Around the Year in 52 Books discussion

Stories have been around for as long as there have been humans and this week's prompt is about honoring the stories that have lasted through the ages: mythology. There's a lot of directions you could head in: books about myths and why we tell them, retellings of myths, books that are set in worlds based on myths, or reading the myths themselves.

Some spots for inspiration:
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/4...
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
https://www.epicreads.com/blog/non-eu...
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/7...
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/2...

Listopia:
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...

What are you reading? What books can you recommend?

Choosing The Lightning Thief so I can finally tackle that series already.

I love mythology! I have a few options here. I need to read the third book in the Olympus Bound trilogy. Or the recently released No Gods, No Monsters sounds right up my alley.

If I want to go non-Greek, I really want to read The Witch's Heart.

I was thinking of trying The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan. One of my students was raving about the series today. I also considered Olympus, Texas, which sounds promising. I'm a little up-in-the-air about this prompt because I do read a lot of books that would count.

Possibilities:
Uprooted
Watership Down by Richard Adams
Possession by A.S. Byatt
Salvage the Bones
Home Fire
Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch
A Thousand Ships
Elatsoe

I recommend
Circe
The Golem and the Jinni
The Song of Achilles
The Night Tiger

She Who Became the Sun - I just read this, I'm not sure it really fits, but others tagged it as mythology.

I am looking at:
Orfeia - Orpheus myth.
The Blue Salt Road - about a selkie.
The Testament of Loki - Norse myth.
The Witch's Heart - Norse myth.
Queen Mab - Shakespearean but Queen Mab is based in Celtic fairy lore which is mythology.
The Silence of the Girls - Greek myth.
Dancing the Sacred Wheel: A Journey through the Southern Sabbats - non-fiction look at modern Witchcraft and Paganism from the southern hemisphere perspective, books like this include lots of myth references.

Ah my list could continue indefinitely lol.

My suggestions:
Circe of course.
Queens of the Wyrd which is based in mostly Norse myth.
The Bear and the Nightingale which is Russian myth and lore.
The Boneless Mercies Norse myth.

I read The Song of Achilles for the summer challenge, and now I have to read Circe. It's connected to a book I read in 2021, and I saw it on other listopias so I need some backups.

Circe
Uprooted
Home Fire
Cloud Cuckoo Land

I am listening to A Thousand Ships and it is SO GOOD. So many different points of view, centered around the Trojan War. But it has some chapters from Hera, Aphrodite, Hermes, and other gods, as well as regular mortals caught in the crossfire. Can't recommend it enough!

I'm trying to steer away from Greek mythology and really anything Riordanverse for this one, since those tend to be my go-to for reading general, and would defeat the purpose of the challenge prompt for me personally.

Currently, my options are:
Jade Fire Gold
American Gods
Dragon Pearl
Early Irish Myths and Sagas

I am probably going to read the next book in a series I started: The Girl in the Tower. It's based on Russian mythology. The other options I am considering are A Thousand Ships and The Song of Achilles.

I plan to at least skim the book Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes by Edith Hamilton which I read back in high school. Other choices are The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker, and Medea by Euripides.

Recommended:
Beowulf (translated by Seamus Heaney)
Beowulf (the graphic novel by Garth Hinds)
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin (middle grade)
Everything Under by Daisy Johnson (retelling of Oedipus myth)
Home Fire

I voted for this prompt because I found Love in Color: Mythical Tales from Around the World, Retold that I wanted to use for a side challenge (maybe the summer challenge??), but didn't get it in time. So, that's my plan, with no backups if I don't end up reading it, though I'll dig in to the listopia if that happens.

I don't really have much interest in mythology so I'm struggling for ideas with this prompt. Ideally I would want to read something that isn't fantasy (e.g. Home Fire) so that rules out most options.

I'm thinking of going with The Maidens albeit reluctantly as I was hoping to cut down my TBR instead of adding to it!

Beth wrote: "I don't really have much interest in mythology so I'm struggling for ideas with this prompt. Ideally I would want to read something that isn't fantasy."

