Day 31, Quasi-Quarantine: Shaq Lawson Represents A Hefty Investment At An Acceptable Risk

The Dolphins moved quickly on Shaq Lawson, inking the defensive end to a three-year, $30 million contract early in the free agency period. The team views Lawson as another versatile athlete who can bolster the defensive front.

The pluses: Lawson is a 25-year-old coming off his best season (6.5 sacks), and Miami is reuniting him with defensive line coach Marion Hobby, who also coached Lawson at Clemson. At 6-3, 267 pounds, he could be an interesting fit in the Dolphins' hybrid defense.

As a bonus, Miami plucked him from the Buffalo Bills, a division rival whose roster is in far better shape than the 'Fins and who are farther along in their building process.

The negatives: Even as a former first-rounder, Lawson didn't earn a fifth-year extension from the Bills. He also only has 16.5 career sacks in four seasons, causing many to scratch their heads at the $21 million guaranteed that Miami forked over for Lawson. In free agency, you have to bet on the come and make some high-risk projections, which is why most teams delve cautiously into this part of the acquisition process. Lawson fits squarely into this category of risk, though the 'Fins have protected themselves somewhat with a short-term deal.

The bottom line: Despite the hefty price tag in guaranteed money, Lawson should be seen as a piece of Miami's rebuilding plan and not a cornerstone. He'll be something of an innings eater on the defensive line, with residual hope that he can make the leap into a force in a new system. 

This signing drew some raised eyebrows around the league, but the Dolphins had the trifecta of money to burn, massive holes, and an appetite for young, high-pedigree, versatile players. In that context, Lawson is a reasonable addition to a franchise that will need to hit some lottery picks in order to foster a turnaround.

Day 30, Quasi-Quarantine: Aliens Are Really All The World Is Missing At The Minute

In the realm of under-the-radar, underrated shows, The History Channel's "Project Bluebook" is a fun, gripping watch for the quasi-quarantine era. Based on the real-life project of the same name, the show is propelled by the UFO research of astrophysicist Dr. J. Allen Hynek.

In the series, Hynek is paired with by-the-book Air Force Captain Michael Quinn, and the duo eventually begins questioning their own eyes, experiences, and beliefs. And yes, if that premise sounds familiar, "Project Bluebook" borrows heavily from "X-Files" -- with a dose of "Fringe" sneaking in as well.

While there are parallels to the escapades of Fox Mulder and Dana Scully, "Project Bluebook" goes without the tongue-in-cheek snark and 'ship subplots. However, in the role of Hynek, Aiden Gillen combines the right touch of awkward meekness and intellectual authority. His memorable roles in two epic shows already -- "Game of Thrones" and "Peaky Blinders" -- make him an interesting but effective choice here for Hynek.

The entire cast is underrated (hell, even Chrissy Moltisanti makes an appearance), highlighted by the shady generals Valentine and Harding, who try to funnel Hynek and Quinn in the direction that suits the government.

Like "X-Files," "Project Bluebook" makes its hay sowing doubt between seeds of science, natural phenomena, and unexplainable episodes. Having just completed its second season, this series offers needed escapism -- with a smidge of ripped-from-the-headlines governmental corruption and ignorance -- from a world on the brink.

Day 29, Quasi-Quarantine: Bring On The Puzzles

Turns out that, along with toilet paper, puzzles are among the most difficult products to find during a quarantine. Fortunately, we have a number lining various closets throughout the house.

Our first effort involved this monster. At 1,000 pieces and with stellar subject matter, it was a welcome reprieve from being stuck inside. The excitement quickly grew to dread, however, as I noticed that the gradients of seemingly a dozen different shades of gray were unbelievably slight.

This puzzle was a brute-force effort, requiring a steady eye and a dogged approach. We finally got there, but my initial thought that we would also acquire the Yoda and Boba Fett versions have been abandoned.

6/10, would solve during a quasi-quarantine again.

Day 25, Quasi-Quarantine: The Dolphins Landed A Swiss Army Knife

Miami landed a coveted defensive piece early in free agency, adding the versatile Kyle Van Noy. He has long been a favorite of Miami coach Brian Flores, who has referenced him as a teaching tool for current 'Fins 'backers.

