Page Against the Machine Book Group (September2025 Theme)

Check out this space for suggested titles of Page Against the Machine book group's current month's theme!

For September 2025, we're reading any book dealing with or about Mythology, Folklore, and/or Legends. Either novels that are influenced by or are adapted from myths, folklore or fables; or nonfiction titles that touch on myths, legends, folktales, et.al.


Updated August 5, 2025
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Palos Verdes Library District
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Adventures in unhistory : conjectures on the factual foundations of several ancient legends
Davidson, Avram.
Paper Book
* Where did Sinbad Sail? * Who Fired the Phoenix? * The Boy Who Cried Werewolf * The Great Rough Beast * Postscript on Prester John * The Secret of Hyperborea * What Gave All Those Mammoths Cold...
The bear and the nightingale : a novel
Arden, Katherine
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER * A wild and willful young woman finds herself at the center of a tale of spirits, ancient evils, and the mysterious winter-king Frost--in the lyrical first novel of the Winternight Trilogy. "A beautiful deep-winter story, full of magic and monsters and the...
Bless me, Ultima
Anaya, Rudolfo A.
Paper Book
This coming-of-age classic from "one of the nation's foremost Chicano literary artists" follows a young boy as he questions his faith and beliefs after a curandera woman introduces herbs and magic into his life (Denver Post) . .Antonio Marez is six years old...
The Chinese myths : a guide to the gods and legends
Liu, Tao Tao
Paper Book
The essential guide to the complex, fascinating world of Chinese myths: retelling the stories and exploring their significance in Chinese culture. This is a concise and entertaining guide to the complex tradition of Chinese mythology. While many around the world are familiar...
Circe : a novel
Miller, Madeline
Paper Book
This #1 New York Times bestseller is a "bold and subversive retelling of the goddess's story" that brilliantly reimagines the life of Circe, formidable sorceress of The Odyssey (Alexandra Alter, TheNew York Times). In the house of Helios,...
The dragon daughter and other Lin Lan fairy tales
Lin Lan
Paper Book
A delightful collection of modern Chinese tales The Dragon Daughter and Other Lin Lan Fairy Tales brings together forty-two magical Chinese tales, most appearing for the first time in English. These stories have been carefully selected from more than a thousand...
East African folktales
Jackson, Jake
Paper Book
Traditional stories bring a deeper understanding of the movement of peoples across East Africa. Common roots and differences between ancient peoples create a lively portrait with their fragile, powerful gods. The modern nations of Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and more inherit the folk and...
Enchanted creatures : our monsters and their meanings
Lawrence, Natalie
Paper Book
A fascinating journey through 15,000 years of human imagination and mythology, exploring the incredible variety of monstrous creatures we have created and what they can tell us about ourselves. The hydra rears its many heads in a flurry of teeth and poisonous fumes. The cyborg...
Fates and furies
Groff, Lauren
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A FINALIST FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY: THE WASHINGTON POST, NPR, TIME, THE SEATTLE TIMES, MINNEAPOLIS STAR-TRIBUNE, SLATE, LIBRARY JOURNAL, KIRKUS, AND MANY MORE "Lauren Groff is a...
Flying snakes and griffin claws : and other classical myths, historical oddities, and scientific curiosities
Mayor, Adrienne
Paper Book
A treasury of astonishing mythic marvels--and the surprising truths behind them Adrienne Mayor is renowned for exploring the borders of history, science, archaeology, anthropology, and popular knowledge to find historical realities and scientific insights--glimmering, long...
Home fire
Shamsie, Kamila
Paper Book
"Ingenious... Builds to one of the most memorable final scenes I've read in a novel this century." --The New York Times WINNER OF THE 2018 WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION FINALIST FOR THE 2019 INTERNATIONAL DUBLIN LITERARY AWARD LONGLISTED FOR...
House of names : a novel
T©?ib©?n, Colm
Paper Book
* A Washington Post Notable Fiction Book of the Year * Named a Best Book of 2017 by NPR, The Guardian, The Boston Globe, St. Louis Dispatch From the thrilling imagination of bestselling, award-winning Colm Tóibín comes a retelling of the story...
Irish folk & fairy tales : fables, folklore & ancient stories
Paper Book
Fairy stories, especially from the fertile landscape of Ireland where the supernatural grew from the legends of the Celts, are the magic stories of everyday folk seeking solutions to the challenges of the day. This spritely new collection brings together the fables and stories of banshees, kings,...
The lost sisterhood : a novel
Fortier, Anne
Paper Book
From the author of the New York Times bestseller Juliet comes a mesmerizing novel about a young scholar who risks her reputation--and her life--on a thrilling journey to prove that the legendary warrior women known as the Amazons actually existed. Look for special...
The maidens
Michaelides, Alex
Paper Book
**THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER** "Alex Michaelides's long-awaited next novel, 'The Maidens,' is finally here...the premise is enticing and the elements irresistible." --The New York Times "A deliciously dark, elegant, utterly...
The Metamorphoses of Ovid
