Sunday, December 21, 2008

Far From You by Lisa Schroeder (review and vlog)

This is my official post for Lisa Schroeder's Far From You release contest! 
For really pathetic bloopers and stupid-ness on my part, go here.

Far From You by Lisa Schroeder
Years have passed, but Alice has yet to piece her life together after losing her mother to cancer. She copes by writing music, exploring her passion for her boyfriend, and lashing out at her father and his new wife whenever possible. But she'll be forced to deal with issues she's spent so long avoiding when she's trapped in a deadly snowstorm that threatens her life and the lives of her stepmother and newborn sister. 
(Summary from back of book)

LOVED this book. Lisa Schroeder is definitely one of my favorite authors. Not only is she extremely nice, she is also a fantastic writer. And she writes verse novels like none I've read before. I never thought I'd be a huge fan of books written in that style, but I have proved myself wrong twice now. I'm a huge fan of both I Heart You, You Haunt Me and Far From You. Both books are unique, eloquent, flowing, and emotional. I think I might have liked Far From You even more than Lisa's first book because it was longer, more developed, and it dealed with a broader range of issues, from divorce to survival. I also liked that while the book had some aspects of faith and Christianity in it, it wasn't preachy, or forceful. It was just a part of who the characters were. It added a nice angle to the story. The other thing that I liked about this book was how complete it was. It probably has half as many words as a prose novel of its same size does and it gets the story across just as clearly if not more so. The thing about verse novels is that they are better with emotion and details and feelings. You get to know the characters better and you feel more of a connection to the plot and what's going on in every aspect of the story. And that's the thing that I loved the most. The connection I felt with the book, the characters, and the author. I wish I could get that close to every book I read but sadly, that only happens with a select handful; Far From You included. 
Far From You by Lisa Schroeder comes out in 2 days, on December 23rd and I highly recommend that you pick up a copy. I'm sure you'll enjoy it. :)

My review of I Heart You, You Haunt Me (written a long time ago :P)


Be sure to comment on this post for extra entries in the contest.
The official contest post over at Lisa's blog is here.
Head on over to Vanessa's for tomorrow's vlog.

Get excited for December 23rd! Enter the contest, watch the vlogs, spread the word, and READ THE BOOK!

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41 comments:

  1. AlessandraDecember 21, 2008 at 4:36 AM

    Wow! I loved the excerpt that you read aloud. This sounds like a very good book!

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  2. AleaDecember 21, 2008 at 5:42 AM

    Hehehehe! Those were some good bloopers! I thought your vlog was very well done!

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  3. MySharonAnneDecember 21, 2008 at 9:23 AM

    I have yet to read this one. Will have to pick it up next week.

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  4. Lisa SchroederDecember 21, 2008 at 9:35 AM

    *SMOOCH*

    LIV, I LOVE YOU, I LOVE YOU, I LOVE YOU!!!!!!

    Will you do a vlog for every single one of my books from now until the end of time? HA - no, I'm not that mean, but thank you, this was AWESOME!!!!!! And you are SO GREAT to post your bloopers and man, you worked hard to do this.

    THANK YOU!!!!!

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  5. AnonymousDecember 21, 2008 at 9:59 AM

    So Very Cool! :)

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  6. Lenore AppelhansDecember 21, 2008 at 10:03 AM

    I really like books where the characters have faith, so that's great. I know I will have a ton of book gift certificates after Christmas, so this is going on the list!

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  7. AnonymousDecember 21, 2008 at 10:18 AM

    I can't wait to pick this up as soon as I can! Great vlog. I haven't even read I Heart You, You Haunt Me which I can't find anywhere! Sometimes I wished I leaved in a big city where there would be a B&N.

    -Rima

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  8. Emily MarshallDecember 21, 2008 at 10:26 AM

    Excellent vlog and review. I can't wait to read the book. I have it sitting in my to-be-read stack just calling to me.

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  9. AnonymousDecember 21, 2008 at 10:37 AM

    This is great. ^.^ I can't wait to read this book.

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  10. AnonymousDecember 21, 2008 at 10:41 AM

    What an awesome review.
    I'm glad Lisa linked to it from her blog. Cool!

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  11. BookChicDecember 21, 2008 at 11:02 AM

    I'm reading this book right now and am about 140 pages in. I'm really enjoying it so far! I'm on dialup so I can't view your vlog, but I will once I get back home and my computer starts working again, lol.

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  12. jamaDecember 21, 2008 at 11:34 AM

    Great job, Liv!! You've definitely made me want to read the book :).

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  13. AnonymousDecember 21, 2008 at 12:25 PM

    Great vlog, Liz! I loved it and I loved I Heart You, I Haunt You. Haha, and your review makes me really excited to read Far From You.

