: Goddess of the Sea (Goddess Summoning, Book One) by P.C. Cast
UPDATE: Will be requesting (interlibrary loan) or local borrow
I was smitten as soon as I read the premise to be perfectly honest! A modern spin on a classic tale – where a woman is enticed to live a life at sea with mermen & women but feel torn between worlds – the life she has always known and a new one with a love interest she never fathomed was possible. Seriously it pulls you in just reading the synopsis!
Choice Four: Stay by Jennifer Silverwood (see also Review)
UPDATE: requested for review but hadn’t connected how wickedly this befits the #Mythothon til I began it!
This is a cross-genre story which involves the Three Sisters (of Fate), Poseidon & Zeus as well as other elemental Mythos origns which you can distinguish as you are reading the story. The interesting thing is that I hadn’t realised just how Mythos centred this story was until I started reading it and then regretted I hadn’t promoted the chat for @SatBookChat to the point where other readers during #Mythothon could have participated. I’m hopeful those who are checking the status of this reading challenge will find the threads of the convo (#SatBookChat) and respond even after the fact to talk about the Mythos & how hit interacts with this pararomantic / Urban Fantasy story.
Hermes. God of Travellers and Thieves.
Read a book set in a country not your own.
Choice One: Ink (Paper Gods, Book One) by Amanda Sun
UPDATE: Will be requesting (local library)
I am not surprised this is set in Japan – mostly as I have a fond attachment to stories set in Japan as much as the fact one of my favourite Cosy Historical Mysteries are set there as well – albeit in the 16th Century! (see also Interview) This one breaks out of the Greek Mythos and exchanges it for the Japanese Mythos instead. Again – I was trying to maintain symmetry but there are a few instances where breaking out of the proposed thematic is working for me. Also it proves how much mythology there is to explore!
Choice two: A Mortal Song by Megan Crewe (see also Book Hug 1)
UPDATE: REQ via interlibary loan 2nd November
Another entry of choice to explore Japanese Mythologies in a similar story arc which reminded me of “The Ghost Bride” (see also Review). A very clever premise involving being a changeling and not being completely in control of your own destiny! I was a bit surprised I found a one-off for the challenge as I’ve been focusing so much on serials!
Aphrodite. Goddess of Love and Beauty. Read a book with a beautiful cover.
Main Choice: Aphrodite’s Tears by Hannah Fielding
as I was meant to read this earlier in the year and it is based on Greek Mythology all the way round. Not only does this count as being named after this square on the BINGO card *but!* it was a lovely cover gracing it! (see also Interview)
The Hydra. Multiheaded Serpent. Read a book with more than one POV.
Choice One: The Wood Wife by Terri Windling
UPDATE: Will be requesting (interlibrary loan) | or local borrow
I believe this one will count – as it is about a woman who takes an extraordinary journey into the life of a recently deceased artist whose ‘art’ is helping to move the story forward as the ‘artwork’ itself is one of the lens of perspective within the story’s framework. Thereby giving it ‘more than one POV’ and reference. We shall see!
Iris. Goddess of the Rainbow. Read a book with your favourite
colour on the cover or in the title.
Choice One: Seraphina (Seraphina series, Book One) by Rachel Hartman
UPDATE: REQ 2nd November (local library) | not my cuppa
as this has been on my TBR for age after age, it is high time I start to read it, eh? I picked it solely because of the prompted square – one of my favourite colours is PURPLE and this cover does display it rather marvelously does it not? Might be a bit of a cheat being I know of the premise, have ached to read the story & did not pick it just for the colour PURPLE being featured in the cover art – but like most reading challenges & readathons I am sure the prompts are open to interpretations!
→ ADDED: 22 Nov: Choice Two: For the Most Beautiful (Golden Apple Trilogy, Book One) by Emily Houser
UPDATE: borrow from local library
After finding myself dearly disappointed about ‘Seraphina’, I decided to see what else I could find. This particular story is about Troy and has a lushly beautiful ‘purple’ dress featured on the cover! I love the colour purple and the story-line itself seemed interesting as it is being told from an engaging narrative perspective – something I am finding I am enjoying the most this #Mythothon! The stories I’m appreciating most are the ones which are emotionally centred on their characters and have a lush backdrop in narrative to help you resonate with the world-building!
