ARC Review: Bream Gives Me Hiccups - Jesse Eisenberg

Bream Gives Me Hiccups
Jesse Eisenberg
Series: N/A
Genre: Short Stories, Humor, Satire
Release Date: September 8th, 2015
Publisher: Grove Press
Rating: 2000 out of 2000 stars
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Thanks to Grove Press for providing me with an ARC at BEA and thanks Jesse Eisenberg for fulfilling a five-year long dream of getting a selfie with you.

I'm always a little bitter when people are talented in more than one aspect of their lives while the most I can offer are sentence composition skills that rival those of my eight year old sister. Jesse Eisenberg has proven to be one of these people -- not only is he a successful actor (his role in my all-time favorite movie, The Social Network, was a huge reason why I wanted to meet him), but a clever writer as well.

The first section of short stories are "Restaurant Reviews From a Privileged Nine-Year Old" where said nine-year old rates everything out of 2000 stars, which is why I decided to stray from our traditional 5 star rating system for this review, although I'm sure my rating will be easy to convert. This section was one of the best ones and definitely a strong opening. Our narrator had this distinct, knowing sort of voice, but the innocence of being a kid still showed through and Eisenberg very much captured the essence of writing through the lens of a child. Also, even though the book is humorous and all the chapters, this one included, are riddled with sarcasm and lightness, there are still touches of sincerity and emotion, and although they're written with the satirical style of the book, they're still sweet. And that little boy is a sharp one. This is one of my favorite comments of his:

"I told mom that I didn't want to lie to the hotel people, but Mom said it was okay in this case because it was just a white lie, which I guess is a lie that white people are allowed to say without feeling guilty."

This chapter was tied for my favorite with "My Roommate Stole My Ramen: Letters From a Frustrated Freshman." This one is written in a completely different voice, but maintains the same sarcastic, satirical tone so it maintains this sense of cohesiveness. That's one of the things I liked a lot about this book. I wasn't sure how it would read, considering it was a book of short stories, and I thought it might just be a series of disconnected stories, and therefore the tone and voice and everything would shift enough per story that it would be like reading a series of completely different books all in a row. But remember that feeling of cohesiveness I mentioned before? That was there for the entirety of the book.

Even though the content changed -- there were stories told in just run on sentences lasting a paragraph and stories told in dialogue formatted like a screenplay and stories told through email and texts -- there was a way it was told that didn't. The voice changed, which I expected it to and wanted it to, because different stories called for different things. I wouldn't have wanted the college student studying the Bosnian genocide to sound just like the guy on acid trying to pick up a woman at a bar -- that just wouldn't have been good writing. However, as I mentioned before, the wit and the humor carry through and there's a certain tone about the pieces that is clearly Eisenberg's distinct style showing through.

Also, it was a fun time when thing mentioned in one story made their way into another, sort of like a tiny little in-joke, such as using "The Rotting Tree" as a location in more than one story. Anyway, the book wonderfully showcases the wit of Jesse Eisenberg and the writing was cutting and entertaining. This is definitely a book I'll be reading again.

- Noor

What's the funniest book you've read?
Let us know in the comments!

Release Day ARC Review: The Copper Gauntlet - Holly Black & Cassandra Clare

The Copper Gauntlet
Holly Black & Cassandra Clare
Series: Magisterium, #2
Genre: Middle Grade, Fantasy
Release Date:September 1st, 2015
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

I went through an embarrassingly large percentage of this book having confused "gauntlet" with "chalice" and with the mental image of someone planning to punch another person with a large, fancy cup. Luckily, it didn't detract from my reading experience and once I realized those illustrations of gloves next to the chapter numbers were related to the book, I got back on track.

I loved the book and I don't have any long-winded way of leading up to that.

I always have a thing for second books in series. I just feel like they have something going for them. The Copper Gauntlet was no exception. While it's predecessor focused on world-building, introducing the characters, exposition, only really bringing in conflict in further into the book (still worth it), The Copper Gauntlet provides us with a steady amount of pacing throughout. Black and Clare occasionally tone back the action to showcase some other scenes that might come into play later or they occasionally dial it up with fast-paced scene after scene but overall the whole book always has something happening or leading up to happening or the characters are investigating something that might happen eventually. Everything we see in this book is relevant to the story, rather than just information for the sake of information.

And oh, was it a great story. Holly Black and Cassandra Clare being friends is one of the most beautiful gifts the universe has given me.

Call as a protagonist is one of my favorite things I've read in any book, period. He isn't a hero or a villain or an antihero. No one is sure what he is, including him. The reader is viewing through the lens of Call so we know what we're told by him in a way that he tells it, which makes for an interesting reading experience. I loved the way he questioned his goodness every step of his journey (and by love I mean it made my heart break for him but it was good writing) and I thought his relationship with each character was excellently explored, like his uneasiness and annoyance with his friends and his relationship with his dad.

Also, can we just talk about his pet chaos wolf, Havoc? I love Havoc, he's my favorite character in the entire book and I want one.

