Prison chiefs splashed out almost half a million on more library books to get frustrated lags through the pandemic - including wellness titles such as Be Your Best Self.
Figures from the Irish Prison Service show that €257,492 was spent on library services by the Irish Prison Service in 2020.
Another €228,103 was spent in the first 11 months of last year with the Prison Service saying their libraries played a key role in helping prisoners cope with their sentences and prepare for life after release. This brings the total to €485,595 for the two years.
They said there had been a big increase in demand for materials on mindfulness, addiction, self-help, and personal development during the Covid-19 pandemic.
As Covid-19 struck, all physical visits were stopped in jails and were replaced by video link chats.
Lags were also confined to their cells a lot more and were grouped in different pods, allowed out together to shower and do exercise before going back in.
These restrictions loosened in jails when the vaccination programme was rolled out, but many have been reintroduced in jails with outbreaks of the disease.
The Irish Prison Service said it could not provide a list of the most popular books among inmates but that a wide selection of genres was included in all new purchase lists.
They said they bought action, adventure, thrillers, fantasy, mystery, horror, as they tried to reflect the mix of materials available in a standard public library.
In non-fiction, popular topics included sport, spirituality, true crime, military, current affairs, and gardening.
Among the books purchased this year were The Count of Monte Cristo, which tells the tale of a young Frenchman escaping from an island fortress off the coast of Marseilles.
The Irish Prison Service also added to their collection with books from Stephen King, John Grisham, Robert Harris, and Jim Butcher.
Classic novels were also added to the library shelves with volumes from Oscar Wilde, John Steinbeck, and Bram Stoker.
In the non-fiction section, new titles included Machiavelli’s the Prince and Papillon, another story about escape from a grim island prison.
Other books bought were SAS Shadow Rangers by Damien Lewis, Tibetan Yoga and Secret Doctrines by W.Y. Evans-Wentz, and Champagne Football by Mark Tighe.
Wellness books were also in demand with titles purchased including The Amazing Results of Positive Thinking and Be Your Best Self.
Fitness books catering specifically to confinement were bought, with titles like Cell Workout and another on Bodyweight Strength Training made available.
Beginner guides for starting online businesses, and writing business plans, were also added to the shelves.
An Irish Prison Service spokesman said: “[We provide] a wide range of rehabilitative supports and services to prisoners in our custody. These include a library and information service to the prisoner population which is of equivalent standard to that provided in the community.
“Since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Irish Prison Service has provided prisoners with additional books and educational materials which deliver purposeful activities to those in custody serving sentences.”
