The Karaoke Singer's Guide to Self-Defense/The Last Night of the Yankee Dynasty

The Karaoke Singer's Guide to Self-Defense - Tim Kinsella (2011)
Tim Kinsella is known for singing in cult Chicago bands such as Cap'n Jazz, Joan of Arc, Owls and Make Believe. How cool it was to come across his debut novel, which I had no prior knowledge of, during a recent visit to that wondrous city. The characters and events of The Karaoke Singer's Guide to Self-Defense are those of dreams (or perhaps more appropriately, nightmares). It is a novel about being stuck in grime and finding respite from it even in small things. While Kinsella's characters are difficult and even unlikeable (and not necessarily in an appealing way), his prose is dense, fluid and poetic and his imagery is the star of this complex, disjointed storyline.


The Last Night of the Yankee Dynasty - Buster Olney (2004)
The Last Night of the Yankee Dynasty is former New York Times sports writer Buster Olney's bittersweet love letter to the New York Yankees. While his wide-eyed worship of the team's outright dominance at the end of the 20th century was a little annoying to read at times, he masterfully dissects and documents the pieces that were assembled to create one of the greatest baseball teams in history. The two greatest highlights of the book are Olney openly calling out George Steinbrenner for his dramatically poor attitude toward Yankee staff, and his not shying away from the various controversies surrounding this team full of perennial all-stars. Even though Olney's writing style can be a little too wistful and devoted, and I am not necessarily a fan of the New York Yankees (though I don't really hate them, either), The Last Night of the Yankee Dynasty is a thoroughly enjoyable baseball book featuring great insight, touching stories, and plenty of opportunities to laugh at overtly rich asshole superstars.