never blame the umpire by gene fehler; 2010;$12.99; 184 pages; Zonderkidz, Grand Rapids, MI; 978-0-310-71941-0; Purchased from Multnomah County Library, Title Wave Used Bookstore; 2/3-2/3

Why did I pick this up? The title and the picture on the cover intrigued me.

What is the story? Kate and her brother are baseball players on the same team.  They are part of a charmed family that gets along and love one another.  Then their mother is diagnosed with inoperable cancer and they deal with that in different ways.  Kate not only is a good baseball player but is also a good poet, who expresses her feelings through her poetry.

Did I like it? It was good in spots, but overall it was kind of depressing.

Grade-C

What is with the title of the review? I seemed to have stumbled upon a sub genre, girls, baseball and grief.  The last two books I have read have this combination.

The Girl Who Threw Butterflies by Mick Cochrane; 2009; $15.99; 177 pages; Alfred A. Knopf, New York, NY; 978-0-375-85682-2; Purchased from Multnomah County Library, Title Wave Used Bookstore; 2/2-2/3

Why did I pick this up? Look at what is right there on the cover and you will know.

What is the story? Molly recently lost her father and her mother is not connecting with her.  She decides without telling her Mother, to try out for the school baseball team.  Her father had taught her to throw a knuckleball so she goes out to be a knuckleball pitcher.  A few of the boys resent her, but the coach treats her as another player.  Through the season she re-connects with her mother and their relationship blossoms.

Did I like it? It was an interesting take on grief and how people deal with it.  The baseball was well written and I was sucked into the story and really enjoyed it.

Grade-A

What is with the title of the review? Another name for a knuckle ball is evidently a butterfly ball, because of it’s unpredictable flight.  Molly didn’t actually throw any butterflies so no animals were harmed during the writing of the book.

I was wondering… I was wondering if Mick Cochrane is named after the Baseball Hall of Famer Mickey Cochrane, who Mickey Mantle is also named after.

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline; 2011; $24.00; 374 pages; Crown Publishers, New York, NY; 978-0-307-88743-6; Checked out from Multnomah County Library, Fairview; 1/30-2/2

Why did I pick this up? One of the drivers at work, Zoe, knew of my love of trivia and suggested that I read this.  From her description I decided to try it.

What is the story? Video game magnate James Halliday, obsessed with the 80′s dies and leaves his fortune to the gamer who can conquer the game.  Set in our future most people spend most of their time in a virtual world called OASIS, everyone has an avatar that may or may not look like their real life personage.  Parzival, Aech, Art3mis and a few others are some that go after the prize battling against a corporation which is as evil as many corporations now.  The riddles and clues are grounded in 1980′s movies, music, MMO’s, video games and role playing games.

Did I like it? I haven’t had this much fun reading a book in a long time.  There were constant references to music, movies and video games that I remember from the 80′s.  I spent much of my time while reading this either smiling or laughing.

Grade-A

What is with the title of the review? Rush’s 2112 plays an important part in the game as does the movie War Games and my favorite video game Centipede evens gets a mention.

Michael Vey, The Prisoner of Cell 25 by Richard Paul Evans; 2011; $17.99; 326 pages; Simon Pulse/Mercury Ink, New York, NY; 978-1-4516-5650-3; Checked out from Multnomah County Library; 1/29-1/30

Why did I pick this up? One of my good friends who reads a lot recommended this to me and I really like Richard Paul Evans.

What is the story? Michael Vey is a fifteen year old boy who has been on the run with his mother for the last seven years because of an unique ability that he has.  Michael and his mother land in Idaho, where he starts High School and discovers another teenager with a unique ability.  They start doing research and find that they were born around the same time in the same place.  Because of that research they become the object of a manhunt and are tracked by a group with evil plans.  They are captured along with a friend and Michael’s mother.  The bad guys try to control them through intimidation and guilt.  Michael and few of his new friends fight back and are able to escape.  This is a good self contained story but also the beginning of a seven books series.

Did I like it? Yes, with so many teen books these days being dystopian and full of despair this is a tale of friendship and love of family.

Grade-A

What is with the title of the review? The main character, Michael, goes to rescue his friend, Taylor, who was a cheerleader.  For a moment I had thoughts that this might be a reprise of Heroes.

Grave Peril by Jim Butcher; 2001; $23.95; 346 pages; A Roc Book, New York, NY; 978-0-451-46234-3; Checked out from Multnomah County Library, Central; 1/27-1/29

Why did I pick this up? Reading my way through the series and this is the third book in the series.

What is the story? Ghost are popping up all over Chicago, and the Chicago PD calls on Harry Dresden to help figure out what is going on.  It turns out that their is a spirit seeking revenge on Harry.  Vampires and demons are fighting Harry and his sidekicks.  There are many subplots that come together and all make sense.  It is another exciting case in the supernatural life of Harry Dresden.

Did I like it? Yes, Butcher manages to effectively combine a police procedural with the supernatural in such a way that it all makes sense.

Grade-A

What is with the title of the review? Dr. Venkman is one of the Ghostbusters in the popular movie of the same name.

Scarecrow Returns by Matthew Reilly; 2012; $25.00; 350 pages; Simon & Schuster, New York, NY; 978-1-4165-7759-1; Checked out from Multnomah County Library, Sellwood; 1/26-1/27

Why did I pick this up? I have waited seven years for this book, that is how long it has been since there has been a Scarecrow adventure.  Matthew Reilly is an amazing author of the military adventure.