The pluses: Van Noy has collected 15.5 sacks in the past three seasons, but his true value comes in his versatility. In addition to having sneaky pass-rush skills, at 6-3, 250 pounds, he is also capable of holding the edge against the run, as well as dropping into coverage.

The negatives: At 29, Van Noy is a bit on the older side for the Dolphins current roster-building approach. He also signed a four-year, $51 million contract, with $30 million being fully guaranteed. That's a lot of cabbage for a player without a Pro Bowl reputation or a completely defined position, not to mention that the list of players who have turned into nondescript contributors after leaving New England's system is a lengthy one.

The bottom line: Van Noy is an instinctive athlete who can fill multiple gaping holes in the Miami defense. The Dolphins shift between 3-4 and 4-3 alignments, meaning he will have opportunities common to both defensive end and linebacker, making him a much-needed wildcard for Flores & Co. As a bonus, Van Noy also won a couple of Super Bowl rings for the Cheatriots, so in addition to damaging a hated division foe, he's got a championship pedigree and leadership skills.

Day 24, Quasi-Quarantine: Building The Lego AT-ST Raider

My son got the AT-ST Raider for Christmas, so while this technically doesn't count as a quasi-quarantine build, it did "fall" under mysterious circumstances recently, requiring a bit of a rebuild.

This 540-piece set features the AT-ST from "The Mandalorian," marked by striking coloration intended to represent a "cannibalized look." According to Wookieepedia, the Klatooinians took control of and hacked abandoned imperial weaponry after the fall of the Galactic Empire.

Two of these Klatooinian raiders come with the set, along with the Mandalorian and Cara Dune, his ruggedly sensual mercenary sidekick. The AT-ST itself has spring-loaded rockets, two movable guns ("boomers") on the top section, and a wheel-activated turret that duplicates the distinctive motion of all-terrain transports.

As the procurer of seemingly dozens of Lego Star Wars sets, I can say that the AT-ST Raider is among the most clever and visually compelling of these sets. The intricacy of the transport itself combined with the four unique and rare minifigures that come with the set make this set a steal and a must-have for serious Star Wars fans.

I can report that it's also relatively easy to cobble back together after mysterious falls.

Day 23, Quasi-Quarantine, Sounds of Social Distancing: J.S. Ondara

I discovered J.S. Ondara through a Rolling Stone review discussing his journey from Nairobi, Kenya, to (because of his love for Bob Dylan) Minnesota. At 20, he won a Green Card lottery at just 20, but struggled to find musicians to create a band upon arriving in the United States. So he decided to just teach himself the guitar online (grrrr at how easy he made this sound), back his own vocals, and start refining his sound at open mics in Minneapolis.

Ondara favors a troubadour look, commanding the stage with a stop-in-your-tracks voice and a trademark fedora. His debut album, "Tales of America," is a staggering combination of blues, folk, and Americana, weaving and soaring on his use of tenor and falsetto. 

As good as this work is, his cover of Neil Young's "Heart of Gold" served as the experience that moved me from interested listener to full-on fan. Another cover, Ondara's reworking of Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit," displays his creativity and intricacy, proving he's an artist that can go beyond classic covers to truly build his own version of someone else's song.

As a 26-year-old with minimal experience on the guitar, Ondara's most mature and intricate work clearly lies ahead of him. Considering the power of his debut, that's a remarkable statement about the potential and future of a unique musician.

Day 22, Quasi-Quarantine: Missing The Wolfpack, Among Other Things

NC State's annual open practice was supposed to take place this past weekend. Obviously, the Kay Yow Spring Game was cancelled due to the limitations surrounding coronavirus disease.

Adjusting to life without sports has been easier than expected, but there have been moments where the void is felt. Sitting next to my son watching the Pack play even against itself in Carter-Finley Stadium on a warm April day is one of the things that is felt in its absence.

Hug yours, stay healthy, and Go Pack.

