During quarantine one of my goals was going through all the Marvel movies in order of release (I’ve heard I’m not the only one). This had me falling in love with Loki all over again. This set of a spark in me to read more books about Loki and myths in general. I also lucked out that there is a bingo square this year just for this purpose: Myth or fable (original or retold).
When I was looking for books to read for this square, I stumbled across The Gospel of Loki by Joanne Harris and Mist by Susan Krinard. Both of these books feature Loki prominently. Mist is a re-imagining of a Valkyrie and Loki. It is set in modern day San Francisco and the main character realizes that she isn’t living a normal life like she thought. She is a Valkyrie and her mortal boyfriend is actually the trickster god, Loki. The Gospel of Loki is the Norse myths told from his perspective.
If you aren’t as excited for Norse Mythology as I am, you can turn to several other books. A Thousand Beginnings and Endings: 15 Retellings of Asian Myths and Legends includes stories from own voices authors like Lori M. Lee and Melissa De La Cruz that re-imagines Eastern and Southern Asian folktales and myths.
Neil Gaiman is always a favorite go to for his imaginative take on mythology. One of my favorites is Anansi Boys, from the American Gods universe. The children of Anansi, the trickster god, meet each other, while one knows that he is a son of a god, the other has no clue. They both learn and explore their powers together.
Finally if you just want to learn about the different myths from western civilization, there is nowhere to turn except for Edith Hamilton’s classic Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes. She covers stories of the gods and heroes from Greek, Roman and Norse myths.
For these titles and more check out our book list!
For more ideas for books to meet your Summer Book Bingo challenge, follow our Shelf Talk #BookBingoNW2020 series or check the hashtag #BookBingoNW2020 on social media. Book bingo is presented in partnership with Seattle Arts & Lectures .
~posted by Pam H.
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