Jinky is Reading: April 2013

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Z is for Zeus

Got to end this challenge with the Big Guy ... God of the sky, lightning, thunder, law, order, justice ..Mr. Zeus!

Zeus:

The "Father of Gods and men" who rules the Olympians of Mount Olympus as a father rules the family according to the ancient Greek religion, and modern Hellenic Polytheistic Reconstructionism.
He is the god of sky and thunder.
The child of Cronus and Rhea, and the youngest of his siblings.
In most traditions he is married to Hera, although, at the oracle of Dodona, his consort is Dione: according to the Iliad, he is the father of Aphrodite by Dione.
He is known for his erotic escapades. These resulted in many godly and heroic offspring, including Athena, Apollo and Artemis, Hermes, Persephone (by Demeter), Dionysus, Perseus, Heracles, Helen of Troy, Minos, and the Muses (by Mnemosyne); by Hera, he is usually said to have fathered Ares, Hebe and Hephaestus.
His symbols are the thunderbolt, eagle, bull, and oak.
In addition to his Indo-European inheritance, the classical "cloud-gatherer" also derives certain iconographic traits from the cultures of the Ancient Near East, such as the scepter.
Frequently depicted by Greek artists in one of two poses: standing, striding forward, with a thunderbolt leveled in his raised right hand, or seated in majesty.
After the battle with the Titans, Zeus shared the world with his elder brothers, Poseidon and Hades, by drawing lots: Zeus got the sky and air, Poseidon the waters, and Hades the world of the dead (the underworld).
The ancient Earth, Gaia, could not be claimed; she was left to all three, each according to their capabilities, which explains why Poseidon was the "earth-shaker" (the god of earthquakes) and Hades claimed the humans that died (see also Penthus).
Gaia resented the way Zeus had treated the Titans, because they were her children. Soon after taking the throne as king of the gods, Zeus had to fight some of Gaia's other children, the monsters Typhon and Echidna. He vanquished Typhon and trapped him under Mount Etna, but left Echidna and her children alive.

Sources:
Wikipedia

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Featured Book:

Zomo the Rabbit by Gerald McDermott

My Rating: 4

Now time to do the HAPPY DANCE!!!

(source)

Monday, April 29, 2013

Y is for Nysus

I couldn't find a Greek mythology that started with the letter "Y" so as the second letter will have to suffice.

Again no image of Nysos but here's one of Dionysos or Dionysus (God of Wine, God of Nysos) whom he was charged to take care of.

Nysos or Nysus:

He was an old rustic rustic god or Seilen who made his home on the mythical Mount Nysa.
There he was entrusted with the care of the young god Dionysos, whom he reared with the help of his five daughters, the Nysiades.
His mountain home was traditionally identified with Mount Kithairon (Cithaeron) in Boiotia. Its southern vales, known as the Nysaian fields, were the site of the abduction of Persephone in the Homeric Hymns.
The god Nysos was probably the same as Seilenos, who was the usual nurse of Dionysos, and he was probably also identified with the mountain-god Kithairon.
According to Pseudo-Hyginus, Fabulae 179 (trans. Grant) (Roman mythographer C2nd A.D.) :"Jove [Zeus], coming with lightning and thunder, burned Semele to death. From her womb Liber [Dionysos] was born. Mercurius [Hermes] snatched him from the fire and gave him to Nysus [Seilenos] to be reared. In Greek he is called Dionysus.
According to "Pseudo-Hyginus, Fabulae 131 :"When Liber [Dionysos] was leading his army into India, he gave the authority over his Theban kingdom to his nurse Nysus until he should come back. But after Liber returned from there, Nysus was unwilling to yield the kingdom. Since Liber [Dionysos] didn't want to quarrel with his nurse he permitted him to keep the kingdom until an opportunity should come to recover it. And so, three years later, he made up the quarrel with him, and pretended he wanted to celebrate in the state the sacred rites termed Trieteric, because he performed them after the third year. He introduced soldiers as Bacchanals in women's dress, captured Nysus, and recovered his kingdom."

