Might this be Megan's best recap ever? Did Homer invent the first vampire or did giant bat creatures exist already in mythology? Can we all agree that this movie is not really related to the Odyssey since Megan instead finds way too many bizarre Christian symbols? Want to drop us a question, comment, or opinion? Then please send us an email at [email protected]! We look forward to hearing from you!  Follow us on Facebook @TheReadingPartyPodcast Twitter @ReadingPartyPod Instagram...

Wait, the book doesn't end with Odysseus leaving Aiaia?! Does Circe turn out to be the parent we think she'd be? What exactly happens when a man's mistress/baby mama and child live with his wife and firstborn son on a tiny island? Also, Lexie find parallels between the Norse myth of Odin and Fenrir and a certain exchange in Circe. Come hear our many opinions on this packed back half of Madeline Miller's novel! Want to drop us a question, comment, or opinion? Then please send us an email at...

Today we contemplate whether Madeline Miller's Circe is the world's original "ugly duckling" story, why Circe and Calypso are often confused for the same person, and explore Circe's selfish and mortal hating family! We discuss this and more in this cameo filled, who is who of Greek mythology in this origin story packed first half! Want to drop us a question, comment, or opinion? Then please send us an email at [email protected]! We look forward to hearing from you!  Follow us on...

Come and hear our thoughts on the 1954 movie Ulysses, starring Kirk Douglas, and some of the shortest man-skirts to ever grace the silver screen! Is Telemachus the most annoying teenage "boy" in existence? Why is Nausica wearing a wedding cake as a hat? All this and more, on the latest Reading Party Podcast! Want to drop us a question, comment, or opinion? Then please send us an email at [email protected]! We look forward to hearing from you!  Follow us on Facebook...

Join us as we discuss how having an inside view of Paris’ and Helen’s relationship changes our understanding of the characters and the story, how we think that the gods could have been more convincingly (and helpfully!) integrated into the novel, and see whether Lexie finds any redeeming qualities in this version of Helen! Want to drop us a question, comment, or opinion? Then please send us an email at [email protected]! We look forward to hearing from you!  Follow us on Facebook...

Will this monster of a novel finally give us the Helen of Troy we’ve been looking for? Is this the sassiest Hecuba we’ve ever seen? Does someone finally end the “star-crossed lovers” trope? Did we even read the same book?! Join us for this week’s Reading Party to find out all of this and more! Want to drop us a question, comment, or opinion? Then please send us an email at [email protected]! We look forward to hearing from you!  Follow us on Facebook @TheReadingPartyPodcast Twitter...

Featuring the wildest backstory for Helen (who is “a child”), a disconcertingly graphic scene of sexual assault, and the weirdest Achilles we’ve met so far, join us as we laugh our way through the 2003 miniseries Helen of Troy. Despite taking a *very* dark turn at the end (seriously, not recommended for those with SA trauma), this is one of the funniest, most enjoyable adaptations of the Iliad that we’ve seen, and comes with an almost non-stop feeling of “what the actual f**k?!”. Want to drop...

How does Madeline Miller take Achillles from lovestruck teen to fully-fledged warrior? Is this the most rounded Briseis we’ve come across? How do you tell the end of Achilles’ story from Patroclus’ point of view when the latter dies before the former?! All this and more! Want to drop us a question, comment, or opinion? Then please send us an email at [email protected]! We look forward to hearing from you!  Follow us on Facebook @TheReadingPartyPodcast Twitter...

S1 Ep16 The Song of Achilles Part 1 We enjoy a teenage romance that takes us to Patroclus and Achilles before the war even begins, and debate whether Thetis’ dislike of humanity is reasonable, and whether she is, in fact, Dark Galadriel of the ocean. As a side note…can you adapt a myth and manage to avoid using tropes? Want to drop us a question, comment, or opinion? Then please send us an email at [email protected]! We look forward to hearing from you!  Follow us on Facebook...

We continue reading Pat Barker’s “Trojan Women”, and…well, we have questions! Why invent a totally unnecessary pregnancy for a minor character when the main character is so very pregnant? Why is Pyrrhus allowed to get away with (literal) murder? Why are there so many storylines?! Want to drop us a question, comment, or opinion? Then please send us an email at [email protected]! We look forward to hearing from you!  Follow us on Facebook @TheReadingPartyPodcast Twitter...

Moving on from the siege of Troy, we rejoin Briseis (and the rest of the Trojan women) as they wait on the beaches, slaves in the Greek camp, wondering when they’ll be herded onto boats and taken away from their country. Do we finally find a sympathetic Helen? How does Pat Barker handle the issue of forced pregnancies in slave women? Is this the most depressing book we’ve ever read? Want to drop us a question, comment, or opinion? Then please send us an email at [email protected]!...

We continue with Briseis’ trials in the Iliad and - despite our myriad of problems with the book - truly enjoy it and recommend it to everyone. This book contains undisguised violence and sexual assault, and episodes 12 and 13 of the podcast should be treated with caution by survivors of trauma and assault. Want to drop us a question, comment, or opinion? Then please send us an email at [email protected]! We look forward to hearing from you!  Follow us on Facebook...

