A Twilight Post that you Absolutely Must Read. Even if you don’t like Twilight.

You must. You really, absolutely must read this post over on Cuddlebuggery!

5 Reasons Why Twilight Isn’t Completely Awful

I know that so many of you hate the Twilight series, but it really did get a lot of people (me included) back into reading, and especially back into the YA and later NA genres.

Did I read the books? Yes. Multiple times actually.

Did I think “Renesmee” was the WORST. NAME. EVER. chosen for a character? Why, yes. Yes, I did.

Am I glad that my best book pal Brandi told me everything that would happen (and even that Breaking Dawn was AWFUL) before I picked up the first book? Yes. Yes, I am.

Is it my favorite series ever in the entire world? Not even close.

If you agree with any of the above q & a, then head over to Cuddlebuggery and read this awesome post,

5 Reasons Why Twilight Isn’t Completely Awful.

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Bookish Fashion: Summer Reading ‘Sinner’

Summer Reading: Sinner by readingupwiththejoneses featuring a white top

For this installment of Summer Reading inspired fashion, we’ll look to Sinner’s Isabel Culpepper (also from the Shiver Trilogy aka the Wolves of Mercy Falls). She’s a badass, depressed, scared-to-fall-in-love woman with nothing but bitchy intimidation written all over her face. And she’s pretty amazing. With plans to become a doctor (ulterior motive: save the wolves/werewolves), Isabel parades the facade of the being a woman with no emotions, but really, she’s bothered by a lot. Her feelings for Cole, lead singer of Narkotika (also, wolf), her rocky relationship with her parents, nursing school, and even her younger cousin Sophia. Isabel is the girl on the street who kills you with her look alone. No words or other weapons needed.

Book Anticipation: Sinner by Maggie Stiefvater

Let me begin by saying that Maggie Stiefvater (pronounced Steve-Otter) is pretty much responsible for my being here. Well, my blog being here. It was her Shiver series, aka The Wolves of Mercy Falls, that really got me hooked on YA lit.

Sure, I read Twilight…many times. I liked the story (until the end, but that’s another post for another day). I liked the movies. The writing was questionable. Maggie’s is not, so please don’t think it’s another Twilight.

It was really and truly though, the blue toned lettering in the beautiful blue-jacketed hardcover edition that I picked up in Atlanta’s Hartsfield International Airport that really sold me on contemporary YA. From page one, I was hooked. Her writing is fluid, like a liquid that could be bottled up, shaken, then sprayed into a fountain to open a portal to another dimension.

Since then, I’ve adored everything she’s written and in my opinion, she gets better and better with every new release. Also, she’s just a really cool author. With goats. Super cute goats.

Told you so.

AND she’s a pretty amazing artist. Check out this book jacket she drew!  It’s available if you pre-order from her favorite local bookstore, Fountain Bookstore. I’d really, really love to have one, but I’ve pre-ordered my copy from The Bookshelf (which just happens to be my favorite bookstore…so…you know…I have to support them). She also Sharpie’s the guitars in the background (which she plays…).

Maggie has two new novels coming out this year.

Sinner, a much-anticipated spin-off of the Shiver series will be released July 1st. Because her books are really well-known, I was unable to get an ARC of this. That’s okay though, because it just means that I get to fangirl out with everyone else when it does come in! It’s going to feature former rock-star/drug addict, Cole, and the bitchiest sister ever written, Isabelle. Who is actually quite similar to our beloved Isabelle from The Mortal Instruments…minus snake whip. Just because you’re awesome and have read this far, here’s a link to the Jones Book Shop in Amazon where you can pick up a FREE preview (the first three chapters) of Sinner for Kindle devices and apps.

The covers of the first three are my favorites, but what makes the hardbound copies really stand apart is that the text is the same color as the book. Shiver‘s text is blue (previously mentioned), Linger’s is green, Forever’s is red. Really nice, readable tones.

The second book coming out this year is the third installment to her really amazing Raven Boys series called Blue Lilly, Lilly Blue. If you like paranormal, you MUST read this series. And don’t skip a word. It’s beautiful, captivating and above all, magical. Maggie writes the characters in this book so well that I swear I am part of the story, exploring the woods with them, sitting in the backseat of Gansey’s car….oh…Gansey. If Blue doesn’t figure out how to kiss Gansey without killing him in this next book, I’m going to have heart palpitations. I NEED them to be together.