Sources:
Mythagora
Theoi Greek Mythology

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Featured Book:

Your Happily Ever After by Dieter F. Uchtdorf

My Rating: 5

X is for Xuthus

Better late than never? ;)

I couldn't find an image for Xuthus of Greek mythology so here's an image of Xuthus, a Chinese Yellow Swallowtail butterfly! :)

(source)

Xuthus:

A son of Hellen by the nymph Orseis, and a brother of Dorus and Aeolus.
He was king of Peloponnesus, and the husband of Creusa, the daughter of Erechtheus, by whom he became the father of sons Achaeus and Ion and daughter Diomede
Others state that after the death of his father Hellen, Xuthus was expelled from Thessaly by his brothers, and went to Athens, where he married the daughter of Erechtheus.
After the death of Erechtheus, Xuthus being chosen arbitrator, adjudged the kingdom to his eldest brother-in-law, Cecrops, in consequence of which he was expelled by the other sons of Erechtheus, and settled at Aegialos in Peloponnesus.
According to the Hesiodic Catalogue of Women on the origin of the Greeks, Hellen's three sons Dorus, Xuthus (with his sons Ion and Achaeus) and Aeolus, comprised the set of progenitors of the major ancient tribes that formed the Greek nation.
Aiclus and Cothus are sometimes described as being his children.
Euripides's play, Ion, provides an unusual alternate version, according to which Xuthus is son of Aeolus and Cyane and Ion has in fact been begotten on Xuthus's wife Creusa by Apollo.
Xuthus and Creusa visited the Oracle at Delphi to ask the god if they could hope for a child. Xuthus will later father Dorus with Creusa, though Dorus is normally presented as Xuthus's brother.

Sources:
Greek Myth Index
Wikipedia

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Featured Book:

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

My Rating: 2.5

Friday, April 26, 2013

Meet You're Next Website for Kindle Ebook Deals & Steals + Kindle Fire/$100 Giveaway

Inspired Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer has launched a new site aimed at bringing you the best Kindle Ebook Deals and Steals.

Each day on feedyourreader.com you'll find a new list of available ebook deals (most for under $3).

And of course there will be lots of Featured Freebies too!

To celebrate the launch of the new site she is giving away a Kindle Fire, Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash.

Win a 7" Kindle Fire (US only)

Or $100 Amazon.com Gift Card (International)

Or $100 in Paypal Cash (International)

Giveaway Details

1 winner will receive their choice of a Kindle Fire 7" (US Only), $100 Amazon Gift Card or $100 in Paypal Cash (International).

Ends 5/5/13

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer http://iamareader.com. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. Prize value $100-$159 US.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

W is for Woman

John William Waterhouse: Pandora, 1896

Pandora (first Woman):

In classical Greek mythology, Pandora was the first woman on Earth.
Zeus ordered Hephaestus, the god of craftsmanship, to create her, so he did—using water and earth.
The gods endowed her with many gifts: Athena clothed her, Aphrodite gave her beauty, and Hermes gave her speech.
When Prometheus stole fire from heaven, Zeus took vengeance by presenting Pandora to Epimetheus, Prometheus' brother.
With her, Pandora was given a beautiful container – with instructions not to open it under any circumstance.
Impelled by her curiosity (given to her by the gods), Pandora opened it, and all evil contained therein escaped and spread over the earth.
She hastened to close the container, but the whole contents had escaped, except for one thing that lay at the bottom – the Spirit of Hope named Elpis.
Pandora, deeply saddened by what she had done, feared she would have to face Zeus' wrath, since she had failed her duty; however, Zeus did not punish Pandora, because he knew this would happen.

Sources:
Wikipedia

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Featured Book:

The Wednesday Letters by Jason F. Wright

My Rating: 4

Thursday, April 25, 2013

V is for Vase Paintings

I couldn't find any Greek mythology that started with the letter "v" so I bring to you Greek vase paintings instead. --I had trouble uploading a set (12 images) but there's plenty here to view (for the complete gallery, go to the link source below).

Source:
Mythology Gallery

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Featured Book:

The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams

My Rating: 4

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Review: The Unlikely Gift of Treasure Blume by Lisa Rumsey Harris

Tour Page

The Unlikely Gift of Treasure Blume by Lisa Rumsey Harris, AF, 2012, 304p, Rating=5
Source: provided review ebook copy by author in exchange for an honest review

Oh no! Treasure as a name? I had such a hard time with it that for the first quarter of the book I had to read it quickly and shorten it to Treas to make the read tolerable. I'm usually alright with symbolism but I just didn't like it this time. Call me fickle. Oh, did I tell you her sister's name was Patience?

