The Reading Party Podcast

This week, Dr. Briana Jackson joins us again to tackle part 2 of Wilbur Smith’s novel, “River God”! What do we think of the novel’s ending? Who exactly were the Hyksos? Is the relationship between Taita and Lostris as weird as we all think? All this and more, on this episode of The Reading Party Podcast! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Megan and Lexie are joined by guest host, Dr. Brianna Jackson, to talk about Wilbur Smith's 1993 novel, River God. You can find Brianna online here: https://www.brianacjackson.com/about https://twitter.com/Baladria https://www.youtube.com/user/Baladria Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join Megan and Lexie for a special, bonus episode on Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical, a fantastic new video game heavily inspired by Greek mythology! Join our Patreon for more bonus content: patreon.com/readingpartypod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join us for this final episode of the Reading Party Podcast's inaugural season! What were our favourite adaptations? Did we find a Helen and Paris we could love? Who was our favourite Achilles, and just why does Lexie continue to love "Odysseus, Voyage to the Underworld" quite so much? All this and more! SEASON 2 RELEASES EARLY 2024! Want to drop us a question, comment, or opinion? Then please sen...

We finish up looking at a very unexpected book - how does this Odysseus compare to the others we seen? What about Penelope? Does Telemachus follow in his father's footsteps and become a mighty warrior king? How many tangents do we go off on this time? All this and more! Want to drop us a question, comment, or opinion? Then please send us an email at thereadingpartypod@gmail.com! We look forward to...

Finally, a book that gives us a Telemachus we can get behind! Questionable chaperoning choices aside, this was a great read, with a complex and well-rounded main character. Sadly the same can't be said for Penelope...but at least we got to witness one of Helen and Menelaus' domestic disputes? Want to drop us a question, comment, or opinion? Then please send us an email at thereadingpartypod@gmail....

Is this finally a Penelope we dislike, and a Telemachus we enjoy? What's with the weird, Egyptian-esque Circe? Are these gods the best we've seen yet? Answers to all of these questions and more, on this episode of The Reading Party Podcast! Want to drop us a question, comment, or opinion? Then please send us an email at thereadingpartypod@gmail.com! We look forward to hearing from you! Follow us o...

Werewolves, golems, and the theory of everything, oh my! This might just be one of the weirdest and most initially confusing literary adaptations of the Odyssey that we've ever seen. We even try to pick our favorite version of Odysseus' homecoming. Come hear out thoughts on the Odyssey, re-told in an alternative mythology mini short-story format! Want to drop us a question, comment, or opinion? Th...

This week's (delightfully?) chaotic episode features a ton of weird accents, out of place armour, and really bizarre set choices! Apparently Calypso's island is in Thailand, while the Palace of Odysseus on Ithaca looks like a baroque 18th century French palace. Also, we can't figure out why there's a Kraken that won't attack Trojans... Want to drop us a question, comment, or opinion? Then please s...

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 thereadingpartypod@gmail.com! We look forward to heari...

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 Mi...

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 u...

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 thereadin...

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 ema...

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 thereadingpartypod@gmail...

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 th...

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 thereadingpartypod@gmail.com! We look forward t...

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 a...

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 thereadingpartypod@gmail.com! We look...

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 u...

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 thereading...

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...

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 thereadingpartypod@gmail.com! We look forward to hearing from...

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 thereadingp...

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 thereadingpartypod@gmail.com! We look f...