Limerick Friday #461: It May Or May Not Actually Be Friday, Day 19

Every other word a mutter
We damn near ate straight butter
Running outta meals
But I got the feels
When Relish made my heart flutter

Ignorance abounds
At a level that astounds
The news is a joke
Logic up in smoke
Hope Darwinism makes the rounds

The world's just smoking rubble
Around every corner, trouble
While the quarantine's heeded
A White Russian's needed
Just make it a goddam double

Keyboard jockeys with search
Epidemiologists with a gamer perch
Suddenly experts on vector
And virus cases by sector
Jackasses, according to my research

With democracy leaning
Time has no meaning
Rules have become obscure
Closet sleepover? Sure
Another week, more internal screaming

Last time ...

Day 18, Quasi Quarantine: "Salvage the Bones" Offers Shelter From The Storm

Jesmyn Ward displays her prodigious talents in this 2011 novel, once again creating a living, breathing family struggling against social, racial, environmental, and economic forces. 

Set against the backdrop of the arrival of Hurricane Katrina, "Salvage the Bones" features Esch and her brothers fighting for the small life they have carved out in the Mississippi backwaters. Meanwhile, Esch protects a secret, steels her heart, and shields her family from Mother Nature and an unforgiving landscape. Ward manages to insert setting as character, creating a forebidding presence that looms over all.

Ward's "Sing, Unburied, Sing" was my 2019 Scootie Award Winner as book of the year, so I'm an unequivocal fan. A giant of Southern literature, she has lived up to that mantle here, delivering a moving work that unwittingly makes us the eye in a storm of emotions.

Day 17, Quasi-Quarantine: "Ozark" Loses Focus

When it arrived on Netflix a couple of years ago, "Ozark" was a quirky, underdog type, powered by Jason Bateman in a very un-Jason Bateman-ish role. The memorable first season was propelled by Bateman's surprising range, supplemented by strong support work from Laura Linney and others.

As the show has evolved, the perspective of "Ozark" has put Linney at the center. Her character has become unlikeable, stretching the bounds of believability as she randomly provokes cartels, mobs, political powerbrokers, other cartels, and hillbilly gangs.

Essentially, "Ozark" now routinely borders on the ridiculous, with seemingly daily catastrophes, any one of which would have led to murder by the cartel. You keep expecting Bateman's character to be like, "It's Tuesday. Can we just have a Tuesday, for crissakes?"

At this point, I want to know more about the psyche and personal journeys of the kids, who have been indoctrinated into the family business and have now developed criminal minds by osmosis. The show is littered with intriguing characters who could reinvigorate the show and help with pacing, making the show a bit less frantic and disjointed. 

The series has managed to spark strong feelings toward morally bankrupt individuals. It's time to cash in on some of that goodwill by expanding the show's point of view.

It's not too late to save "Ozark."

Day 16, Quasi-Quarantine: 'Fins Hold Their Nose, Ink A Starting Guard

The Dolphins moved quickly as free agency kicked off, making their first bold strike by immediately coming to terms with ... a player labeled a "historic bust" as recently as 18 months ago. Ereck Flowers comes back to his hometown, signing a three-year, $30 million deal that includes a staggering $19.95 in guaranteed money.

The pluses: Flowers is a colossal (6-6, 335 pounds) athlete with versatility, having played both tackle positions with the Giants before shining at guard for the Redskins a season ago. On the interior, his strength proved to make all the difference -- the player who once put up 37 reps on the bench press at the scouting combine emerged as a plus player at a new position for Washington.

The negatives: The Giants tabbed Flowers as the ninth overall pick of the 2015 NFL Draft, penciling him as their left tackle from the jump. His uneven play made him a scapegoat for the tabloids, and he was cut halfway through his fourth season in New York. He played half a season in Jacksonville before moving on to a lone season in Washington -- meaning the Dolphins will be his fourth team in six seasons.

The bottom line: There is always room for an arrow-up, young (25), durable (71 starts in 75 career games) offensive lineman. The 'Fins are hoping Flowers can build on last season's steady play to help shore up a porous offensive interior. However, the arrival of Flowers delays the maturation of yet another draft pick in Michael Dieter, last year's third-rounder. Miami's massive question marks at tackle remain after this signing, and there is no guarantee that Flowers can sustain last year's performance -- his above-average play marks the outlier thus far, meaning he could return to the mean and become another trouble spot for a franchise that can't afford to backslide at any position.