That was a hang up but I persevered. I’m glad I did because it ended up being my kind of book. I’m a big fan of books with heart (see my URL) and this had a lot of it. It had many chuckle moments (gotta love Grammy!) as well. The whole story in general was sweet and tender. It dealt with a variety of life issues such as single parenting, self-esteem, social economics, misconceptions, death and dying, dating heartaches, altruism, and so on. With such a grand span, you risk losing depth. But that wasn’t the case here. The entire cast of characters played a collaborative role in bringing forth great meaning and richness to the story. It was nice to see people caring for each other, hence this would make for a wonderful feel good, fun, chick movie because that’s how this read was reeling in my head. I even have part of the cast picked out: Amy Adams as Treasure, Jude Law as Dennis, Mackenzie Foy as Micaela, Bette Midlar as Grammy, Christina Ricci as Aussie, and Robert De Niro as Varden.

I saw a bit of Treasure (yikes, I have an odd name too; but in my defense, it’s common in the Philippines) in me so that’s probably part of the love for this book. I too like children and the elderly. I too initially repel people (in my case, my meekness is mistaken for “get away from me” aura). I too have a kind heart, though I need work in having the level of altruism that Treasure possessed. That said, I was able to empathize with her walk in life because I’ve experience similar animosity and I try to live my life as beautiful as hers. Plus, I’m a romantic at heart so I enjoyed the love story between her and Dennis. Wow, I seriously felt my heart swell (you know, the feeling when you love someone) at the description of their love for each other. Oh, Dennis you’re now in my list of fictional hotties!

Including a Filipino character was also a big plus. Ligwayway, a 6yo Filipina girl, put a big smile on my face. Her little segment with the tinikling (folklore dance) and the teacher house call scene where Dennis can understand and speak a little bit of Tagalog (extra hottie points for him!!) left me with sweet memories of my homeland.

This book spoke to me, hence the highest rating. So if you’re a sentimental softie like me then this is a book for you too!

By the way, the name finally grew on me because the symbolism fit her but if my eReader had the capability to exchange words, I would have used it. ;)

Treasure Blume Review Is Coming ...

It's been a crazy weekend so reading and blogging have been backed up. So much so that I found myself cramming to read this 304p book (most of last night and waking up early to finish it) to meet today's deadline. I've got volunteering at my daughter's class to go to this morning so I won't be able to write a review until later this afternoon. But I did want to tell you that I loved it!! I'm giving it a rating of 5! I had a hang up but ...all good. I want to see this turned into a movie! Anyway, I'll tell you more later. :)

Kindle edition: $5.99

U is for Uranus

Uranus:

The primal Greek god personifying the sky. His equivalent in Roman mythology was Caelus.
He was theson and husband of Gaia, Mother Earth.
According to Hesiod's Theogony, Uranus was conceived by Gaia alone, but other sources cite Aether as his father.
He came every night to cover the earth and mate with Gaia, but he hated the children she bore him.
Hesiod named their first six sons and six daughters the Titans, the three one-hundred-armed giants the Hekatonkheires, and the one-eyed giants the Cyclopes.
He imprisoned Gaia's youngest children in Tartarus, deep within Earth, where they caused pain to Gaia. She shaped a great flint-bladed sickle and asked her sons to castrate him. Only Cronus, youngest and most ambitious of the Titans, was willing: he ambushed his father and castrated him, casting the severed testicles into the sea.
For this fearful deed, Uranus called his sons Titanes Theoi, or "Straining Gods."
From the blood that spilled from Uranus onto the Earth came forth the Giants, the Erinyes (the avenging Furies), the Meliae (the ash-tree nymphs), and, according to some, the Telchines.
From the genitals in the sea came forth Aphrodite.
After his castration, the Sky came no more to cover the Earth at night, but held to its place, and "the original begetting came to an end" (Kerényi).

Sources:
Crystalinks
Wikipedia

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Featured Book:

Unlocking the Power of the Spirit by Campbell Gray

My Rating: 3.5

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

T is for Thanatos

Hypnos and Thanatos: Sleep and His Half-Brother Death, by John William Waterhouse, 1874.

