Books to Read if You Loved Circe
As a child I couldn’t explain my draw to Greco-Roman culture and mythology.
I can tell you now that it’s because I know I’ve lived many past lives during that era and that my soul feels at home walking the ruins of ancient Greece, but I didn’t have the conscious awareness of or vocabulary for that until I became an adult.
What I did know was that I loved the days in Latin class that were devoted to learning about the gods and goddesses of Mt. Olympus. And I now know that I am not alone in that love and that many people feel an unconscious tether (or at the very least an interest in) Greek Mythology.
It wasn’t until I was in my late twenties that I discovered other ways to engage with mythology as an adult; both for personal growth and healing and for pleasure.
So today, I thought I’d share with you a few of my favorite books that are related to Greek Mythology.
Some are of a newer genre called Mythology Retellings and others go deeper into Depth and Archetypal psychology, but are still related to the world of myth.
Whether you’re looking for something entertaining or something with more depth, there’s a book here for you!
Enjoy! xx
Circe by Madeline Miller
While I can’t say for certain, it seems like this is the book that really brought popularity to the Myths Retold genre.
For those who aren’t familiar, Mythology Retellings take classical stories found in Greek (and other) mythologies and tell them from new perspectives, often from the point of view of the female characters.
Circe is the story of the first witch of the Western canon and is told from her perspective. It’s an absolutely beautiful book that takes the reader on a journey through the immortal life of a goddess who never quite fit in and was then forced into exile.
It is through her experience in exile that she discovers who she really is and the formidable powers that she possessed all along.
This is a must-read for the women who are drawn to the archetype of the witch.
While you can read this simply from the lens of wanting some ancient entertainment, Circe also invites us to go deeper and to question whether we are what everyone else sees or if there’s deeper magic hiding within.
Daughters of Sparta by Claire Heywood
After reading (and re-reading) all the Madeline Miller books I could get my hands on, I went to Barnes & Noble looking for something to fill that void. I was promptly guided to a table full of Mythology Retellings and my face lit up like it was Christmas morning. It was as if someone had curated an entire collection of books just for me!
I got to talking to one of the employees who recommended Daughters of Sparta. I bought the book and read it in less than two days.
Daughters of Sparta tells the story of the Princesses of Sparta, the infamous Helen of Troy and her sister Klytemnestra.
When I was told that this was technically a ‘young adult’ book, I half expected something completely shallow or overly dramatic. I was pleasantly surprised to find that while it’s not a very deep or complicated read, it was an easy and enjoyable look into the lives of the two sisters who played a big role in one of the greatest myths of all time.
This is a great book if you’re looking for an easy read to curl up with by the fire this winter!
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
If I’m being honest, if you asked me to choose a favorite Madeline Miller book, I might actually choose this one.
The Song of Achilles is told from the perspective of Achille’s confidante, best friend, (and in this version, his lover) Patroclus.
As the greatest of all the Greeks, Achilles has a devastating destiny to fulfill, but it is Patroclus who keeps him grounded and who reveals a different side of the hero.
This is such a beautiful story and one that makes me cry every time I read it (and yes, it’s that good that it’s worth reading again and again).
10/10 would recommend this book!
Goddesses in Everywoman by Jean Shinoda Bolen
I first learned about this book in a training I took with Marianne Williamson nearly a decade ago and it’s safe to say that it changed the trajectory of my life.
I was in my first year of graduate school at the University of Pennsylvania, training to be a therapist. As much as I loved all of the science and evidence-based practices I was learning in school, it never felt like quite enough.
I was secretly always more drawn to the world of alternative and holistic health, spirituality, and depth & archetypal psychology (even though I didn’t know that’s what it was called).
When I learned about this book, I discovered that not only were there other women like me who were drawn to mythology, archetypes, and the realm of the Goddess, but that it was all part of a legitimate field of study.
It would take a few more years before I would dive head first into this world, but eventually it became a second language for me. I now incorporate Goddess Archetypal work into my work with all my clients and it’s become a foundational part of my healing method.
In Goddesses in Everywoman, Shinoda Bolen delineates the 7 primary Greek Goddess Archetypes (Athena, Artemis, Hestia, Demeter, Persephone, Hera, and Aphrodite) and how they show up in the psyche of the modern woman.
It’s an absolutely incredible book and one I recommend to every single one of my clients.
Eating in the Light of the Moon by Anita Johnston
While this book doesn’t deal in Greek Mythology per se, it’s an incredibly deep read that shows women how to heal their relationship with food and their bodies through myths and metaphor.
I first read this book in my early twenties while I was in treatment for my own eating disorder and of all the books I read, groups I attended, and therapy I participated in, this book unlocked something in me that no other modality or tool could.
Because it is now the rare woman who doesn’t have (or has never had) a struggle with her body or food, I recommend this to most of my clients because of how powerful it is in helping women heal the root of their struggles with body image and disordered eating.
In both my personal and professional experience, I’ve found that myth heals us on a deeper level than almost anything else, because it speaks a language the unconscious mind understands.
Eating in the Light of the Moon is a beautiful foray into this world in a way that so many women can relate to.
Pandora’s Jar by Natalie Haynes
Pandora’s Jar by Natalie Haynes is a different kind of book than Circe or Daughter’s of Sparta.
In this book, Haynes explores some of the biggest myths in Greek Mythology through the lens of their female characters by challenging what we’ve been told is true about them.
For example, did Pandora willfully open a box of horrors or could it be that she accidentally tipped over a jar?
This is such an interesting book that is sure to shake up what you thought to be true about Greek myths!
Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes by Edith Hamilton
And last but not least, we have a true classic.
While you might know bits and pieces of mythology from references in pop culture, what you learned in school, or other books you’ve read, many women haven’t actually read the original Greek Myths and maybe you don’t want to.
As one of the foremost scholars of Greek Mythology, Edith Hamilton makes it easy for us by selecting the most well-known storylines and cross-referencing the original sources of the myths to give us an easy-to-read version of the classics.
I love how she explains the differences between the original authors like Homer and Hesiod and helps us understand how the same character can be presented so differently depending on the source.
If you’re looking to enrich your knowledge of the classics and want something beyond a myth retelling, this is the book for you.
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If you love this kind of work and want to dive deeper, check out my library of free On-Demand Masterclasses that give you a taste of the kind of healing work we do in my world. In these masterclasses we explore topics like the Myth of Persephone & Women’s Mental Health, the Role of the Goddess in Therapy, and relationship dynamics of the Athena & Hera woman.