Zenobia Neil's guest appearances

Zenobia Neil

Skylight Books Podcast Series

Best Book Ever Podcast

Lilliam Rivera

Carson McCullers

Grace Talusan

Mallory O'Meara

Naomi Fry

Crissy Milazzo

Micah Perks

Paul Lisicky

Meredith Maran

Glenn Gould

Nathaniel Rich

Kristina Wong

William Powers

Emily Wells

Elizabeth Kostova

OwlTail

Madeline Miller

Zenobia Neil and I talked for over two hours, and honestly I could have talked to her for the rest of the day. She is fun and hilarious and smart as hell and just plain interesting. Not only that, but the book she chose immediately went on my list of Top Ten books. It was a great read, and an even better bookish conversation.   Support the Best Book Ever Podcast on Patreon   Follow the Best Book Ever Podcast on Instagram or on the Best Book Ever Website   Host: Julie Strauss Website/Instagram/Facebook   Guest: Zenobia Neil Website/Facebook/Twitter/Instagram   Discussed in this episode: Skylight Books Skylight is a beloved Los Angeles treasure. Though they are currently closed to in-store browsing, they are still open for online orders. Check out their fantastic lineup of author events, their signed first editions club, or the Coyotes Book Club.    A Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller Circe by Madeline Miller Zenobia of Palmyra Carroll Avenue (the Victorian neighborhood in Los Angeles where Zenobia grew up) The Helms Bakery Truck (not book related, but Angelenos of a certain age remember the Helms Bakery Truck with great affection) The A Team Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel Salem’s Lot by Stephen King D’aulaire’s Book of Greek Myths by Edgar Parin D’Aulaire 84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff The Iliad of Homer (Zenobia recommends this one on audio) The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare (Look at this awesome graphic adaptation!) Twilight by Stephanie Meyer Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan Luster by Raven Leilani   Discussed in our Patreon Conversation: Troy the movie  Circe the miniseries Clash of the Titans movie (oh, sweet fancy Irishman, there is a version of this movie with heavy metal music and Liam Neeson! Release the kraken!) Percy Jackson movie Outlander on audio (Note: If you shop using my affiliate link on Bookshop, a portion of your purchase will go to me, at no extra expense to you. Thank you for supporting indie bookstores and for helping to keep the Best Book Ever Podcast in business!)

Zenobia Neil and I talked for over two hours, and honestly I could have talked to her for the rest of the day. She is fun and hilarious and smart as hell and just plain interesting. Not only that, but the book she chose immediately went on my list of Top Ten books. It was a great read, and an even better bookish conversation. Support the Best Book Ever Podcast on <a href="https://www.patreon.com/BestBookEver" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Patreon</a> Follow the Best Book Ever Podcast on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/bestbookeverpodcast/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Instagram</a> or on the <a href="https://juliewroteabook.com/podcast/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Best Book Ever Website</a> Host: Julie Strauss <a href="https://juliewroteabook.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Website</a>/<a href="https://www.instagram.com/juliewroteabook/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Instagram</a>/<a href="https://www.facebook.com/JulieWroteABook/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook</a> Guest: Zenobia Neil <a href="http://www.zenobianeil.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Website</a>/<a href="https://www.facebook.com/zenobianeilauthor/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook</a>/<a href="https://twitter.com/ZenobiaNeil" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter</a>/<a href="https://www.instagram.com/zenobia.neil/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Instagram</a> Discussed in this episode: <a href="https://www.skylightbooks.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Skylight Books</a> Skylight is a beloved Los Angeles treasure. Though they are currently closed to in-store browsing, they are still <a href="https://www.skylightbooks.com/skylight-bestsellers" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">open for online orders</a>. Check out their <a href="https://www.skylightbooks.com/event" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">fantastic lineup of author events</a>, <a href="https://www.skylightbooks.com/franny/sfec" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">their signed first editions club</a>, or the <a href="https://www.skylightbooks.com/franny/clubs/coyotes" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Coyotes Book Club</a>.  <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/12153/9780062060624" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">A Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller</a> <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/12153/9780316556323" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Circe by Madeline Miller</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zenobia" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Zenobia of Palmyra</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carroll_Avenue" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Carroll Avenue</a> (the Victorian neighborhood in Los Angeles where Zenobia grew up) <a href="https://gombessa.tripod.com/scienceleadstheway/id5.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Helms Bakery Truck</a> (not book related, but Angelenos of a certain age remember the Helms Bakery Truck with great affection) <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJm_atlxoD0" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The A Team</a> <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/12153/9780609610978" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel</a> <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/12153/9780307743671" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Salem’s Lot by Stephen King</a> <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/12153/9780307743671" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">D’aulaire’s Book of Greek Myths by Edgar Parin D’Aulaire</a> <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/12153/9780140143508" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff</a> <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/12153/9780226470498" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Iliad of Homer</a> (Zenobia <a href="https://amzn.to/2MA4YFF" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">recommends this one on audio</a>) <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/12153/9780525564102" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker</a> <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/12153/9780743477116" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare</a> (<a href="https://bookshop.org/a/12153/9780763668075" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Look at this awesome graphic adaptation!</a>) <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/12153/9780316015844" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Twilight by Stephanie Meyer</a> <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/12153/9780786838653" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan</a> <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/12153/9780374194321" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Luster by Raven Leilani</a> Discussed in our Patreon Conversation: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znTLzRJimeY" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Troy the movie</a> <a href="https://www.bustle.com/p/hbos-circe-mini-series-will-tell-madeline-millers-story-of-the-first-witch-in-western-literature-18494677" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Circe the miniseries</a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojw1sau98Jg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Clash of the Titans movie</a> (oh, sweet fancy Irishman, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJNenKqmOMU" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">there is a version of this movie with heavy metal music and Liam Neeson</a>! Release the kraken!) <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xko1Mx5w4tg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Percy Jackson movie</a> <a href="https://amzn.to/3r02Eqv" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Outlander on audio</a> (Note: If you shop using <a href="http://www.bookshop.com/bestbookever" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">my affiliate link on Bookshop</a>, a portion of your purchase will go to me, at no extra expense to you. Thank you for supporting indie bookstores and for helping to keep the Best Book Ever Podcast in business!)