It's easy to see why the Dolphins made this move -- but it does involve a bit of a roll of the dice for a team that has bad offensive lines and worse offensive line coaches for the last two decades.

Day 15, Quasi-Quarantine: Revival of 64

Heal me when I need a salve
Show me when I question what I have

Follow that road
Into the gloam
Revel in what’s showed
As it guides me home

Salt winds as fuel
When I’m hurting and sore
Rebirth and renewal
On highway 64

Crumbling structures in amber air
Bearing witness mute
Reek of rust and despair
Of time’s passage acute

Argyle shadows dapple a bridge
A checkerboard of transience
Hope lies over that ridge
Revealing the ocean’s ambience

So cradle me in the crescent
Of a sentient wave
Mold me to the present
A soul to soothe and save

An answer for every because
Restored once more 
Now bear me back to what I was

On Highway 64

Limerick Friday #460: Shelter-Skelter In Place, Day 12

I listen to "The Shins"
As the world spins
Outside is close
But we're all morose
Yet protective of kins

Stakeholders in fear
Deadlines severe
Say that again?
You need this when?
Gonna need another porch beer

We look askance
With a nervous glance
If we hear a sneeze
Or a sniffly wheeze
This is the social distance

We pretend bravure
Behind healthy behavior
But we're full of angst
And anxiety, thanks
Music has been a savior

Rinse and douse
Clean and delouse
Scrub and read social cues
And wait for new news
As we pace the house

Last time ...

Day 11, Quasi-Quarantine: "The New Pope" Is The WTF We All Need Now

I'm late to "The New Pope," but I did watch "The Young Pope" (with Jude Law), and this is billed a continuation of that premise. More than halfway through this season, I'm experiencing a show that skirts the boundaries of the absurd, the sacrilegious, and the authentic.

John Malkovich is having a ball vamping it up as Sir John Brannox, who takes over as new pope (John Paul III) after the suspicious death of Pope Francis II and the continued coma of Pope Pius XIII (Law). There are hysterical appearances by Sharon Stone and Marilyn Manson, and the incomparable Silvio Orlando carries the day as Cardinal Angelo Voiello.

Powered by arguably the best current opening sequence on TV, "The New Pope" is cringe-worthy at times and hard to follow at others, but relies on a spine of real-world politics and irony to keep it on track. Equal parts "Twin Peaks," "The Godfather," and "Being John Malkovich," this show doesn't qualify as an easy watch, but it's been worth the effort thus far.

Day 10, Quasi-Quarantine: Last Week's Free Agency Feels Like a Lifetime Ago

Today's a good a time as any to revisit one of the Dolphins' moves early in free agency. Rumblings began about Miami chasing Dallas corner Byron Jones in the runup to the FA period starting, and while most didn't have the 'Fins opening up the checkbook to this extent, the team pounced quickly on the top available cornerback.

The pluses: Jones is a good-sized (6-1, 200 pounds) corner with a physical style of play. He's an athletic freak, holding the unofficial world record in the standing long jump (12-3) and running the 40-yard dash in 4.43 seconds. It's rare to get a crack at a 27-year-old second-team All-Pro on the open market, and Miami clearly couldn't resist. The trials and tribulations of the second-highest-paid corner in the league, the Dolphins' own Xavien Howard, likely made this an even more important move.

The negatives: The real talk is $54 million guaranteed is a lot to hand to a player with two interceptions in five NFL seasons. Yes, he likely didn't see as many passes to his side of the field, but the legit playmakers in the league find ways to force turnovers no matter what. I'm guessing the thinking here is that if Howard can return to form opposite Jones, both players will get more pick opportunities.

The bottom line: The 'Fins had a ton of money to burn and massive holes throughout the roster. The NFL has become a league that openly rewards teams that stack quality defensive backs, and coach Brian Flores runs a defensive scheme that is highly dependent on top-notch corners. It's clear that Jones fills that bill at an age that is attractive to a rebuilding franchise -- whether he can become the kind of playmaker that justifies a five-year, $82 million deal remains to be seen, but that's a quibble when a team finds itself with an option like this at the intersection of need and opportunity.

