My Mailbox: Volume 3

Magazine the fifth:

Combat Handguns is a tactical handgunner's handgun magazine. It consists of pistol reviews, legal advice, concealed carry information, and gunfighting skill method. Highly recommended for the reader who wants to study tactical defensive handgunning. One negative point: if you hate magazines that make you skip around and turn to the back to finish articles, you may want to avoid Combat Handguns; the articles are very broken up and annoying to follow.

Magazine the sixth:

I found Backwoods Home when I was searching for a source of ideas on cutting back in what I believe will soon be a severe economic crisis. It is written from a libertarian slant, which is perfect for me. This magazine really is a great value. Every issue is packed full of articles on gardening, home canning and dehydrating, practical firearm use, alternative “off-grid” energy methods, and inexpensive building projects. Very practical, useful, and entertaining.

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My Mailbox: Volume 2

Magazine the third:

The AANA Journal is the official publication of my professional organization the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists. It is a professional journal in the truest sense of the word, being filled with original research by and for Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists. Unless you are interested in the anesthesia profession or you are constantly plagued by insomnia, this one might not be for you. I, however, have to stay current, so I slog through it monthly.

Magazine the fourth:

Concealed Carry Magazine

When I began researching concealed carry, naturally I soon found the United States Concealed Carry Association. Their one of a kind publication is a special interest gun magazine, as it deals exclusively with concealed carry issues. Those of you interested in rifles, shotguns, and bazookas should look elsewhere. But if you are interested in safely and legally carrying a concealed firearm, Concealed Carry Magazine should definitely be on your subscription list.

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My Mailbox: Volume 1

I have become quite the magazine and journal junkie in the past couple of years. I can say with all honesty, though, that I read every word of every magazine I subscribe to. I thought it would be fun to share with you, dear readers, what magazines may lie waiting in my mailbox on any given afternoon, and what I think about each. This will take several posts, as I get quite a few. So here we go, in no particular order.

Magazine the first:

Reason was the first magazine I subscribed to after I became a Libertarian. I picked it because I liked the name, and because the current issue at that time had a picture of the Honorable Ron Paul on it:

Ron Paul was about all I knew of the Freedom Movement at that time, so I figured I couldn’t lose with Reason. I was right. I look forward to this magazine’s arrival more than any other each month. It offers a classical liberal perspective on current events without taking itself too seriously. I highly recommend Reason to anyone who is interested in learning more about liberty.

Magazine the second:

I got an extremely reasonable subscription offer in the mail one day for Biblical Archaeology Review and I figured, What the hay? I like the Bible and I like Indiana Jones, so why not? I’m glad I subscribed to this one too. BAR brings Biblical history to life while challenging traditions and beliefs with hard archaeological evidence. The editor, Hershel Shanks, is both revered and hated in the archaeology community, so that sometimes makes for interesting reading too. Here is a picture of the current issue:

That’s all for volume 1 of My Mailbox. Stay tuned, if you dare.

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Reading list: 2007

Books I read in 2007:

–The Magic of Thinking Big by David J. Schwartz
–The Dream Cycle by Steve Moore
–The Dream Giver by Bruce Wilkinson
–Iron Tears by Stanley Weintraub
–Worldwar: In the Balance by Harry Turtledove
–The Next Millionaires by Paul Zane Pilzer
–Rich Dad’s Cashflow Quadrant by Robert T. Kiyosaki and Sharon L. Lechter
–You Can’t Steal Second With Your Foot On First! by Burke Hedges
–The Five Languages of Apology by Gary Chapman & Jennifer Thomas
–The Birth of Britain by Winston S. Churchill
–Willow by Wayland Drew
–The Real Lincoln by Thomas J. DiLorenzo
–The Quick & Easy Way to Effective Speaking by Dale Carnegie
–God’s Plan for Your Finances by Dwight Nichols
–If They Say No, Just Say Next! by John Fuhrman
–You and Your Network by Fred Smith
–Lincoln on Leadership by Donald T. Phillips
–A General History of the Robberies & Murders of the Most Notorious Pirates by Capt. Charles Johnson
–How I Raised Myself from Failure to Success in Selling by Frank Bettger
–You Don’t Need a Title to be a Leader by Mark Sanborn
–A Full Quiver by Rick & Jan Hess
–Point Man by Steve Farrar
–The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel
–How to Have Confidence and Power in Dealing with People by Les Giblin
–The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail by Micahel Baigent, Richard Leigh, & Henry Lincoln
–The New World by Winston S. Churchill
–Critical Choices That Change Lives by Daniel R. Castro
–Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield
–Pro-sumer Power! by Bill Quain
–Read and Grow Rich by Burke Hedges
–The Laws of Lifetime Growth by Dan Sullivan & Catherine Nomura
–The Wasteland, Prufrock and Other Poems by T.S. Eliot
–The Team Builder’s Textbook by Chris Brady and Orrin Woodward
–What the Bible Teaches About Worship by Robert L. Dickie
–The One Minute Entrepreneur by Ken Blanchard, Don Hutson, & Ethan Willis
–Positive Impact by Gregory Scott Reid & Charlie “Tremendous” Jones
–Robert E. Lee on Leadership by H.W. Crocker III
–An Infinity of Little Hours by Nancy Klein Maguire
–Neither Here nor There by Bill Bryson
–The Concealed Handgun Manual by Chris Bird
–A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson
–The Family by Mario Puzo
–Thank God I had a Gun by Chris Bird
–Fatherland by Robert Harris
–The Age of Revolution by Winston S. Churchill
–Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie
–The Great Democracies by Winston S. Churchill
–Better Dads, Stronger Sons by Rick Johnson
–The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson
–True Grit by Charles Portis
–A Study of Angels by Edward P. Myers
–Champion of Capitalism by D.P. Diffine
–The First World War by Hew Strachan
–Einstein: His Life and Universe by Walter Isaacson
–Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse by James Wesley, Rawles

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Reading list: 2006

These are the books I read in 2006. As you can see, I continued to love SF.  I also developed a short-lived interest in poker, a longer-term interest in leadership theory, and a permanent addiction to American history.