Ancient Greece. Read a book set in the past.
Choice One: Lavinia by Ursula K. Le Guin
UPDATE: Will be requesting (local library)
I nearly gave up hope finding a title which would befit both the purpose of the readathon itself & encompass the heart of the prompt! It is interesting to me it is a Le Guin novel as try as I might, she is one author I found a bit beguiling to begin reading! Her collective works are rather expansive and I never knew where to begin my readings – now perhaps, I do! All whilst returning to Rome! Fitting as this was the year I watched a film based on Ancient Rome and which nearly crushed my soul as the ending was just brutal and yet, uplifting if you looked at it the right way.
→ ADDED: 22 Nov: Choice Two: Penelope’s Daughter by Laurel Corona
UPDATE: borrow from local library
Having read Ms Bruno’s takeaway on her reading of this work of Historical Fiction which alights us into the ‘past’ as events were unfolding in Ancient Greece – I knew this might be a winner for this category! As I am a hostess for Historical Fiction Virtual Book TOurs and she has happily enriched my bookish life these past five years! I only wished I had stumbled across this one a bit sooner to be first in queue!
Hestia. Goddess of the Hearth. Read the first book in a series.
Choice One: Shield of the Sky (Stone God Trilogy, Book One) by Susan Krinard
UPDATE: Will be requesting (interlibrary loan) | or local borrow | not my cuppa
as I have the second novel in the trilogy & apparently the last one published as the third never materialised not even as a self-published edition (which I did question) as with Luna Books dissolved, I would have thought that could have been an option?) This was tricky to place – it involves Gods & shapeshifters. According to the few who reviewed books one & two of this triology – this is a cross-cultural mythos series.
→ ADDED: 22 Nov: Choice two: The Seer and the Sword (Book One: Heeler & Seer) by Victoria Hanley
UPDATE: local borrow
this one might be a cross between legend, lore & folktale rather than strictly mythological but there was enough in the premise to hold my eye and I needed to select a new ‘first’ of series which I could in theory ‘sample’ before the close of November! I was hoping this might be a winner for me as it is a series reflecting the kind of Fantasy world-building I generally do love to read!
Dionysus. God of Wine. Celebrate this year by reading a 2018 release.
STRUGGLING with this prompt – any advice?
My first choice was to place a purchase request for Outrun the Wind by Elizabeth Tammi – until I knew it would not have a chance to arrive in time to read this November as it releases on the 28th!
→ ADDED: 22 Nov: Choice two: Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik
UPDATE: borrow from local library
this is a re-telling of Rumpelstiltskin, one of my favourite mythological folk stories and happily this is a *2018!* release my library has already purchased! I have come across titles by this author in the past except I never had the proper chance to sit down and read a novel by them.
Achilles and Patroclus. Read a book with an LGBT+ protagonist.
Choice One: As I Descended by Robin Talley
UPDATE: REQ 2nd November (local library) | not my cuppa
as soon as I saw the prompt I was considering this title – even though to be fair it is a re-telling of “Macbeth” rather than a Mythos canon – Macbeth itself has grown into a mythos sphere of popularity similar to all of Shakespeare’s stories due to how his collective works have withstood time itself. It is know for being LGBTQ+ and it was a purchase request of mine at my local library. Let us know discuss why sometimes it takes me awhile to read the books I request for purchase which are added to our card catalogue & simply celebrate the fact I can read them as I arrive inside them.
→ ADDED: 22 Nov: Choice Two: The Abyss Surrounds Us (Book One: series of same name) by Emily Skrutskie
UPDATE: borrow from local library
blessedly Louise helped sort out some alternative choices for both LGBT & 400+ selections as I was trolling through *Mythos* Lists like a boss earlier on Thanksgiving afternoon, only to realise a) my back injury was slowly killing me something fierce and b) I was simply NOT finding the stories I wanted to be reading! She kindly sent me two *handwritten!* notes and this was amongst her choices! I loved other titles she rec’d me, though sadly they would need to be ILL’d rather than local borrows!
Free Choice.
