I haven't done one of these in a while, but here are the books on tap:
Got this in hardback copy and will finally fulfill my next square for Snakes & Ladders. Grins sheepishly.
Got this in ebook form from my local library.
Trying to whittle down my NetGalley TBRs this weekend too. This looks really interesting.
Another NetGalley read. Want to end with a romance.
I think four books is doable, we will see.
I was recently overcome with a strong urge to read about Greek mythology. I assume it arose since I was reading Through The Looking Glass, which starts the argument that language is dependent on culture with the absence of mentions of color in Greek epic poems like the Odyssey. If colors are mentioned, it is often what we would consider wrong, like violet sheep. (But that is a story for another time).
Either way, I went through my shelves and landed on Circe. And what a great choice it turned out to be, such a shame I didn't read it earlier. As the name suggests, this is the story of Circe, daughter of the sun god Helios. Never one to stand out among the other gods she is banished to the island of Aiaia where she meets multiple important characters from Greek mythology, before Odysseus sets foot on the island and his men are turned to pigs.
It was more of an engaging read than I initially imagined, considering that rather a large part of the story was already familiar to me. Still, Circe was given a very interesting voice and she definitely took the reins of her own story. The descriptions were also particularly livid. I would like to read more by Madeline Miller.
My reading of this has been so staggered. I started it way back in mid-December and I'm not sure why I haven't completed it already, I mean I like it immensely. Puzzling.
Circe, Marilyn Miller, author; Perdita Weeks, narrator
In this re-imagined story of the Greek goddess Circe, Marilyn Miller has done a wonderful job of bringing her to life. The narrator is superb, as she uses different voices and stress points to make each character unique. I studied Greek mythology in College, many years ago, and her presentation evoked many pleasant memories for me. I really enjoyed listening to it and remembering the history it portrayed of Troy and Sparta, the Titans and the Olympians. I remembered and re-imagined with her, all of the heroes, heroines, and villains, that I had once loved reading about. Although she was considered a minor goddess, Circe’s interactions with Odysseus, Athena, Daedalus, Prometheus, Hermes, Zeus, the Cyclops, Trident, Helios, Scylla, Penelope, the Sirens, and many more, were fascinating.
The relationship between the gods, goddesses and mortals was very creative, as was her handling of mysterious events during that time. Her interpretation of their bitterness and vengeful behavior was illuminating. People in modern times are sometimes as arrogant and petty, vindictive and unforgiving toward each other. The pride and arrogance sometimes resulted in remorse but in most cases the behavior simply proved how unrewarding and detrimental it could be. It was difficult to trust mortals or the gods.
The gods had no interest in mortals other than to use them as playthings, to be toyed with and then disposed of, but in some rare cases, some of the gods were kinder. To most, humans held no real value, though. The lesser gods, had less power and they had to be more clever or use magic and witchcraft to better their superiors who even chose to punish them. Imagine a punishment that lasted into eternity…the torture, the torment, the hopelessness. gods and goddesses were immortal and simply existed to please themselves. Any who defied or broke the rules paid dearly.
If you loved the Greek classics, you will love Miller’s reinterpretation of Circe.
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