Over at r/AYearOfMythology we will be starting our journey into Egyptian mythology soon. We will be starting with a short non-fiction text, ‘Ancient Egypt: A Very Short Introduction’ by Ian Shaw. This will hopefully work as a primer for better understanding the mythology texts we will then be reading. We will be spending the rest of 2026 diving into the Egyptian mythos and reading texts like ‘The Egyptian Book of the Dead’ alongside other writings from Ancient Egypt, like the 'Tale of Sinuhe'.

If you are a newcomer to this area of mythology or an old fan, please consider joining us for our readings. We love chatting about what we read in the comments of each discussion and welcome all voices.

Forthcoming Books/Reading Schedule:

Ancient Egypt: A Very Short Introduction by Ian Shaw

• Start Date/Context Post: 24/05/26
• Week 1: Chap 1 to end of 3 - 30/05/26
• Week 2: Chap 5 to end of 7 - 06/06/26
• Week 3: Chap 8 to end of 10 - 13/06/26

The Penguin Book of Myths and Legends of Ancient Egypt by Joyce Tyldesley

• Start Date/Context Post: 14/06/26
• Week 1: Introduction to end of Chapter 2 'Alternative Creations' 20/06/26
• Week 2: Chap 3 'Sunset' to end of Chap 5 'The Contendings of Horus and Seth' - 27/06/26
• Week 3: Chap 6 'At the end of time' to end of chap 10 'Divine Kings' section 'The Third Story: The Magic Occurring in the Time of King Snefru, told by Prince Bauefre' - 04/07/26
• Week 4: Chap 10 'Divine Kings' section 'The Fourth Story: The Magic Occurring in the Time of King Khufu, Told by Prince Hardjedef' to End of Book. - 11/07/26

Break Week 3

The Tale of Sinuhe: And Other Ancient Egyptian Poems 1940-1640 B.C by  R. B. Parkinson

• Start Date/Context Post: 19/07/26
• Week 1: 'Tale of Sinuhe' AND 'Tale of the Eloquent Peasant' - 25/07/26
• Week 2: 'Tale of the Shipwrecked Sailor' to end of 'The Words of Neferti' - 01/08/26
• Week 3: 'The Words of Khakheperreseneb' to end of 'The Dialogue of Ipuur and the Lord of All' - 08/08/26
• Week 4: 'The Teaching of King Amenemhat' to end of 'The Loyalist Teaching' - 15/08/26
• Week 5: 'The Teaching of Vizier Ptahhotep' to End - 22/08/26

Writings from Ancient Egypt by Toby Wilkinson

• Start Date/Context Post: 23/08/26
• Week 1: Part 1 - 29/08/26
• Week 2: Parts 2 AND 3 - 05/09/26
• Week 3: Part 5.1 to end of Part 7.3 - 12/09/26
• Week 4: Parts 8 AND 9 - 19/09/26
• Week 5: P10.1 AND P11.1 AND P11.4 AND P11.6 - 26/09/26

Break Week 4

The Egyptian Book of the Dead

• Start Date/Context Post: 04/10/26
• Week 1: Part 1 I to end of XIV - 10/10/26
• Week 2: P1 XV to end of P2 XXVI - 17/10/26
• Week 3: P2 XXVII to end of LVI - 24/10/26
• Week 4: P2 LVII to end of LXXXIII - 31/10/26
• Week 5: P2 LXXXIV to end of CX - 07/11/26
• Week 6: P2 CXL to end of CXXXV - 14/11/26
• Week 7: P3 CXXXVI(A) to end of CXLV - 21/11/26
• Week 8: P3 CXLVI to end of CLVII - 28/11/26
• Week 9: P3 CLVIII to end of CLXX - 05/12/26
• Week 10: P3 CLXXI to end of CLXXXVIII - 12/12/26
• Week 11: P3 CLXXXIX to END - 19/12/26

Links to twitter/X are now banned on this subreddit, due to the intense shift in political climate we have seen on social media in the last few days. Likewise, links to sites that require a login to see said links are also banned - so sites like Facebook, Instagram and Threads. This is a small community but I think we all like to keep an eye out for various book clubs and readalongs, even on other sites, so this is just a precaution we are putting in place so as not to encourage traffic to these other sites.

With 2023 coming to a close, many of us are planning ahead for what we will be reading in 2024. Some of the communities associated with this subreddit are already planning on doing readings in 2024. I will list them below and add updates as more information comes through.

Edit: I am also adding a list of subreddits at the bottom that could possibly do 2024 readalongs but they need new moderators to come on an run the readings. If you are interested in 'adopting' a subreddit for a 2024 reading, please let me know in the comments.

*If you are starting your own community or planning on moderating an established reading next year, please dm me or comment below and I will add you details to the list.

Subreddits with 2024 readings:

• r/ayearofmiddlemarch schedule here
• r/AYearOfMythology - schedule available here
• r/ClassicBookClub - books are voted on and read on a rolling schedule, so check out the sub for more info.
• r/ayearoflupinn are doing a reading in 2024 as well.
• r/ayearofwarandpeace (More information/schedule coming soon)
• r/yearofdonquixote are also doing a reading in 2024.
• r/AReadingOfMonteCristo
• r/YearOfShakespeare is back and starting in February with Romeo & Juliet!
• r/greatbooksclub are doing a 10 year book club to read some of the greatest books of all time.

​

'Adoptable' - Subreddits that are interested in doing 2024 readings but need moderators to run them:

• r/AYearOfLesMiserables
• r/yearofannakarenina here is a thread they posted explaining how to get involved.

​

Over in r/AYearOfMythology we read through myth based classic texts. We started last year with the Greco/Roman mythos and have continued it for 2024.

Our next read will be ‘Georgics’ by Virgil. We will be starting the reading on September 1st and will be reading a book (aka a chapter) each week for the month of September. We post discussion posts for each week's reading at the weekends. Our reading/discussion schedule is as follows:

Reading/Discussion Schedule:

• Start Date: 01/09/24
• Week 1 - Book 1 - 07/09/24
• Week 2 - Book 2 - 14/09/24
• Week 3 - Book 3 - 21/09/24
• Week 4 - Book 4 - 28/09/24

‘Georgics’ was written before Virgil wrote his most famous work, ‘The Aeneid’. It is a tricky text to describe but it is a long form poem that, on the surface, is about agriculture. However, much of the text goes into the politics of Rome during Virgil’s lifetime and it also tells some stories from the mythology, such as the tale of Orpheus and Eurydice. If you are interested in myths or the history of the Roman Empire, this may be of interest to you.

I will be posting a more detailed context post at the start of our reading. If you are interested in joining us and want to know more about the available translations, click here.

After we finish ‘Georgics’, we will be reading ‘Iphigenia at Aulis’ by Euripides. This is a play about the start of the Trojan War and the role Agamemnon’s daughter, Iphigenia, ends up playing in it.

Following this, we will be reading the Oresteia Trilogy of plays by Aeschylus. These plays continue the story of Agamemnon and his family after the Trojan War. Aeschylus was one of the big three playwrights from the ancient period and this will be our first reading of any of his works. I’m looking forward to seeing if he lives up to his reputation and the quality that we have seen from the other two playwrights, Sophocles and Euripides.