Main Choice: Hope’s Prelude (Trinity Stones series, Book One) by L.G. O’ Connor
as I was meant to read & review this a few years ago before life & tides interupted my efforts – I have also attempted to read this during #RRSciFiMonth without success – mostly as I found it a bit harder to get into than I originally felt I would. I decided to make this my FREE choice as it truly will be a challenging read for me and it is rooted in the mythos of Angels and has strong paranormal roots as well. A small departure from the general thematic of the challenge but still dealing with beings who are otherwordly and have a mythological & mystical ancestry of their own.
Homer. Read a retelling (of a myth, fairy tale, classic novel etc.)
Main Choice: Heir to the Lamp (Book One: Genie Chronicles) by Michelle Lowery Combs
as I was meant to read & review this series a few years ago for the publisher before life & tides interrupted my attempts at doing that! I did spotlight the series and I fell in love with the premise of it – mostly as I *devoured!* Helene Wecker’s debut involving the Jinn! This is outside the scope of Greek Mythos but it is a re-telling of the mythos surrounding the Jinn. (see also cover reveal w/ notes)
Hephaestus. God of Fire and Smiths. Read a book with a disabled character.
Choice One: The Hidden Oracle (The Trials of Apollo, Book One) by Rick Riordan
UPDATE: REQ 2nd November (local library) | re-requested, my copy was unreadable
I would say if you were an immortal God who was sent to Earth as a mortal teenager stripped of your powers & your abilities, you have a disability you are not accustomed to living with nor willing to fully accept. However, this is a broad interpretation of the theme for this prompted square as I was trying to find characters with more well known disabilities – such as those who are deaf, visually impaired or survived trauma but have the use of artificial limbs, etc – try as I might I coudn’t find anything even remotely close! This however felt it fits because if you take a God and then place him on Earth – the effect of that act alone would be wrecking to the character because of the freedom Gods & Goddesses have within them. It is a unique choice on the other angle of things as I was going to not read a Riordan novel until I read the one given to me however as that one is packed & this one can be borrowed through the library – I am just going to ‘go with it’.
Apparently, despite feeling I was taking a rather broad approach to how this befits the category in question – Louise (our lovely hostess) related this to me: The Hidden Oracle will definitely count for “with a disabled character” the second lead, Meg, has dyslexia and ADHD. So together with your angle, it doubly fits!
// how awesomesauce is this news?! Plus, further good news – the third novel in the sequence is a NEW release for *2018* however that will boil down to if I can get a purchase request into one of my local libraries and/or if they already purchased it and I can get on the wait list to receive it before the end of November!
→ ADDED: 22 Nov: Choice two: Goddess of Yesterday by Caroline B. Cooney
UPDATE: local borrow
I decided to error on caution and see if I could find a secondary choice for this square. What drew me into this story is how it is centred on a young girl who has to find the courage, the strength and the confidence to rise above her circumstances. She also has afflictions and this is another story focusing on Ancient Greece which I was trying to do throughout the readathon even though I fell a bit short here or there.
Ares. God of War. Read a book with a compelling antagonist
or a written from the villain’s POV.
Choice One: The Gospel of Loki (Loki series, Book One) by JOanne M. Harris
UPDATE: REQ 2nd November (local library)
This felt like a challenging prompt to me – as I have the tendency to shy away from villains overall and to read a book from their perspective felt a bit off-putting on the outset – until of course I read the premise for this one and felt, hmm #neversaynever!
Echidna. Mother of Monsters. Read a book about monsters –
dragons, zombies, serial killers etc. (evil spirits)
Choice One: The Flame of Olympus (Pegasus series, Book One) by Kate O’ Hearn
UPDATE: Will be requesting (interlibrary loan) | or local borrow (except its due 30 NOV!) might not have the proper chance to even check it out til December! Ergo, I searched for an ‘alternative selection’.
Another gem I spied from Louise’s List (our hostess) which befitted what I was hoping to seek out during this #readathon – being an Equestrian as a kid and a horse drama devout reader during those years, one of my favourite mythological creatures was Pegasus! Thereby this is a bit of a no-brainer, eh? Who doesn’t want a magical horse to magically enter their lives? Or a retired thoroughbred? #justsaying Also, as the description I read about the plot mentions #monsters I decided to go with this square as I already selected my YA / MG title!