Some suggestions:
Everything Under by Daisy Johnson (retelling of the Oedipus myth)
The Cassandra by Sharma Shields (retelling of the Oedipus myth)
House of Names by Colm Tóibín (retelling of Clytemnestra)
Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward (allusions to the Medea myth)
The Mere Wife by Maria Dahvana Headley (retelling of Beowulf)
The Library of Legends by Janie Chang (about an ancient encyclopedia that collects China's myths, folklore, and legends)

And I personally think some retellings read more like historical fiction than fantasy. The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller is an excellent example of this.

Thanks, dalex! I will check out those suggestions. Also good to know that about Song of Achilles. I did consider MM as she seems like the most popular author in that genre but was put off by the GR shelves. Maybe I will give her a chance.

Beth wrote: "I don't really have much interest in mythology so I'm struggling for ideas with this prompt. Ideally I would want to read something that isn't fantasy (e.g. Home Fire) so that rules..."

I agree that Song of Achilles feels more like historical fiction than modern day fantasy. It's based on Homer's Illiad and the Trojan War, which was fantasy itself. The war takes up a big part of the book.

If you like mystery/thrillers, The Silent Patient is based on a Greek myth.

The Golem and the Jinni also feels more like historical fiction than fantasy. The characters have depth and the writing is wonderful. The descriptions of 1900 New York City are so good, I could visualize it as though it were a movie.

I'll probably finish the YA paranormal with Samoan mythology, Telesa: The Covenant Keeper.

If you want something off the beaten path, this one is related to the mythology of the Inuk people:
The Wolf in the Whale

And this one is related to the mythology of Estonia:
The Man Who Spoke Snakish

I am probably going to read:
The Women of Troy
or
Norse Mythology

I'll probably go with a book from The Queen's Thief series for this one. I really enjoyed the first book, The Thief, but I haven't picked up the others yet.

Another one that's pretty enticing, despite it not being on my TBR yet, is The Song of Achilles. I really enjoyed Circe, so I want to check out some of the author's other books as well.

I have a lot of options for this prompt:

Greek Mythology: The Gods, Goddesses, and Heroes Handbook: From Aphrodite to Zeus, a Profile of Who's Who in Greek Mythology
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon
Ariadne
The Wolf in the Whale
A Thousand Ships
Gods of Jade and Shadow
The Bear and the Nightingale (well, book 2 or 3 depending since I've read the first one)
Iron Widow
Sistersong
The Witch's Heart
A Song of Wraiths and Ruin
Trail of Lightning
Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky
Paola Santiago and the River of Tears
Dragon Pearl
Fevered Star

Recommendations:
The Deep
The Song of Achilles
Elatsoe
Circe
Moon of the Crusted Snow
Lore Olympus: Volume One
The Only Good Indians

I am tempted by this beautiful new book

The Annotated Arabian Nights: Tales from 1001 Nights

Or for a much shorter option, I have the audio of Beowulf read by the wonderful George Guidall.

I am kind of tired of Greek and Roman mythology/retellings.

I have a request that maybe doesn't even exist, but since I'm trying to condense the amount of books I read next year to a more manageable number while also doing several of the reading challenges, I'm trying to combine where I can!

So, that being said, I'm wondering if anyone has a suggestion for the following: A queer retelling with mythological elements set in a non-patriarchal society. DOES THIS EXIST?

Caitlin wrote: "I have a request that maybe doesn't even exist, but since I'm trying to condense the amount of books I read next year to a more manageable number while also doing several of the reading challenges,..."

Possibly Girl Meets Boy, which I haven't read yet but I'm told is a happy retelling of Ovid's metamorphosis of Iphis (the one where (view spoiler)[the mother has to dress her daughter as a boy because economics but then marriage and oh no there will be discovery but surprise the gods turn her daughter into a boy (hide spoiler)]) - I can't find anything about patriarchy but it looks like everyone involved is a modern independent adult and there's no abuse mentioned anywhere at least. I think I may read this one for this prompt actually.

