You'll love this one...!! A book club & more discussion

You are not limited to the two chosen books. You may read any book within the theme "Books based on Greek mythologies" if you prefer.

In order to receive a badge you must:
1. have read the book before or during July 2024.

2. discussed it in this thread. Discussion must be more than "I read the book and I liked it". Discussion requires something more substantial and analytical of what you read. Please elaborate on your thoughts on at least 5 of the following topics:
- Setting
- Characters
- Writing style
- Genre
- How the book made you feel
- Which parts stood out
- Did you/will you read more by the author
- Anything else related to the book you find worth mentioning

This can be done in one post after finishing the book, but preferably in a few posts while reading. Please refer to our group spoiler policy for further information.

3. Report that you have read AND discussed the book in the reporting thread (include a brief summary of what you thought of the book).

General Rules:
1. Please mark your spoilers with the spoiler tags along with mentioning what stage of the book you are at so other's don't get a nasty shock. Chapter numbers/titles are generally best as they are the same across all formats and editions. See our spoiler policy
2. The book may be combined with the Year Long Challenge, Topplers, and Monthly Challenges.

Happy reading!

Im going to listen to Circe. I'll be back to discuss it once i get going with it. I really enjoyed The Song of Adhilles when I read it, that was a group read to if i remember correctly.

Daughters of SpartaI have already read both the chosen books so for the challenge I will be reading Daughters of Sparta. A few months ago I had read Clytemnestra.

Both books deal with the Myth of Clytemnestra and Helen of Troy. It is interesting seeing the different ways the authors chose to portray Clytemnestra. I will be curious to see how the events build up in Daughters of Sparta.

I do have to say I feel bad for Helen as she is often portrayed as a pretty, frivolous, air head. Next time I decide to read something Greek I might choose one of the books that revolves around Helen’s point of view.

Sarah wrote: "Im going to listen to Circe. I'll be back to discuss it once i get going with it. I really enjoyed The Song of Adhilles when I read it, that was a group read to if i remember correc..."

I had a difficult time choosing between Circe and The Song of Achilles. I'll be interested to see what you think of Circe.

I started listening to it on the way in to work today. There were a lot of names. I must admit that I'm not exactly clued up on greek mythology. I know the names, like Zeus, and titans etc etc but never remember what they are gods of nor how they all relate to one another. So i have nothing familiar to compare to or hang the story on, it's all new to me. I like the narrator and the writing style. That at least feel familiar from the song of achilles. Looking forward to getting stuck in further.

I understand that, Sarah. It's been a long time since I've read any Greek mythology. I feel like I could use a family tree. lol I perked up in the beginning of The Song of Achilles when Clytemnestra was mentioned because I knew that was our other group read.

Circe was also kind of new to me. It is really a less known story. I know it is mentioned in The Odyssey, but for some reason I didn't remember anything about it. That is the difference with The Song of Achilles, since I remembered the story way better, although it is a different point of view and has a different take on some things.

Ooo a family tree would definitely be useful lol.

I googled and found lots of family trees but many didn't include the characters i need for Circe, but after some digging, I found one. I tried to share the link but goodreads is telling me that for the safety of members, links to other sites are not allowed. When did that happen?

Yes, it's been a challenge for a while. Here's her family tree. https://www.greekmyths-interpretation...

Sarah wrote: "I googled and found lots of family trees but many didn't include the characters i need for Circe, but after some digging, I found one. I tried to share the link but goodreads is telling me that for..."

You can't use the a href command, but you can copy and paste the URL.

Yes, you just can’t make it pretty.

Ah i see, that's where i was going wrong, thanks for clearing it up for me

Reading Daughters of Sparta certain aspects of the book bring my mind back to Lady Tan’s Circle of Women. It is just so unfathomable to imagine what it would be like to be married off to a man you do not know and whom has the right to do with you what he likes.

(view spoiler)[ At least so far Menelos does not seem like a horrible person. He is gruff and awkward but shows a certain amount of consideration. It will be interesting to see how his character and their relationship progresses.

I am not sure what to make of Agamemnon. It does not come across as a complete villain but he does seem like a bit of a jerk. Cly does not seem entirely unhappy but she does make references to bring afraid of her husband. So I wonder how has actually treated her. It will be interesting to see more details of their marriage. (hide spoiler)]

I recently read Galatea by Madeline Miller, the same author as our group read, The Song of Achilles. It is a very short story (about 30 pages, I think). It is about the sculptor, Pygmalion, and his creation, Galatea, who was a marble statue given life by Aphrodite. The story looks at the misogyny and imbalance of power between husband and wife. It really takes on quite a bit for such a short story and it is part of the reason I chose The Song of Achilles for this month. I thought it was very well-written. If anyone is looking for an extra quick little story, give it a try.

