Review: The Intimate Afterlife of Myth by Venus Gunyeli

Title: The Intimate Afterlife of Myth: Ancient Stories for the Inner Life
Author: Venus Gunyeli
Publication: August 14, 2026
Genre: Nonfiction, Mythology, Psychology
Find it on: Amazon US | Amazon AU | Amazon CA | Amazon BE
Rating: 4/5★

MYTH IS NOT OVER.

It survives in the choices we repeat, the losses we carry, and the questions that return when certainty gives way.

What if the figures of myth were not distant symbols, but lives we could approach more closely—lives shaped by love and loyalty, power and error, grief and change?

The Intimate Afterlife of Myth revisits ten Greek and Mesopotamian myths, from Persephone and Gilgamesh to Inanna, Psyche, Hector, and Prometheus. Rather than reducing them to simple lessons or fixed interpretations, the book stays with the psychological and emotional questions their stories leave unresolved and with the ways those questions still echo in modern life.

Each chapter brings together:

• Literary myth retellings grounded in ancient sources
• Thoughtful explorations of what each story leaves unresolved
• Imagined voices that draw the mythic figures closer
• Reflective questions and space for personal integration

Read from beginning to end, return to the figure whose story calls to you, or follow one of the thematic paths offered at the close of the book.

Neither a conventional mythology collection nor a prescriptive self-help book, this is an invitation to remain with ancient stories long enough to recognise where they continue and what becomes visible when their questions meet your own.

For readers drawn to Greek and Mesopotamian mythology, psychology, literary reflection, and ancient stories that still speak to modern life.

"A path does not have to be visible before movement begins. For now, one direction is enough."

The Intimate Afterlife of Myth offers a thoughtful, intimate look at myths that have survived for thousands of years, from Mesopotamian to Greek myths. I love it when mythology feels less like something from the distant past and more like something we can still see ourselves in. And this book shows exactly just how timeless these stories and the questions they raise can be.

I really liked how each chapter began with a short retelling of a myth rooted in ancient sources, then explored the unanswered questions surrounding it, delved into what the character themselves may have thought, and ended with some thoughtful self-reflection. I enjoyed this unique format and how the book falls somewhere between an exploration of mythology and personal reflection, both of which really spoke to me.

Overall, The Intimate Afterlife of Myth: Ancient Stories for the Inner Life by Venus Gunyeli was an insightful and nuanced examination of mythology that gave me a new way of looking at these ancient stories.

About the author:

Venus Gunyeli is an Istanbul-born writer interested in what stories, traditions, and forms of knowledge become as they pass from one life and one era into another.

Her interest in ancient cultures began in childhood and has remained a quiet constant in the way she reads and understands the world. Her work turns to ancient texts, inherited practices, and cultural memory without treating the past as a storehouse of ready-made answers. She is drawn instead to what survives change: the questions a story continues to hold, the knowledge carried through ordinary acts, and the meanings that shift when old forms enter new lives.

Across her books, this has led her from the healing traditions and everyday knowledge of Anatolia to contemplative practice inspired by Rumi, and most recently to the unresolved human questions held within Greek and Mesopotamian myth.

Years spent working within holistic wellness and exploring movement disciplines deepened her attention to the ways inner life, the body, and everyday experience continually shape one another. Art and music have long been part of how she notices image, rhythm, atmosphere, and form.

She lives near the Aegean coast and writes about what we inherit, what we alter, and what remains.

Amazon | Instagram | Goodreads

 

Review: Chill Out and Cheer Up by Grace Grossmann

Title: Chill Out and Cheer Up: A Ten-Step Guide
Author: Grace Grossmann
Genre: Nonfiction, Self Help, Mental Health
Find it on: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon BE
Rating: 5/5★

You're on your healing journey. You've done the work.

The journaling. The yoga. Therapy. Even the green smoothies. The late nights researching how to feel better. But some days, guilt still creeps in the moment you think you should be doing more.

You've survived a world built on hustle, comparison, and burnout. You've played by the rules, and now you're asking the bigger questions: What's my purpose? What actually brings me joy? Who am I outside of everything I've been told to be?

You deserve to chill out and cheer up — not stress out and give up.

Grace knows exactly how you feel — because she has lived every word of this book.

She has been through the burnout, the self-doubt, grief, the anxiety, and the quiet desperation of trying to hold it all together while falling apart inside. She has navigated the systems that told her to keep going, keep achieving, keep shrinking — until she finally stopped, breathed, and chose herself instead.

Grace wrote this book because she needed it first. And now she is handing it to you.

"This is your very own portable wellness coach" — a warm, no-guilt companion that meets you exactly where you are, not where you think you should be. Whether you are five minutes into your healing journey or five years in, these pages will remind you that your peace was never something you had to earn.