Day 9, Quasi-Quarantine: "The Plot Against America" Isn't Coronavirus

HBO's latest ripped-from-the-headlines endeavor is an adaptation of Philip Roth's stellar novel "The Plot Against America."

This work envisions Charles Lindbergh riding a wave of popular fanfare, anti-war sentiment, and dog-whistle anti-Semitism to wrest the Presidency from FDR. The story unfolds from the perspective of a young boy cocooned within his larger Jewish family, as they struggle with decisions about whose country this is, where they belong, and how to spark awareness of duplicity among the hordes.

"Though on the morning after the election disbelief prevailed, especially among the pollsters, by the day after that everybody seemed to understand everything, and the radio commentators and the news columnists made it sound as if Roosevelt's defeat had been preordained."

Just two episodes in, the HBO version is capturing the building intensity in a very real way, thanks to the efforts of executive producer David Simon, the genius behind such series as "The Wire" and "Treme."

In uncertain times when, according to one poll, only 37% of people actually believe actual words that the actual President is actually saying, "The Plot Against America" serves as both beacon and omen to our current state.

"How could I not be confused, when our disgrace and our glory were one and the same? Something essential had been destroyed and lost, and we were being coerced to be other than the Americans we were ..."

Day 8, Quasi-Quarantine: Social Distancing in a "Westworld"

The onset of Week 2. 
People are calculating days of toilet paper left. 
But Amazon is still working -- can the world really be in that much peril?
I should be planning for an apocalyptic future. I should be foraging for food and making a garden out of rabbit shit and tofu fertilizer. But I can only think of how "Westworld" is, against all odds, somehow becoming more confusing.
I just socially distanced my dog.
More later.

Limerick Friday #459: A Wistful And Epic Goodbye to "Mr. Robot," Plus State Bitches The Devils

Under the radar, it flew

But anyone who watched knew

It broke barriers every season

Emotional and riveting beyond reason

Holding out hope for a Mr. Robot 2

Don Imus, a radio icon

Part genius, part raving moron

A pioneer who walked the edge

Had to be talked off the ledge

His legend grew as time wore on

Beach wind and salt air

Washing away every care

When the world feels strange

And threatens too much change

Always guide me right back there

It crossed every genre there was

Never got promotion or buzz

An ethos and relatability I could dig

Was fleeting, but its impact was big

Get in your skin, "Enlightened" did and does

Vaunted Duke was coming to town

One-and-doners full of renown

In a season full of errors

A must-win for the Red Terrors

A Pack romp turned K into a clown

Last time ...

Scooter & Hum's Top Five Books of the Year 2019

After setting the bar at 30+ books in 2018, I refused to go backwards, and ended up reading 36 books this year. According to Goodreads, that breaks down to 12,329 pages.

Many tended toward the harrowing and the unspeakable, but there were so many impactful reads that it was even more difficult to identify the winners -- a "problem" I hope to face again in 2020.

Without further ado ...


#1. "Sing, Unburied, Sing," by Jesmyn Ward

What I Say Now:

This novel represents a lyrical, lilting treatment of difficult subject matter, a beautiful telling of a tale that intertwines racism, poverty, history, and the supernatural. Ward's rhythmic writing carries a novel that is, at times, numbingly emotional, wryly humorous, and wince-inducing. A worthy winner in a year full of powerful works.

Passages to Remember: 

" ... with his father, my death-crowded household, behind. We move forward, and the air from the open windows makes the glass shudder, alive as a bed of mollusks fluttering in the rush of the tide: a shimmer of froth and sand. The tires catch and spit gravel. We hold hands and pretend at forgetting."

"I let her ideas drain from me so that the truth could pool instead. Sometimes the world don't give you what you need, no matter how hard you look. Sometimes it withholds."

" ... look to my left and see that world again, and then it is gone. I claw at the air, but my hands strike nothing; they rend no doorways to that golden isle. Absence. Isolation. I keen."