→ ADDED: 22 Nov: Choice two: The Girl with Ghost Eyes by M.H. Boroson
UPDATE: local borrow
I was seeking out new titles to fill in the spaces which I took out with the DNF choices which just didn’t float my boat to be reading. This one sounded dearly impressive and its evoking Chinese Mythology involving evil spirits!
Herakles. Read a popular book (define ‘popular’ as you wish).
Choice One: *Uber Popular* Cinder (Lunar Chronicles, Book One) by Marissa Meyer
UPDATE: REQ 2nd November (local library)
This will be my cross-challenge selection – as I already planned to read the Lunar Chronicles for #RRSciFiMonth / #SciFiNovember – so this will be breaking my self-imposed rule of NOT sharing challenge selections as I had the tendency to feel that was cheating somehow – however, as this year I’m tackling quite a heap to read this Autumn, I’m letting myself off the hook with this prompted square! Especially since I don’t believe I could come across another Mythos inspired story which has reached the popularity equal to CINDER. Unsure how this fits Mythos as it is more of a fairy tale retell than anything else – but the origins & the curious attachment we all have to the original story could be considered ‘mystically mythological’ as each new generation walks away with an equal affection and zest of interest to see how this could become retold?
Choice Two: Pride: Remix by Ibi Zoboi (see also Book Hug 2)
UPDATE: local borrow | purchase request accepted by the library
whilst I was reading the first twenty-five pages of the books I had borrowed from the library, I started to realise something rather interesting – the *book!* I ought to have read for ‘most popular’ title was actually this one! *Pride and Prejudice* has such an incredible mainstay of readerly appreciation it has reached its own EPIC Mythological status for being a beloved book for generations these past 200+ years! It made proper sense then to read PRIDE to finish this square on the Bingo!
Gaia. Primordial Earth Goddess. Read a book which
was published at least 5 years ago.
Choice One: Wildwood Dancing (Wildwood series, Book One) by Juliet Marillier
UPDATE: REQ 2nd November (local library)
I originally found this at a library – whilst browsing shelves for interesting reads this particular author stood out to me. It was published originally in 2007 which makes it 11 years old – clearly old enough for this prompted square! The beauty of it though is that it is a celebration of the Earth from a POV I think even Gaia would appreciate!
Artemis. Goddess of the Moon and the Hunt.
Read a book with an animal on the cover or in the title.
Choice One: Hammer of the Earth (Stone God Trilogy, Book One) by Susan Krinard
UPDATE: Will be requesting (interlibrary loan) | or local borrow | not my cuppa
IF my attempts to ILL the first novel in this series are successful, I can move into this sequel which is currently eyeing me on my bookshelf! I hadn’t realised this would qualify for its own BINGO square – except to say the ‘shapeshifter’ is an animal and does grace the cover! Ironically or not, the particular animal is known for keen prowess & hunting skills!
Athena. Goddess of Wisdom, Strategy and Crafts.
Read a book that’s not the first in the series.
Choice One: Cast in Courtlight (Chronicles of Elantra, Book One) by Michelle Sagara
UPDATE: Will be requesting (interlibrary loan) | or local borrow | not my cuppa
I knew I wouldn’t be able to borrow all of the ‘first books’ I need to read my 5 Luna Books as who knew I have two which are the third books in their respective series; one being the conclusion of a trilogy(!) and the others are the second installments. If I were to pick one to read out of sequence it could be this one – although another one came in a close second to choose – which startled me a bit as it was the third of a the trilogy! I daresay I think I might regret doing that – however, if I find I can’t get traction into this one, I’ll forego it and try the third one afterall!
→ ADDED: 22 Nov: Choice Two: Shadow of the Mark (Carrier series, book two) by Leigh Fallon
UPDATE: local borrow
when I released my first selection was not going to be a good fit for me, I scrolled through lists of Mythological adaptations seeking out series I would be keen to attempt to read and this one popped up. I was slightly worried this one might not be good fit either but you never know til you try!
Persephone. Goddess of the Underworld and Springtime.
