I won the book, gods behaving badly written by Marie Phillips, in a giveaway by Books on the Brain. What a treat. It arrived while I was reading the Twilight series so it got put to the side until I finished with those books.
Summary of the book: 12 Greek gods, with waning powers, living in modern day London, all cramped into a dilapidated house they’ve lived in since 1665. The gods are bored, cranky and petty. Add in 2 mortals in a race to save humankind and you’ve got a very interesting read. Not only did I get a good chuckle, but it sparked an interest in re-learning my Greek mythology. I recognized the well known gods i.e. Apollo, Aphrodite, Artemis, Ares, etc. But there were a few I had to look up. Click here if you want a refresher of The Olympians. My favorite is Artemis (goddess of hunting) with Dionysus (god of wine), who owns a sleazy bar called Bacchanalia, being a close second.
Each god has a job that coincides with their talents. Artemis is a dog walker and is always on the look-out for a dog with some feistiness left in him/her. She’s thrilled when she finally gets to tangle with Cerberus, the three-headed dog of Hades (god of the underworld). Here’s a passage about Artemis’ search for a “real” dog:
There were dogs all around, on leashes, and Artemis tried to catch their eyes, hoping to detect some wolfish spark, some indication that they knew their heritage, but they were all the same – fat, lazy, dull. There was no point. No true dog would allow itself to be tethered to a human anyway.
Apollo (god of the sun and a gift of prophecy) has a TV psychic show, Aphrodite (goddess of Love and Beauty) is a sex phone operator. And so it goes. The power of belief is a main theme of the book, but be warned, there are several unsettling comments “against” Jesus and God which comes from the point of view of the gods. In the end, the book is a light farce and a romantic comedy.
After reading the vampire series (4 books) and about the Greek gods, I’m in serious need of a more realistic novel. Any suggestions for a “feel good” story based in reality?
Lisa
THANKS!! You’ve always been spot-on with your book recommendations so I look forward to reading “The School of Essential Ingredients”
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PS It doesn’t come out until the 22nd but I’ll send you my copy. I promise you’ll love it.
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Oh! OH! I have the perfect thing! “The School of Essential Ingredients” is exactly what you need! NO kidding!
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Hi Patti. We went to Ljubljana on an ITR so we only saw the city, I’d love to go back though. I loved it!
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Thanks tljess, I’ll give “Secret Lives of Bees” a try.
I went to Borders today and picked up a non-fiction book called “Outliers – The Story of Success” by Malcolm Gladwell. That should get me back to reality!
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“Secret Lives of Bees” After reading it, you need to see the movie as the cast couldnt be better and the movie is very close to the story. =) Great story on Life and Love – not romantic love, friendship love. =)
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