"Home is about the earth. Whether the earth open up to you. Whether it pull you so close the space between you and it melt and y'all one and it beats like your heart. Same time. Where my family lived ... it's a wall. It's a hard floor, wood. Then concrete. No opening. No heartbeat. No air."

" ... Because from the first moment I saw him walking across the grass to where I sat in the shadow of the school sign, he saw me. Saw past skin the color of unmilked coffee, eyes black, lips the color of plums, and saw me. Saw the walking wound I was, and came to be my balm."


#2. "The Sympathizer," by Viet Thanh Nguyen

What I Say Now:

This powerful work crosses and transcends a number of genres while tackling weighty social issues. Viet Thanh Nguyen balances hilarity and satire and irony and sadness in equal parts, creating a remarkable novel. The emotionally resonant closing passages end this book on a momentous note, yet one that speaks resonantly to and about our current political climate.

Passages to Remember: 

"She was a poor person, I was her poor child, and no one asks poor people if they want war."

"At least we'll live to fight again. But for now, we are well and truly fucked. What kind of toast is right for that? The words came to me after a moment. Here's blood in your eye, I said. Damn right."

"America, land of supermarkets and superhighways, of supersonic jets and Superman, of supercarriers and the Super Bowl! America, was there ever a country that coined so many 'super' terms from the federal bank of its narcissism, was not only superconfident but also superpowerful, that would not be satisfied until it locked every nation of the world into a full nelson and made it cry Uncle Sam?"

"So I fell in love with Phi Phi, a harmless enough emotion. I was to fall in love two or three times a year and was now well past due."

"But anything can always happen. That's what hope is all about. He shrugged, contemplating the end of his burning cigarette. Hope's thin, he said. Despair's thick. Like blood."


#3. "The Tattooist of Auschwitz," by Heather Morris

What I Say Now:

This overwhelming story is a whirlwind of emotions, absorbing you into its history and parameters. The so-so writing is more than overcome by the raw power of the tale itself, which handles the horror and violence of the subject matter in a circumspect but pervasive way. Morris handles the devastating material with the care it demands, resulting in a truly moving reading experience.

Passages to Remember: 

"His eyes seem to see nothing; this is a man whose soul has died and whose body is waiting to catch up with it."

"We stand in shit but let us not drown in it."

"He drops to his knees and dry retches. He has nothing to bring up; the only fluid in his body is tears."

"There will be a tomorrow for us. On the night I arrived here, I made a vow to myself that I would survive this hell. We will survive and make a life where we are free to kiss when we want to, to make love when we want to."

"Behind him, Baretski says, 'Shit.'
"That one word from a sadist only deepens the well of inhumanity that Lale is drowning in."


#4. "Love in the Time of Cholera," by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

What I Say Now:

At times creepy, sublime, contradictory, beautiful, confusing, and staggering, this novel spans a life-long love affair. Setting is character for Gabriel Garcia Marquez, who uses his gifts to gut-wrenching and moving effect in describing passion found and lost. We can all see common life experiences in aspects of this truly profound work from a one-of-a-kind writer.

Passages to Remember: 

"In any event, it was difficult for him to comprehend that two free adults without a past and living on the fringes of a closed society's prejudices had chosen the hazards of illicit love."

" ... but the girl raised her eyes to see who was passing by the window, and that casual glance was the beginning of a cataclysm of love that still had not ended half a century later."

"He had not missed a single one of her gestures, not one of the indications of her character, but he did not dare approach her for fear of destroying the spell."

"So that it was reasonable to think that the woman he loved most on earth, the one he had waited for from one century to the next without a sigh of disenchantment, might not have the opportunity to lead him by the arm across the street full of lunar grave mounds and beds of windblown poppies in order to help him reach the other side of death in safety."

"Then he looked at Florentino Ariza, his invincible power, his intrepid love, and he was overwhelmed by the belated suspicion that it is life, more than death, that has no limits."


