So one of my true loves is reading, now more than ever. I’ve always been a reader, but never to the degree that my parents were. When I was a kid, we had a whole huge library in the basement of thousands of paperbacks from the 50s and 60s – mostly science fiction and mysteries (my dad into science fiction, my mom into mysteries).

At the end of my Mom’s life, books were her escape – she’d juggle four or five at a time and would bring them home from the library by the bushel. I always joked that she’d be happiest being a brain in a jar, just as long is there was some way for her to turn the pages.

I read every morning during the work-week – 45 minutes to an hour. I’m a slow reader, but slow and steady can win the race. Over time, I churn through a lot of books – maybe 75% fiction and 25% non-fiction, and I certainly get into some themes. Right now, I’m plowing through all the amazing “Grimdark” fantasy novels of English writer Joe Abercrombie. Awesome Game of Thrones type stuff!

But occasionally, I don’t have a book “on deck” so I have to make the hard and stressful decision of what to read next. That’s where the picture came from – this Sunday’s arduous decision-making process. I set out all of the “contenders” and read through several pages in each – culling the pile one at a time until I pick just the right book. It totally stresses me out (what if I pick wrong?), but it’s also exciting, because what I read in the morning is how I start my day.

For the record, the winner in this stack is a re-read of William Gibson’s 1986 masterpiece Count Zero – at least until I get the latest Joe Abercrombie from Amazon!

So what about eBooks? I love them and they are awesome for traveling, either with a Kindle or my iPad (using the Kindle app). Often, a book that I’m interested in is WAY cheap on Kindle and if so, I’ll get that version. These days, it seems like what I want to read is about the same price for Kindle or a trade paperback – so I’ll go with the real life paper book – better battery life that way!