Why am I passionate about this?

Jordanna Max Brodsky is the author of the Olympus Bound trilogy and The Wolf in the Whale, a sweeping epic of the Norse and Inuit. Jordanna holds a degree in History and Literature from Harvard University, but she maintains that scholarship is no substitute for lived experience. Her research has taken her from the summit of Mount Olympus to the frozen tundra of Nunavut, and from the Viking ruins of Norway to Artemis’s temples in Turkey.


I wrote

The Immortals

By Jordanna Max Brodsky,

Book cover of The Immortals

What is my book about?

Selene DiSilva, once known as Artemis, the virgin Greek goddess of the hunt, stalks the streets of modern Manhattan, hunting…

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of The Song of Achilles

Jordanna Max Brodsky Why did I love this book?

Before Miller introduced readers to the inner life of the Odyssey’s famous sorceress in her wildly popular Circe, she breathed life into a minor character in Homer’s other great epic, the Iliad. In a book I find more compelling and satisfying than Circe, Miller retells the story of the Trojan War through the eyes of Patroclus, best friend to the great hero Achilles. The Song of Achilles is both a magical coming-of-age tale and an unconventional love story that begins long before the ships set sail for Troy. Patroclus is deeply mortal; Achilles is the son of a goddess, endowed with phenomenal skill in battle. As myth and legend unfold around them, their friendship evolves into a love story every bit as epic as that of Helen and Paris.

By Madeline Miller,

Why should I read it?

38 authors picked The Song of Achilles as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

**OVER 1.5 MILLION COPIES SOLD**
**A 10th ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL EDITION, FEATURING A NEW FOREWORD BY THE AUTHOR**

WINNER OF THE ORANGE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION
THE INTERNATIONAL SENSATION
A SUNDAY TIMES AND NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

'Captivating' DONNA TARTT
'I loved it' J K ROWLING
'Ravishingly vivid' EMMA DONOGHUE

Greece in the age of heroes. Patroclus, an awkward young prince, has been exiled to the court of King Peleus and his perfect son Achilles. Despite their differences, Achilles befriends the shamed prince, and as they grow into young men skilled in the arts of war and medicine, their bond blossoms…


Book cover of The King Must Die

Jordanna Max Brodsky Why did I love this book?

Mary Renault’s deep research illuminates the most elusive and fascinating aspects of classical life, from the Labyrinth to the Eleusinian Mysteries and beyond. The King Must Die and its sequel, The Bull from the Sea, tell the story of Theseus, slayer of the Minotaur and great king of Athens. As a hero from the generation before the Trojan War, his story is essential for understanding later legends. Renault places her compelling characters in a propulsive plot full of adventure, adultery, and magic to transport readers to an unforgettable world of gods, heroes, and monsters.

By Mary Renault,

Why should I read it?

11 authors picked The King Must Die as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Theseus is the grandson of the King of Troizen, but his paternity is shrouded in mystery - can he really be the son of the god Poseidon? When he discovers his father's sword beneath a rock, his mother must reveal his true identity: Theseus is the son of Aegeus, King of Athens, and is his only heir. So begins Theseus's perilous journey to his father's palace to claim his birth right, escaping bandits and ritual king sacrifice in Eleusis, to slaying the Minotaur in Crete. Renault reimagines the Theseus myth, creating an original, exciting story.


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Book cover of The Deviant Prison: Philadelphia's Eastern State Penitentiary and the Origins of America's Modern Penal System, 1829-1913

The Deviant Prison By Ashley Rubin,

What were America's first prisons like? How did penal reformers, prison administrators, and politicians deal with the challenges of confining human beings in long-term captivity as punishment--what they saw as a humane intervention?

The Deviant Prison centers on one early prison: Eastern State Penitentiary. Built in Philadelphia, one of the…

Book cover of Mythos

Jordanna Max Brodsky Why did I love this book?

For those who find Edith Hamilton’s Mythology a bit dry for the modern day, Stephen Fry’s Mythos: The Greek Myths Reimagined presents a comprehensive anthology of the major myths, retold with verve and humor for an adult audience. Fry may be best known as a humorist and actor, but he’s also got serious classical chops. He interweaves his immensely readable myths with thoughtful analysis, the occasional scholarly footnote, and helpful illustrations. An excellent resource and a great read.  

