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Nearly a century and a half ago, the Old West was one of the most fascinating cultures in the world. It was filled to the edge with rugged men, brave women, and a desire to explore the unknown and build sometihng for themselves. Of course, among the beauty and majesty of the unsettled west was a danger unrivaled across the plains in civilization. Unexpected weather, wild animals, and Native tribes defending their land all posed grave threats to the people expanding from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean. And, if you were able to survive all of that, you still had to contend with the unscrupulous cowboys in the harsh cattle towns.

Because this hype, the romanticism surrounding the west creating myths and legends we still talk about today. From the duals in the street at high noon to the lawmen keeping the towns safe from the gunslingers. Perhaps the most famous example of this is Wyatt Earp and his brothers along with Doc Holliday’s exploits in Tombstone, Arizona. Years of films and novels built the Shootout at the OK Corral up as the most iconic real-life event that embodied everything we believed the Old West was. And today, 145 years ago, was the day it happened. But, how much of this is true? And how much was embellished fantasy to fill a romance?

As a writer, I am the first to tell you that everyone should read more. I am an avid reader. But, I have actually been strugling recently with a pretty heavy bout of a reading slump. I typically read about 2-3 books a month. I am a huge fan of a bang, bang, shoot em up, but I expanded my genre to include everything from horror to legal thrillers, autobiographies, and historical non-fiction. I was asked the other day if I thought I was well read and I had to pause. My instint is to say yes, but then I thought about the definition, and all of a sudden I was in the middle of a philisophical conversation about whether or not I was, in fact, a well read man. So, I dove deep into the subject and came back with this thought: Being well read is different for most men, and here is how you should look at it.

The man who does not read good books is no better than the man who can’t. – Mark Twain

Daniel Craig’s James Bond bit the big one in 2021. It was a fitting end to one of (if not the best) run of 007 films in the franchise’s six decade history. There was a depth, a continuity, a feeling of finalism that caused all fans to reflect instead of the usual curse of leaving the theater thinking, “what’s next?” So, the wait for who would don the dinner jacket for MI6 in the newest iteration of the agent has been long, but somehow simultaniuously snuck up on us. It has been five years since we’ve had a new James Bond film, and it will likely be another year or two before we do, marking the longest wait.

But that doesn’t mean we aren’t getting things to chew on in the meantime. Outside of the books and video game content we have gotten this year, we have also been getting updates on casting, and this weekend marks the final round of James Bond auditions, and here is what we know so far.