Heidevolk

I got both Walhalla Wacht and Der Stridjlust is Gebo at the same time and have been listening to both since. Holy crap! I've recently begun discovering the world of folk metal from various nations, especially Ireland and Scandinavia. This band is, in my opinion, the best folk metal band in the Scandinavian genre! Awesome.

If you're into folk, metal, or just want to experience something different from your regular everyday music, check this out! They sing in Dutch, so if you don't know the language (or a similar one, such as German or Icelandic), you'll have to find a translation for the lyrics. Even without knowing the lyrics, though, the music is great.

This band specializes in haunting rhythms with clean guitars and folk instruments along with deep-throated vocals. A great mix that captures the Scandinavian musical heritage. With a name like Heidevolk (meaning "pagan people"), you can expect a lot of Norse Mythology to be included in their themes.

A great band and a couple of highly recommended albums!

Don't Start The Revolution Without Me - Jesse Ventura

This is Jesse Ventura's new book. I got it when I got Ron Paul's new book, which is apparently the norm according to Amazon's book listings. I'd heard two different opinions on this book, both contradictory. One said that this was a great biography and an interesting look at how Ventura thinks and what his time as governor was like - and the real reason he quit. The other opinion said that this book was nothing more than Jesse begging people to ask him to run for President in 2008.

Now that I've read the book, I'd say it's a combination of the two, though it's heavier on the first part and only the last chapter or so really gets into his idea of running for President as an independent. I don't think he really plans to, though, since the last chapter kind of imagines a JFK-style scenario with Ventura nearly getting "offed" by the powers-that-be.

The book is highly entertaining - as is the man. His descriptions of things are hilarious and his way of going about things while in office were great. Anyone who bucks the system and makes a lot of waves is tops in my book, no matter their political leanings.

I'd highly recommend this book to anyone who's looking for an interesting read and a look at the inside life an elected official has to live, especially an executive-level official. Great stuff that will keep you reading from beginning to end.

The Revolution: A Manifesto

by Ron Paul

This book is very short and, unlike most political treatises by Presidential candidates, very to-the-point. It is Ron Paul's political platform for his Presidential campaign. More than that, though, it's a handbook for anyone fighting for freedom (through political means) in this country at this time.

Being less than 200 pages and having all of this information in it should tell you how concisely Dr. Paul writes his views. In that short span, it covers the current false political choices usually offered, true economic freedom and how we can get it, civil liberties and how we can restore them, and more. It's a great handbook for anyone who wants to regain liberty in this country and highlights how Ron Paul and his way of thinking is so fundamentally Republican – unlike most mainstream neo-con Republican apologists who are closer to fascists than one might suspect.

This is probably the most seminal work by Paul, though others might argue for his other books. I'd say he'll be remembered in history more for this book and his Presidential campaign this year than for anything else he's done throughout his career – deservedly or not, since his work up to this point is phenomenal.

I highly recommend this book as fundamental reading for any “Paulite,” political pundit, freedom-lover, and hopeful maker of political change. The reading list at the back is almost book-for-book required reading or any libertarian, conservative, or market anarchist and should be highly educational and revealing for any misguided liberal socialist out there.

Wizard's First Rule

by Terry Goodkind

This book is lengthy and obviously the first of a short series to be written. While the plot and world it is built around is very imaginative, the writing itself falls kind of flat. The characters are well-done and interesting, but until you are most of the way though the book, they are largely undefined to the reader as people. They remain constructs until Goodkind finally begins to show some of their real inner workings.

I was impressed with this book on many levels, but will probably not try to read the sequel to finish out the story where it leaves off. I was unimpressed with Goodkind's writing itself, it being more suited towards academic or critical writing than it is to fiction.

I would only recommend this book to those who are already fans of Goodkind and to those who are fans of more adult fantasy (there are sexual elements to this book and story), but only as a library checkout or because you can find nothing else. It's not completely bad, of course, but not really good either. There's plenty of other fantasy fiction out there, don't waste your time here.