The book was short, only 264 pages, but so much happened, and I appreciated all of it. It delved into chaos magic and Aaron's position as the Makar and Jasper came along on their spontaneous trip even though Call hates Jasper and someone was trying to steal a very important artifact and everything was so intense and full of drama.

I don't think I can survive any more books in this series, honestly.

- Noor

Do you think you could handle being a chaos mage?
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ARC Review: Infinite in Between - Carolyn Mackler

Infinite in Between
Carolyn Mackler
Series: N/A
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Release Date: September 1st, 2015
Publisher: HarperTeen
Rating: 3.75 out of 5 stars
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Thanks to HarperTeen for the ARC I received at BEA!

Five freshmen, five letters to open after graduation thanks to a freshman orientation activity, and four years separating them from one another. Infinite in Between is an easy read that still brings about its fair share of feelings.

Told through five different points of views and following them through high school, I definitely liked some characters more than others. Mia was by far my favorite. I felt like her voice stood out the most. It was distinct, defined, her distress and angst was palpable as she felt herself live life as the screwball character. Her frustration with her life, her parents, her "best friend," -- they were all artfully done, and Mia's scenes were my favorites. I was rooting for her the whole way.

I think Whitney was my least favorite which might be an unpopular opinion? Whitney is the biracial beauty who's queen bee but is still nice to everyone around her, even if she has to be superficially nice. Whitney isn't a bad person, even if in the beginning she's very quick to judge other people and is so concerned with who her friends are that she ends up losing a lot. She goes through a lot of character growth though. so she understands her mistakes there. She still rubs me the wrong way though and no matter how much I want to. I can't like her character. I love her older sister though. Alicia is three years older and just a more fun character and I liked exploring their relationship too.

Now that we've covered favorite and least favorite, I don't want to spend three more paragraphs going in depth about every single character so I'll just say that I enjoyed all the other characters and every single person's "thing," their hardship. was interesting, and well fleshed out, and enjoyable to read. I feel like there maybe could have been a little more of a shift or a distinction in tone/voice in the characters but when you're writing five characters who all have to age I understand that's hard to do and there definitely was a certain amount, just maybe not as much as I would have liked. However it didn't take away too much because the voice shifted as they got older which drew attention away from the fact that some of the voices sounded a little similar.

I liked that towards the end the story started to get more cohesive, but it takes a long time to get to the point where it reads like one story rather than five individual ones. I personally didn't mind this because I liked the stories of each person and I was willing to wait until the end to see if they met up or if their timelines collided but some readers might want the story to become intertwined earlier on, provided a more solid/stable plot, which is something to think about if you'e planning to read this.

I thought it was a worthwhile read, full of proof that everyone is fighting a battle, and full of cute moments and sad moments and happy moments and lots of other kinds of moments in between.

- Noor

What's your favorite memory from high school?

Let us know in the comments!

Double ARC Review: Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between - Jennifer E. Smith

Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between
Jennifer E. Smith
Series: N/A
Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary
Release Date:September 1st, 2015
Publisher: Poppy Publishing House
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Thanks to Poppy Publishing House for the ARC I received at BEA and thanks to Jen E. Smith for signing it (and gracing me with her presence in a photograph)!

There's something to be said about a book that makes you resonate with an experience that isn't yours.

The whole time, I didn't feel like I was just reading about two teenagers deciding whether or not to break up on their last night before leaving for college on opposite sides of the country; I felt like I was part of the last hurrah, like I hadn't actually finished my sophomore year of college three months ago and that this book was Just For Me in my Time of Need even though realistically I did not have to break up with anyone before leaving for college which was, like I said, two years ago, and most of my friends, barring a few outliers, either went to Rutgers which was 20 minutes away or went to other not-exceptionally-far-but-far-enough-to-dorm schools. Sure, I had painful goodbyes but you've got four best friends here and three of them are leaving the next day, all to different parts of the country, and it's this dramatic night of running to places where they've had big experiences in their relationship and I just felt like I was a part of it even though I should have been removed from the situation, which I just think is the mark of a great book.

The couple in question is Clare and Aidan. Clare is the level-headed, list-making, practical one. Aidan is the more go-with-your-gut, impulsive kinda guy. Smith does a good job of not making them too much these tropes -- Clare isn't too attached to her list (she makes a list of places to go that each signify something important, a "greatest hits" or "refresher course" of their relationship) and when some things can't be done, she rolls with it; likewise, Aidan gets serious about things like the word "love," his friendship with Scotty, and his relationship with his Dad and how he didn't ever want to go to Harvard. They are never too much of the "serious girl" or the "chill guy" and this is why they have chemistry.

They also work because they aren't perfect throughout the book. As the story progresses we learn of fears and setbacks in their relationships, we see fights and problems. We watch them become a dynamic couple rather than a hopelessly in love set of collegebound students.

