DJ's Life in Fiction

Unforeseen Fears , An Armis Ambros Mystery, by H. William Gruchow. Self-published.  Review copy provided by author. Armis Ambros and his friend Jake like to make bets, small and large, especially on the outcomes of criminal cases they read about in the newspaper.  They're very interested when a body gets dredged out of Emerald Lake, answering the question of what happened to Retha Demond twelve years ago--at least in terms of her ultimate location.  But the sheriff seems to be sweeping the case under the rug awfully quickly, and then another case, this time two adults shot and a child missing and found dismembered, is equally ignored, so Armis gets a little more involved than he usually does.  Digging into old records and asking questions leads Armis into a dangerous world of political corruption that may just land him in the lake, too. This novel jumps around a lot at first, making it somewhat difficult to follow before it settles into a more linear pattern. Gruchow...

Sign Language by Amy Ackley (NY: Viking, 2011). Twelve-year-old Abby's dad is sick and getting sicker.  First he has his kidney removed, then he has to start treatments.  Abby thinks he'll get better, but then there are more treatments and he's sicker and tired all the time, and he has to quit his job, but she still thinks he'll get better.  No one really tells her that it's cancer, and that it's spreading. And terminal.  Or maybe her mom did tell her but she didn't believe it.  She wants to think about normal problems, like how her brother ignores her, how she wishes Logan Pierce would notice her, how much fun she and her best friend Spence can have when he's not working. Even when she faces the reality of her dad's imminent death and the death itself, Abby just wants to hide from everyone. If only God or her eight ball could give her the answers she needs. Abby's denial is difficult to understand at first, but it's certainly realistic.  Wh...

The Darlings in Love by Melissa Kantor (NY: Hyperion, 2012). Reviewed from e-galley provided by the publisher via netgalley.com . In this second installment of The Darlings are Forever series, Natalya, Victoria, and Jane are settling into their new high schools while maintaining their close friendship and trying to survive bumps in their love lives.  Natalya is still crushing on Colin who has refused to speak to her, even though she's apologized, until they see each other at the park and start communicating again.  But things are more complicated than the chess matches they enjoy, and Natalya turns to her friends frequently for advice.  Meanwhile, Victoria is in the throes of new love with her boyfriend Jack until misunderstandings arise and she starts to question their relationship.  Jane thinks she should stick to advising her two friends until she's asked to play in a love scene with the cutest boy she's ever seen.  That angel face could never deceive her, r...

My Lunatic Life by Sharon Sala (Memphis, TN: Bell Bridge Books, 2011). Reviewed from e-galley provided by publisher via netgalley.com . Tara Luna and her aging hippie uncle, Pat, have just moved to Stillwater, Oklahoma, in time for the start of Tara's senior year in high school, and naturally she's overjoyed. Not really.  While she's grown accustomed to the constant moving occasioned by her uncle's restless nature, and she deeply appreciates the care he's taken of her since her parents died when she was a baby, she's hoping they'll stay put this time.  Aside from Uncle Pat, the two constants in her life--her best friends really--are ghosts, Millicent and Henry, who have been with her as long as she can remember.  She can see them (Millicent usually takes the shape of a pink vapor, Henry a grayish form) and talk to them. Oh, and she's psychic, too, so she can sense what people are feeling, read their auras, and hear their thoughts.  It may not be normal,...

Reel Life Starring Us by Lisa Greenwald (NY: Amulet Books, 2011); reviewed from uncorrected e-proof provided by publisher via netgalley.com. New girl Dina has just moved to Long Island from Massachusetts.  She was cool there, so she'll be cool here, too, right?  Instead she keeps discovering potato chips smashed in her backpack--something called being chipped at this new school, Rockwood Hills Junior High.  She notices the cliques, too, that seem to be based on relative wealth.  With her trusty video camera, Dina starts recording what she sees, and even lands an assignment to make a video for the school's 50th anniversary celebration; even better, her partner is the most popular girl in school, Chelsea.  This can only help Dina's social status, of course. Only it doesn't really, and slowly Dina learns that there's more to everything than appearances, and maybe being in the most exclusive clique isn't worth all that much compared to having real friends who value...

Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick (NY: Scholastic, 2004). Steven is a typical, and talented, eighth grader in NYC.  He cooperates with his teachers--even writing on the assigned topics in his journal, most of the time. He plays the drums for the All City Jazz Band, has an hopeless crush on the cutest girl in his grade, and wishes his little brother Jeffrey could be less annoying.  Funny how one day can change everything.  It starts out so ordinary--making "moatmeal" for Jeffrey--but ends with Jeffrey being diagnosed with leukemia and having to go for more tests, and then treatment, in Philadelphia.  Suddenly Steven's world is shattered.  At first he doesn't tell anyone.  He stops doing his homework and writes about anything he wants to in his journal.  And he practices his drums all the time because that helps him forget, just for a little while, what's happening to his family.  His dad won't even talk to him.  His mom is...

The Candymakers by Wendy Mass (NY: Little, Brown, 2010). Out of hundreds of entries, four contestants in eight regions will compete to win the Annual Candy Contest sponsored by the Confectionary Association. In Region Three, Logan Sweet would seem to have a special advantage as the son of the owner of the Life Is Sweet Candy Factory--he rarely even leaves the factory and can differentiate among types of chocolate by touch. The other three contestants who will come to the factory have their own stories--Miles is obsessed with the afterlife; Philip wears a suit and is laser-focused on winning, no matter what the cost; and cheerful Daisy has unusual strength. They have two days to learn everything they need to create their own confections, but it turns out there's more to this contest than candy. Mass has crafted an engaging, lovely tale for middle grades with The Candymakers .  Initially it appeared to be derivative of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (or its movie equivalent), bu...

Legacy by Cayla Kluver (2009; NY: Harlequin, 2011); reviewed from e-galley provided by the publisher via netgalley.com. Princess Alera has one year to make up her mind about who to marry.  She doesn't particularly like the egotistic man her father has selected, and she doesn't really know what to do.  She gets to know a young, handsome prisoner almost on a whim, but since he hails from her country's principal enemy, she knows any relationship would be forbidden.  Even when it turns out that Nerian is from her country, but was abducted and raised by enemy forces, he's still not a suitable choice for her despite what her heart is telling her. I don't read a lot of fantasy, especially the fake medieval kind, but this one was all right.  The cover doesn't match the content at all (imho!); the hair, the dress, the jewelry are all more nineteenth century than thirteenth or fourteenth or whatever century was being described. The novel seems way too long with far too m...

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray (NY: Scholastic Audiobooks, 2011). Read by Libba Bray. When their plane crashes on a seemingly deserted tropical island, the surviving Miss Teen Dream beauty pageant contestants consolidate their talents to stay alive, continue their pageant preparations, and bravely wait for what they assume will be a speedy rescue. But no one comes. And maybe they're not alone on the island. That volcano in the distance? It's actually the evil Corporation's clandestine headquarters for plotting nefarious activities, like complete world domination and arms dealing with the brutal dictator MoMo B ChaCha of the Republic of ChaCha (whose advisor is a stuffed lemur named General Goodtimes). Miss Texas channels the pageant's chief sponsor, Ladybird Hope and organizes the girls into teams (Lost Girls and Sparkle Ponies) to gather useful items that wash ashore (curling irons!), build huts, forage for food, and practice their dance routines. Miss New Hamps...