So there it is: my next book crush! I’ll be picking it up the day it is released and letting you know what goes down with Cole and Isabelle. If you’d like to check out more of the fabulous Maggie’s work (of which there is a great collection), check out her Goodreads Author page here or her Amazon author page here.

As always, the books mentioned in this post are available over in the Jones’ Book Shop on Amazon or head over to The Bookshelf here in Tville to order your editions.

If you haven’t seen, there’s a pop-up shop going on in the Chloe & Isabel boutique! In honor of the namesake of Cole’s complicated love life, I think you should pop over there and grab a little something-something. Now through the 27th, you’ll get $25 off an order of $125 or more, plus, I’ll send a little Tresors charm as a thank-you gift for celebrating with me!

Which Tresors charm is your favorite? Let me know in the comments! If you place an order by tomorrow, you just might have it show up in your mailbox : )

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Can you guess what these boys are dressed up for?

I know that you’re thinking the same thing as me…little Abnegation kids!

Alsas, we are wrong. Apparently they’re dressed up as Biblical times kiddos for Vacation Bible School ; )

A friend of mine posted this photo of her two sweet boys heading out to VBS. I couldn’t resist sharing, but since I’m not fond of other people posting pics of my kid, I did a little crop crop.
Are these costumes not awesome?!
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I wasn’t kidding about the Week of Silence thing or Why I will not like you anymore if you post Spoilers for a huge, massively important book.

I really wasn’t. The Shadowhunters Week of Silence was foh real, ya’ll.

So much so that I am extending it for a few more days. You see, I had this thing called “theatre week” in which I thought I would be able to knock out CoHF in no time. I was wrong. In fact, I’ve barely gotten into the book. As such, I am having to avoid Twitter, Instagram and most of the extended blogosphere (because people just cannot keep their traps shut!). Sometimes I welcome spoilers (when I’m trying to decide whether or not to read a book). In this case however, the book can’t be bad and it’s a gigantour finale to a series that I absolutely adore. So, if you ruin it for me by POSTING A SPOILER REVIEW 5 HOURS AFTER THE BOOK IS RELEASED when I know you didn’t really read it but only skimmed it and didn’t read an ARC because they weren’t available to bloggers, I will send evil south Georgia summer death gnats to your home. I am not kidding.

For my few loyal readers, please, miss me. Miss me a lot in the next few days.

In the meantime, while you’re missing me and my wonderful posts, I’m going to finish CoHF, finish writing my review for the two books I read previously and then update you on all the reasons why I pretty much am not happy with summer (hint: no school).

Also in the meantime, you should be Reading Up!

I’ll be back soon, I promise. Cross my heart and hope to die (but not really…because I’m not 100% sure that my husband could raise the kids by himself…love you, Mr. J).

Shadowhunter’s Week of Silence

Please observe. For once, I do not want spoilers. No one else does either. Thanks. For another point of view, check out The Fault In Our Words.

Blood Of Olympus (Heroes of Olympus) Cover Release!

We here in the Jones home adore anything and everything Rick Riordan. Have you read any of his series? They top our “highly anticipated” list. So happy to see that Blood of Olympus finally has a cover!

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The cover for the fifth and final book in Rick Riordan’s Heroes of Olympus Series had been released today by USA Today .
What do you guys think?.I personally really like it. I haven’t read the HOO Series yet but I have read Percy Jackson and The Olympians Series and I loved it! I have reviews for each book posted. This Series along with Harry Potter are the only books Im planning on reading next month and starting off my summer with. I already own all the HP books and Im ordering all the HOO books; Im really excited to jump back into Percy’s fantastic world. It will also be the perfect Series to get me out of the horrible slump and hangover that I know City of Heavenly Fire will put me in. Camp Half – Blood can break me out of any slump / hangover.
The book Blood…

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Book Anticipation: City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare

Let me start by saying that I am not just anticipating this book. I am drooling in anticipation. I am planning a binge read for May 27th. I want to hire a babysitter to take my kids for the day so that I can do nothing but live in the world of the Shadowhunters for a day. I might even want to be a Shadowhunter more than a Narnian. I know. This is saying a lot.

I LOVE this series. If you haven’t read any of these and don’t want any spoilers whatsoever, STOP READING NOW! Because I have some serious heat to discuss concerning the topics of The Mortal Instruments (TMI…which at some points it really is almost tmi) and The Infernal Devices (ID).

