The Odyssey is one of the oldest works of Western literature, dating back to classical antiquity. Homer’s epic poem belongs in a collection called the Epic Cycle, which includes the Iliad. It was originally written in ancient Greek, utilizing a dactylic hexameter rhyme scheme. Although this rhyme scheme sounds beautiful in its native language, in modern English it can sound awkward and, as Eric McMillan humorously describes it, resembles “pumpkins rolling on a barn floor.” William Cullen Bryant avoided this problem by composing his translation in blank verse, a rhyme scheme that sounds natural in English. This epic poem follows Ulysses, one of the Greek leaders that brought an end to the ten-year-long Trojan war. Longing for home, he travels across the Mediterranean Sea to return to his kingdom in Ithaca; unfortunately, our hero manages to anger Neptune, the god of the sea, making his trip home agonizingly slow and extremely dangerous. While Ulysses is trying to return home, his family in Ithaca is also in danger. Suitors have traveled to the home of Ulysses to marry his wife, Penelope, believing that her husband did not survive the war. These men are willing to kill anyone who stands in their way. This book is part of the Standard Ebooks project, which produces free public domain ebooks.

Ever since Jessica Mastriani was struck by lightning, she's had the ability to find missing people. But her amazing new power came at a cost: national fame and a crushing responsibility that Jess never asked for. The only way she knows how to get back her old life is to lie and say she’s lost her gift. But when Jess’s classmates start to disappear, she's accused of being involved. Jess’s only chance to clear her name is to use her powers. But this will only bring back all the old nightmares: the press, the FBI, everyone who seems to want a piece of her . . . including the guy she once gave her heart to. Time is running out, and it seems as if Jess is the only one who can save her friends. But even if she succeeds, will there be anyone to save her?

Follow the trolls in this funny yet heartwarming rhyming story of acceptance and friendship in Troll... Two... Three... Four....

When Daja is cast out of the Trader community, she makes her own family with her fellow mages-in-training. But when danger faces the Traders, it is up to Daja to save the people who turned her away.

The fourth book in the Circle of Magic series by Tamora Pierce.

These paired Arthurian legends suggest that erotic desire and the desire for companionship undergird national politics. The maiden Britomart, Queen Elizabeth's fictional ancestor, dons armor to search for a man whom she has seen in a crystal ball. While on this quest, she seeks to understand how one can be chaste while pursuing a sexual goal, in love with a man while passionately attached to a woman, a warrior princess yet a wife. As Spenser's most sensitively developed character, Britomart is capable of heroic deeds but also of teenage self-pity. Her experience is anatomized in the stories of other characters, where versions of love and friendship include physical gratification, torture, mutual aid, competition, spiritual ecstasy, self-sacrifice, genial teasing, jealousy, abduction, wise government, sedition, and the valiant defense of a pig shed.

SHORTLISTED for the Baillie Gifford Prize’s 25th Anniversary Winner of Winners award WINNER OF THE BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZE 2020 A Spectator Book of the Year • A Times Book of the Year • A Telegraph Book of the Year • A Sunday Times Book of the Year