I mentioned previously that I only read two books in my entire life before arriving at the prison camp. Both Catcher in the Rye and All Quiet on the Western Front were read in high school. In 8th grade we spent the entire year on Lord of the Flies. Instead of reading it and trying to understand all the symbolism, I just used my older sister’s notes and quiz results. Before then I don’t remember reading any novels. Instead I liked keeping up with all of the electronics circulars from Crazy Eddie’s, the Wiz, etc. I would know all the specs on the latest Walkmans, CD players, stereos, speakers and headphones.
I also used manuals to fix things like rebuilding a 1977 140 HP Evinrude outboard boat engine and most of the engine and brakes on a 1969 Porsche 911. Throughout my life I’ve read and wrote TONS of emails starting when I implemented an email system at my medical supply distribution job in 1995 with my brother Ed. I guess I never found the books I was asked to read for school interesting, which gave me a bad impression of novels. Starting my second day at camp I started reading daily and haven’t stopped since. My interests include mostly romance novels (many quite steamy and called smut by my friends) that I read with Patti, sailing novels and some thrillers. Below is a listing of books I’ve read so far at the camp which totals 52 so far. There is also a listing of books I’m in the middle of reading and books I have in possession and plan to read. Some books came from the camp library, but many Patti purchased. Used book companies like Better World Books and Thrift Books are a great deal, often 3 books for $15 delivered. If she can’t find a book on the used sites or the price is better she purchases them on Amazon. She finds most of the books she reads with me at our county library website, which she requests and many are shipped from other NJ libraries. When I’m done reading books, I typically give them to friends or donate them to the library. There are plenty of books in our library (and with other inmates) from popular authors like James Patterson, Lee Child and Tom Clancy. There are also lots of non-fiction books as well like the Dummies series, self help and encyclopedias.
When I first arrived our daughter Kelsy got me subscriptions to GQ, Entrepreneur, Men’s Health, Scuba Diving, and Sarasota Mag from BOPmags.com. A few months ago I had Patti get me Soundings, Sailing and Sail. Then I had her recently get me another round of BOPmags including All Recipes, a complimentary Car and Driver, Florida Sportsman, Food & Wine and I still have yet to receive Lakeland Boating, MotorTrend and Sound & Vision. The most interesting BOP magazine to me so far is Scuba Diving. Then I find the recipes in Food & Wine, All Recipes, Men’s Health and some other magazines (which I find in the library) interesting. While I don’t cook anything here, reading through the recipes brings back many happy memories of cooking tasty food with Patti. They also give me ideas for when I get out, so I send them home for Patti to try. Also the sailing books and magazines provide me with lots of ideas and dreams of sailing around the Bahamas and Caribbean for when I get out. Below are details on BOPMags.com
Books read Nov 1, 2023 to Nov 29, 2024
Hopeless – Colleen Hoover
Blush – Opal Carew
Losing Hope – Colleen Hoover
A Very Punchable Face – Colin Jost
His to Possess – Opal Carew
Staniel Cay – Nick Finneran
Ugly Love – Colleen Hoover
Winter in Paradise – Elin Hilderbrand