Their friends add another set of dimension. Scotty, Aidan's best friend, and Stella, Clare's best friend, add another set of drama to the story. Clare's relationship with Stella is on the rocks but she's so focused on making a decision about breaking up with Aidan or not that she can't grasp what's in front of her with Stella, which is frustrating because the reader will definitely understand. Scotty and Aidan aren't in the clear either -- they end up duking it out in a fistfight. Last night of college and you might break it off with your significant other of two years as well as lose your best friend? Talk about rough.

I finished this book in one sitting because I started it expecting not to know the verdict on the breakup situation until the very end but surprise surprise, the decision happens somewhere in the middle of the book, (which is something I loved by the way, because I had just let down my guard and was expecting more running around and lists and there it was) and then I finished it expecting her to pull something and change their minds at the last second because there was an entire half a book to go.

It's a pretty short read so I suspect the one sitting thing will be common but I'm warning you now, this book is a very cute, light, fluffy, read, and if you aren't a fan of those, and like things with a little more meat and heavy plot and things like that, I would probably skip this one.

I know I accidentally let all my reviews get annoyingly long but I just want to add one last thing that I forgot to mention. My favorite quote from the book is one about Scotty, who isn't going away to school:

"The only thing harder than leaving is being left behind." 

It isn't a revolutionary concept, but it's poignant, and relateable to a lot of people, and having someone who wasn't leaving helped ground the story a little, although half the fun of the book was that it was this dramatic book and in the town all their friends went away and they had One Last Night and there was a party and stealing and jail (unrelated) and punching and not drowning. Overall an excellent book; Jen E. Smith definitely did not disappoint.

- Noor

Amrutha's Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between Review
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Loved this. Jennifer E. Smith is back at it with this one and it's honestly so great. Like Noor said though, this is a fluff piece, which personally I am all about, so if you aren't, you might not like it as much as we did.

I'm a sophomore in college now, and just last week I had my goodbye dinners with my friends who go to school far away (there aren't that many of them and even they are only a few hours away). And while I didn't have an SO to break up with, I do fully understand the idea of thinking you might lose your loved ones due to distance.

It's such a complex feeling, where you might lose someone due to circumstances outside of your control, and I've never read anything that made it so I could wrap my head around all of the craziness of leaving and getting left behind. I really felt this story because of where I am in my life, which I think has a lot to do with why I liked it so much.

My consistently favorite thing about Jennifer E. Smith's books are that there is never a static character, and none of them are written stereotypically or to an extreme version -- they are always fleshed out in ways that make me feel like I know them in real life, which I am all about. Clare and Aiden and Scotty and Stella are all honestly so interesting, and more importantly, their relationships are interesting.

As Noor touched on up there, Clare and Stella's issues were really frustrating to me as the reader, because I could see what Clare couldn't. Aiden and Scotty struggling to figure their issues out were very complex as well, and this was so good to me because this book is set in a very small time frame. This is such a short book, and complexity is hard to build in this kind of a fluff novel, so I loved it.

I liked how the book was structured as well, which is to say I liked where certain plot things were addressed, and I don't want to elaborate more on this because I don't want to give anything away.

This book delivered on everything it promised -- good writing, dynamic characters, evolving relationships, and a solid fluffy plot. Couldn't ask for anything more.

- Amrutha

Goodbye for now or goodbye forever?

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Waiting on Wednesday: The Fate of Ten - Pittacus Lore

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week I'm waiting on The Fate of Ten by Pittacus Lore!

The Fate of Ten
Pittacus Lore
Series: Lorien Legacies #6
Release Date: September 1st, 2015
Publisher: HarperCollins
Waited on by: Marlon

The sixth book in the thrilling, action-packed, New York Times bestselling I Am Number Four series! For years the Garde have fought the Mogadorians in secret. Now all of that has changed. The invasion has begun. If the Garde can't find a way to stop the Mogs, humanity will suffer the same fate as the Lorien: annihilation.

There is still hope. When the Elders sent the Garde to Earth, they had a plan—one which the Garde are finally starting to understand. In the climax of The Revenge of Seven, a group of the Garde traveled to an ancient pyramid in Mexico known to their people as the Sanctuary. There they awoke a power that had been hidden within our planet for generations. Now this power can save the world . . . or destroy it. It will all depend on who wields it

The Lorien Legacies books are another serious case of Orson Scott Card. James Frey, one half of the pseudonym Pittacus Lore, is not what I'd call a good person. These books are all collaboration efforts with him and relatively unknown authors. He uses unfair contracts to pay them very little, remove their name from the work, or remove them from the project entirely. You can read more about it here. With that said . . . the Lorien Legacies are still good books. I didn't find out about the James Frey controversies until about the fourth book, so I'd already been entrenched in the lovely writing, the low-level but intense sci-fi and YA blend, and the endearing characters. I've been reading them for like six or seven years now, and I really want to finish them! They're funny, sincere, and though there are a lot of YA and sci-fi cliches in the earlier books, it's been a genuinely good ride for me. Even when the authors decide to kill of my favorite characters and make other characters evil. Even then.

- Marlon

What are you waiting on?

Let us know in the comments!