Check it out.

http://westernrifleshooters.wordpress.com/2012/02/23/bracken-sends-2/

A free military book for the Kindle. Check it out.

Tarzan of the Apes

I finished Tarzan of the Apes, by Edgar Rice Burroughs, and I really enjoyed it. It's definitely a pulp-style action novel, which is okay by me. There are many similarities between ERB's work and Robert E. Howard's work, the latter being, arguably, my favorite author. In both this book, and many of R.E.'s, there's a sense that barbarism, tempered with innate nobility, is a preferable middle ground between civilization (which makes people soft and weak) and an outright "savage" existence. In Tarzan, this is summed up by Tarzan being superior (obviously) to the American and English character (civilized and unused to jungle life), but also to the native Africans, who are depicted as savage killers with few redeeming features. There's also elements of racism in there as, even though he was stranded in the jungle and taken in by the apes as a baby, it was Tarzan's innate English "nature" that made him superior to both the apes and the natives. There are similar themes in much of pulp literature of the time and it's actually a bit funny reading it now. I do recommend it to anyone wanting to read a good action story and I plan on picking up the rest later.

More books.

I purchased three new books today; Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs, The Books of the South (2nd Black Company Omnibus) by Glen Cook, and The Living Dead 2 by various authors. Even though it took a while for me to finish A Feast of Crows, it did rekindle my passion for reading that I had nearly lost (my comic book addiction notwithstanding). I also think that getting back into reading will help with the writing hobby that I'm pursuing.

KISS

Tonight, I'll be going to see KISS for the fourth time. I'm certain it'll be a good show and I'm looking forward to it. Every time I've seen them, both live and in video, they've always put a great deal of effort into their shows and you can expect a quality performance. This will be my first time, however, seeing them at an outdoor venue (Lakewood Amphitheatre), but I don't believe this will negatively affect the experience. The only thing I really don't care for is the fact that it's on a Tuesday, a work night.
I'm also nearly finished with my first short story and I'm actually feeling pretty good about it. I do admit that it's a bit derivative of Robert E. Howard's work, but this was really more of an exercise to see if I could do it. I'll probably try my hand at a few short stories before I attempt a novel length story.

My weekend

I had a fairly fulfilling weekend; doing nothing. I watched "Centurion" on Pay-Per-View. It was good. It's a fictional movie based on the Roman Ninth Legion in Britannia in which most of the legion is wiped out in an ambush by the Picts. A handful of Romans survive, but are stranded behind enemy lines and are being hunted by the Picts. There were some anachronisms and factual errors in the film. While there is some mystery as to the fate of the Ninth, there is evidence they were transferred to the Eastern Frontier from Britannia. There was also a Pict who used a two-handed, double-bitted axe, one of my personal pet peeves. It was a good movie, however,and will probably see it if, and when, it comes to theatres.
I went to the theatre to see Pirahna 3D. I enjoyed it immensely. The premise and acting were suspect at best, but that's not why you see movies like this. There was plenty of nudity, women in bikinis, and gore. In fact, it's the goriest film I've seen in years. The 3D aspect was also well done. I may see it again.
I also started reading "A Feast For Crows"; book four of "The Song of Fire and Ice" series by George R.R. Martin. I'm about half way through the book and it's brilliant, as were the others. It's been so long, however, since I read the other books, that I'm having to look back to the last book to remember some of the plot.