Where are my Greek mythology nerds?
This month Percy Jackson and the Olympians debuts on Disney+ on December 20. This version is the baby of author Rick Riordan, so I’m confident it will be true to the books. And I can’t wait.
I’ve been a Greek mythology nerd since the third grade. In fact, I received an award for being the class Mythology Expert. I had to share the prize with one of my best friends, but we shared books and consumed every Greek mythology book in our small town.
What do you read during that in-between week just before New Year’s, when you’ve finished Percy Jackson, but you’re not done with myth-inspired stories?
Here are a few suggestions:
- Circe and The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
- Mythos: The Greek Myth Retold by Stephen Fry
- The Silence of the Girls and The Women of Troy by Pat Barker
- A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes
- Ariadne by Jennifer Saint
- The Kind Must Die by Mary Renault
- Lore by Alexandra Bracken — this one is also Young Adult
My book! The Goddess & The Bee (by Jill Jenkins) sits in the sweet spot between middle-grade Percy Jackson and more adult books like Circe. It’s a Young Adult fantasy set against a Greek mythology background. The young heroine Melita accompanies Princess Demetria of Crete to Delphi. She thinks she’s there as a lady’s maid, but ends up in the Oracle’s chair. It’s got gods, goddesses, Oracles, magic, creatures, betrayal, prophecy, and a little romance.
There are also countless retellings of the Hades and Persephone myth, many with a very spicy take: A Touch of Darkness, Neon Gods, Lore Olympus, The Power of Hades.
These stories have been around for thousands of years and they still entertain and inspire us. Whatever take on Greek myths you choose, have fun!
