If you were a demigod...?

Statue of King Neptune (Poseidon) that is found at the oceanfront in my hometown of Virginia Beach, Virginia.  Each year the city has a Neptune Festival to celebrate the end of the summer season.
Courtesy of http://www.virginia-beach-vacations.com/King-Neptune.html.

Lately Beau and I have been reading a lot of Rick Riordan, who writes about Greek and Roman mythology in a modern setting.  And it got me to thinking, if you were a demigod who would you want to be your godly parent?

One of Riordan's main characters, Percy Jackson, is descended from Poseidon, so he is able to control water, talk to horses, and has a cyclopes for a half brother.  I think my favorite of his abilities is that he is able to breath underwater.  Could you imagine?  There are so many amazing things that you could discover!  You would be able to swim with sharks, or search for the most amazing seashells.  It would be like watching the Discovery Channel all the time!

But Poseidon would have to be my second choice. (Sorry, King Neptune!)  I think if I was a demigod I would secretly hope that my godly parent was Athena.  Yes, she is the goddess of wisdom, but she is also the goddess of pottery and CRAFTS!  I love a good crafting day!  Currently I am knitting my son and husband both new blankets!  Last week I made Christmas trees out of my old wine corks.  And although, I am still a novice when it comes to knitting, it is definitely one of my favorite past times.

As goddess of wisdom Athena also advocates reading, which we all know is where my heart lies.  I currently have three books on hold at my local library, and I am in dire need of new bookcases for my guest room.  All the extra books are littering the floor in my basement.  My husband says I am a book hoarder, but even after I read a book, I can't part with it.  

So who would you want to be your parent if you were a demigod?  I have attached a list that is just some of the Gods worshiped in Ancient Greece and Rome.  Keep in mind that if you can't find a god on this list there are many lesser gods such as Khione, the goddess of snow.  

This image can be found on http://www.ancientgreece.com/s/Mythology/.  Once you are on this website, you can clock on any of the gods to find characteristics about them.  This image also shows the gods' family tree.  If you wish to learn more about the gods, goddesses and their stories there are many websites and books to help you out.  Riordan's stories are a great way to introduce mythology to your little one.  At the end of each novel is a glossary of terms to help you keep the gods, goddesses, and lesser mythological creatures straight.  

 

My New Fascination With Reading Aloud

I have always loved reading, but hated reading aloud! My brain ends up going faster then I can speak, and I end up getting EXTREMELY tongue tied.  But now my six week old little man loves hearing mom's and dad's voices, so despite my better judgement, I have had to take up reading aloud.   So far we have participated in A Game of Thrones and searched for an identity with The Lost Hero.  Currently we are living in a Southern small town surrounded by love, witchcraft, and Beautiful Creatures.  From time to time, I feel strange reading mature books to my son, but then I wonder if the more difficult story lines will grow his imagination or if the more mature vocabulary will allow him to develop a larger vocabulary.  Will the Greek and Roman mythology in Rick Riordan's stories seep into his growing little brain and allow him to learn ancient history while hearing an amazing story of heroism for young adults?  I truly hope so!  I hope that the reading time we have already begun will allow him to develop a love of reading that will only grow as he grows.  Fingers crossed!     

The books mentioned in this posting are:

• A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin
• This is the first novel in "A Song of Fire and Ice" series, and is now a television show in it's third season on HBO.  Each of the novels is around 1,000 pages long, but the story is defiantly worth the time it takes to get through each novel.  This one was difficuly to read aloud because of the difficult names involved, but it was worth it.    
• The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan
• The first novel in "The Heroes of Olympus" series is the second series by Riordan that features the Greek demigods attending Camp Half-Blood.  The first is the best selling Percy Jackson series.   I recommend starting with the Percy Jackson series (You will not be disappointed), and then moving onto the Heroes series (Some of the characters and story lines overlap).  I am really looking forward to reading the second book in the series, The Son of Neptune.  Riordan also has a third series entitled "The Kane Chronicles" that features ancient Egypt.  I have yet to read this series, but I wish history class had left my on the end of my seat as much as Riordan's stories do!    
• Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
• I picked up this book because of a pin that I found on Pinterest (Yes, I follow libraries on Pinterest.  It is a great way to find new book recommendations).  It recommended reading this book before the movie comes out on Valentine's Day 2013.  Although Beau and I have only just begun the first novel in this best selling series, we are already really enjoying it.  It is a fresh change of pace to read a novel with a love story line told from the male's point of view.