What is the story? Scarecrow and Mother are testing cold weather gear in the Antarctic when they are called into action to defeat the Army of Thieves, an army of anarchist whose aim is to set the atmosphere on fire with a old cold war installation.  Scarecrow, Mother and a thrown together team of civilians and French commandos has to take on a ruthless army.  As usual there are multiple enemies that Scarecrow and his team must defeat to complete their mission.  Mr Murphy is fully on board this mission, what ever can go wrong does and how often have you seen polar bears as part of the action and those you must defeat.

Did I like it? Yes, it is an exciting adventure that is fun and exciting and the science sounds plausible.

Grade-A

What is with the title of the review? Part of Scarecrow’s team’s is a graduate student and his robot that has voice recognition software and multiple weapons system but is small.  He reminded me of the Herbie from the Fantastic Four cartoon, but Bertie was much cooler and seemed more plausible.

Sandstorm by James Rollins; 2004; $24.99; 446 pages; William Morrow, New York, NY; 0-06-058066-6; Checked out from Multnomah County Library, Central; 1/24-1/26

Why did I pick this up? I recently read The Devil Colony, the latest entry in the Sigma Force series, so I thought I would read the first book in the series.

What is the story? Painter Crowe an operative of the highly classified Sigma Force, is called to London when ball lighting sets off a tremendous explosion in the London Museum.  As he tries to determine the cause of the explosion he embarks on a journey that will pit him against a former partner, exposes a traitor within his own organization, fights pirtates, sandstorms and time.  He will travel from the USA to England to Arabia and deal with riddles that run through the tomb of the Virgin Mary’s father to Job’s tomb and involve the Queen of Sheba.  This is like Mission Impossible lots of gadgets and fights.

Did I like it? Yes, I liked the action.  The science was plausible enough that they story didn’t seem too outrageous.  I am sure that some of the gadgets that are used are while not common place are in use somewhere by some clandestine agency.

Grade-A

What is with the title of the review? The treasure that everyone is after was put in place by the Queen of Sheba and she used riddles to hide the treasure and give direction.

The Girl Who Fell From The Sky by Heidi W. Durrow; 2010; $22.95; 264 pages; Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC; 978-1-56512-680-0; Checked out from Multnomah County Library, Woodstock; 1/20-1/24

Why did I pick this up? This is this years Multnomah County’s Everybody Reads book and I like to know what the book is about when someone asks me about it.

What is the story? Rachel is the daughter of an African-American father and a Danish mother, who have some bad family history.  Rachel’s mother leaves her husband and moves to Chicago on her own, living with an abusive man.   The mother takes her three children and commits an unspeakable act which only Rachel survives.  She then moves to Portland and in with her African-American Grandmother.  This is a story of race, privilege  and attitudes in several different cultures.

Did I  like it? I am not a fan of the narrative structure but it is a good well told story that will start many discussions about race, privilege and societal attitudes, which is the aim of the books chosen for the everybody reads books.

Grade-B

What is with the title of the review? This is the everybody reads for Multnomah County and the books are designed to get people to think and discuss issues.

The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach; 2011; $25.99; 512 pages; Little, Brown and Company, New York, NY; 978-0-316-12669-4; Checked out from Multnomah County Library, St. Johns; 1/18-1/20

Why did I pick this up? A co-worker recommended this and the background story is a baseball story.

What is the story? I can think of about 5 stories that are told throughout this book.  The lead story is the story of Henry Skrimshander, a nobody high school shortsop, who is the most natural shortstop since Hall of Famer Aparicio Rodriquez.  As he goes through his college career he becomes afflicted with Steve Blass disease.  The story is of several journeys that characters take  throughout  the book,  journeys of the self.  They don’t  travel great distances physically but they travel millions of miles emotionally.

Did I like it? Yes and no, some parts of the story were very exciting and some of them were down right depressing.  Overall I like it.

Grade-B

What is with the title of the review? This book is supposedly about baseball, but that is only in the same way that Moby Dick is about Captain Ahab going on a fishing trip.

Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich; 2011; $28.00; 305 pages; Bantam Books, New York, NY; 978-0-345-52771-4; Checked out from Multnomah County Library, Hollywood; 1/17-1/18

Why did I pick this up? Because I have read the previous 17 and liked them.

What is the story? Pretty much the usual, Stephanie tries to apprehend bail jumpers, it ends funnily.  Stephanie tries to decide between Morelli and Ranger, it doesn’t end.   Stephanie loses a couple of cars in magnificent ways.  Lulu, Connie, Vinnie, and Grandma Mazur are back helping us to laugh.

Did I like it? Yes, but not as much as previously.  Things are too stagnant, every book is essentially the same.

Grade-C

What is with the title of the review? I will give Ms. Plum one more chance and then there will be a breakup if something doesn’t change.  The story synopsis was cut and pasted from the review of the 17th book, I just took out two sentences.  18 books and Stephanie hasn’t improved as a bondsperson, Lulu still dresses she did in her previous job, Stephanie can’t decide two guys and neither of the guys has had the guts to tell her to make a decision.  Look to Robert K. Tanenbaum to how a series should progress.