Thanatos:

Greek god of death. He may be thought of as a personification of death. He plays little role in the myths. He became rather overshadowed by Hades the lord of death.
Son of Nyx (Night) and Erebos (Darkness) and twin of Hypnos (Sleep).
His siblings were other negative personifications such as Geras (Old Age), Oizys (Suffering), Moros (Doom), Apate (Deception), Momus (Blame), Eris (Strife), Nemesis (Retribution) and even the Acherousian/Stygian boatman Charon.
Loosely associated with the three Moirai (for Hesiod, also daughters of Night), particularly Atropos, who was a goddess of death in her own right.
He is also occasionally specified as being exclusive to peaceful death, while the bloodthirsty Keres embodied violent death.
His duties as a Guide of the Dead were sometimes superseded by Hermes Psychopompos. Conversely, Thanatos may have originated as a mere aspect of Hermes before later becoming distinct from him.
Regarded as merciless and indiscriminate, hated by—and hateful towards—mortals and the deathless gods. But in myths which feature him, Thanatos could occasionally be outwitted, a feat that the sly King Sisyphus of Korinth twice accomplished. When it came time for Sisyphus to die, Zeus ordered Thanatos to chain Sisyphus up in Tartarus. Sisyphus cheated death by tricking Thanatos into his own shackles, thereby prohibiting the demise of any mortal while Thanatos was so enchained. Eventually Ares, the bloodthirsty god of war, grew frustrated with the battles he incited since neither side suffered any casualties. He released Thanatos and handed his captor over to the god. Sisyphus would evade Death a second time by convincing Persephone to allow him to return to his wife stating that she never gave him a proper funeral. This time, Sisyphus was forcefully dragged back to the Underworld by Hermes when Sisyphus refused to accept his death. Sisyphus was sentenced to an eternity of frustration in Tartarus where he rolled a boulder up a hill and it would roll back down when he got close to the top.

Sources:
Greek Mythology
Wikipedia

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Featured Book:

Tinkers by Paul Harding

My Rating: 4

Monday, April 22, 2013

S is for Sirens

Sirens:

Sirens are seductive female creatures who lured nearby sailors with their enchanting music and voices to shipwreck on the rocky coast of their island.
Best known for their part in the Odyssey where their song lured sailors to their death.
Odysseus ordered his crew to plug their ears with wax (on the advice of Circe) so as not to be lured by the Sirens' song.
In another story, the story of the Argonauts, Orpheus sang sweetly enough to keep the men from succumbing to the Sirens.
There were either two or three Sirens, who were the daughters of the sea god Phorcys or the river god Achelous.
Depicted as birds with either the heads, or the entire upper bodies of women.
In mosaic art they were depicted with just bird legs.
The companions of young Persephone and were given wings by Demeter to search for Persephone when she was abducted. However, the Fabulae of Hyginus has Demeter cursing the Sirens for failing to intervene in the abduction of Persephone.
Might be called the Muses of the lower world, Walter Copland Perry observed: "Their song, though irresistibly sweet, was no less sad than sweet, and lapped both body and soul in a fatal lethargy, the forerunner of death and corruption."
Their song is continually calling on Persephone. The term "siren song" refers to an appeal that is hard to resist but that, if heeded, will lead to a bad conclusion.
Later writers have inferred that the Sirens were anthropophagous, based on Circe's description of them "lolling there in their meadow, round them heaps of corpses rotting away, rags of skin shriveling on their bones."
As Jane Ellen Harrison notes of "The Ker as siren:" "It is strange and beautiful that Homer should make the Sirens appeal to the spirit, not to the flesh.
"They are mantic creatures like the Sphinx with whom they have much in common, knowing both the past and the future," Harrison observed.
"Their song takes effect at midday, in a windless calm. The end of that song is death."
That the sailors' flesh is rotting away, though, would suggest it has not been eaten. It has been suggested that, with their feathers stolen, their divine nature kept them alive, but unable to feed for their visitors, who starved to death by refusing to leave.
According to Hyginus, sirens were fated to live only until the mortals who heard their songs were able to pass by them

Sources:
Sense and Nonsense
Wikipedia

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Featured Book:

Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas by James Patterson

My Rating: 4

Nominate A Real-Life Heroine and Free Ebooks

***Hip hip hooray to Harlequin for recognizing real-life heroines! You rock!! Thank you for allowing me to extend this information to my readers. ~To my readers, feel free to pass this news so that special someone can be acknowledged and her inspiring story told through a novel! How cool is that? There's big moolah for the winner's charity too. See, I told ya Harlequin rocks!! :)

HARLEQUIN'S MORE THAN WORDS AWARDS, 2014:

CALLING ALL REAL-LIFE HEROINES!

