Showing posts with label Chasing Brooklyn. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chasing Brooklyn. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Recommendations for the Once-Upon-a-Read-a-Thon


The Once-Upon-a-Read-a-Thon begins Monday!  You can learn more about it here and sign up to join the fun here.  The read-a-thon will be hosted by Lori of Pure Imagination, Angel of Reading Angel, and Candace of Candace's Book Blog, and they have each decided to share a short list of recommended read-a-thon books today as a way of suggesting a few fast and fun books that you might want to consider adding to your read-a-thon lineup.  :-)


Here are a handful of my read-a-thon suggestions.  What books would you recommend?

Title:  Vampire Academy 
(All of the VA books)
Author:  Richelle Mead
Summary:

St. Vladimir's Academy isn't just any boarding school--it's a hidden place where vampires are educated in the ways of magic and half-human teens train to protect them. Rose Hathaway is a Dhampir, a bodyguard for her best friend Lissa, a Moroi Vampire Princess. They've been on the run, but now they're being dragged back to St. Vladimir's--the very place where they're most in danger. . . .


Rose and Lissa become enmeshed in forbidden romance, the Academy's ruthless social scene, and unspeakable nighttime rituals. But they must be careful lest the Strigoi--the world's fiercest and most dangerous vampires--make Lissa one of them forever.

Why this would make a great read-a-thon book:
The Vampire Academy series is absorbing and fun!  The sixth and final book will be published this December, so if you haven't read the first five books yet, now is the perfect time.



Title:  Chasing Brooklyn
Author:  Lisa Schroeder
Summary:

Restless souls and empty hearts
Brooklyn can't sleep. Her boyfriend, Lucca, died only a year ago, and now her friend Gabe has just died of an overdose. Every time she closes her eyes, Gabe's ghost is there waiting for her. She has no idea what he wants or why it isn't Lucca visiting her dreams.
Nico can't stop. He's always running, trying to escape the pain of losing his brother, Lucca. But when Lucca's ghost begins leaving messages, telling Nico to help Brooklyn, emotions come crashing to the surface.
As the nightmares escalate and the messages become relentless, Nico reaches out to Brooklyn. But neither of them can admit that they're being haunted. Until they learn to let each other in, not one soul will be able to rest.

Why this would make a great read-a-thon book:
Chasing Brooklyn is a compelling novel about loss and recovery.  Despite the serious subject matter, this verse novel is a quick and uplifting read.



Title:  The Darkangel
Author:  Meredith Ann Pierce
Summary:
The Darkangel, a vampire of astounding beauty and youth, can only summon his full power when he finds his 14th and final bride. But for Aeriel, whom he kidnaps to serve his brides, there is something about him--something beyond his obvious evil--that makes her want to save him rather than destroy him.


Why this would make a great read-a-thon book:
The Darkangel reads less like a typical vampire romance and more like a fairytale or an imaginative legend.  At only 256 pages, it is a very quick read, but the fable-like story will stick with you long after you've turned the final pages.  This book is the first in a trilogy.




Title:  The Body Finder
Author:  Kimberly Derting
Summary:

Violet Ambrose is grappling with two major issues: Jay Heaton and her morbid secret ability. While the sixteen-year-old is confused by her new feelings for her best friend since childhood, she is more disturbed by her "power" to sense dead bodies—or at least those that have been murdered. Since she was a little girl, she has felt the echoes the dead leave behind in the world . . . and the imprints that attach to their killers.

Violet has never considered her strange talent to be a gift; it mostly just led her to find dead birds her cat left for her. But now that a serial killer is terrorizing her small town, and the echoes of the local girls he's claimed haunt her daily, Violet realizes she might be the only person who can stop him.

Despite his fierce protectiveness over her, Jay reluctantly agrees to help Violet find the murderer—and Violet is unnerved by her hope that Jay's intentions are much more than friendly. But even as she's falling intensely in love, Violet is getting closer and closer to discovering a killer . . . and becoming his prey herself.



Why this would make a great read-a-thon book:
The Body Finder is a darkly captivating paranormal thriller with a sweet, best-friend romance.


Title:  Terrier 
Author:  Tamora Pierce
Summary:
Beka Cooper is a rookie with the law-enforcing Provost's Guard, and she's been assigned to the Lower City. It's a tough beat that's about to get tougher, as Beka's limited ability to communicate with the dead clues her in to an underworld conspiracy. Someone close to Beka is using dark magic to profit from the Lower City's criminal enterprises--and the result is a crime wave the likes of which the Provost's Guard has never seen before.

Why this would make a great read-a-thon book:
Terrier is significantly longer than the other books I've included on this list, but the engaging story and first-person narrative make it a surprisingly quick read.  I love all of Tamora Pierce's Tortall books, and this is the first book in her current trilogy.  The final book, Mastiff, is due out next year.