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  14. DeenaMLDecember 21, 2008 at 12:34 PM

    Thanks for your fab reading from Miss Pinch Me I'm Pubbed's book! :)

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  15. KhyDecember 21, 2008 at 12:34 PM

    You bear a striking resemblance to this girl at my school. Freaky.

    And the bloopers = hilarious. xD

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  16. AmeeDecember 21, 2008 at 12:43 PM

    I just read I Heart You, You Haunt Me earlier this week! Great timing. I think I'll enter the contest for this one since I really enjoyed Lisa's first book. :)

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  17. donnasDecember 21, 2008 at 12:49 PM

    Well done vlog, the bloopers were great. This book sounds so good, I cant wait to read it..

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  18. kporterbooksDecember 21, 2008 at 1:00 PM

    LOVE it, Lisa. Great read, Liv. This is on my Christmas list for my B & N gift card.

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  19. TallulahDecember 21, 2008 at 2:55 PM

    The more I hear about this book, the more I want it. Ordering the first from Amazon now, darnit!

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  20. Simply_MeganDecember 21, 2008 at 4:19 PM

    This book sounds so good! I can't wait to read it.

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  21. AnonymousDecember 21, 2008 at 4:59 PM

    I can't wait to read this book!!!

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  22. HillaryDecember 21, 2008 at 5:13 PM

    Sounds really good! I can't wait to read it.

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  23. DominiqueDecember 21, 2008 at 5:45 PM

    vlogs are so cool ^.^
    nice review!! I'll definitely have to keep an eye out for Far From You! :)

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  24. Shooting Stars MagDecember 21, 2008 at 6:03 PM

    Love the bloopers Liv! Vlogs really are hard to do...I'm always messing with my hair as well b/c it's a complete mess...all the time.

    I'm excited for the book though. I've been meaning to read Lisa's first one as well, so now I need both!

    -Lauren

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  25. PaulaDecember 21, 2008 at 7:55 PM

    Two whole days! Too long. It's as bad as being a kid waiting for Christmas morning to arrive.

    Okay, I'm off to go see what time the book stores opens on the
    23rd : )

    Keep writing Lisa!

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  26. Diana DangDecember 21, 2008 at 8:15 PM

    I never read her first book but I am interest to look into both. =)

    Happy Holidays to you too!

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  27. Annette GulatiDecember 21, 2008 at 8:16 PM

    Great review! Can't wait to read it!

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  28. KorianneDecember 22, 2008 at 1:49 AM

    Awe Liv I am not sure why you were so worried about vlogging, you did terrific! Your bloopers made me laugh, but they totally reminded me of something I would do. Great job, you definately didn't FTBA today! I haven't read any of Lisa's work yet, but I am definately going to be picking it up soon.

    -Korianne

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  29. ParadoxDecember 22, 2008 at 5:44 AM

    Great vlog! The book sounds very interesting, and the cover looks great! I loved the passage that you read too.

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  30. Brooke ReviewsDecember 22, 2008 at 9:38 AM

    Great excerpt! I can't wait to read this one. Good job with the Vlog!

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  31. AnonymousDecember 22, 2008 at 9:39 AM

    Great vlog. The bloopers were fun to watch too.

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  32. justJoanDecember 22, 2008 at 10:17 AM

    Nice Vlog and review. Now I'm even more excited to read "Far From You".

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  33. ShalondaDecember 22, 2008 at 2:20 PM

    Very nicely done. I am super excited about reading this one!

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  34. AnonymousDecember 22, 2008 at 2:40 PM

    Great review! I'll be looking forward to getting my grubby little hands on it when it comes out. ;)

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  35. KatieDecember 22, 2008 at 4:16 PM

    I'm really looking forward to reading this book!

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  36. AnonymousDecember 22, 2008 at 9:22 PM

    Wow, that was a great excerpt! I am definitely going to have to read this one!

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  37. lkmadiganDecember 22, 2008 at 9:45 PM

    Yay, Liv!

    Terrific!

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  38. Book Sp(l)otDecember 22, 2008 at 9:51 PM

    Thanks for that review-it really touched on some points that I had been, well not concerned about but wondering/curious about :)

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  39. Bunny BDecember 23, 2008 at 5:21 AM

    Great vlog! Merry Christmas!!
    bunnybx at gmail . com

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  40. Book Sp(l)otDecember 23, 2008 at 3:08 PM

    I love the vlog (lst time I could only read the post not see the vid)...and on a side note, your room (if that's yours) is awesome :)

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  41. AnonymousDecember 24, 2008 at 7:04 AM

    I love your voice, it makes the excerpt sound cooler than it already is. Thanks for the vblog. You did a great job!

    Happy holidays to you too ; )

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Pour your heart out. :)

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