May 2023 Book Group
Join Librarian Meredith for fika and a discussion of author Madeline Miller’s novel “Circe,” a bold and subversive retelling of the most infamous female figure from The Odyssey.
Fika is the Swedish tradition of enjoying coffee and a treat with friends. The library will have coffee, tea, and some tasty treats for patrons to enjoy starting at 3:40pm.
Book discussion will follow fika at 4pm.
=====
In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe is a strange child ─ not powerful, like her father, nor viciously alluring like her mother. Turning to the world of mortals for companionship, she discovers that she does possess power ─ the power of witchcraft, which can transform rivals into monsters and menace the gods themselves.
Threatened, Zeus banishes her to a deserted island, where she hones her occult craft, tames wild beasts and crosses paths with many of the most famous figures in all of mythology, including the Minotaur, Daedalus and his doomed son Icarus, the murderous Medea, and, of course, wily Odysseus.
But there is danger, too, for a woman who stands alone, and Circe unwittingly draws the wrath of both men and gods, ultimately finding herself pitted against one of the most terrifying and vengeful of the Olympians. To protect what she loves most, Circe must summon all her strength and choose, once and for all, whether she belongs with the gods she is born from, or the mortals she has come to love.
With unforgettably vivid characters, mesmerizing language, and page-turning suspense, Circe is a triumph of storytelling, an intoxicating epic of family rivalry, palace intrigue, love and loss, as well as a celebration of indomitable female strength in a man’s world.
#1 New York Times Bestseller ─ named one of the Best Books of the Year by NPR, the Washington Post, People, Time, Amazon, Entertainment Weekly, Bustle, Newsweek, the A.V. Club, Christian Science Monitor, Refinery 29, Buzzfeed, Paste, Audible, Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, Thrillist, NYPL, Self, Real Simple, Goodreads, Boston Globe, Electric Literature, BookPage, the Guardian, Book Riot, Seattle Times, and Business Insider.
=====
Copies of “Circe” are available to check out at the Scandinavia Public Library, or you may place a hold through Infosoup.
Book Group meets on the fourth Tuesday of each month from January through November. We do not meet in December.
Be sure to watch our website or our Facebook page for the most recent updates! We read books across most genres as well as some non-fiction.
Anyone is welcome to attend who has read or is interested in the current month’s book and would like to participate in friendly discussion. Members are welcome to attend one meeting or all of them as their interests and schedules permit.
Anyone is welcome to attend who has read or is interested in the current month’s book and would like to participate in friendly discussion. Members are welcome to attend one meeting or all of them as their interests and schedules permit.