You may also enjoy two books by Edith Hamilton as more "preparation":
"Mythology" is a summary of the most common "stories" of Greek and Roman (and a bit Norse) mythology, good to understand contents and allusions.
"The Greek Way" is her "love letter" to Greece - why it was (according to her) better than our society, the differences in general thinking compared to Egyptians, Hindus, and "us modern Westerners", why we still have much to learn from the Greek.
http://www.sacred-texts.com/cla/hesiod/theogony.htm