I have a new book series to love and it is The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare. People who know me know that I am an avid YA reader but try to dabble in a little bit of everything (see my full reading list). I read at least 50 books a year and love to lose myself in them. My friend Carol had been raving about The Mortal Instruments series and dropped a stack of them off for me with instructions to read as soon as possible. I dropped everything else I was reading and dove in. I was not disappointed!

The issue of how many Mortal Instruments books there are and what order to read them in is a little confusing because The Infernal Devices series comes into play as well. Essentially Clare wrote The Mortal Instruments 1, 2, and 3 as a series (City of Bones, City of Ashes, and City of Glass). You should start with those. She’s now writing 3 more in that series as well as a prequel-type series (Infernal Devices). Only 1 of each of those is written. So you can pretty much read Infernal Devices 1 (Clockwork Angel) anytime and Infernal Devices 2 (Clockwork Prince) will be out in December. I actually read Clockwork Angel before reading the 3 main Mortal Instruments Books, but you could read it after book 3 or 4 if you wanted to.

So what is the series about and why do I love it so much? The books are essentially a mix of young adult and fantasy. You’ll find a whole world of characters, some recognizable and some completely new. There’s a little romance but the books hint of even more than what you will find within them (you’ll have to search the web for the “extras”!). You do need to read into the first book a few chapters before you really get a feel for the world and start to get addicted to it. There are an unbelievable number of twists and turns that will leave you wanting book after book (even when you get as far as you can go!).

The books don’t try to push any particular agenda or morality down your throat when you read them. You take the characters for what they are, all flawed in their own way. If you don’t feel some kind of stir in your gut for the relationship between Jace and Clare, you have no business reading Young Adult books. Simon is like the boy next store who always gets overlooked but tries desperately to find his own way somehow. Magnus Bane is both hilarious at times and distinctly sad at savvy at others. I could go on and on.

If all of that isn’t enough to get you interested, the rights to the first movie have been picked up and it looks like that process is moving along smoothly. You don’t want to be that person who all of a sudden starts reading the books because everyone is talking about the movie. Get ahead of the curve and pick up The Mortal Instruments now. You can get the trilogy for just $19.79 in paperback on Amazon.

Amazon has updated their list of free Kindle books and some of the new ones have great reviews! Here are just a couple that we have our eye on.

The Oak Leaves (Maureen Lang) (rated 5 stars) “Two time periods—Regency England and contemporary Chicago—are woven together when Talie Ingram finds an old journal belonging to her great-great-great grandmother, Cosima Escott. Through Cosima’s entries, Talie learns that her family was once considered cursed with feebleminded offspring, the result of a genetic disorder (Fragile-X) that may have been passed down to Talie and her sister. Unwilling to face the implications their discovery might have on her own life, Talie tucks the journal back into secrecy, until she begins to see signs of developmental delay in her son.”

Finding Grace (Sarah Pawley) (rated 5 stars) “race is seventeen. She is bold, intelligent…and unmarried. In the eyes of her family and her mountain born neighbors, she is hopelessly willful. But she is determined to forge her own path, come what may. When her parents try to force her hand in marriage, she flees, seeking out her brother and his wife, who once watched over her. Settling down with them, she finds a new life…and possible romance with a handsome neighbor. But the past will come back to haunt her, possibly destroying the happiness she has worked so hard to find.”

As in years past, Borders has announced their summer reading program. The Double-Dog Dare Challenge kicks off officially Saturday, June 4. Kids under 12 years old are eligible and must read 10 books of their choice. Once they read the books and complete the entry form, they can turn it in for a coupon for a free book. Free book choices are as follows:

The Cat in the Hat: Cooking with the Cat by Bonnie Worth
Danny and the Dinosaur by Syd Hoff
B is for Books! by Annie Cobb
Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parish
Hungry, Hungry Sharks! by Joanna Cole
Ranger’s Apprentice: The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan
The Dragon in the Sock Drawer by Kate Klimo
Judy Moody & Stink: The Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Treasure Hunt by Megan McDonald
Ballpark Mysteries: The Fenway Foul-Up by David A. Kelly
Flush by Carl Hiaasen
Heck: Where the Bad Kids Go by Dale E. Basye
Ramona the Brave by Beverly Cleary
The Chocolate Touch by Patrick Skene Catling
Loser by Jerry Spinelli
The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy by Jeanne Birdsall
Lone Wolf: Wolves of the Beyond by Kathryn Lasky
The Girl Who Could Fly by Victoria Forester
Warriors: Into the Wild by Erin Hunter
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

Forms must be completed and turned in to any Borders, Borders Express or Waldenbooks between 6/1 and 9/5. Quantities of books were limited last year, so get what you want quickly! My kids do the Borders summer reading challenge plus a couple of others every summer. It’s a great way to help them set goals and stay motivated to read throughout the whole summer.

Borders Double-Dog Dare Challenge information and form.

I’ve been seeing this passed around the Internet for a couple of days and found it to be so incredibly true that I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry while I was reading it. It’s taken from Tina Fey’s new book, Bossypants. After reading this excerpt, I immediately went to Amazon and ordered the book. I’m guessing that some of you will as well!

