Limerick Friday #458: Godspeed To Normy, Plus FF Done Got Me Again

Jokes and laughs without end
Stubborn and refused to bend
Loved the Pack, he sure did
Rest in peace, grinning Kid
'Twas lucky to call you my friend

After a season so full of sucks
And so many shits and fucks
Doeren had to cover his arse
And make some assistants sparse
And fired a beleaguered Coach Hux

With contemporary issues it does wrassle
All of them weighty, not facile
Xenophobia and racism and more
Against the backdrop of constant war
Important work, "The Man in the High Castle"

The 'Fins have won about three mo'
Than anyone thought befo'
Bitched the Iggles
Which gave me the giggles
We've got something in Coach Flo

Luck bordering on obscene
More injuries than ever scene
So I say loudly to one and all
Fuck fantasy football
The same as it's ever been

Last time ...

Limerick Friday #457: "Castle Rock" Is Back With A Blast, Plus It's All Crashing Down Around Elliott

"Castle Rock" has Annie Wilkes on board

An intense backstory, good lord

Stephen King just got even funner

Season 2 is a freaking stunner

Lizzy Kaplan needs every award

A Rookie of the Year rules the town

A Cy Young winner mowing them down

Polar Bear crushed balls without reason

de Grom, another impeccable season

Yet the Mets still without a division crown

The injured have become a pile

While Goff misfires by a mile

A player lost each week

This year is just peak

Fantasy football Scooters style

Points leader losing games

Bad luck may be to blame

But isn't it strange

That the leagues change

Yet the horseshit stays the same

A "Mr. Robot" swan song

Intensity has been there all along

Elliott with memories suppressed

Split personalities to digest

Hacking capitalism cannot be wrong

Last time ...

Limerick Friday #456: "Mindhunter" Nails The Details And Mood, Plus There Are No Lows Low Enough In Miami

To define the term serial killer

Makes for a real psychological thriller

"Mindhunter" is pure tension

I need a many-season extension

So much more than the usual TV filler

After a rally made me gladden

Another lost year makes me sadden

One more season made for Flushing

The Mets should really be rushing

To make their next manager Joe Maddon

After years of impeachable stuff

To ignore got impossibly tough

But don't get sweaty palms

Just need to stay calms

And believe the truth is enough

Undisciplined football is the norm

Lack of preparation has taken State by storm

No identity to be found

Rinse and repeat is the sound

Behind me the disappointment line does form

It's losing they've chosen

Their own players they are hosin'

After a brutal winless start

The 'Fins have lost all heart

Despite hope in poor Josh Rosen

Last time ...

Limerick Friday #455: HBO Wins Most, Loses Some, Plus The Beautiful Campiness Of "Black Spot"

Purveyor of comedy sublime

John Oliver is hard to rhyme

A stammering Brit

Who's funny as shit

A legitimate hero for our time

A comeback loss like a sneak attack

For bitterness, it did not lack

When that's how it goes

It's how you knows

That fantasy football is back

HBO intrigued with a new show

Then it got stupid and slow

"Righteous Gemstones" ran outta gas

Not enough John Goodman, alas

Great premise without any get up and go

As the tank got rank

And the culture sank

The fans got pissed

And players got dissed

My only approach: just to drank

With eerie atmosphere it does scare

One character translates to "Teddy Bear"

The foreboding woods of France

With mysticism the show does dance

"Black Spot" is stellar Netflix fare

Last time ...

Limerick Friday #454: When "Stranger Things" Feels Like Reality TV, Plus OBX Ever And After

A real love note to the '80s
And all the mall Biffs and Katies
Will got lost in the plot
Hopper is dead (or not?)
"Stranger Things" made good TV out of Hades

An Indy visit we couldn't skip
For a memorable training camp trip
Then Andrew Luck said goodbye
We tried hard not to cry
And moved on with a quivering lip

"Chrenobyl" peeled back the coverup plaster
About ideology going nuclear faster
Demanding party before people
Turning leaders into sheeple
Something familiar about this profile of disaster

Flores off to an ugly start
For a braintrust that's never been smart
Tone-deaf in every dumbest way
For improvement we just have to pray
This season shaping up to be a hollow fart

An escape when real life is pending
Family and waves, the ocean kept sending
Then the Atlantic made its reckoning
With school and work beckoning
Another summer, another beautiful ending

Last time ...

