viewAlex Johnson – Brooklyn Motto (2025)
My fave thing about this crime novel's self-discovery ride? How funny it is. Madcap, smart-aleck, wry-wit humor keeps you invested in protagonist Nico and his predicament. Chuckles and snorts aside, it's a damn fine gumshoe yarn that tweaks expectations, updates archetypes, and features an evolved masculinity that detoxifies the genre.
Johnson's knowledge of place shines. South Brooklyn, East Village, Sunnyside, Williamsburg. Even if you don't know O'Connors from the Blue and Gold, you sense the interiors of these bars.
Like Jim Gavin, Johnson delivers scathing observations on life's absurdities while churning through clever, fast-moving plot.
Fun, poignant, memorable. Read it.
#100WordReviews #Drabble #BookReview #CrimeFiction #BrooklynMotto
viewRyan Davis & the Roadhouse Band, New Threats From the Soul 2025 Sophomore Lounge Records
A 100-word review of a new album by a singer-songwriter who packs in 100 words into a verse? Let's go. NTFTS is a dense soup of hickster literary tradition, echoes of Giant Sand, and easter egg cultural ephemera references.
Davis spins musical yarns that unravel and recombine with rustic-cosmic magical realism. Every listen reveals new sounds, turns o'phrase, and fuzzes out those deeper thoughts that have me screaming and begging for revolution from my barstool.
Only real heads will follow the Faulkner-esque Mutilation Springs/Falls song duology, so hang in there, recent converts to the 11-minute story-song.
Listen to it.
#100WordReviews #Drabble #NewMusic2025 #Americana
viewPluribus: First Two Episodes
Apple TV
They avoided me, I avoided them. The hype cycle that is. I knew diddly-squat about this show other than showrunner Vince Gilligan (Breaking Bad/X-Files) and lead actor Rhea Seehorn (Better Call Saul).
If you entered unspoiled, I love that for us! Instant canon for prestige TV debut episodes. Hit me like the Lost, Mr. Robot, or Mad Men premieres did.
Gilligan is a craft master. Seehorn holds the pluralities of the lead into a singular force. Mystery boxes are quickly discarded, and these episodes establish a hub of infinite possibilities.
I held my breath through these two. Watch It.
#100WordReviews #Drabble #TVReview #Pluribus
viewSlow Horses Season 5
Apple TV
Key Step: Use disruptive incidents, such as bombings and mass shootings, to create chaos and attract media attention. This and similar MI5 Country Destabilizations are played back to the British Empire by Libyan Freedom Fighters.
The Park needs Slough House to bumble their way to saving England. Pepper in Mundane White Man syndrome, Hoe stuck in a honeypot, and spy-craft.
Most fun season since debut. Lamb is at his meanest, funniest, and most vulnerable. Coe establishes himself as the third-best member of Slough House.
Watch it.
#100WordReviews #Drabble #TVReview #SlowHorses
view100 Word Takes
Introducing Larry's 100. A blog where I review various media in drabble form.
What in Hades is a drabble, you ask? Until recently, I was equally in the dark. Dig this, a dabble is “a short story that is exactly 100 words long. The purpose is to be economical and skillful in storytelling, forcing writers to convey a complete idea within a strict word count.” The average reading time: 35 Seconds.
I value brevity and discipline in my writing, so this format resonates with and challenges me. Larry's 100 is for a non-traditional drabble: nonfiction.
Mini reviews for the attention-span-challenged.
#100WordReviews #Drabble #CulturalCriticism #Introduction