Read a book which is less than 200 pages.
Choice One: The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood
UPDATE: REQ 2nd November (local library) | not my cuppa
Arriving in at a mere 198 pages you could say I am *squeaking!* through this prompted challenge! It surprises me I wanted to read an Atwood novel as generally speaking her interests & mine are rarely on the same page! Yet, there was something about this particular premise & how it routes back into the Classical work of my contention & ire of youth which felt most befitting if I can stomach to get through it! No promises – I still loathe even the idea of reading anything remotely connected to ‘The Odyssey’!
→ ADDED: 22 Nov: Choice Two: Quiver by Stephanie Spinner
UPDATE: Will be requesting (interlibrary loan)
I am pretty sure this won’t arrive in time to read this November, but the premise held my eye and I love how it is about Artemis rescuing a young child!
→ ADDED: 22 Nov: Choice Three: Inside the Walls of Troy by Clemence McLaren
UPDATE: local borrow
This also qualifies for different POV as it is told from Helen and Cassandra during the epic events which shaped the Greeks & Trojan histories. This selection comes in right under *200!* pages at a steady 199! Ha!
Apollo. God of Prophesy, Plague and Poetry.
Read a collection of poetry or short stories.
Choice One: (rec’d by our hostess Louise) The Worlds Wife by Carol Ann Duffy
UPDATE: Will be requesting (interlibrary loan) | or local borrow
Each poem focus on women from fairy tale, myth etc. (often women overshadowed by men in the original) and puts a new spin on their perspective. Fittingly for this readathon, some of them include: Medusa, Circe, Mrs Sisyphus, Mrs Icarus, Pygmalion’s Bride.
// as soon as I read Louise’s spin on this collection I KNEW I had found the proper one to focus on for #mythothon as the elements of focus within this is exactly what I was hoping to find & read!
Hades. God of the Underworld. Read a book which features death
(either a character death or as a theme).
Choice One: Everneath (Everneath, Book One) by Brodi Ashton
UPDATE: REQ 2nd November (local library)
This was a hard prompt to sort out – mostly as I wasn’t entirely sure how to fill the square with a book I’d a) be keen to read and b) not feeling it was oppressively depressive to read? If that makes sense? I knew I was going to try to play with the theme of the ‘underworld’ to credit the fact Hades inspired the topic of interest – thereby, after reading the premise of this novel – what could befit it better?
Choice One: The Shadow Behind the Stars by Rebecca Hahn
UPDATE: local borrow
this was an unexpected ‘additional’ find whilst I was seeking to checkout the books I had placed on hold – this one was one of those random Mythos finds when your trying to get your card catalogue to work with you for seeking out the Ancient Worlds & adding a bit of Mythos into your reading life!
Demeter. Goddess of Agriculture. Read a book with a nature
word in the title – e.g. leaf, wind, flower etc.
Choice One: Wicked like Wildfire (Hibiscus Daughter, Book One) by Lana Popović
UPDATE: Will be requesting (local library)
I knew I was going to be attracted to stories involving the elements of Earth – FIRE kept populating my choices as I was reading descriptions & sorting out which direction I wanted to go into in regards to potential choices. Reading this premise – it just felt like it was writ for this prompted square but also, a story I could really dissolve inside. Let’s hope, eh?
A lovely note from our hostess Louise:
First, I love the banner you’ve made! It’s beautiful.
(blushes) thank you!
Your RBR plans sound amazing!
I hope I can read most of the stories I’ve sourced as I felt so attached to them as I discovered them, it would be lovely if I could move through even half of this list and then, continue to seek them out throughout the coming months of Winter if there are leftovers. The only issue I foresee in not completing a lot of the squares is the fact I picked a lot of high volume stories and I have a full stack of stories I’m reading for #SciFiNovember,..
There’s a lot of interesting books here I’ll have to look up.
#awesomesauce This is the kind of feedback I love to receive! You’ve been brilliant for letting me know when I highlight a story or author you’ve not run across before and I appreciate your kindness in letting me know!
However, there’s also I good number I’ve already read or plan to read soon so that’s super exciting. For the one’s I’ve read (The Hidden Oracle, The Gospel of Loki, Cinder) feel free to message me if you have any questions about fitting the prompts etc. (although they all sound good to me!).