This isn't an easy prompt for me, but I'll try reading one of the following:

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
The Iliad by Homer
The Odyssey by Homer
American Gods by Neil Gaiman
The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan
The Alchemyst by Michael Scott
The Epic of Gilgamesh by Anonymous
Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi
Star Daughter by Shveta Thakrar
Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim
Inferno by Dante Alighieri
Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman
The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker
The Wrath and the Dawn by Renée Ahdieh
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin
Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton
A Thousand Nights by E.K. Johnston
Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik
Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan
Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor
The Labours of Hercules by Agatha Christie

My thoughts right now are bouncing between Edith Hamilton's Mythology and Cold Mountain. I've read that Cold Mountain is basically The Odyssey set during the Civil War. I find that very appealing. I'm also planning to read The Nibelungenlied: The Lay of the Nibelungs for another challenge, so that is an option.

I eventually listened to the audiobook of Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw. 1.5 stars, unfortunately.

I am reading The Witch's Heart by Genevieve Gornichec for this category.

This book could also count towards the following category

- A book with a main character whose name starts with A, T, or Y

I read The Left-Handed Booksellers of London for this prompt, given its ties to "the mythical Old World of England." If you liked Sabriel, or more modern urban fantasy based in London, like Neverwhere or Rivers of London, you might like this. (But if I hadn't been also trying to fit books to the Popsugar challenge, I would probably have read one of the 7 books actually related to mythology on my TBR...)

I've been on something of a Greek Mythology kick lately, so I had a buttload of possibilities for this one. I ended up reading Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis, a retelling of the Eros/Cupid and Psyche story, and regretted it.

Marcial Gala Call Me Cassandra
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

That book sounds incredible, I’m going to try and hunt down a copy!

BLATANT CHEATING AHEAD!

I hate mythology. Hate it. I've read several and hated them all. I'll be blatantly cheating by reading a book with "Myth" in the title, which is indeed related to the word "mythology". Perhaps one of these:

The Queen: The Forgotten Life Behind an American Myth
The Golden Spruce: A True Story of Myth, Madness, and Greed
Unwell Women: Misdiagnosis and Myth in a Man-Made World
The Vagina Bible: The Vulva and the Vagina—Separating the Myth from the Medicine

Donna wrote: "BLATANT CHEATING AHEAD!

I hate mythology. Hate it. I've read several and hated them all. I'll be blatantly cheating by reading a book with "Myth" in the title, which is indeed related to the word ..."

I’m in the same boat. I’m going to try the one book that I marked as interesting from a previous years prompt. If that doesn’t work I’ll wildcard it.

I read Storm of Locusts by Rebecca Roanhorse for this prompt.

Donna wrote: "BLATANT CHEATING AHEAD!

I hate mythology. Hate it. I've read several and hated them all. I'll be blatantly cheating by reading a book with "Myth" in the title, which is indeed related to the word ..."

I TOO am in the same boat — totally not interested in at least what *I* have always thought mythology represented, aka, Norse, Roman, and Greek myths/gods. I know Circe got rave reviews, and I'm sure it was well written, but it just made me angry so I couldn't get past the first chapter.

I'm choosing instead other interpretations of "myth". Some of these (most I think) are actually on the ATY52 Listopia for this prompt. Several of them are sort of retellings of what we normally call "fairytales", which really serve the same sort of function as myths, IMO. Others on my Maybe List are kind of "modern myths" (see The Search for God and Guinness. Here are my possible reads:
The Search for God and Guinness: A Biography of the Beer That Changed the World
Appleseed
Everything Under
The Wolf and the Woodsman
Uprooted

I don't usually read graphic novels for my prompts but I'm waiting on a copy of Lore Olympus: Volume One from the library. It said it was over 300 pages so I'm thinking I'm going to use this one for this prompt. I was going to read the second Percy Jackson book. I still want to continue with that series but Lore Olympus: Volume One will also help me with my other challenge. I guess I'll decide when I actually get the copy from the library.

