Recent Books, records, and movies

Lock In By John Scalzi - John continues his streak of never writing a book I didn't like.

The Cause by Roderick Vincent- First of all, those of us that went to high school with him know his real name is Rick ;) The Cause is a real world fantasy thriller in which a small band of Patriots (or traitors, depending on your point of view) starts the ball rolling on the rollback of the surveillance state in a 2022 USA which is on the verge of economic and social collapse. A fun read.

Redeemer of Souls by Judas Priest - Since I just bought tickets to their show at VA Beach in late October I figured I'd check out the new album. It's damn good - maybe their best record in 20 years. It still doesn't make up for Turbo though.

3 Chords and a Cloud of Dust II by Watershed - A live album that sounds like live albums should sound. You get a real feel for just how good these guys are in concert. I say that totally on reputation, as I've never seen them live. I hope to remedy that someday.

Gone Girl - I haven't read the book, but the movie was very well done. Great acting by Affleck and his supporting cast, and the mind-bender of a plot really sucks you in. Beyond the mystery, the movie also manages to say something about the nature of marriage and our celebrity obsessed press. Affleck gets bonus points for refusing to wear a Yankees hat in the NY airport scene. If only Tom Brady were so principled.