Quick one before I go to work...

I finished this book last night called the Mind Game by Hector Macdonald. It's good. Very good. I couldn't put it down. For a first novel, that is an incredible achievement. While the book draws heavily on evolutionary biology and emotion science and game theory, it is not difficult to pick up. It is an intelligent read, set in Oxford, with the main charachters being a student, Ben Ashurst, and his brilliant tutor, James Fairfield. I have never read a book with so many twists and I felt just as confused and decieved and manipulated reading it as Ben was supposed to be. My favourite part is where Ben starts to become so paranoid he suspects everyone and everything, and at the same time, so do I. It is only after you realise that Ben is overreacting. You can feel the panic and you get swept along in it, only thinking rationally after the fact. It's brilliant litery manipulation, and it is a great read. The ending is satisfying without being Hollywood: revenge is partly claimed, but not unrealistically so.

I'm waiting on the postman to bring me a new CD: Dave Grohl's "new" project, Probot. Despite spending most of the late 90s making radio-friendly pop rock, Grohl makes no secret about his underground metal and hardcore origin, musically speaking. This album features many of his favourite metal performers, from Motorhead's Lemmy to Sepultura's (and currently Soulfly's) Max Cavalera. I am really excitied about it. I'll let you know what I think when it comes.

Oh, Dave, by the way, you will love AFI. They are a fantastic band who make powerful music, with great lyrics and real emotion. Plus, they rock a lot. Sing the Sorrow is the easiest album of theirs to get into, but their earlier stuff is a lot more punk.

Speak soon,

Craig