I'm planning to read Heroes: Mortals and Monsters, Quests and Adventures by Stephen Fry, second in his Great Mythology series. I listened to the audiobook of the first one, Mythos: The Greek Myths Retold, last summer, and found it thoroughly delightful and engaging. Fry is a marvelous storyteller, and an even better narrator. I particularly appreciated the insights he gave in each chapter in how the names of the mythological figures eventually became various words in the modern English language.

In the middle of reading the third book in the Magnus Chase series for this one. The Ship of the Dead by Rick Riordan. Magnus is the son of the Norse god Frey and has a human mother. His friends are also the kids of other Norse gods. And they're all dead. They were taken to Valhalla on their deaths and the story goes from there. Really quite fun. His Percy Jackson series deals with the Greek Gods (Percy is the son of Posidon) and then the follow on from that one deals with Percy meeting the kids of the Roman Gods. There's also Kane which deals with the Egyptian Gods. Oh and a series on the Greek god Apollo.

ladymurmur wrote: "I listened to the audiobook of the first one, Mythos: The Greek Myths Retold, last summer, and found it thoroughly delightful and engaging. Fry is a marvelous storyteller, and an even better narrator. I particularly appreciated the insights he gave in each chapter in how the names of the mythological figures eventually became various words in the modern English language. "

Isn't it fantastic? I've listened to it twice now, you've reminded me that I really need to listen to Heroes.

I'm planning on reading Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Phillips. I've been wanting to read this one for a while, so I'm excited to get started

I did end up reading Lore Olympus: Volume One. It was the number 1 graphic novel for Goodreads 2021. I really liked the graphics but I wasn't as impressed as everyone else with the story. I kinda got lost with some of the characters and had to go back several times. I can't say I completely get the ending.

I'd recommend the first book of the Percy Jackson series.

In general I'm not a fan of reading about mythology. I'm glad I knocked this prompt out.

I'm in a similar boat with some of the readers above, in that I'm not really in the mood currently for anything straight-up fantasy. I was originally considering Mythos: The Greek Myths Reimagined or the recent Beowulf: A New Translation but not really looking forward to either.

However, I just started (and am already almost done with) Ghost Wall by Sarah Moss and I think it fits well enough to slot in here instead (phew!). It's about a family in northern England who are taking part in an archeological study, essentially reenacting how the ancient people of neolithic Britain may have lived. Some of the flavor of the Old Ways seeps in, such as the titular ghost wall -- a fence hung with human heads that supposedly warded off enemies. The main character is also named after a local goddess. Despite this, the story is really about the dysfunctional human dynamics. I'm really enjoying it so far, and recommend it if you are struggling to find a book for this category. Also, it's short!

I just finished Under the Whispering Door and will use this book to unexpectedly fill my prompt. The book is set at a tea shop called “Charon’s Crossing” and the shop’s owner is a ferryman who helps souls transition to the afterlife. Charon is a reference to the ferryman of Greek mythology too.

I read this one:
Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman - My Review

I found this great take on a subject I don't normally have much interest in reading.

The Minotaur Takes a Cigarette Break by Steven Sherrill.

I read The Song of Achilles for this, it was pretty good but I got a little board towards the end.

I can't think of many book I have read that fit this but would recommendCirce and Norse Mythology

I got this book for the PopSugar 'mirror' prompt, realised it wouldn't fit, so tweaked it here: Mischief Acts by Zoe Gilbert. It's based on the myth/legend of Herne the Hunter and features other mythical creatures such as dryads. Took a little while to get into the rhythm of this book, but I liked it on the whole - and it's set in an area of South London I know well. The author has some beautiful turns of phrase.

Other suggestions: Rivers of London series.

Circe; The Song of Achilles; The Silence of the Girls; Ariadne are all based on Greek myths. The Greek Myths by Robert Graves Summary & Study Guide is an interesting NF book.

Norse Mythology

The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories

I read Medea by Euripides. Highly recommended and short (66p).

What are you reading?
I read Dartmoor, the Saving by B.J. Burton
I would recommend this book as it touches on the legend of King Arthur and Merlin, but is set in the present. A very easy read .

Mythology is not one of my favorite categories, but I'm going to read She Who Became the Sun by Sherry Parker-Chan for this.