Limerick Friday #453: The Staggering Genius of Flowers, Plus A Hole Where Fantasy Football Used To Be

Humor that only empowers

Drama that brings tears like showers

The brutalities of mental illness

Shattering the English stillness

The sublime brilliance of "Flowers"

After a decade, the story kept livin'

Despite pettiness and relationships riven

"Deadwood" returned intact

HBO's best ensemble cast, a fact

At the first Swearingen curse, all forgiven 

A staggering heat makes you number

As you mow to the tunes of Joe Strummer

You hit the pool and the beach

To camps and meets out of reach

All for a porch beer: This is summer

It returned just like it came

Amid subtitles and mystery and flame

A second season dropped out of the sky

Like a time travelin', cave-dwellin' guy

"Dark" vexes and intrigue stayed the same

Two decades of depth charts and boasters

Of rankings written on beer coasters

The WFFL was a tent post

When things got fucked up the most

An underestimated loss, I raise a glass to my toasters

Last time ...

Dolphins Draft 2019: Fighting For The Future, One Painstaking Move At A Time

In what turned out to be a fatal blow for owner-of-pictures-of-Stephen-Ross-with-a-goat (for lack of a cogent official title) Mike Tannenbaum and head bro coach Adam Gase, the 'Fins clearly went for need over best player available in last year's draft. After the operation went tits up and Tannenbaum and Gase were mercifully jettisoned after the 2018 regular season, Miami hired Brian Flores from New England and then mind-bogglingly promoted Chris Grier to general manager. This new braintrust then set about gutting the entire roster, leaving the Dolphins as perhaps the least-talented team in the NFL. That context is useful when evaluating the team's efforts in the 2019 NFL Draft, since Miami needs EVERYTHING and could legitimately claim they were going best player available while filling needs at the same time.

While the hope is that a competent coaching staff and a year of maturity can help some of Miami's younger players turn into legit contributors, it is clear that the Dolphins also need to start nailing picks at a much higher rate. Keeping that in mind, Miami seemed to approach this draft with logic and caution, sprinkled in with a low-risk, high-reward move that represented an opportunity that the 'Fins couldn't really afford to pass up.

All that being said, here's what Miami came up with during this year's draft ...

1st round, 13th Overall: Christian Wilkins, DT, Clemson

An experienced, proven linemen with leadership traits, Wilkins felt like one of the safest picks in this year's NFL Draft. But was he the best? That remains to be seen, but for a franchise like Miami that is in dire need of building blocks, the front office simply had to eliminate as much bust potential as possible. Wilkins has flexibility and personality to spare, and he could become a fan favorite at a time when the franchise needs to curry favor and patience with the fanbase. The big tackle will be measured against Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins, but we had that disclaimer last year with Josh Rosen, and look what happened with the next pick ...

2nd round, 62nd Overall: [TRADE] Josh Rosen, QB, Arizona Cardinals

After shrewdly trading back from No. 48, the Dolphins flipped their 62nd overall pick (and a fifth-rounder) to Arizona for ... Rosen. This move endeared me to Grier & Co., especially after so many years of outright ignoring the quarterback position. The reality is that the Patriots staff had a much higher opinion of Rosen than Miami's fired staff did, and well, the results seem to slightly lean toward the Cheatriots in such comparisons. Even if Rosen doesn't pan out as a franchise guy, this was too good a deal to pass up, and he at least fortifies a position that has been woefully thin on talent for close to a quarter-century. The front office gets credit for manipulating the draft to accrue a huge second-rounder next year while still ending up with Rosen at a spot that was more palatable to their value board. Even the Dolphins' crotchety and out-of-touch beat writers seemed to come around on this steal after some initial hand-wringing and illogical criticism.

3rd round, 78th Overall: Michael Deiter, G, Wisconsin

In a bit of a gut punch, the Patsies snared versatile defensive lineman Chase Winovich one pick ahead of Miami. In many years, it seemed like a surprise like this one would have led to panic in the 'Fins draft room, but Miami seemed to recover nicely by grabbing Deiter, a huge lineman with the flexibility to play a number of spots on a woeful offensive line. When in doubt, you can never go wrong selecting an offensive lineman from Wisconsin, and this Badger projects to be a starter along Miami's retooled front. Draft analysts seemed to be lukewarm on Deiter's pick in this spot, but the Dolphins were in desperate need of talent (and hell, warm bodies) in the trenches, and the franchise will know whether it has something in Deiter relatively quickly.