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Winners!!

Thank you to everyone who entered our It's Raining Cupcakes and Chasing Brooklyn giveaways here on The Eager Readers!  :-)  The winners are:

1st prize = signed copy of Chasing Brooklyn:
 Carrie 

2nd prize (3) = signed Lisa Schroeder postcards: 
Liz A, Johnny, & Lena

1st prize = signed copy of It's Raining Cupcakes:
 Angie D.

2nd prize (2) = signed bookmarks:
 Lisa R & Tawnya



All winners have been contacted via email and have 48 hours to respond before new winners will be drawn.  Thank you to everyone who entered!  We have two more book giveaways that just started yesterday.  You can enter our contest for a copy of Julie Kagawa's The Iron King here and our contest for an ARC of Jackson Pearce's Sisters Red here.  Both giveaways end June 30th.  :-)

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Book Giveaway!!! Chasing Brooklyn by Lisa Schroeder!

A signed copy of Chasing Brooklyn + signed postcards!


June 1st Update: Contest closed!  To view the list of winners click here!  :-)

Lisa Schroeder's Chasing Brooklyn is a romantic, suspenseful, and emotionally captivating novel about moving forward and embracing life after losing someone you love.  Written in verse from two alternating perspectives, this book is haunting and memorable.  You can read my full review and watch the book trailer HERE, and you can learn more about all of Lisa Schroeder's books on her website and blog.  Chasing Brooklyn recently appeared on the ALA/YALSA list of books nominated for their 2011 "Best Fiction for Young Adults" honor!  :-)  I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to visit with Lisa at a couple of wonderful author events recently, and I am so excited to have picked up some signed goodies to share with you! 

Chasing Brooklyn Summary:
Restless souls and empty hearts. 
Brooklyn can’t sleep. Her boyfriend, Lucca died a year ago, and now their friend Gabe has died of an overdose. Every time she closes her eyes, Gabe's ghost is there, waiting for her. She has no idea what he wants or why it isn't Lucca chasing her through her dreams. 
Nico can’t stop. He’s always running, trying so hard not to feel the pain of missing Lucca. But when he begins receiving messages from his dead brother, telling him to help Brooklyn, emotions come crashing to the surface. 
As the nightmares escalate and the messages become relentless, Nico reaches out to Brooklyn. But neither of them can admit that they're being haunted. Until they learn to let each other in, not one soul will be able to rest.
Contest Details:
There will be four winners:

First prize (1 winner) = a signed, hardback copy of Chasing Brooklyn
Second prize (3 winners) = a signed postcard featuring the cover images of I Heart You, You Haunt Me,  Far From You, & Chasing Brooklyn

Contest deadline:
May 31st at 11:59 pm (PST)
How to Enter:
Follow The Eager Readers and fill out the form below.  *required*  (Open to US residents only.  Sorry!)

Extra Entries:
+4  for posting a link to this contest on your blog [sidebar is fine]
+2  for tweeting the following link to this contest:  
Book giveaway!!  Enter to win a signed copy of CHASING BROOKLYN by @lisa_schroeder!  Visit @TheEagerReaders (ends 5/31) ---> http://wi.nr/uQ
+2  for sharing a link to this contest on facebook/myspace/goodreads/etc.
+1  for visiting Lisa Schroeder's blog
+1 for commenting on our Chasing Brooklyn book review HERE
+1 for tallying your total number of entries  *required*

Thank you for entering our Chasing Brooklyn contest!!  :)

Book Review: Chasing Brooklyn by Lisa Schroeder

Title:  Chasing Brooklyn 
Author: Lisa Schroeder 
Publisher:  Simon Pulse
Genre:YA/paranormal   
Paperback: 432 pages
ISBN: 9781416991687 
Summary:                              

Restless souls and empty hearts.
Brooklyn can't sleep. Her boyfriend, Lucca, died only a year ago, and now her friend Gabe has just died of an overdose. Every time she closes her eyes, Gabe's ghost is there waiting for her. She has no idea what he wants or why it isn't Lucca visiting her dreams.
Nico can't stop. He's always running, trying to escape the pain of losing his brother, Lucca. But when Lucca's ghost begins leaving messages, telling Nico to help Brooklyn, emotions come crashing to the surface.
As the nightmares escalate and the messages become relentless, Nico reaches out to Brooklyn. But neither of them can admit that they're being haunted. Until they learn to let each other in, not one soul will be able to rest.




