Hello, and welcome to my book blog Cover to Cover! My name is Emily Joy and I look forward to discussing all matters book-related. Have you ever finished a really spectacular book series and thought to yourself “That’s it? There is no way I am ever going to find another book series to love and cherish!” I like to call this period the “book depression.” I make it my goal to help you get out of this funk! Or maybe you just need a new book series to read and don’t have the time to browse Barnes and Noble book shelves for hours on end or the money to buy books you might lose interest in after page three. Once again, I am here to help you! I don’t want to just help you find the perfect read, I want to help you obtain valuable knowledge that you are sure to use in school. That’s right! We are going to kill two birds with one stone.

You may have guessed by the title that this week I will be talking about, “da-dada-da,” Greek mythology! If you are in a Greek history class or have to read any Shakespearian plays, understanding Greek mythology is not only helpful, but necessary. Here is my suggestion to you, read Percy Jackson’s Greek Gods by Rick Roirdan.

This jewel of a book was released in August, 2014 and is basically a Greek mythology history book told from the point of view of a snarky teenage boy named Percy Jackson. Percy Jackson is a main character of two different book series—Percy Jackson and the Olympians and Heroes of Olympus. Both of these series are great, easy reads that will definitely give you a good understanding of Greek myths and history; however, you do not need to have read either for Percy Jackson’s Greek Gods to make sense. It covers the basic information about every major god and titan in Greek mythology and is extremely entertaining! Each chapter covers a different god or titan. If you need to know about Persephone read “Persephone Marries Her Stalker” (page 71). Do you have a report on Ares due next week? Then breeze through the chapter “Ares, The Manly Man’s Manly Man” (page 213). This unique combination of book and encyclopedia reads quickly and is full of important information. There is even an index in the end that will help you find what you are looking for. To top it all off, there are 50 captivating illustrations by John Rocco for all of you visual learners out there.

For even more easily-gained Greek myth information, I suggest that you read Rick Riordan’s other two book series that I mentioned earlier. The first series, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, has all five books out and on shelves so you do not have to wait that tortuous year or plus for each new book to come! As for the second series, Heroes of Olympus, the last book in the five-book series is to be released October 7, 2014, so the wait time is almost non-existent! Thank you for reading and remember not to knock it ‘til you read it!