Greek Mythology Book Tag

I found this great book tag on My Tiny Obsessions. It was created by Jasmine at Flip That Page, who called it a bookish survey and included a section based on the Heroes of Olympus series by Rick Riordan, which I, of course, will do in a separate post since this would be quite long otherwise.

Gods of Olympus

Zeus (Jupiter): God of the Sky and Thunder / King of the Gods

Favorite book (choose your own category!).

The Arrival by Shaun Tan

The Arrival is a fairly new favorite book. I read it last year and enjoyed it immensely. It’s about a man who immigrates to another country to find a safe place for his family. It’s an illustrated book, and the story is told using only pictures, thereby placing great emphasis on how we communicate nonverbally (gestures and facial expressions). It’s a great read that I highly recommend.

Poseidon (Neptune): God of the Seas and Earthquakes

Book that drowned you in feels.

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

The Kite Runner is also a great read. I love how Hosseini wrote the story and I’m eager to read another of his books to see if I will love it as well. This one is about the friendship between a boy and his servant, as well as the buildup of civil unrest in Afghanistan in the late 1970s. It’s an emotional read and can be graphic at times. Though it has received mixed reviews, I highly recommend it.

Hades (Pluto): God of the Underworld

Favorite book with a dark / ominous plot.

The Curse of Crow Hollow by Billey Coffey

Definitely The Curse of Crow Hollow. When I started reading it, I didn’t know what to expect, but I was so hooked, I could hardly put the book down. While reading, you wonder if it’s supernatural or horror or thriller…hard to tell sometimes. It’s about a town that is cursed by a witch when a couple teens trespass on her property.

Hera (Juno): Goddess of Marriage and Family

Cutest fictional couple.

Saga, Vol. 1 by Brian K. Vaughan, illus. by Fiona Staples

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Marco(s) are so sweet. I don’t think these couples are cute, but I do like them and that’s Marko and Alana from the Saga comics and Marco and Celia from The Night Circus. So far, these two are the only fictional couples I like.

Athena (Minerva): Goddess of Wisdom, Handicraft, and Strategic Warfare

Series with the best world-building.

The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan

Honorable mentions to both the Harry Potter and the Song of Ice and Fire series. However, I’ve chosen Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series because it too has strong world building. While reading the books, I could easily see that Jordan was inspired by Tolkien, Christian stories, and Celtic mythology. Though his writing often wears me out, I do appreciate the vastness of the story in the variety of cultures in it. I’m intrigued by the Aiel, who live in the desert and who I imagine as badass ninjas, and I’d love to know more about the Atha’an Miere, the sea folk, who I imagine as pirate-like merchants (I’ve only made it to book 6 so far). The captains of the sea folks’ ships are women.

Aphrodite (Venus): Goddess of Love and Beauty

Most beautiful cover on a 2014 release.

[I would change this to “a 2017 release,” but I haven’t been paying attention to the books published this year. Instead, I’ll show A Comic Book with Beautiful Illustrations.]

The Wicked + the Divine, Vol. 1: The Faust Act by Kieron Gillen; illus. by Jamie McKelvie with colors by Matthew Wilson

It’s one of the first comic books I read when I decided to start reading them. I guess it’s fitting to include this comic in this tag since it’s about gods who return every 90 years as young people, but die after 2 years. But while alive, they are highly revered and loved. When the story begins, the gods have returned as pop stars we all know and love. (There’s even one who looks like Rihanna.)

I LOVE the artwork in this comic. It’s one of the best I’ve seen so far. The lines are thin (I love thin lines) and the colors have a cool tone to them, which I find very appealing. I wasn’t a fan of the story, but I’m currently rereading to see if I’ve changed my mind.

Ares (Mars): God of War and Bloodshed

Most violent book you’ve ever read.

The Song of Ice & Fire series by George R.R. Martin

When I think about it, George R.R. Martin’s Song of Ice & Fire series trumps all the books I’ve read as being the most violent. Someone is always dying in some horrible, excruciating way in Westeros and the surrounding lands. And since it’s war, women and children are always being raped and beaten to death. That world is a horrible place to be and I doubt it’ll get better because winter is coming and who knows what’s coming with it.

Hephaestus (Vulcan): God of Blacksmiths and Fire

Scorching hot, swoon-worthy character.

Sandor Clegane, a.k.a. “The Hound” from A Song of Ice & Fire

Lol! Okay, so the hound isn’t scorching hot, as in good looking, but I think he’s the best answer for this question considering how his face got messed up. And he’s also one of my favorite characters, though he isn’t a nice person.

Artemis (Diana): Goddess of the Hunt and Virginity

Favorite Kick-Ass Heroine.

Amy Dunne from Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Lol, lol! 😀 I know, I know, she’s a psycho and not a great person and doesn’t know how to throw a punch (maybe), but she is pretty badass (mentally). She is a horrible person, but she’s great at whatever she sets her mind to and at achieving her goals, in other words, a kick-ass heroine. 😉

Phoebus Apollo (Apollo): God of Light and Healing

Sequel book that redeemed its series.

The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater

This was a tough question to answer because I’ve completed few of the series I started, and I tend to prefer the first book in series. If the first book is crap, I usually don’t continue. And if the first book is good but the second or third one is crap, I usually give up. I chose The Raven King, the fourth and final book in Stiefvater’s Raven Boys series, because it redeemed the series for me. I loved the first book, hated the second, didn’t care for the third, but thought the fourth was okay because finally! some answers.

Hermes (Mercury): Messenger of the Gods and God of Thieves and Commerce

Book with the best message.

When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

It’s a memoir about Kalanithi’s battle with cancer and his quest to understand human nature using his experience as a neurosurgeon and his avid interest in literature. I wouldn’t say this is the best message, but it is a great one. It’s one of many quotes that stood out to me as I read:

“No system of thought can contain the fullness of human experience.”

Hestia (Vesta): Goddess of the Hearth and Home

Book with the most relatable story.

Soledad by Angie Cruz

Maaaann, I could relate to how Soledad felt toward her family: annoyed, but love them still. The story is about Soledad, a Dominican girl living in New York City’s East Village, who have to move back in with her mom when her mom falls into a coma. Soledad’s family lives in a bad part of NYC that she’s always wanted to escape so she struggles with having to return home and having to follow her family’s customs again.

Demeter (Ceres): Goddess of Fertility and Agriculture

Favorite bookish setting.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

I feel like I’m sinning by not choosing Hogwarts for this answer, but as a Harry Potter fan, it’s a given that hoggy, warty Hogwarts is one my favorite fictional places. Another favorite is the Night Circus. Speaking in Every Heart a Doorway terms, it has the right amount of nonsense and logic for me to live there and not go insane.

Dionysus (Bacchus): God of Wine and Celebration

2014/2015 release you are most anticipating. [I could change this question to a “2017 release” I’m anticipating, but I can’t think of any, other than Katherine Arden’s The Bear and the Nightingale, which has already been published and I’ve bought. Instead, I’ll show A Book I Really, Really Want to Get Soon.]

Klaus by Grant Morrison, illus. by Dan Mora

I just featured this in a Wishes for My TBR Pile post. Basically, it’s a comic book that seems to be an origin story for Santa Claus, a badass Santa Claus. It draws on Viking and Serbian lore and I’m super eager to get it. I put in an order for it at my local comic book store soon after writing about it in that post. I was too eager and impatient.

That’s it for the Greek gods. Next up will be questions based on characters from Rick Riordan’s Heroes of Olympus series.

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