5th round, 151st Overall: Andrew Van Ginkel, LB, Wisconsin

Van Ginkel's selection seemed to be a bit of a response to Winovich being lifted out from under Miami's noses -- always a dangerous way to conduct a draft. The 'Fins lost their fourth-rounder in the deal with the Saints that netted picks No. 62 and 202 this year and a second-rounder next year, leaving the Dolphins as bystanders during the selections of some of the draft's most fertile ground. On the plus side, Van Ginkel does seem to be a scheme fit and could fill a key pass-rushing role in the modified 3-4 that the 'Fins are expected to run. If you can unearth a situational contributor in the fifth round, you have done well, and that's the hope the Dolphins have for Van Ginkel.

6th round, 202nd Overall: Isaiah Prince, T, Ohio State

A common refrain in draft circles is that when you are picking late, pinpoint dudes with "plus" assets. Prince has two of these: his size (6-6, 305+) and his status as a three-year starter in the Big Ten. He's seen as a project, but there are tools to work with here, and at some point, the Dolphins are going to have to come to terms with the idea that offensive linemen don't come fully formed, and that coaching actually has to play a role. Ostensibly, not having an offensive line coach who does bumps of coke and chases hookers in the team facility will help with that. 

7th round, 233rd Overall: Chandler Cox, RB, Auburn

One of the last of a dying breed, Cox was seen as the draft's best fullback (fill in your own tallest-midget joke here). Of course, the New England offense features this position and hybrid players, and Cox will be asked to fill that role while adding a toughness element to Miami's offense -- something that has been missing for years. If Cox can impress, he could appear in some sub-packages as well as impacting most, if not all, of the Dolphins' special teams units.

7th round, 234th Overall: Myles Gaskin, RB, Washington

One pick after taking Cox, Miami added a potential backfield mate in Gaskin, the first back to surpass 1,000 yards in four different seasons in Pac-12 history. He's obviously durable, but how much will he have left in the tank after so many carries in college? He also doesn't possess the size or speed of most pro backs, but he has produced on a high level and done so consistently, which likely drew the eye of the Dolphins scouts at this stage of the draft. With Frank Gore off again on his never-ending journey and Kenyan Drake far from cemented as Miami's lead back, Gaskin should get plenty of opportunities to seize a role in training camp.

Summary

Considering how bereft of talent the depth chart is, we'd be remiss not to mention the undrafted free agents that the Dolphins landed, for they will have a better chance to stick in Miami than any other team in the league. Two players (linebacker Terrill Hanks of New Mexico and defense end Jonathan Ledbetter of Georgia) actually had fifth-round grades from analyst Dane Brugler, while a handful of others should get legit shots, including UTEP CB Nik Needham, Northwestern CB Montre Hartage, and Mississippi State OG Shaq Calhoun. Big, fast receiver Preston Williams got the most pub among Miami's beat writers, but there are reasons he went undrafted, so he'll have an uphill climb as well.

Overall, the Dolphins focused on big programs, drafting only players from Power 5 conferences -- a departure from previous drafts like 2014, of which exactly zero players still remain with the team. Miami didn't take any traditional pass rushers or defensive backs, and those remain massive holes for the team. However, the 'Fins knew there was only so much they could do in a single draft and they did a good job of stockpiling picks for the 2020 NFL Draft. So while a couple of decades of bad football and worse management have given fans PTSD (Pretty Terrible and Stupid Draft), for the first time in a while, it does feel like the 'Fins have a plan. Whether Grier and Flores be around to see the strategy to fruition is the ultimate question arising from this and subsequent drafts. My worst-case scenario from last year ended up hitting way too close to home, so let's hope this season's version edges closer to best-case territory.

Best-case scenario: Rosen becomes "the dude" Miami has been wishing for (instead of chasing) for two decades, cementing the most important position in a franchise and setting the course for pursuit of the Cheatriots. Wilkins and Deiter become instant starters, lending needed physicality as tone-setters for a team trying to find an identity. Van Ginkel develops into a viable situational pass-rusher, while Cox and Gaskin impact as special-teamers as they carve out reserve roles in the backfield. The Prince lottery ticket pays off as a team in desperate need of lucky breaks gets one as the big man flashes enough potential to carve out a development plan that eventually leads to him becoming a starting right tackle.