#5. "I'll Be Gone in the Dark," by Michelle McNamara

What I Say Now: 

It's nearly impossible to read this book without a touch of heartbreak infringing on a number of levels. The passion and intensity of McNamara's connection to the hunt permeates every word, every clue. A ray of sunshine breaks through only in the recognition that the arrest of the object of her obsession was due in no small part to her life's work.

Passages to Remember: 

"There's a scream permanently lodged in my throat now."

"What gripped me was the specter of that question mark where the killer's face should be. The hollow gap of his identity seemed violently powerful to me."

"They hunted a man whose face they didn't know. Didn't matter. The action of moving forward, their hands unrestrained, of physically doing something, was all that did."

"If you commit murder and then vanish, what you leave behind isn't just pain but absence, a supreme blankness that triumphs over everything else. The unidentified murderer is always twisting a doorknob behind a door that never opens. But his power evaporates the moment we know him."

"This is how it ends for you.
"'You'll be silent forever, and I'll be gone in the dark,' you threatened a victim once.
"Open the door. Show us your face.
"Walk into the light."


Honorable Mention (in 10 words or less):

"Young Lions," by Irwin Shaw: Staggeringly well-constructed, if dense, story of World War II.
"Where the Crawdads Sing," by Delia Owens: Lively, emotional coming-of-age book that drifted toward YA.
"Lincoln in the Bardo: A Novel," by George Saunders: Fascinatingly unique in structure and style, occasionally hard to follow.
"Henderson the Rain King," by Saul Bellow: Highly quotable tale with fully rendered characters and sardonic tone.
"The Girl with All the Gifts," by M.R. Carey: Visually arresting story that translates better to screen than page.
"Paradise," by Toni Morrison: Beautiful, poignant, sparse prose tackles dizzying collection of damaged characters.
"Good as Gold," by Joseph Heller: Hysterical, inane, pedantic work from the everlasting master of irony.
"Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI," by David Grann: Terse, matter-of-fact, meticulously detailed accounting of true crime.
"Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland," by Patrick Radden Keefe: Bland prose, but painstakingly researched and vividly detailed Irish history.
"Dialogue," by Robert McKee: Great ideas and stellar examples, tending toward preachy and verbose.
"The Institute," by Stephen King: Political escapism, "Stranger Things" + "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest."


Notable (in 7 words or less):

"Cal," by Bernard MacLaverty: Rhythmic, terse, foreboding exploration of The Troubles.
"Hunting Eichmann," by Neal Bascomb: Comprehensive account of the search for evil.
"Full Throttle," by Joe Hill: Frantic collection of macabre, oppressive short stories.
"Fates and Furies," by Lauren Groff: Implausible story is vivid, if overly wrought.
"New York 2140," by Kim Stanley Robinson: Clever concept weighed down by competing storylines.
"Billy Bathgate," by E.L. Doctorow: Lyrical, heavy-handed depiction of Mob indoctrination.
"Cilka's Journey," by Heather Morris: Emotional, gut-wrenching "Tattooist of Auschwitz" complement.
"The Chain," by Adrian McKinty: Creepy, bold premise lacking pacing and nuance. 
"The Lovely Bones," by Alice Sebold: Strange, beautiful commentary on grief and reverberations.


The Rest (in 5 words or less):

"The Girl Who Lived Twice," by David Lagencrantz: Forgettable extension of Millennium series.
"Omerta," by Mario Puzo: Mafia legend out of ideas.
"The League," by John Eisenberg: Historical look at NFL creation.
"Throttle," by Stephen King & Joe Hill: Action-packed short story collaboration.
"Face in the Crowd," by Stephen King & Stuart Nan: Another eerie short story collaboration.
"Sportswriter: The Life and Times of Grantland Rice," by Charles Fountain: Poorly written look at legend.
"Go Set a Watchman," by Harper Lee: Controversial piece of "Mockingbird" world.
"Process: The Writing Lives of Great Authors," by Sarah Stodola: Intriguing concept with meh results.
"Wonder," by R.J. Palacio: Surprisingly emotional kid lit entry.
"Restart," by Gordon Korman: Required parental reading on bullies.
"Crusader's Cross," by James Lee Burke: Formulaic work with saccharine ending.

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 ...