The Mother’s Prayer for It’s Daughter

First, Lord: No tattoos. May neither Chinese symbol for truth nor Winnie-the-Pooh holding the FSU logo stain her tender haunches.

May she be Beautiful but not Damaged, for it’s the Damage that draws the creepy soccer coach’s eye, not the Beauty.

When the Crystal Meth is offered, May she remember the parents who cut her grapes in half And stick with Beer.

Guide her, protect her
When crossing the street, stepping onto boats, swimming in the ocean, swimming in pools, walking near pools, standing on the subway platform, crossing 86th Street, stepping off of boats, using mall restrooms, getting on and off escalators, driving on country roads while arguing, leaning on large windows, walking in parking lots, riding Ferris wheels, roller-coasters, log flumes, or anything called “Hell Drop,” “Tower of Torture,” or “The Death Spiral Rock ‘N Zero G Roll featuring Aerosmith,” and standing on any kind of balcony ever, anywhere, at any age.

Lead her away from Acting but not all the way to Finance. Something where she can make her own hours but still feel intellectually fulfilled and get outside sometimes And not have to wear high heels.

What would that be, Lord? Architecture? Midwifery? Golf course design? I’m asking You, because if I knew, I’d be doing it, Youdammit.

May she play the Drums to the fiery rhythm of her Own Heart with the sinewy strength of her Own Arms, so she need Not Lie With Drummers.

Grant her a Rough Patch from twelve to seventeen. Let her draw horses and be interested in Barbies for much too long, For childhood is short – a Tiger Flower blooming Magenta for one day – And adulthood is long and dry-humping in cars will wait.

O Lord, break the Internet forever, That she may be spared the misspelled invective of her peers And the online marketing campaign for Rape Hostel V: Girls Just Wanna Get Stabbed.

And when she one day turns on me and calls me a Bitch in front of Hollister, Give me the strength, Lord, to yank her directly into a cab in front of her friends, For I will not have that Shit. I will not have it.

And should she choose to be a Mother one day, be my eyes, Lord, that I may see her, lying on a blanket on the floor at 4:50 A.M., all-at-once exhausted, bored, and in love with the little creature whose poop is leaking up its back.

“My mother did this for me once,” she will realize as she cleans feces off her baby’s neck. “My mother did this for me.” And the delayed gratitude will wash over her as it does each generation and she will make a Mental Note to call me. And she will forget. But I’ll know, because I peeped it with Your God eyes.

Amen.

Young adult literature fans are buzzing this week about the release of Meg Cabot’s paranormal fiction book, Abandon. The book is set to release April 26 and is available for pre-order from Amazon. Here’s a little description:

“New from #1 New York Times bestselling author Meg Cabot, a dark, fantastical story about this world . . . and the underworld.

Though she tries returning to the life she knew before the accident, Pierce can’t help but feel at once a part of this world, and apart from it. Yet she’s never alone . . . because someone is always watching her. Escape from the realm of the dead is impossible when someone there wants you back.

But now she’s moved to a new town. Maybe at her new school, she can start fresh. Maybe she can stop feeling so afraid.

Only she can’t. Because even here, he finds her. That’s how desperately he wants her back. She knows he’s no guardian angel, and his dark world isn’t exactly heaven, yet she can’t stay away . . . especially since he always appears when she least expects it, but exactly when she needs him most.

But if she lets herself fall any further, she may just find herself back in the one place she most fears: the Underworld.”

Order Abandon right now for $9.89 with free standard shipping.

The newest “Oprah’s Book Club” pick has been announced and it is “A Tale of Two Cities and Great Expectations: Two Novels” by Charles Dickens. The special edition book is basically the two books with some “enriched” content including “illustrations of 18th century fashion and culture in Dickens’s Victorian world, the early reception for both A Tale of Two Cities and Great Expectations, a filmography of Dickens’s novels, further reading about the author as well as what informed the thematic elements of these classic novels.” You can get it for $11 at Amazon.

But the great news is that if you just want to read the two novels, you can download the Kindle versions for free as part of the Kindle Public Domain collection:

• A Tale of Two Cities (Kindle Edition)
• Great Expectations (Kindle Edition)

Even if you do not have a Kindle, you can read Kindle books using Kindle for PC (and read on your computer), Kindle for iPad, or Kindle apps for your iPhone, BlackBerry, or Android phone or device.

Of course, you can always get them free at your library as well. But between school kids reading them and all of Oprah’s fans wanting to get their hands on them now, you might have quite a wait.

Just this week I heard about a service called BookSwim. Book Swim is often called the “Netflix for books.” You essentially sign up for a membership (there are various membership levels), visit their site to pick out books you want to read, and wait for them to be sent to you. When you are done reading them, you send them back and they send you the next ones in your list. You do not have to pay any additional shipping fees.

What sets BookSwim apart from a library is that they actually have new releases and best sellers in stock. I did a spot check of the last 10 books that I read (most purchased as soon as they came out), and every one of them were listed. I also checked some of the books that my daughter (who is 9) read and many of them were there as well.