Worst-case scenario: Rosen identifies himself as only a passable signal-caller, and Miami finds itself back in the same boat in the 2020 draft, having to pony up precious resources on another quarterback with question marks. Wilkins becomes merely a rotational defensive lineman, while Deiter struggles to pin down his best spot on the offensive front. Van Ginkel is overmatched and undersized for a leading role, Prince continues to be a guy whose output doesn't mesh with his ability, Gaskin is too worn down and ordinary to earn carries, and Cox doesn't do enough in the third phase to merit carrying an obsolete position.

Limerick Friday #452: A "Meh" Ending To A Searing Saga, Plus Scott Hutchison, One Year Gone

Tyrion got written out of dignity

Arya got sent out to sea

Scrubbed out every ho and pimp

Finished with a noticeable limp

"Game of Thrones," still a cultural victory

Another end-of-year swoon

But another chance arrives soon

Avent's crew to the postseason

Looking for a turnaround reason

To help the Pack shine in June

With con artists it is replete

They steal, lie, and cheat

Casting that works every time

And pacing that's just sublime

All hail, the return of "Sneaky Pete"

Sandra Oh gets all the critics' glow

But Jodie Comer steals the show

A memorable season two

Gave us a lot to chew

"Killing Eve," which direction to go?

He sang of loneliness and sins

Of angst and losses and wins

Revolutionary through Frightened Rabbit

But couldn't beat the depression habit

Scott Hutchison, soar on Scottish winds

Last time ...

Limerick Friday #451: 'Fins Take A Flyer On Fiedler 2.0, Plus Arizona Plays Rough

As the draft began to unfurl

And storylines wrapped like a hair curler

A hope for the future was chosen

When Miami traded for Josh Rosen

And found their next Hebrew Hurler

Some days, it can be a bummer

Some days, it can make you feel dumber

But sometimes, to your surprise

A kid listens and applies

That's coaching the boys of summer

Can't really say a peep

Without wanting to weep

Down brilliance's home stretch

Laughing enough to retch

Farewell to the comedy gem, "Veep"

Exonerated? Pretty rich

Lying is definitely his niche

Treason with no pretense

But Mueller stayed on the fence

Just one more cowardly bitch

Rocks as gold as Kenny Banion

And bigger holes than Biff Tannen

Surrounded by desert dust

Sand kicked up by every gust

All worth it for a look at the Grand Canyon

Last time ...

Limerick Friday #450: Celebrating The Peaky Blinders, Plus The Opposite Void In Leadership

England's street minders

Armed with sidewinders

Stand aside, sah

By order of the

Inimitable Peaky Blinders

Another trip to the Big Easy

Planning that makes ya queasy

Beads, beignets, and Abita

Un po'boy por favor, senorita

Parades and smiles made it more breezy

The committee's picks were the worst

As State got its bubble burst

But in the Old Barn a coupla dubs

While baseball keeps trouncing clubs

And the women's team fights for first

Fearless on the pitch

Doesn't back down a stitch

Natural at pulling the flag

And running without a lag

For competition, the kid has an itch

License to steal and plunder

Lies the rain, racism the thunder

Government up for sale

A country set up to fail

Democracy sadly torn asunder

Last time ...

Limerick Friday #449: Mr. Wednesday And The Wickedly Bizarre, Plus Loss Marks A New Year

A plot that does anything but plods

A pleasure for my cones and rods

Ian McShane, a national treasure

A befuddling, breakneck pleasure

I present to you "American Gods"

Find another place

To take your schematic disgrace

Plus your excuses of bullshit

And every last culture fit

Ego, thy name is Adam Gase

"House of Cards," just horrific TV

A show that already seemed to be

Jumping its own shark

Then decided on a lark

To have an awful finale

The D was a terror as of old

Even when the offense got cold

As Parkey lined up to kick

All of Chicago just about got sick

An upright ended it all, as was foretold

A raconteur at the heart

Music made up just a part

To know him made you try

To earn respect in his eye

A legacy undiminished by his depart

Last time ...

Scooter & Hum's Top Five Books of the Year 2018

On a recuperative post-Christmas trip to the beach, I discovered a massive book sale and loaded up on a number of finds. Then, on returning home, I was confronted with another nearby going-out-of-business event at a local bookstore, and made multiple trips, list of preferred titles in hand.

The universe had sent a number of signs, and so I heeded. I was to read in 2018, and so I did. I went ahead and read more than 30 books of various genres, topics, and narrative styles. I've taken a stab at trying to pick the best of the lot amidst a whirlwind year of reading.

Without further ado ...