By Stephen Fry,

Why should I read it?

6 authors picked Mythos as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

STEP INTO ANOTHER WORLD - OF MAGIC, MAYHEM, MONSTERS AND MANIACAL GODS - IN STEPHEN FRY'S MOMENTOUS SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER, MYTHOS

'A romp through the lives of ancient Greek gods. Fry is at his story-telling best . . . the gods will be pleased' Times
___________

No one loves and quarrels, desires and deceives as boldly or brilliantly as Greek gods and goddesses.

In Stephen Fry's vivid retelling, we gaze in wonder as wise Athena is born from the cracking open of the great head of Zeus and follow doomed Persephone into the dark and lonely realm of the Underworld.…


Book cover of Metamorphoses

Jordanna Max Brodsky Why did I love this book?

Ancient Roman poet Ovid gives us the definitive versions of nearly 250 different myths, most involving transformations of men and women into beasts, trees, or flowers. If that sounds dull, know that there’s more incest than Game of Thrones and more bloody mutilation than a Quentin Tarantino flick. Some tales, like that of Orpheus and Eurydice, are well-known. Others, like the story of the fleet-footed Atalanta, should be. For anyone interested in writing their own story inspired by Greek myth, Ovid’s Metamorphoses provides an invaluable source of inspiration. Read Allen Mandelbaum’s excellent poetic translation for the most authentic experience.

By Ovid, Allen Mandelbaum (translator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Metamorphoses as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Through National Book Award-winning translator Allen Mandelbaum's poetic artistry, this gloriously entertaining achievement of literature — classical myths filtered through the worldly and far from reverent sensibility of the Roman poet Ovid — is revealed anew.Savage and sophisticated, mischievious and majestic, witty and wicked, The Metamorphoses weaves together every major mythological story to display a dazzling array of miraculous changes, from the time chaos is transformed into order at the moment of creation, to the time when the soul of Julius Caeser is turned into a star and set in the heavens. In its earthiness, its psychological acuity, this classic…


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Book cover of Bad Blood

Bad Blood By K.B. Thorne,

Bad Blood is paranormal suspense in First Person Snark, so if you like sarcastic, strong female characters set in a world where the preternatural is run amok (i.e., legal citizens in the United States), then this book and series are for you.

Follow Sadie Stanton–"poster girl for the preternatural"–as she…

Book cover of Lovely War

Jordanna Max Brodsky Why did I love this book?

At the height of World War Two, Aphrodite meets Ares and Hephaestus in a Manhattan hotel room, seeking to finally make peace between her husband and her lover. To do so, she tells the story of two young couples amid the killing fields of World War One, battling war and racism alike in their determined quest for love. Lovely War is a YA novel thoughtful enough for adults, one that interweaves a gripping historical romance and the profound themes of  Greek myth.

By Julie Berry,

Why should I read it?

5 authors picked Lovely War as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 12, 13, 14, and 15.

What is this book about?

A New York Times bestseller!

A sweeping, multi-layered romance set in the perilous days of World Wars I and II, where gods hold the fates--and the hearts--of four mortals in their hands.

They are Hazel, James, Aubrey, and Colette. A classical pianist from London, a British would-be architect turned soldier, a Harlem-born ragtime genius in the U.S. Army, and a Belgian orphan with a gorgeous voice and a devastating past. Their story, as told by the goddess Aphrodite, who must spin the tale or face judgment on Mount Olympus, is filled with hope and heartbreak, prejudice and passion, and reveals…


Explore my book 😀

The Immortals

By Jordanna Max Brodsky,

Book cover of The Immortals

What is my book about?

Selene DiSilva, once known as Artemis, the virgin Greek goddess of the hunt, stalks the streets of modern Manhattan, hunting down men who would abuse the women she has spent her eternal life fighting to protect. Theo Schultz is a professor with a goofy sense of humor and a passion for the myths that Selene calls personal history. When the body of Theo's ex-girlfriend washes ashore on the banks of the Hudson River, this unlikely pair finds themselves thrust into a murder investigation that will uncover secrets nearly as old as Selene herself.

The Immortals is Book One of the Olympus Bound trilogy.

Book cover of The Song of Achilles
Book cover of The King Must Die
Book cover of Mythos

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