His to Claim – Opal Carew
What Happens in Paradise – Elin Hilderbrand
Troubles in Paradise – Elin Hilderbrand
Secret Ties – Opal Carew
Sully
It Ends with Us – Colleen Hoover
It Starts with Us – Colleen Hoover
Verity – Colleen Hoover 3/19
Saving Grace – Pamela Fagan Hutchins 3/15
Fifty Shades of Grey – E.L. James 4/4
By a Thread – Lucy Score 4/14
Bad Monkey – Carl Hiaasen 4/16
Skybreak – Mike Guardia 4/17
The Woman in Cabin 10 – Ruth Ware 4/25
Kitchen Confidential – Anthony Bourdain 5/7
Fifty Shades Darker – E.L. James 5/8
Pleasure Bound – Opal Carew 5/15
Best Sex Ever-Mens’ Health 5/15
WordPress for Beginners 2024 5/16
Quest and Crew – David Beaupre 5/24
Barefoot – Elin Hilderbrand 5/28
Quest on the Thorny Path – David Beupre 5/28
Quest for the Virgins – David Beupre 6/1
Fifty Shades Freed – E.L. James 6/11
The Worst Best Man – Lucy Score 6/26
Things We Never Got Over – Lucy Score 7/10
One by One – Ruth Ware 7/21
Quest in the Caribbean – David Beupre 7/31
Beautiful Stranger – Christina Lauren 8/2
The Couple Next Door – Shari Lapena 8/8
Things We Hide from the Light – Lucy Score 8/24
Things We Left Behind – Lucy Score 9/12
Beautiful Bastard – Christina Lauren 9/18
Beautiful Bitch – Christina Lauren 9/23
Praise – Sara Cate 10/3
A Sail of Two Idiots – Renee Petrillo 10/1
Lead of Faith – Ed Robinson 10/6
Eyes on Me – Sara Cate 10/13
Off the Grid – Mark Reinhardt 10/15
Beautiful Bombshell – Christina Lauren 10/16
Beautiful Player – Christina Lauren10/29
Beautiful Beginning – Christina Lauren 11/5
The Life and Love of the Sea – Lewis Blackwell 11/11
Beautiful Secret -Christina Lauren 11/21
Books actively reading:
Beautiful – Christina Lauren
Seasoned by Salt – Jerry Mashaw & Anne MacClintock
Books started:
Steve Jobs – Walter Isaacson
Networking for Dummies
Understanding ArubaOS
Instrument Flying Handbook – ASA
WordPress – MacDonald
Books in my possession:
Lawman – Shon Hopwood
12 Rules for Life – Jordan Peterson
We Ran Away to Sea – Kedl & Kedl
An Unwanted Guest – Shari Lapena
A Trip to the Beach – Blanchard & Blanchard
An Embarrassment of Mangoes – Ann Vanderhoof
The Spice Necklace – Ann Vanderhoof
Lord of the Flies – William Golding (Recent found in the library and figured what the heck)
BOPmags.com choices as of August 16, 2024
4 Subscriptions for $25 plus $5 service fee
6 Subscriptions for $35 plus $5 service fee
(the number of issues for each subscription)
AFAR – 4 issues
All recipes – 4
Angels on Earth – 6
Architectural Digest – 11
Bassmaster – 9
Boat International – 10
Bon Appetit – 10
Bridal Guide – 6
California Home and Design – 4
Christianity Today – 12
Colorado Home and Lifestyles – 6
Conde Nast Traveler – 8
Cowboys and Indians – 8
Delaware Today – 12
Denver Mile High 5280 – 6
Dwell Magazine – 6
ELLE – 10
ELLE Decor – 8
Entrepreneur – 6
Esquire – 6
Essence – 6
Fast Company – 5
Florida Sportsman – 12
Flower Magazine – 6
Flyer Tyler – 4
Food and Wine – 12
Fortune – 6
Garden and Gun – 6
Golf Digest – 11
GQ – 8
Great Days Outdoors – 12
Guideposts – 6
Harper’s Bazaar – 10
Houstonia – 4
Hunting – 11
In Fisherman – 8
INC – 5
Lakeland Boating – 11
Life Extension – 6
LINKS Golf – 4
Main Line Today – 12
Marlin Magazine – 12
Portland Magazine – 4
Reason – 11
San Diego – 12
Sarasota – 6
ScubaDiving – 10
Seattle Metro – 4
Shooting Times – 12
Sound & Vision – 6
Southern Living – 13
Sterophile – 12
The Nation – 12
Town & Country – 9
Travel & Leisure – 12
Vogue – 10
Washingtonian – 12
Wine Enthusiast – 12
Leave a Reply