We all know the story of The Odyssey from elementary school. Reading the actual Odyssey already understanding the story makes it such a different experience. And the events that get relayed to us as children aren't the ones that turn out to be the most important. The events of the Odyssey are laid out in recollection. We are not reading the tale in real-time but in retrospect.

The Odyssey is a different tale from The Iliad. The author is changed. Whether it's an older, softer Homer or another author entirely, some people believe that a woman wrote the Odyssey due to the empowering roles women play in it.

I also read that there were supposed to be ten epic poems, but only two remain. I'm curious about where they would fit in.

The book is a lot more about the rituals of home life that more is needed than just war and meats and wine to nourish a body. Homer describes lavish meals, and the characters bathe and anoint themselves with oils and feast on meats and dark wine. Homer was the original meal describer.