Reddit mentions: The best tragedy books

Robert Graves' 2 volume The Greek Myths is comprehensive, but there's a catch: Graves has arranged and chosen his version of the myths in order to facilitate a kind of narrative continuity that's not particularly true to the way that the Greeks understood their myths. Karl Kerenyi and Carl Kerenyi's The Greek Gods and The Greek Heroes are closer to the source material, and will give you a better sense of the variety and disagreements involved. Ultimately, though, it's a matter of preference: Do you want narrative sweep, or fidelity to tradition?

Alternately, you could go back to the sources themselves. Ovid's Metamorphoses is basically a treasury of Greco-Roman myth. Again, there's a catch: Ovid's theme is that of things transforming into something else (hence the title), so there's a definite bias in favor of myths that suit that motif. That said, Ovid is also as close as you're going to get to the original form of a lot of Greco-Roman myths, so it's hard to go wrong there.

If you really want to do some heavy lifting on the Greco-Roman myths, get a copy of Pausanius' Guide to Greece, Vol. I and Vol. II. This is basically a travelogue of Greece, written for the Roman Emperor, and it lists in detail most of the locations associated with Greek myths and legends, and gives some detail on most of the lesser known ones. There's a lot to sift through here, and you'll probably want to have an Atlas of the Ancient World on hand to get a sense of where he's talking about at any given time, so I definitely don't recommend starting out here, but if you're looking for really in-depth source material, this is the place to go.

For the Norse myths, there's the Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda, as well as a slew of sagas that are worth looking into. On of the most famous is certainly The Nibelungenlied, on which Wagner based his [Ring Cycle]() (you know, "Ride of the Valkyries," and all that), which was the basis for much of Lord of the Rings. Personally, my favorite of the sagas I've read so far is the Volsungs.

For the Sumerians, the obvious starting point is Gilgamesh. Our sources are pretty fragmented, and there are editions that reflect that fragmentation, but for pure readability, I suggest the Herbert Mason retelling. Or, if you're really into it, get both and compare. The go-to author for Sumerian myth and religion in general is Samuel Noah Kramer; his book Sumerian Mythology is as good a general survey as you're likely to find, particularly if you're interested in the archeological method behind our knowledge of the Sumerians.

What else? For the Egyptians, E. A. Budge is your man. Dover Books in general has a good series of older, public domain works on mythology, including books on Japanese and Chinese mythology. I wish I had some sources to give you on meso-American or African myth, but those are areas of inquiry I'm just delving into myself. But then, you're probably overwhelmed as it is.

Good luck.

Robin Mckinley - anything by her though specifically Sunshine. If you haven't read Mercades Lackey than you would probably like her since you like Tamora Pierce. Start with Arrows for the Queen or Magic's Pawn. Raymond E Feist writes another good fantasy series that has tons of books in it. You might even like the Robert Jordan Wheel of Time books since you like the Game of Thrones. If you haven't read the Ender's Game books by Orson Scott Card they are very good. Some classical sci-fi - Foundation series by Issac Asimov.

edit: also because it looks like you like some historical romance The Secret History of the Pink Carnation and Peony in Love.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1402795912/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_lR8jDbENNDXE8

This is my favorite edition of Hamlet with beautiful artwork. Highly recommend

Could it be Damage Control: A Novel, by Denise Hamilton?

>Struggling in her competitive public relations firm, Maggie Silver is assigned to the toughest client of her career in a California senator, the father of her former best friend, during an effort to prevent a scandal surrounding the murder of a young female aide.

https://www.amazon.com/Silhouette-Girl-V-C-Andrews/dp/1501162632

It's a woman who's upper half of her face is hidden by a hat. She's wearing bright red lipstick. Her shoulders are bare and before her chest she's holding a red rose.

SHE HAD THE POWER… OF A DEMON! Kelly and Katai return once again to Christopher Pike’s The Last Vampire with #5, “Evil Thirst,” and discuss proof and its relationship to pudding, where prophecies can stick it, and more.

Plus, long, detailed fanfictions about certain figures in American government!

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Next week's book: VC Andrew's Heaven: Casteel #1

For quick reads about preteen and teenage girls in Middle Ages England, try Karen Cushman's books including Catherine, Called Birdy (minor nobility), The Midwife's Apprentice (like the title says), and Matilda Bone (bonesetter's apprentice).

Philippa Gregory has a number of well-researched adult books, mainly about nobility in Tudor England.

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan (1800s) and Peony in Love (1600s) by Lisa See are about ordinary girls in China.

https://www.amazon.com/Shadow-Baby-Novel-Alison-McGhee/dp/0307462285 ?

Joyce Carol Oates borrowed the final two lines for a book title:

http://www.amazon.com/Because-Bitter-My-Heart-Plume/dp/0452265819

The book that name is from, even — an old V.C. Andrews series Heaven

The Secrets of Jin-shei is about a group of sworn sisters (alchemist, poet, etc) in a fantasy China.

Peony in Love is about a girl in 17th century China who spends half the book as a hungry ghost.

If you don't mind historical fiction, Empress Orchid is one of my favorite books and about the last empress of China. I found it very similar to The Goblin Emperor in that someone young and out of place is thrust into a position of power and spends the entire book learning to navigate a new culture and its politics.

Some kids' books on fantasy China if you want ridiculously fast reads: Clever-Lazy and The Firework Maker's Daughter, both about inventions.