Episode 101: The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #1)

The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #1)

This is the fourth and final week of Pride Month on the pod. Cheers to many more! Thanks so much to all of the guests who have joined Alli to celebrate Pride on SSR.

On Episode 101, Tim Swenarton guests to chat about the book that made him a reader, Rick Riordan’s The Lightning Thief. The first title in the five-book series Percy Jackson and the Olympians, the novel was published in 2005 and shot Riordan to immediate kid lit stardom. Tune in to this episode to hear more about why The Lightning Thief meant so much to Tim as a kid, along with conversations about representation, mythology, empathy, and what it really means to be a hero. Tim and Alli also award the first-ever honorary SSR book award and discuss their wild post-quarantine dream plans.

Tim is a bookstagrammer working in publishing and living in Brooklyn. When he’s not reading, he’s matching his makeup to book covers. Follow along on Instagram (@bookedbytim).

CHECK OUT TIM’S BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS:

The Song of Achilles: A Novel by Madeline Miller

CIRCE by Madeline Miller

MORE READING:

“A review of Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan” (Medium, 2019)

“Percy Jackson and The Lightning Thief Book Review” (Sophia Ismaa, 2018)

“Review: Percy Jackson & The Lightning Thief — Rick Riordan 2005” (Babbling Books, 2016)

“The Percy Jackson Problem” (The New Yorker, 2014)

“An In-Depth Look at The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan” (Thought Co., 2019)

More About #BookstaPride!

COVID-19 has disrupted an in-person Lambda Literary Awards ceremony and Pride marches around the world, but we can still celebrate & support on bookstagram! We're hosting a joint fundraiser/giveaway throughout the month of June. With each $5 donation, you will be entered to win a $25 gift card to an LGBTQ independent bookstore.

Lambda is an important org to promote LGBTQ literature that has taken a financial hit due to COVID-19. However, representation in literature only goes so far. The original Pride was a riot against the police. In 2020, police still murder Black people, and those in the LGBTQ community and/or with disabilities are at higher risk. To honor the work being done by protestors on the street, #BookstaPride committee members and friends are matching donations to Lambda Literary with a donation to the LGBTQ Freedom Fund. You donate to Lambda Literary, we donate to support Black lives.

To enter:

Donate $5 to Lambda Literary at bit.ly/BookstaPride.

Screenshot your donation receipt, post it to IG and tag each week’s giveaway host.

Every donation of $5 gets you one entry towards the giveaway

The giveaway winner pool resets weekly, so if you don’t win one week, give $5 the following week to be reentered.

This giveaway is hosted independently by LGBTQ bookstagrammers and is not affiliated with Lambda Literary, Instagram, or the bookstore. 

#BookstaPride giveaway hosts/bookstore schedule:

June 22 - 28: Win a gift card to A Room of One's Own in Madison, WI by tagging @caseythereader

June 29- July 5: Win a gift card to Moon Palace Books in Minneapolis, MN by tagging @claudianeureads

Please note that all the above stores have online stores with shipping, so you can win from any location!

Follow SSR on social media!

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Support SSR on Patreon!

**Please note that the Amazon links above are affiliate links. At no additional cost to you, I will earn a small commission if you decide to make a purchase through these links. Please do not feel inclined to purchase unless you are excited to add these books to your TBR list!**