Ooh bless you! I will definitely be DMing you if as I’m reading the stories some of them might either not fit the original category I placed them inside or if they need to be moved to a new square to be housed instead. I was hoping you might say that as on the outside looking into these stories I only have a preview of what is inside them.
I’m really keen to (eventually) get to The Flame of Olympus, Lavinia, Seraphina and No More Goddesses. I’m also adding A Mortal Song to my TBR after seeing your comparison to The Ghost Bride!
I am so happy you’ve spied one of my backlogue titles as being one you want to be reading, too! ‘No More Goddesses’ is the first of a series which makes it even a bit more special to be reading during the readathon! There was just something about ‘A Mortal Song’ which felt like the world within ‘Ghost Bride’,.. I hope I won’t disappoint either of us now!
Such a lovely gesture was giving me these specific recommendations wherein I realised how well Louise knows and understands my own reading habits! I am unsure how she sorted me out so intuitively so quickly as our paths only crossed this past August during the gathering of #blogging4books but this list of recs she’s given me proves she definitely understands who I am as a reader! Plus, bonus brownie points for suggesting a story who has a dyslexic character! I can only hope these will be available to borrow!
For the suggestions you were looking for: The Hidden Oracle will definitely count for “with a disabled character” the second lead, Meg, has dyslexia and ADHD. So together with your angle, it doubly fits!
For the poetry collection, I’d 100% recommend The Worlds Wife by Carol Ann Duffy. Each poem focus on women from fairy tale, myth etc. (often women overshadowed by men in the original) and puts a new spin on their perspective. Fittingly for this readathon, some of them include: Medusa, Circe, Mrs Sisyphus, Mrs Icarus, Pygmalion’s Bride. There’s also lots of other. I think the contents page is available on Google Books if you want a look. I really enjoyed the collection.
For 2018 releases,
I’ve actually got a twitter thread with 7 Greek mythology inspired books out this year.
A thread of some 2018 Greek mythology inspired releases which would be perfect for the #mythothon readathon next month. (1/7)
HOMER'S THE ODYSSEY translated by @EmilyRCWilson
– the first English translation of The Odyssey by a woman.https://t.co/UqdowioqxE— Louise (@foxesfairytale) October 7, 2018
For a short & brief preview,
scope out the aforementioned
re-telling of Persephone & Hades!
Leave me comments if you visit that review & 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!
{Sources: #Mythothon Bingo Card and #Mythothon 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: #Mythothon banner created by Jorie in Canva. Photo Credit: Photo Credit: Unsplash Public Domain Photographer Cristina Gottardi.}
Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2018.
I’m a social reader | I tweet my reading life:
#JorieReads | #Mythos | Greek #Mythology
for inaugural #MYTHOTHON this NOV?Hostess @foxesfairytale
??JOIN via [https://t.co/n9XWujg7fX]My picks for the #readathon
?https://t.co/BSKweDzzC7Tweet | DM | or Comment on post to suggest STORIES#theclassicsclub | #bookbloggers? pic.twitter.com/T5jMMTXoXv
— Jorie Story | #amwriting?? (@joriestory) October 8, 2018
Comments via Twitter:
Updates & Reading Progress:
2nd of November : Requested 9x (local library) + 2x (interlibrary loan)
You have sooo many good books on your list! Many that I still want to read myself (such as Roar and Wicked like a Wildfire) and also many that I’ve now added to my TBR.
Hallo, Hallo Eliana,
I didn’t get the chance to put “Wicked like Wildfire” into my #25PagePreview for #Mythothon, but there were many that I was able to blog about before the conclusion of November! If you didn’t get to re-visit me then, I hope you’ll come back as on that particular post I really had the pleasure of joy ironing out which stories interested me, which ones were simply not my cuppa and I developed a sense of what kind of stories fit under this new niche of interest which will keep me intrigued for years to come! “Roar” is one I want to finish this New Year!
I had to ‘let go’ of the fact I couldn’t finish these for the readathon but I’m going to be reading and blogging about them throughout the coming year. How did your plans go? Did you get into the stories you really wanted to read?