The Iliad, but from Briseis’ perspective! Join Megan and Lexie as they tackle the first half of Pat Barker’s brutal retelling of the Iliad, focusing on the experiences of Briseis as she is taken into slavery in the Greek camp. This book contains undisguised violence and sexual assault, and episodes 12 and 13 of the podcast should be treated with caution by survivors of trauma and assault. Want to drop us a question, comment, or opinion? Then please send us an email at...

Natalie Haynes joins Megan and Lexie to talk about writing A Thousand Ships, her new projects, and the importance of making the ancient world accessible to everyone who wants to know about it! Featuring some serious fangirling behaviour by Megan and Lexie. Want to drop us a question, comment, or opinion? Then please send us an email at [email protected]! We look forward to hearing from you!  Follow us on Facebook @TheReadingPartyPodcast Twitter @ReadingPartyPod Instagram...

We’re back this week with the second part of Natalie Haynes’ “A Thousand Ships”! Does Penelope continue being awesome? What is the goddess of strife like? Exactly how much can we gush over Natalie before it gets sickening? All this and more, on the Reading Party Podcast!  Content warning: infant loss. Want to drop us a question, comment, or opinion? Then please send us an email at [email protected]! We look forward to hearing from you!  Follow us on Facebook...

Lexie and Megan discuss the first half of Natalie Haynes’ excellent take on the Illiad, “A Thousand Ships”. Are we finally coming around to Helen? Is Paris as much of an idiot here as elsewhere? What do we think of Natalie’s take on the goddesses? Join us this week and find out! Want to drop us a question, comment, or opinion? Then please send us an email at [email protected]! We look forward to hearing from you!  Follow us on Facebook @TheReadingPartyPodcast Twitter...

Lexie and Megan cover the final two episodes of Troy: Fall of a City. These were hard to watch, and had about as much death and destruction as you’d expect in the final days of a brutal war. Does Helen actually feel emotions, or is she reacting the way she thinks she’s expected to? Does the show do Penthesilea a disservice? What differences are there between the conclusion of the mini-series, and the end of “Troy” the movie? All this and move in this week’s episode! TW: infanticide,...

Lexie and Megan discuss their impressions of the Amazons, Paris’s absence from Troy and its effect on Helen, and about the duels between Patroculs and Hector & Hector and Achilles. Find our full media list on our socials to read/watch along with us this season! Want to drop us a question, comment, or opinion? Then please send us an email at [email protected]! We look forward to hearing from you!  Follow us on Facebook @TheReadingPartyPodcast Twitter @ReadingPartyPod Instagram...

Lexie and Megan discuss the plot to steal Helen from Troy, Andromache’s reaction to Helen leaving her daughter Hermione, and the bombshell twist on the Achilles and Briseis' romance. Find our full media list on our socials to read/watch along with us this season! Want to drop us a question, comment, or opinion? Then please send us an email at [email protected]! We look forward to hearing from you!  Follow us on Facebook @TheReadingPartyPodcast Twitter @ReadingPartyPod Instagram...

Lexie and Megan discuss the show’s casting choices with that of the Troy movie, how the show managed to give Helen agency and make her more sympathetic, and the odd costuming choices. Find our full media list on our socials to read/watch along with us this season! Want to drop us a question, comment, or opinion? Then please send us an email at [email protected]! We look forward to hearing from you!  Follow us on Facebook @TheReadingPartyPodcast Twitter @ReadingPartyPod Instagram...

Lexie and Megan discuss where the gods are, the use of language & names, and why they passionately hate Paris and Helen. Find our full media list on our socials to read/watch along with us this season! Want to drop us a question, comment, or opinion? Then please send us an email at [email protected]! We look forward to hearing from you!  Follow us on Facebook @TheReadingPartyPodcast Twitter @ReadingPartyPod Instagram @TheReadingPartyPod YouTube:...

Lexie and Megan chat with author Maya Deane about all things “Wrath Goddess” and how she developed her characters, the story, and what inspires her. Find our full media list on our socials to read/watch along with us this season! Want to drop us a question, comment, or opinion? Then please send us an email at [email protected]! We look forward to hearing from you!  Follow Maya on Twitter @mayadeanewriter  Instagram @mayadeanewriter  Follow us on Facebook...

Lexie and Megan discuss Achilles’ trip to Egypt, the unfolding of the end of the Trojan War, and how Maya creates a giant metal space-moon Kirby!  Find our full media list on our socials to read/watch along with us this season! Want to drop us a question, comment, or opinion? Then please send us an email at [email protected]! We look forward to hearing from you!  Follow us on Facebook @TheReadingPartyPodcast Twitter @ReadingPartyPod Instagram @TheReadingPartyPod YouTube:...

Lexie and Megan discuss Achilles’ life on Skyros, new characters, how she is persuaded to join the Trojan War, and the major differences between Maya’s characters and their Homeric counterparts! Find our full media list on our socials to read/watch along with us this season! Want to drop us a question, comment, or opinion? Then please send us an email at [email protected]! We look forward to hearing from you!  TW: body dysmorphia, Follow us on Facebook...

Will we hear more from Penelope? Is Odysseus the most problematic favourite hero? In this bonus episode, Megan and Lexie chat about the Odyssey and discuss what they hope to see in this season's adaptations. Find our full media list on our socials to read/watch along with us this season! Want to drop us a question, comment, or opinion? Then please send us an email at [email protected]! We look forward to hearing from you! Follow us on Facebook @TheReadingPartyPodcast Twitter...