Right now we are lucky enough to be giving away a couple of BookSwim memberships at Sunshine Rewards. Check out my videoblog to find out how you can enter and also how you can get discounts on BookSwim.

Up until a couple of years ago, the books I read with my daughters consisted mainly of picture books and Dr. Seuss. Although I love to read, I tended to read short books to my girls and not anything that really interested me. Then came Harry Potter. It completely changed the ways that my daughters and I read books both together and apart. I started reading less business books and more fantasy (I also more than quadrupled the number of books I read in a year!). My daughters started reading chapter books before bed. Before long, we were all getting interested in the same things. Now we find ourselves reading series like Kingdom Keepers and Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief–each of us trying to finish faster than the other.

We also discovered that our friends enjoyed the same books as us. Over time, we started sharing books with other mothers AND daughters. After a few months of this, we decided that it might be fun to try a mother-daughter book club. Now, I’ve never even been in a regular book club. Starting a mother-daughter book club should be interesting!

Cindy Hudson’s Book by Book: The Complete Guide to Creating Mother-Daughter Book Clubs is where I will be starting. In addition to the basic information (whom to invite, how big the group should be, where and when to have meetings), Cindy discusses issues that I would never have even thought about. For example, how can you tie in community service projects to the book that you are reading? What kind of expert can you bring in about the book? What will you do at meetings besides just talk about the book?

I had not thought about any of this when I envisioned our book club. I just imagined that we would read a book and then grab a pizza and talk about it for a couple of hours. However, that’s just the tip of the iceberg of what you can do. You can really use the book club as an opportunity to learn and grow with your daughter. It can also be a good way to strengthen your bond with the other mothers and daughters in the club.

Another great thing about the book are the book suggestions. Cindy breaks down age groups and gives you ideas about different books that you might want to use and what the themes of those books are. It’s a great starting point for choosing your early books that should then help you find more books later as your group progresses.

As I read this book, I became more and more excited about starting my group. I’ve touched base with a couple of other moms and am now eager to get the process going! You can pick up Book by Book: The Complete Guide to Creating Mother-Daughter Book Clubs at Amazon or other book retailers.

Looking for a tip to help your family stay connected in this fast-paced world?  Start a parent-child book club to simply and economically make connections with your children through a community of books.  Busy moms will appreciate how this activity will easily blend into their already full lives.

To get started, find a few like-minded friends and their children who are interested in joining you on this adventure.  Agree on the goals and ground rules for your family book club.  Choose a first book that will be challenging and engaging to read.  The host adult for each meeting can draft open-ended discussion questions that will ideally stimulate a rewarding and meaningful book discussion.  You can share your values and thoughts about situations that arise in the books, and your children can share their feelings and ideas through discussing situations that the book’s characters faced.  Also, the host can create enrichment activities such as book-inspired art or science projects, snacks, field trips, movement or sports activities, and games or puzzles.  These types of experiences truly enhance the book discussion and provide a hands-on experience that everyone will remember.  Enjoy reading the books that your group has selected, and bonding with your family through discussions and related activities.  It works for me!

Melissa Stoller

Co-author, The Parent-Child Book Club: Connecting With Your Kids Through Reading (Melissa Stoller & Marcy Winkler, HorizonLine Publishing, 2009, www.parentchildbookclub.com).  This is a comprehensive resource book with step-by-step instructions for organizing and conducting your family book club.  The 20 Book Club Model Guides provide everything families need to get started!

I’ve been seeing so many reports lately about Percy Jackson being the next Harry Potter. I’ve now completed both series and am ready to answer that question…not really.

Aside from the obvious similarities between the two books (young boy find out that he has special powers, enters a magical world, finds out he is part of a big prophecy, makes friends, battles monsters, learns more about “family” and “friendship” as a result), what else to Percy Jackson and Harry Potter have in common? They are both book series, and they were both made into movies. So we’ve established some similarities that they also have with many, many other book characters and series. Beyond that?

When I think of Harry Potter and why it was so big, I think of two things. The first is that it known as one of the best selling book series of all time and is a favorite of both young and old. It’s a phenomenon that will not be repeated soon. Percy Jackson will not be THAT Harry Potter.

But the other thing that Harry Potter was Percy Jackson COULD be. They are both a reason to get kids reading again. They are both a series that appeals to a demographic that can sometimes be hard to motivate to read (10-15 year olds, especially boys). It’s not only one book but an entire series that can get somehow hooked and into reading for the first time or back into reading if they have not been interested in awhile. It’s not fluffy like Diary of a Wimpy Kid but actually has some real social value (as least in my opinion) when you take to heart the lessons about life, love, and perseverance.

For me, Percy Jackson is not the next Harry Potter because there will never be another Harry Potter. It’s a one of a kind experience that crosses generations and media. But does that mean I wouldn’t suggest Percy Jackson to my friends and their kids? Not at all. Just take it for what it is–another fantasy series about teens growing up and learning life lessons while fighting monsters.