Each year, the Harlequin More Than Words award is given to three women who have worked hard to change people’s lives for the better. Inspired by their accomplishments, Harlequin donates $15,000 to each winner's charity of choice and then pairs each winner with a bestselling Harlequin author who turns her story into a novella that's released to the public as a free e-book.

Nominations for the 2014 awards have just opened and will be open until August 9th. To nominate someone you know who is making a difference in the world, or to nominate yourself, you need to submit a few sentences on the nominee, the charity she's involved in, what inspires her and how she's inspiring others. The nomination form is available HERE:

After the nominations are closed in August, the entrants are narrowed down to 5 finalists and the public votes for 3 winners (in November). Then, winners are announced in December, and honored through the $15,000 donation, the novella written about them and feature coverage on Harlequin's site! (http://www.harlequinmorethanwords.com/). It's a great program to honor all of the women who spend their time and energy doing things for others and might not be getting the recognition they deserve!

As a bonus, you can check out the 3 ebooks about the 2012 winners - available for FREE!

The books are:

- Good Neighbors by Sheila Roberts (inspired by Sally Spencer, who manages a mentoring program that rescues at-risk children)
- Just Joe by Carla Cassidy (inspired by Helen McGovern, who oversees Emergency Food Network, a food bank that serves all county residents, including those with health restrictions)
- Light This Candle by Cindy Dees (inspired by Mindy Atwood, who runs Patches of Light, a nonprofit organization where anonymous angels pay the rent for parents of desperately ill children)

Download them for free from Harlequin HERE.

Download them for free from Amazon HERE (Kindle-friendly versions).

Download them for free from B&N HERE (Nook-friendly versions).

Review: Divorce: Think Financially, Not Emotionally by Jeffrey A. Landers

Divorce: Think Financially, Not Emotionally by Jeffrey A. Landers, NF, 2012, Paperback, 205p, Rating=4.5
Source: provided by author in exchange for my honest review

I don't see divorce in my future but that's probably how it was for most divorced people. It's just not the goal of marriage. But it happens and this book had concise information and suggestions on how a woman can be an advocate for her financial wellbeing should she come to that bridge by arming herself with a proper legal team. The author illustrated the American legal system in regards to the world of divorce, the manipulations that may arise in the process, and options that are important to recognize. He emphasized that thinking financially, not emotionally should be the mindset throughout the course including before marriage as well as looking ahead after the dissolution.

This was well outlined and therefore flowed well. I like the "Reminder", "Hot Tip", and "Legal Matters" after each chapter, although it opened up for repetition. That irked me a bit yet in another light, it served as emphasis. Moreover, the checklist in the end was a nice touch. Overall, this book kept my attention and I came out of the read equipped with a wealth of constructive data about some key legal aspects of divorce. I frequently found myself cry out in my thoughts, “That’s good to know!”. Also, that it was "good to know" even if the reader isn’t going through a divorce. The old adage of knowledge is power can surely apply here, hence this is an excellent reference book.

Well done, Mr. Landers! Thank you for sharing your expertise. I pray never to walk to your office for your services though. :)

Fifty percent of all profits from the sale of each book will be donated to the Bedrock Divorce Fund for Abused Women, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charity whose mission is to help female victims of domestic abuse and the organizations that support them.

Sunday, April 21, 2013

R is for Rhadamanthus

I was working on this last night (close to the 11th hour) and before I could publish the post, my computer decided to go haywire! So here it is a day late. Oh well.

(source)

Rhadamanthus:

A son of Zeus and Europa, and brother of king Minos of Crete (Hom. Il. xiv. 322),
Or, according to others, a son of Hephaestus (Paus. viii. 53. § 2).
From fear of his brother he fled to Ocaleia in Boeotia, and there married Alcmene.
In consequence of his justice throughout life, he became, after his death, one of the judges in the lower world, and took up his abode in Elysium.
He was a wise king, the son of Zeus and Europa.
Later accounts even make him out to be one of the judges of the dead.
His brothers were Sarpedon and Minos (also a king and later a judge of the dead).
He was raised by Asterion.
He had two sons, Gortys and Erythrus.

Sources:
Greek Myth Index
Wikipedia

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Featured Book:

Reaping Me Softly by Kate Evangelista

My Rating: 4

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