I've seen Miller's Galatea around a lot, but never realized it was a short story. I will check it out.

I was struggling to keep up with all the names in my book and my mind kept wandering. But i think I'm on it now. Listened to an hour on the way to work today. I have no idea where it's going to go. I'm liking it though. I really feel for Circe at this stage of the book.

Hera is the book I chose to read for this challenge.
Written by Jennifer Saint, it is the story of Hera, Queen of the Gods, and sister and wife to Zeus (King of the Gods).
In Greek mythology she is jealous of Zeus’s many lovers and their offspring. She wreaks revenge on them, and throughout her marriage she is constantly at odds with her controlling husband.
The author, Jennifer Saint has written other books about females in Greek mythology, (all of which I’ve read), and she does it with thoughtful and thorough research, able to put a believable “spin” on traditional myths, particularly from the female perspective.

In the first half of the book, it is hard for the reader to feel any sympathy at all for Hera who was portrayed as petty, whingey, and selfish. However, towards the end of the book, we feel much more sympathy for the mellowed character she has become, and how, after the fall of Zeus, the world of the Olympian Gods has changed irrevocably.
I really enjoyed the way all the mythical characters are woven throughout, due to Hera being central to many of their stories (e.g Jason and the Argonauts, the Trojan War).

Greek mythology retellings is one of my faAtalantavorite genres. I very recently read Clytemnestra so I gave that one a miss this month but did reread Song of Achilles. But I also read Psyche and Eros and it turned out to be high on my list favorites. Psyche is an acolyte of Atalanta in this book - which I don't know if this is part of the original myth or not but I like it. Jennifer Saint's Atalanta is another book I love. So Psyche is a force to be reckoned with in her own right in this book. And it is so rare that a greek myth ends on a happy note!

Shirley wrote: "Hera is the book I chose to read for this challenge.
Written by Jennifer Saint, it is the story of Hera, Queen of the Gods, and sister and wife to Zeus (King of the Gods).
In Greek..."

I tried to get this from Netgalley! But I will have to wait until it comes out in a few weeks. I am looking forward to it though. Saint is one of my favorite mythology retellers

I also read The Heir of Venus. This one focuses on Lavinia and Aeneas. I am not as familiar with Aeneas and didn't remember Lavinia at all. But this was an engaging read and I enjoyed it. I read her previous book which was also a Greek retelling, Phaedra, and I think I liked this one a bit more, though I rated both 4 stars.
I also have Daughters of Sparta and The Shadow of Perseus from the library, but I don't know if I will get to them this month or not.

I just got Daughters of Olympus in a subscription book box. I won't have time to read it before the end of the month, but I thought it was a fun coincidence that this was the book they sent out this month.

That is a cool coincidence, Kristie. Or it is true that our phones are listening to what we say! :)

Haha, that might be true, Sandra, but everyone with the subscription gets the same book.

Sandra wrote: "That is a cool coincidence, Kristie. Or it is true that our phones are listening to what we say! :)"

I went for supper tonight with a friend and we started talking about crocheting. She's ordered some patterns much like the critters Peggy was doing. When she got home, she texted me a picture.

I logged into Facebook on my laptop shortly after and one of the first ads was for Mary Maxim knitting and crocheting patterns. Ack!

Kristie wrote: "Haha, that might be true, Sandra, but everyone with the subscription gets the same book."

One of the books offered in the 2-1 sale at Audible was The Women of Troy. I had to buy it. I plan on getting her book, The Silence of the Girls which is being released in August.

Janice, it is scary. Everyone has experiences of that type. I was recommending my friend to take magnesium, we were both sitting in my mom's living room, and when she arrived home she started getting ads of magnesium pills on her Instagram...

I'm unlikely to finish Circe by the end of the month. I'm about 45% in at the moment.

That's too bad Sarah. Are you enjoying the read?

That's a pity, Sarah. I hope at least it is being a nice read.

It is good. It's well written. The narration is fantastic. It is engaging. The doenside with the audio was all the new names and how people were related at the beginning but ive got it a little clearer in my head now. I have no idea where the story is going. I'm at a point where things could go terribly wrong but not sure for who lol. I'm going to get back to it now.

That is a downside to audiobooks. I wonder how many reviews I've made with errors in spelling.

I snuck in one last Greek retelling this month! And I love it like I love Madeline Miller. It is a debut novel and I hope she writes more.
It is Medusa by Nataly Gruender. I have read a few Medusa retellings and this one was by far the best. It comes out August 13.

Remember to report your reading!