#1. "Confederacy of Dunces," by John Kennedy Toole

What I Say Now:

A hysterical, transformative work that is almost as interesting as the story behind its writing and posthumous publication. I thought the ending could have been a bit stronger, but Ignatius C. Reilly is among the most memorable characters in American literature, and I look forward to finding his statue in New Orleans sometime. Toole's talent was staggering, and it's quite a loss to consider what other masterpieces he might have written. 

Passages to Remember: 

"I dust a bit," Ignatius told the policeman. "In addition, I am at the moment writing a lengthy indictment against our century. When my brain reels from my literary labors, I make an occasional cheese dip."

"This stuff in here is fascinating," Myrna said, indicating the tablet through which she was flipping. "Genesis of nihilism."

"Leaving New Orleans also frightened me considerably. Outside of the city limits the heart of darkness, the true wasteland begins."

"Her logic was a combination of half-truths and cliches, her worldview a compound of misconceptions deriving from a history of our nation as written from the perspective of a subway tunnel."

"Ignatius, we better go," Mrs. Reilly said and belched.

"What?" Ignatius bellowed. "We must stay to watch the corruption. It's already beginning to set in."

#2. "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," by Ken Kesey

What I Say Now:

This masterpiece ended up being more complex than I anticipated, with more going on under the surface than would first appear. There were times when I questioned whether Mac or Ratched was the villain, due to the questionable ethics and subtext of a protagonist like R.P. McMurphy. The brilliance of this work was probably somewhat lost under the weight of its success as a movie.

Passages to Remember: 

" ... You think this is too horrible to have really happened, this is too awful to be the truth! ... But it's the truth even if it didn't happen."

"Practice has steadied and strengthened her until now she wields a sure power that extends in all directions on hair-like wires too small for anybody's eyes but mine; I see her sit in the center of this web of wires like a watchful robot, tend her network with mechanical insect skill, know every second which wire runs where and just what current to send up to get the results she wants."

"She's lost a little battle here today, but it's a minor battle in a big war that she's been winning and that she'll go on winning ... She'll go on winning, just like the Combine, because she has all the power of the Combine behind her."

"Nobody complains about all the fog. I know why, now: as bad as it is, you can slip back in it and feel safe. That's what McMurphy can't understand, us wanting to be safe. He keeps trying to drag us out of the fog, out in the open where we'd be easy to get at."

"Because he knows you have to laugh at the things that hurt you just to keep yourself in balance, just to keep the world from running you plumb crazy ... He won't let the pain blot out the humor no more'n he'll let the humor blot out the pain."

#3. "A Brief History of Seven Killings," by Marlon James

What I Say Now:

The patois can make it a dense read at times and it can be hard to follow (perhaps by design), but this novel features brilliant character-building. NPR called it a "beautiful mess" and "a story that makes a reader work," and the New York Times called it "exhilarating and exhausting," so it's not for everyone. But if you can forge your way through, the reward is a multifaceted treasure. For true.

Passages to Remember: 

"From this stew of pimento, gunshot blood, running water and sweet Rhythms comes the Singer, a sound in the air but also a living breathing sufferah who is always where he's from no matter where he's at."

"The dream didn't leave, people just don't know a nightmare when they right in the middle of one."

"And killing don't need no reason. This is ghetto. Reason is for rich people. We have madness."

"Like me she realise that right and wrong is just two words some fool invent and what really matter is what I have over you and what you have under me."

"Jamaica never gets worse or better, it just finds new ways to stay the same. You can't change the country, but maybe you can change yourself."

#4. "Another Country," by James Baldwin

What I Say Now:

With momentous themes like racism and pervasive, fluid sexuality, this work feels bold for 1961 (indications are it was written over a span of 15 years). A massive plot twist occurred relatively early on, setting the stage for Baldwin's torrid, excellent writing to punctuate the ending. He is at his best spinning dialogue, and those skills were on fully display in this memorable novel.

Passages to Remember: 

"He knew that Harlem was a battlefield and that a war was being waged there day and night -- but of the war aims he knew nothing."

"And he himself felt, in a way he had not felt before, that it was time for him to take the plunge. This was the water, the people in this room; it impressed him, certainly, as far from fine, but it was the only water there was."

"They were oddly equal: perhaps each could teach the other, concerning love, what neither now knew. And they were equal in that both were afraid of what unanswerable and unimaginable riddles might be uncovered in so merciless a light."

