I am so relieved to be writing this post this afternoon despite its tardiness — I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to steal enough time for it today! I tried writing all weekend but it wasn’t possible. I haven’t been super busy but it’s been difficult to find enough time to string a few words together. As soon as I’d sit down to get started, something else needed to be done. I’m sure you know what I mean!
So thank goodness for audiobooks. I finished three last week (and one physical book), so that’s all I’m really sharing today. I don’t want to fall behind! So please forgive my lack of personal chatter in today’s post – I am hoping that next Monday’s will have more updates.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan
(Amazon | Bookshop)
“Families are messy. Immortal families are eternally messy. Sometimes the best we can do is to remind each other that we’re related for better or for worse…and try to keep the maiming and killing to a minimum.”
I was excited to listen to this because Bryce said it’s his favorite of the series and I can see why. Percy makes a new friend, Tyson, a young cyclops who helps him on his quest to find the Golden Fleece to save his summer camp for demi-gods. These books have been fun additions to my summer mythology challenge because they are fast, easy to digest, and full of names that I’m quickly becoming familiar with!
Ariadne by Jennifer Saint
(Amazon | Bookshop)
“I had been a fool to trust in a hero: a man who could only love the mighty echo of his own name throughout the centuries.”
I learned about Ariadne when I read Circe earlier this year and was thrilled to find that there was a book about her! Ariadne is Circe’s niece and the Minotaur’s sister. She helped Theseus defeat her brother and ran away with him, only to be abandoned on a deserted island to die. There, she met and fell in love with Dionysus, the greek god of wine and father of bacchanal (the type of ritual at the heart of Donna Tartt’s The Secret History). This novel also shows us the story from the tragic perspective of Phaedra, Ariadne’s sister. And now I want to read more about her!
I love how many retellings are out there! It’s been so fun to hunt them down and learn about these characters.
To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf
(Amazon | Bookshop)
“What is the meaning of life? That was all- a simple question; one that tended to close in on one with years, the great revelation had never come. The great revelation perhaps never did come. Instead, there were little daily miracles, illuminations, matches struck unexpectedly in the dark; here was one.”
I was captivated by this slim novel. Set on the Isle of Skye at the Ramsay’s seaside home, it’s a sad story about memory and grief (I think). Virginia Woolf always reminds me that I have a very simple brain and struggle with complex and difficult topics. And despite knowing I need to read this again in a few years, I was moved by Woolf’s writing – it is simply beautiful.
Divine Might: Goddesses in Greek Myth by Natalie Haynes
(Amazon | Bookshop)
“There really is nothing like Greek myth for reminding us that the countryside is rarely the blissful idyll for young women that it is for young men and gods. More frequently it is the source of sexual threat and constant anxiety.”
Natalie Haynes is brilliant and I want to be her intern! I loved this little book that explores goddesses in mythology. Haynes is gifted at making these stories relevant to today’s world while maintaining a fantastic sense of humor. Pandora’s Jar, also about mythological women, wasn’t available for me on Libby so I’ve put in an interlibrary loan request. I’m hoping to be able to read it in the next couple of weeks!
On Substack last Wednesday I shared a very disappointing week of self-study. Don’t worry — this week’s will be even more disappointing, if that’s possible. But in this Substack post I was able to share an update on my Toni Morrison project, which is moving along as planned. I am planning to reread Song of Solomon in July (if anyone would like to join me) and this post outlines what I’m reading to prepare.
I apologize for how quickly I’ve written today’s post. AND it feels good to know that I’ve been able to stay caught up with my reading this month. I finished another audiobook this morning during my workout but I will save it for next week — and hopefully I’ll have more time with that update.
My question for you: do you have a favorite mythological character? Or retelling? I’m scouring Libby to find all that I can but I can also put in interlibrary loan requests for any other standouts!
I hope your week is getting off to a good start, you’re able to keep cool, and that you find time for a few of your favorite things. Take good care!
The Cozy Burrow 
There is a Percy Jackson television series that features the very book you wrote about today. Has your son seen it? Lots of fun, even for adults.
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