Overall rating: 9/10 flowers

To buy this book:  IndieBound | The Book Depository | Powell's | Amazon
Add this book to your:  Goodreads | Shelfari | Library Thing | Visual Bookshelf

Lisa Schroeder's Chasing Brooklyn is a moving novel that follows two individuals as they find themselves drawn together by a shared loss.  Told in verse from alternating points of view, this compelling story follows Brooklyn and Nico as they attempt to navigate their way around the hole Lucca's death left in each of their lives.  A year after Lucca's death, the unexpected loss of a friend brings Brooklyn's heartache back to the surface and leaves her feeling haunted.  Nico has always known he couldn't fill his brother Lucca's place within his family, and he still finds himself running away from the emptiness that he can't seem to fill.    Both narratives are written in very accessible verse, and once again Lisa Schroeder manages to cut straight to the emotional core of the heartache holding each of the main characters captive.  The story is suspenseful, romantic, and emotionally captivating.  I thoroughly enjoyed Chasing Brooklyn.

What I Liked:
-     The alternating perspectives helped propel the story forward and made me long for Nico and Brooklyn to connect with one another from the very start.  Glimpsing each of their individual thoughts and realizing how much they could both benefit from opening up to one another added a compelling level of tension to the story.  
-     It was easy to sympathize with Nico and Brooklyn.  My heart truly ached for them both.  They are  believable  characters, and each of their verse-style narratives is remarkably clear and easy to follow.  
-     The suspenseful elements of this book were well-crafted.  At times, I found myself on the edge of my seat with butterflies in my stomach as I wondered how the story would end.  
-     The paranormal aspect of this novel has a sinister feel to it as Brooklyn is haunted and pursued by the ghost of her recently-deceased friend.  Eerie and frightening.
-     I enjoyed the roll Ava (the protagonist from Lisa Schroeder's first verse novel) played in Chasing Brooklyn.  It was a small but lovely part, and it was nice to see her supportive gesture passed along by the end of the novel.
-     As in I Heart You, You Haunt Me, feelings of loss and guilt are at the core of this book, but again the overall tone is not one of despair and hopelessness.  Chasing Brooklyn is also a longer, spookier, and more romantic story.

What I Wished:
-     I still wanted a little bit more at the end.  The novel definitely feels complete, but I liked Nico and Brooklyn so much that I was reluctant to let either of them go even after the main plot points were resolved.  Basically, I was ready to start reading this book again the moment I set it down.


Chasing Brooklyn is a beautiful and memorable story about the bravery it takes to move forward and embrace life after losing someone you love.  If you liked I Heart You, You Haunt Me, then you absolutely MUST read this book!  It is a companion novel rather than a sequel, so you can also enjoy Chasing Brooklyn without having read I Heart You, You Haunt Me.  I would recommend Chasing Brooklyn to anyone who likes contemporary/paranormal YA and to anyone who is intrigued by the idea of a verse novel.  It is a fast, compelling read, so it would also be a great choice for reluctant readers.  You can learn more about Chasing Brooklyn and Lisa Schroeder's other books on her website | blog | twitter | facebook | YouTube.  Chasing Brooklyn was recently nominated for the ALA/YALSA 2011 Best Fiction for Young Adults list!  You can read the first nine pages of Chasing Brooklyn HERE.

Contest note:  We are giving away a signed copy of Chasing Brooklyn HERE (ends 5/31), and we will also be giving away a signed copy of Lisa Schroeder's middle-grade novel, It's Raining Cupcakes this month!  :-)

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Teaser Tuesday: Chasing Brooklyn by Lisa Schroeder


My teaser:
I know he's coming.  And only then do my lungs fill with water, and I scramble to the surface.
-  page 129 of  Chasing Brooklyn by Lisa Schroeder

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.  Anyone can play along!  Just do the following:
  • Grab your current read.
  • Open to a random page.
  • Share two 'teaser' sentences from somewhere on that page.
  • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away!  You don't want to ruin the book for others!)
  • Share the title and author, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teaser!

    Monday, April 26, 2010

    It's Monday! What Are You Reading?


    Currently Reading:

     Flash Burnout by L.K. Madigan   &   Chasing Brooklyn by Lisa Schroeder

     Up Next in my TBR (to-be-read) pile:

                                  Mistwood by Leah Cypess

    What are you reading today?  What's up next in your TBR pile?


    This fun meme is hosted by Sheila at One Person's Journey Through a World of Books.

    Monday, April 19, 2010

    Monday, April 12, 2010

    It's Monday! What Are You Reading?


    Currently Reading:

    The Dark Divine by Bree Despain &  I Heart You, You Haunt Me by Lisa Schroeder


     Up Next in my TBR (to-be-read) pile:

    Chasing Brooklyn by Lisa Schroeder

    What are you reading today?  What's up next in your TBR pile?




    This fun meme is hosted by Sheila at One Person's Journey Through a World of Books.