"He stared into his cup, noting that black coffee was not black, but deep brown. Not many things in the world were really black, not even the night, not even the mines. And the light was not white, either, even the palest light held within itself some hint of its origins, in fire. He thought to himself that he had at last got what he wanted, the truth out of Ida, or the true Ida; and he did not know how he was going to live with it."

"Love," she said, and watched the cold sunlight. She thought of the cold river and of the dead black boy, their friend. She closed her eyes. "Love," she said, again, "love."

#5. "Empire Falls," by Richard Russo

What I Say Now:

On the surface, this book is a down-home, simple look at Main Street USA, with its inherent secrets and backstories that live just underneath everything. However, Russo's usage of shifting perspectives -- moving from the point of view of Miles Roby to other characters -- is both clever and difficult to pull off as a writer. This novel also formed the backbone of a decent miniseries on HBO to boot.

Passages to Remember: 

"What he discovered was that violating his own nature wasn't nearly as unpleasant or difficult as he'd imagined. In fact, looking around Empire Falls, he got the distinct impression that people did it every day."

"He seemed, the old man's doctor observed, to be dying from within, the surest sign of which was an almost biblical flatulence."

"It was easier to believe in God, she said, or at least the possibility of God, on Martha's Vineyard than it was in Empire Falls. Miles knew what she meant, understood the bitter irony. Half the cars in the Vineyard chapel's lot were either Mercedes or Lexuses. No surprise that their owners believe that God was in His heaven."

"To his surprise, she leaned over and kissed him on the forehead, a kiss so full of affection that it dispelled the awkwardness, even as it caused Miles's heart to plummet, because all kisses are calibrated and this one revealed the great chasm between affection and love."

"Wasn't there something in a father, he asked himself, some extra sense, that should've told him right where she'd be? Wasn't she his only daughter? A better father would've been able to find her blindfolded, in the dark, attracted by the invisible beacon of her suffering ... Thankfully, seeing Tick alive and well was enough to confirm his sense that his best destiny in life was as this child's father."

Honorable Mention (in 10 words or less):

"Pincher Martin," by William Golding: Harrowing, detailed depiction of dying, going crazy in isolation.

"Hellhound on His Trail," by Hampton Sides: Meticulously researched, fascinating tale that suffers from verbose, obtuse language. 

"Razor's Edge," by W. Somerset Maugham: Strong start somewhat diminished by petering end, overly philosophical prose.

"All Our Wrong Todays," by Elan Mastai: Breezy, digestible, slick read marked by highly emotional ending.

The Rest (in 5 words or less):

"Dogs of War," by Frederick Forsyth: Procedural soldier-of-fortune tale.

"QB: The Making of a Modern Quarterback," by Bruce Feldman: Interesting, but too much Dilfer.

"Billion Dollar Ball," by Gilbert M. Gaul: Formulaic, repetitive evisceration of NCAA.

"Hearts in Suspension," by Stephen King and University of Maine Press: So-so biography, great short story.

"The Hanging Girl," by Jussi Adler-Olsen: European mystery lacking Larsson oomph.

"The Last Season," by Stuart Stevens: Father-son tale veers maudlin.

"Cradle: A Novel," by Arthur C. Clarke: Worst book of year ... ever? 

"Robert F. Kennedy," by Jack Newfield: Wrenching re-creation of lost hope.

"Claire DeWitt and the City of the Dead," by Sara Gran: Fun depiction of New Orleans.

"Writing Movies for Profit," by Robert Ben Garant & Thomas Lennon: Hilarious insider view of Hollywood.

"Fatherland," by Robert Harris: Exciting read hits too close.

"Outsider," by Stephen King: Above-average, derivative King effort.

"Dear Fahrenheit 451," by Annie Spence: Amusing love note to libraries.

"The Girl on the Train," by Paula Hawkins: Absorbing story with iffy writing.

"Heart-Shaped Box," by Joe Hill: Promising debut from King's son.

"Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting," by Syd Field: Painstaking manual from legendary screenwriter.

"Jack Kerouac: A Biography," by Tom Clark: Straightforward bio of iconic Beatnik.

"Flight or Fright," by Stephen King and Bev Vincent: Collection of terrifying flying tales.

"Elevation," by Stephen King: Emotional short story recalls "Thinner."

"Scrum: A Breathtakingly Brief and Agile Introduction," by Chris Sims and Hillary Louise Johnson: Blessedly short explanation of agile.

"The Agile Mind-Set: Making Agile Processes Work," by Gil Broza: Another work read, strongly detailed.