Ovid
Paper Book
Through 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. "[An] extraordinary translation...brilliant" (Booklist). With an Introduction by the...
Mythocracy : how stories shape our worlds
Citton, Yves
Paper Book
Harnessing the power of storytelling for political progress Mythocracy examines the narrative mechanisms that script our lives through the stories we tell one another. Digging beneath common anxieties about fake news, Yves Citton looks at the attention economy, which...
Mythology
Hamilton, Edith
Paper Book
Dive into the timeless tales of gods and heroes in this bestselling A-to-Z encyclopedia detailing classic myths and legends--perfect for curious readers and academics alike. Edith Hamilton's mythology succeeds like no other book in bringing to life for the modern reader the Greek,...
The mythology of plants : botanical lore from ancient Greece and Rome
Giesecke, Annette
Paper Book
This beguiling book explores the role of the botanical in ancient myth and classical literature. This engaging book focuses on the perennially fascinating topic of plants in Greek and Roman myth. The author, an authority on the gardens, art, and literature of...
Native American myths & tales : anthology of classic tales
Paper Book
This new selection of myths offers a broad insight into the nature and lifestyle of the ancestral lands of the Native American tribes that once stretched from the tip of Alaska, down to the Bay of Mexico. Hundreds of languages, with traditions and folkore, grew independently across the continent,...
The New kingdom : a novel of ancient Egypt
Smith, Wilbur A
Paper Book
An Egyptian novel from the master of adventure fiction, Wilbur Smith An Ancient Egyptian novel from the master of adventure fiction and global number 1 bestselling author, Wilbur Smith. In the heart of Egypt Under the watchful eye of the gods<...
Norse mythology
Gaiman, Neil
Paper Book
Introducing an instant classic--master storytellerNeil Gaiman presents a dazzling version of thegreat Norse myths. Neil Gaiman has long been inspired by ancient mythology in creating the fantastical realms of his fiction. Now he turns his attention back to the source, presenting a...
Olympus, Texas
Swann, Stacey
Paper Book
A Good Morning America Book Club Pick! * A bighearted novel with technicolor characters, plenty of Texas swagger, and a powder keg of a plot in which marriages struggle, rivalries flare, and secrets explode, all with a clever wink toward classical mythology. For fans...
An orchestra of minorities : a novel
Obioma, Chigozie
Paper Book
A heartbreaking story about a Nigerian poultry farmer who sacrifices everything to win the woman he loves, by Man Booker Finalist and author of The Fishermen, Chigozie Obioma. "It is more than a superb and tragic novel; it's a historical treasure."-Boston Globe
Romance of the Grail : the Magic and Mystery of Arthurian Myth
Campbell, Joseph
Paper Book
The first collection of Joseph Campbell's writings and lectures on the Arthurian romances of the Middle Ages, a central focus of his celebrated scholarship, edited and introduced by Arthurian scholar Evans Lansing Smith, PhD, the chair of Mythological Studies at Pacifica Graduate...
The secret history
Tartt, Donna.
Paper Book
ONE OF TIME MAGAZINE'S 100 BEST MYSTERY AND THRILLER BOOKS OF ALL TIME * INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER * A contemporary literary classic and "an accomplished psychological thriller ... absolutely chilling" (Village Voice), from the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Goldfinch. ...
The silence of the girls : a novel
Barker, Pat
Paper Book
A Washington Post Notable Book One of the Best Books of the Year: NPR, The Economist, Financial Times   Shortlisted for the Costa Novel Award Finalist for the Women's Prize for Fiction Here is the story of the Iliad as we've never...
A song to drown rivers : a novel
Liang, Ann
Paper Book
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES AND USA TODAY BESTSELLER A GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK An October 2024 Indie Next Pick * An October 2024 LibraryReads Pick Order now and receive the stunning DELUXE LIMITED...
Tales of heroes, gods & monsters : Indian myths & legends
Jackson, J. K.
Paper Book
Gorgeous Collector's Edition. India, one of the great, ancient civilizations, spawned a fascinating canon of myths and legends. With multiple gods, and a riot of colour and character, this fantastic new book, Indian Myths & Legends, explores the themes and landscapes that created the tales, and...
A thousand ships : a novel
Haynes, Natalie
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER An NPR Best Book of the Year "Gorgeous.... With her trademark passion, wit, and fierce feminism, Natalie Haynes gives much-needed voice to the silenced women of the Trojan War."--Madeline Miller, author of Circe Shortlisted for the Women's Prize for...
A touch of darkness
St. Clair, Scarlett
Paper Book
Persephone is the Goddess of Spring by title only. The truth is, since she was a little girl, flowers have shriveled at her touch. After moving to New Athens, she hopes to lead an unassuming life disguised as a mortal journalist. Hades, God of the Dead, has built a gambling empire in the mortal...
When among crows
Roth, Veronica
Paper Book
An instant USA Today bestseller! A Goodreads Best Fantasy Choice Award Nominee! The USA Today bestselling When Among Crows is a story of witches, knights, and monsters set in modern day Chicago and pulling from Slavic folklore from...

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