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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Spokane is Reading selects ‘Circe’ by Madeline Miller for 2019 community reading event

Madeline Miller’s “Circe,” a retelling of the story of the goddess of magic from “The Odyssey” told from Circe’s perspective, has been chosen as this year’s Spokane is Reading book.

“A bold and subversive retelling of the goddess’s story that manages to be both epic and intimate in its scope, recasting the most infamous female figure from the Odyssey as a hero in her own right,” the New York Times’ Alexandra Alter wrote about the book, which was published in 2018.

Miller’s first novel, “Song of Achilles,” was released in 2011 and won the Orange Prize for Fiction. Her essays have appeared in the Guardian, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Telegraph, Lapham’s Quarterly and npr.org, among other publications.

Miller will appear in Spokane for two free events on Oct. 24, which are both open to the public. The first is at 1 p.m. at the Spokane Valley Event Center, 10514 E. Sprague Ave., and the second is at 7 p.m. at the Downtown Library, 906 W. Main Ave.

Spokane is Reading is also planning a series of book discussions and programs related to “Circe” which will be announced later this year.

Previous Spokane is Reading events have featured Jess Walter, Chris Cleave and Maria Semple.

Spokane is Reading is a collaboration between the Spokane Public Library, Spokane County Library District and Auntie’s Bookstore.

Support for Spokane is Reading comes from a grant from Humanities Washington and the Friends of the Library groups in Spokane County and the city of Spokane.