I am still well and truly in my Greek mythology retelling era, so it should come as NO surprise my top 5 reads of 2023 were all retellings of classic greek myths!
In no particular order my favourite reads for 2023:
Circe by Madeline Miller
I really enjoyed Circe for the storytelling journey AND the timeline, the fact that this retelling was following goddess - not just following a mortal timeline. Plus it was a really interesting perspective of part of the Odyssey journey. Honestly a 10/10 book for me, and will probably be rereading this in 2024 - it was un-put-downable (if that is a word).
Buy Circe (affiliated link)
Girl, Goddess, Queen by Bea Fitzgerald
I loved this Hades and Persephone retelling - I always loved the idea of the duality of Persephone, but this version I love for making me love Hades. The lengths Bea went to to take out the creepiness (in this version he is not her uncle) and predatory nature of their story to set Persephone free was just *chefs kiss* I am not usually a romance story girlie, but I spent this whole book loving their dynamic and rooting for them to find a happy medium together.
Because of my love for Persephone I created my pomegranate pin - the pomegranate being such a symbol of Persephone and her role as Queen of the Underworld.
Buy Girl, Goddess, Queen (affiliated link)
Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes
I love Natalie Haynes take on Medusas story. She is so often painted as a villain I love this version exploring Medusas story, not just the part where she is a 'monster'. I can't not recommend Natalie Haynes as an author, I have loved everything of hers I have read, and her podcast is the perfect combination of funny and witty.
Buy Stone Blind (affiliated link)
Ariadne by Jennifer Saint
I am not going to lie, it was hard to choose between Jennifer Saints three books Elektra, Ariadne and Atalanta (all of which I read in 2023 and loved) but I think that Ariadne might be my favourite. Or maybe I am just a sucker for women on isolated islands!
I had the idea to start painting some of the gods and goddesses symbols while listening to the audio book of Ariadne - these are just some of them. I would love to turn these into products one day, but even if I don't I very much enjoyed the painting process.
Buy Ariadne (affiliated link)
Divine Might by Natalie Haynes
Of course Natalie Haynes makes it onto the top 5 twice. Divine Might is her latest book about goddesses and she covers them with such a lovely humor - I really enjoy her podcast (Natalie Haynes Stands Up For the Classics) plus I got to see her speak live about Divine Might - she is hilarious, knowledgeable and with a wit that would put Hermes to shame.
I really wanted to share more Greek Classic artwork, so inspired by how much Natalie refers to original sculptures and paintings as references, I created this Greek Statue Bust Mini Pin.
Buy Divine Might (affiliated link)
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I also did a range of Greek Classic themed bookmarks and reading trackers to complete my mythology collection. I really want to continue to expand this in 2024 with some of the art pieces I have included in this blog, as well as more pieces. I have had the idea for a series of goddess paintings, and I hope 2024 is the year I can make the time for them.
If you also loved these books you might really enjoy checking out my Greek Mythology reading recommendations list on Bookshop.org - this is an affiliated link so I get a small commission (that costs you nothing) and Bookshop.org also gives a percentage to Independent Bookshops around the world! Win win I say!