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.

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.

With four kids I do a lot of reading.  I’ve taught each one of them to read with phonics my way.  However, as they outgrew the phonics program we started to read together each night.  I realized that reading together can do more than just benefit your kids – it benefits me as a parent.

READING TO TEACH

When my kids were toddlers until second grade I would read a book with them each night.  I did it to teach them to read.  It was the icing on the cake of our lessons.  I realized that my younger children learned to read and memorize words even earlier than my older children.  It was an enlightening benefit to reading with them so early.  Also, they used that for their cuddle time with mommy or daddy.  Both my husband and I would take turns reading to them.  Before we knew it, they wanted to read to us.

READING FOR BONDING

Even though reading offered a learning opportunity, it also offered a time to bond with our kids.  During the reading of stories we would ask questions.  Then as the kids got older (I have a 6, 9, 13, and 15yr old) we would act out stories that we repeated.  The kids loved, loved, loved this.  Even the older kids would play with us, just to get a kick out of scaring the little ones.  It was a way to move our reading to a family bonding experience that pulled the older kids into playing with our younger ones.  Not to mention it is just darn fun.

READING FOR EVOLVING

As an avid reader all of my life, my husband and kids encouraged me to write stories for them.  It was an inspiration for writing my books Explorer X-Alpha and The Pack.  My kids became my beta readers and active in story development.  Our reading together turned into us writing together.   All of my kids come up with story ideas, and my older two have even started writing.  My oldest son has entered a contest or two, and my oldest daughter beta reads for other authors also.  My youngest two kids, love to give me story ideas and even came up with the idea for the world I built for THE PACK and BANDITS by throwing suggestions at me.

THE OVERALL BENEFITS

Reading with your kids has given me so many gifts.  It’s been a teaching tool, a bonding tool, a safe platform for conversation, and the beginning of my career as a writer.   Try it for at least a year and you will be surprised how much reading just ten minutes a day can benefit you and your family.

By LM Preston, author of Explorer X-Alpha and THE PACK, http://lmpreston.blogspot.com/