What's on your nightstand?

It's been a long, hard winter and I might have a bit of the winter blues ("are you SAD." John asks me jokingly, referring to Seasonal Affective Disorder). No, I am not really depressed, just...blah. It has been a struggle to keep up with everything, especially with the power outages due to the snow and ice, and my blogging has definitely been suffering.

But I am determined to begin again.  

With a short post.  About books. 

My friend Sigal wrote a post on her blog (www.momanddadacademy.com) about reading that got me thinking about my favorite hobby.

Books keep me sane.  They help me make sense of the world.  They are my companions and my therapy.  Both my escape and my connection to the world. I am excited for every dentist appointment, every haircut, and every plane ride because I get to read.  Even every bedtime.

Simple pleasures.

So, this is what I am reading now.  Plus, a couple on my Kindle (my favorite is Amy Tan's The Valley of Amazement) and, of course, my favorite blogs. I am always reading a bunch of different things at once.

Like Sigal, I sometimes get asked how I have time to read, and I answer that you can find time for something you love.  We all do, whether that is TV, talking on the phone, texting, working out, or cleaning your house. None is more virtuous than the other, really. It's just our different ways to regulate, or ground ourselves.

I am terrible about returning texts, emails, or phone calls, I am always behind on the laundry, and I haven't exercised regularly since Ellie came home.  I have never seen Downton Abbey. But I find time to read.  

Anyway, any other readers out there?  What is on your nightstand right now?