Now, with that said, let me add that I almost…ALMOST stopped reading it after City of Ashes because I just couldn’t handle the “we ‘might’ be in an incestual relationship, but whatever…let’s just run away together and make out and feel each other up in a random field; no one will know!”Thankfully, THAT, got resolved (though not before the making out part…major questionable moral behavior).

Then, again at the end of City of Lost Souls when Sebastian is STILL lusting over Clary (after he also made out with her…in a field…in an earlier installment. In Clary’s defense, she had no idea he was her actual brother) and I’m just like…duuuude. Stop. She’s your ACTUAL SISTER! But he’s still all, “our bloodlines will create the most powerful blah, blah, blah…” Oh. My. Raziel. Stop it.

I was actually drawn to the ID books first, and I’m glad I started with them over TMI. Eventually, I got to where I was reading them as they were released, which meant I was bouncing back and forth. I didn’t mind though, since the crossovers of the immortal characters made more sense to both story lines. I love the steampunk aspect of ID and even with the formalities of the time, I was lusting over Will and just begging for him to get over his sh*t and be with Tess. And then the whole Jem proposal and Will just being polite and stepping back. And then Jem on the brink of death and choosing to become a Silent Brother just for the possibility of having a future with Tess… And then Tess marrying Will and having kids and more kids and grandkids and not aging and then Will DYING!!! And then….***short gasps of breath are ensuing***

Tess and Jem meeting on the bridge while she’s wearing an original Liberty scarf and Jem shows up as Jem and not as a Silent Brother?! Dirty. Crying. Like, to the tune of The Book Thief dirty crying. Snotty, moaning, nastiness. It was bad, ya’ll.

Now, I have a really good/bad talent of figuring out plots really quickly. Movies, books, TV shows…I can tell you pretty much what’s going to happen within 5 minutes. My husband hates this. I’m always right. These series were no different. I figured them out pretty quickly, but I loved them regardless. While reading TMI, I knew pretty early on that either Will or Jem was Brother Zachariah. I also knew that Clary and Jace couldn’t actually be siblings. For this series to continue, this couldn’t happen. There was too much sexual tension for this story line to progress much further. I didn’t really see the whole Sebastian story line coming though, and I have to admit that the end of the last book was a little too fast paced for me. Not too bad, though, and I’m really, really, REALLY excited about City of Heavenly Fire to find out what happens next!!!!

While you’re swooning just thinking about this series, head over to Goodreads to enjoy these quotes from City of Heavenly Fire (out May 27), from Cassandra Clare.

Things I can’t wait to find out:

1. Who’s going to die? I have my list of probabilities, but I’m not sure. I obviously haven’t read an ARC of this, so I really don’t know.
2. What happens with Magnus and Alec’s breakup? Ugh. This drives me insane. Please. Can we please put the cute couple back together? I can’t handle this breakup.
3. Isabelle and Simon. Must. Be. Together. Like, actually together, together. Not this dizzying dance of push/pull/love/hate/makeout/fight thing that’s been happening. Izzy. Get it together. Simon is awesome.
4. Can Jace and Clary FINALLY just be together? Without the world trying to cut them down? Please? I’m begging at this point. I NEED these two to be together. And I need some damn good feels scenes to go with it. I was so thankful for the club scene in City of Lost Souls just for the sheer release of some of that pent up sexual tension and even more excited to come across this DSCS (Dirty Sexy Club Scene) expanded version (you’re welcome, readers). Please Cassie Clare. Don’t disappoint me. Or I will cut you off like I did Veronica Roth when she killed Tris. Okay, not that bad since you’ve got plenty of other good books in the series ahead of this one, and the bridge scene gave you tons of feels cred. But still. Beware.

What are you most looking forward to in CoHF? Have you pre-ordered it? If not, go ahead and get that done in the Jones’ Book Store or stop by the Bookshelf in downtown Tville to order a copy (like I have).

I’m also really looking forward to all of the short novellas that Cassandra Clare and her writing partners are planning to add to this world in the form of The Bane Chronicles. There are 10 planned so far. Some are already out, but I’m waiting for them all so I can read them back to back as “Magnus’ Book.” You can order those already released or pre-order those that aren’t from the Jones’ Book Store.

Can’t wait for May 27th! I’d love to hear your love/hate and other comments, so please share and don’t forget to Read Up!