Inside, you'll discover

• Practical, bite-sized tools you can apply to your life immediately
• Simple mindset shifts to quiet the inner critic and silence the guilt
• Strategies for managing stress, building resilience, and bouncing back
• A fresh perspective on personal growth that feels human, not hustle-driven
• Real guidance to reconnect with your purpose and rediscover what lights you up
• Daily encouragement to build healthy habits — without the pressure and with an eJournal

Readers are calling it a game-changer:

"From the first page, it pours out so much positivity and encouragement. The author has a remarkable way of breaking down complex concepts into easy-to-understand, bite-sized pieces that are immediately applicable to everyday life. Each chapter is filled with insights that helped me shift my mindset and approach challenges with a new perspective."

[5 stars] Verified Purchase · United States

"An uplifting read that will leave you feeling empowered and ready to take on whatever life throws your way. I find myself returning to certain sections time and again for a boost of motivation and encouragement."

[5 stars] Verified Purchase · United States

This is not another book telling you to hustle harder, wake up earlier, or become someone you are not. This is Grace permitting you to breathe. To rest. To remember that you are already worthy of a joyful, peaceful, purpose-filled life. To treat yourself with grace and slow down your pace.

You are not broken. You are not behind. Your peace and power have been inside you all along.

It's time to chill out, cheer up, and come home to yourself.

I first read Chill Out and Cheer Up five years ago in 2021 (seriously, where does the time go?!), but when I learned that Grace Grossmann had released a revised edition, I knew I had to read it again. And I'm so happy to say that I enjoyed it even more the second time around. I even bought myself a physical copy so I could highlight with some bright colors and annotate the book a little. I had so much fun with this that I ended up reading it in one single sitting!

I feel like taking care of yourself whether it's mentally or physically has become even more important in 2026. I know I've been working even more on it. Life can be hard in so many ways, which is why I think we need books just like this one.

One of the things I appreciated most about this revised edition is how open and honest the author is. She didn't shy away from letting her readers know that even she goes through hard times, as we all do. It only shows that we're all just human, that no one has everything figured out all the time, nor do we need to. I also loved how she added comments in italics as a reflection on what she wrote five years ago. These were really great to read!

I enjoyed rereading all the tips and tricks that I found helpful the first time around. Some of them I still practice to this day, while others I’d like to start implementing again like more positive thinking, connection with nature and maybe a little less scrolling on my phone.

Once again, I found Chill Out and Cheer Up: A Ten-Step Guide by Grace Grossmann inspiring and incredibly helpful. I just know that other readers won't regret picking it up and will get just as much out of it as I did.

About the author:

A passionate-driven mentor here to spread awareness on Mental Health and mindfulness after dealing with grief, heartbreaks, and mental breakdown. She aims to grace your life with positivity. Her books are “guides you don’t see every day but are like a conversation with a friend”.

Since losing her best friend at 21, she has honed her ability to lead with love. As a writer, well-being coach, yoga instructor, and kindergarten teacher, Grace believes we all have the power to lead a happy and healthy life. Her mission is to show people it is OK to not feel OK; emotional intelligence and healing can lead the way.

Her non-fiction books include humorous and humble accounts of Grace's spiritual journey to show that reality is always going to hit, but you can get through it. She connects with the reader in an encouraging and
lighthearted way through a steady flow of engaging content including practical exercises, food for thought, poems and good laughs.

Amazon | Instagram | Goodreads

 

Can't-Wait Wednesday: A Gorgon's Guide to Getting a Life by Ellen Meny

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted at Wishful Endings, to spotlight and talk about the books we're excited about that we have yet to read.
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A Gorgon's Guide to Getting a Life by Ellen Meny
Expected publication: May 11, 2027 by Ace

Sometimes your sisters won’t talk to you. And sometimes a goddess gives you snakes for hair and a lethal stare. And sometimes the only way you can face your demons is by leaving the cave you call home. . . even if the outside world is filled with idiots. Just another day in the life of a gorgon.

Fifteen years after Athena turned them into gorgons, Medusa and her sisters’ relationship has gone from inseparable to impossible. Euryale is annoyingly perfect, and Stheno has disappeared. Guilt-ridden and traumatized by the past, Medusa spends her days hiding in her cave, enduring patronizing visits from Eury, slamming a bottle of ouzo (or six), and turning wannabe heroes into stone. Fun!

But when some kid named Perseus tries to behead her to save his mother from a wicked king, Medusa sees an opportunity: take Perseus under her wing (literally), rescue his mother, and finally prove to her sister that she definitely has her life together. But the journey across Ancient Greece quickly brings fresh horrors: screeching, topless harpies hound their every move, a hot demigod keeps trying to kill her (or worse, date her), and Medusa’s newfound crew wants to…be friends. Ugh.

This gorgon’s got a decision to make: go back to her safe, sad life or finally take off the bedazzled sunglasses and face not only gods and monsters, but her worst enemy yet – herself.

I first came across this book on a post by Tammy at Books, Bones & Buffy. And of course I had to put it on my wishlist right away. Greek mythology, Medusa + it sounds hilarious. I can't wait to read it!

What book are you awaiting today?