035 Zenobia Neil on "A Song of Achilles" by Madeline Miller

Alexandra of Sparta vowed her sword and her heart to the goddess Artemis. And the goddess blessed her. But no warrior lives at peace, and soon, Alexandra loses her title, her troops, and all she holds dear, including the man who holds her heart. Cursed by a Babylonian witch, she is forced to return to a city she once conquered to make amends, but is captured by the powerful Persian rebel, Artaxerxes. As his prisoner, she awaits judgment for her crimes. But Artaxerxes is not what he seems. With death approaching, Alexandra must face her violent past and discover the truth of her captor’s identity before it’s too late.

Alexandra of Sparta vowed her sword and her heart to the goddess Artemis. And the goddess blessed her. But no warrior lives at peace, and soon, Alexandra loses her title, her troops, and all she holds dear, including the man who holds her heart. Cursed by a Babylonian witch, she is forced to return to a city she once conquered to make amends, but is captured by the powerful Persian rebel, Artaxerxes. As his prisoner, she awaits judgment for her crimes. But Artaxerxes is not what he seems. With death approaching, Alexandra must face her violent past and discover the truth of her captor’s identity before it’s too late.

Zenobia Neil, "THE QUEEN OF WARRIORS"

In Zenobia Neil's The Jinni's Last Wish, a eunuch in the Ottoman Imperial Harem has already lost his home, his freedom, and his manhood. His only wish is for a painless death, until he meets Dark Star, a beautiful odalisque who promises to give him his deepest desire. He refuses to believe her claim to possess a jinni in a bottle. But when Dark Star is accused of witchcraft, Olin rubs the bottle in desperation and discovers she’s told the truth. Olin becomes the jinni’s master to save Dark Star, but it's not enough. In the complex world of the Topkapi Palace, where silk pillows conceal knives, sherbets contain poison, and jewels buy loyalty, no one is safe. With each wish, Olin must choose between becoming like the masters he detests or risk his life, his body, and his sanity to break the bonds that tie them all. 

In Zenobia Neil's The Jinni's Last Wish, a eunuch in the Ottoman Imperial Harem has already lost his home, his freedom, and his manhood. His only wish is for a painless death, until he meets Dark Star, a beautiful odalisque who promises to give him his deepest desire. He refuses to believe her claim to possess a jinni in a bottle. But when Dark Star is accused of witchcraft, Olin rubs the bottle in desperation and discovers she’s told the truth. Olin becomes the jinni’s master to save Dark Star, but it's not enough. In the complex world of the Topkapi Palace, where silk pillows conceal knives, sherbets contain poison, and jewels buy loyalty, no one is safe. With each wish, Olin must choose between becoming like the masters he detests or risk his life, his body, and his sanity to break the bonds that tie them all.

Zenobia Neil, "THE JINNI'S LAST WISH"