Books I read in 2006:

–How to Play Winning Poker by Avery Cardoza
–Ringworld by Larry Niven
–Ken Warren Teaches Texas Hold’em by Ken Warren
–Fluke by James Herbert
–Fire in My Bones by Jimmy Allen
–Crazy Horse and Custer: The Parallel Lives of Two American Warriors by Stephen E. Ambrose
–Killer Poker: Strategy and Tactics for Winning Poker Play by John Vorhaus
–A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson
–Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser
–Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
–Shame of Man by Piers Anthony
–Noise by Hal Clement
–The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury
–Pastwatch: The Redemption of Christopher Columbus by Orson Scott Card
–The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark by Carl Sagan
–Gray Fox: Robert E. Lee and the Civil War by Burke Davis
–Leading the Consumer Rebellion by Chris Brady and Orrin Woodward
–The Forge of God by Greg Bear
–The Charm School by Nelson DeMille
–Eat that Frog! by Brian Tracy
–How I Raised Myself from Failure to Success in Selling by Frank Bettger
–Launching a Leadership Revolution by Chris Brady and Orrin Woodward
–Personality Plus by Florence Littauer
–How to Have Confidence and Power in Dealing with People by Les Giblin
–Have Fun, Make Money, Make a Difference by Chris Brady and Orrin Woodward
–The 17 Essential Qualities of a Team Player by John C. Maxwell
–Dream-Biz.com by Burke Hedges
–The Business School by Robert T. Kiyosaki and Sharon L. Lechter
–The Next Millionaires by Paul Zane Pilzer
–The Likeability Factor by Tim Sanders
–Battle Cry of Freedom by James M. McPherson
–How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
–Benjamin Franklin: An American Life by Walter Isaacson
–The Immortal Game: A History of Chess by David Shenk
–Fevre Dream by George R. R. Martin
–The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis
–The Glorious Cause by Robert Middlekauff
–Under the Black Flag by David Cordingly
–A Biblical Perspective of Wealth by Robert L. Dickie
–The Team Builder’s Textbook by Chris Brady and Orrin Woodward
–What it Takes to be #1 by Vince Lombardi, Jr.

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Reading list: 2005

It is interesting to look back at what you have read in the past, and in so doing, try to remember who you were back then.  I have been keeping track of everything I have read since 2005.  I was in graduate school during the first half of that year, and as you can see from these titles, I read mostly for an escape from the realities of academic life.     

Books I read in 2005:

–1984 by George Orwell
–Seventh Son by Orson Scott Card
–The Naked Sun by Isaac Asimov
–How to Really Love Your Child by D. Ross Campbell, MD
–Dragon Wing by Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman
–A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin
–Murder at the ABA by Isaac Asimov
–Red Prophet by Orson Scott Card
–Song of Susannah by Stephen King
–A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller, Jr.
–Redwall by Brian Jacques
–Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
–Prentice Alvin by Orson Scott Card
–Logan’s Run by William F. Nolan & George Clayton Johnson
–Hard Sell by Piers Anthony
–Is Anyone There? by Isaac Asimov
–Alvin Journeyman by Orson Scott Card
–Doomsday Book by Connie Willis
–Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
–The Space Merchants by Frederik Pohl & C.M. Kornbluth
–Faithful by Stephen King & Stewart O'Nan
–Heartfire by Orson Scott Card
–Blood and Smoke by Stephen King
–Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein
–The Precipice by Ben Bova
–Shiloh by Shelby Foote
–The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane
–Slaughter-House Five by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
–Elfquest: The Grand Quest, Volume 1 by Wendy & Richard Pini
–Stone of Tears by Terry Goodkind
–The Crystal City by Orson Scott Card
–A Salty Piece of Land by Jimmy Buffett
–Baseball for Everybody by Tom Glavine & Brian Tarcy
–The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells
–The Art of War by Sun-Tzu
–Rantus Dark & the Unspoken Children by Verian Thomas
–Isle of Woman by Piers Anthony
–Elfquest: The Grand Quest, Volume 2 by Wendy & Richard Pini
–Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein
–Elfquest: The Grand Quest, Volume 3 by Wendy and Richard Pini
–A Song for Lya and Other Stories by George R.R. Martin
–Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid: The Book of Scary Urban Legends by Jan H. Brunvand
–The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
–The Fire Duke by Joel Rosenberg
–Millennium by John Varley
–Blood of the Fold by Terry Goodkind
–The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman
–The Silver Stone by Joel Rosenberg
–The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman
–The Crimson Sky by Joel Rosenberg
–The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum
–Legend by David Gemmell
–Contents Under Pressure: 30 Years of Rush at Home & Away by Martin Popoff
 
Some of these are linked to short reviews at www.bookcrossing.com.  My screen name over there is alanfoxboro.

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