See your aura, and raise you one

The Vanishing by Jayne Ann Krentz; 2020; $27.00;294 pages; Berkley, New York; 978-1-9848-0643-7; checked out from Multnomah County Library, Central;6/19/2020-6/22/2020

Many years ago in Fogg Lake, Washington a mysterious gas was released causing the residents to hallucinate.  The residents told everyone that is from food poisoning so that they didn't become lab rats. Actually many people who were involved acquired some sort of physic ability. Two women, who were teenagers when the incident happened, use their abilities to investigate people.  One day one suddenly disappears and her friend is forced to find her with the help of a shadowy operative from THE FOUNDATION.  It was just okay.

8/10

Now for something completely different

Wish You Well by David Baldacci; 2000; $16.00; 418 pages; Grand Central Publishing, New York, NY; 978-0-446-69948-8; checked out from the Multnomah County Library, Northwest; 6/13/2020-6/18/2020

In 2000 David Baldacci took a break from all his thrillers to write a coming of age story.  Set in the mountains of Virginia in the 1940's.  It is a moving story that reinforces my belief that Baldacci is one of the foremost storytellers of our time.  A wonderful cast of well rounded characters makes for an engrossing story. 

10/10

A series of unfortunate events for Adults

Without Sanction by Don Bentley; 2020;$27.00; 373 pages; Berkley, New York, NY; 978-1-9848-0511-9; checked out from Multnomah County Library, Hollywood; 6/9/2020-6/12/2020

Matt Drake is a former operative for some alphabet agency who has retired.  He is then recalled to retrieve an asset from a war zone, who will only deal with him. Their are other operators from other alphabet agencies who have a grudge against Matt because he showed how incompetent they were.  As he moves in to rendezvous with the asset he runs, literally at times, into obstacles of all types.  He manages to overcome them to complete the mission.  It is an engrossing thriller and I look forward to reading more from Don Bentley.

10/10

Better than the movie

Mister Roberts by Thomas Heggen; 1946; $2.50; 221 pages; Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, MA; purchased at the Multnomah County Library's Title Wave Used Bookstore;6/7/2020-6/9/2020

This book was the basis for one of my all time favorite movies and it meant a lot to my friend Greg and his Dad. I wanted to read it and it did not disappoint.  It had all of the comedy of the movie but also had some musings on the nature of war and death that were not present in the movie.  Those chapters made it a well rounded novel.

10/10

Enduring Momunents

Mount Rushmore Q&A by Don "Nick" Clifford, Mount Rushmore Worker, 1938-39-40; 69 pages; Arizona Lithographers, Tucson, AZ; 0-9753006-0-1; a gift from Kirsten Harrington Leonard; 6/8/2020

During the great Pandemic of 2020, I had lunch with my good friend Kirsten and she gave me this book and I wondered why.  She made me guess why and when I got to the inside back cover I discovered why, there was a autographed baseball card of the author. It was a quick read and a fascinating account of the creation of the Presidential faces on Mt. Rushmore.

10/10

magnum opus

East of Eden by John Steinbeck; 1952, $16.00, 601 Pages; Penguin Books, New York, NY; 0-14-200423-5; purchased from SmileAmazon.com;Corner Reading Society; 5/17/2020-6/7/2020

I usually like John Steinbeck's books.  I felt like this one was bloated, had too much backstory and took too long to get to the main story.  There were parts of it that I like and overall I liked it. 

8/10

A story of realization

Playing with the Enemy, A Baseball Prodigy, World War II and the Long Journey Home by Gary W. Moore; 2008; $15.00; 306 pages; Penguin Books, New York, NY; 978-0-14-311388-1; purchased at the Friends of the Library Book Sale; 5/12/2020-5/17/2020

Our story begins in Sessler, Indiana in the days leading up to the attack on Pearl Harbor.  Fifteen year old Gene Moore is playing catcher for the Sessler Egyptians semi pro team.  He can hit, throw and manage like no one else.  All the older players respect him and listen when he gives advice and positions players when he is catching.  One day a scout for the Brooklyn Dodgers shows up and eventually signs Gene to a contract.  He is too young so they find him a better semi pro team to play.  In the days after Pearl Harbor he turns seventeen and the Dodgers manage to get Gene assigned to the Navy Baseball team.  One day German U Boat 505 is captured, but the U.S. doesn't tell anyone and the entire crew was sent to a POW camp in Ruston, LA.  There the Navy was assigned to guard the prisoners.  They eventually taught the prisoners how to play baseball.  In the final game of the war, Gene Moore breaks his ankle and the is really what drives the rest of the story.  It is hard to tell what is true and what is fiction in this story based on the life of Gene Moore.  I thought it was very moving story.

10/10