This is my inaugural post in Forward Motion’s Merry-Go-Round Blog Tour. If that’s what brought you here today, welcome. If you’re a regular visitor, the 19th of each month is now devoted to the topic of the month for the blog tour. Feel free to visit the link above or in my sidebar to see what other Forward Motion writers are saying on the same topic. What better way to get to know someone than by checking out the books on their nightstand?

As you might guess, I have books on my nightstand, but I also have them pretty much everywhere else in the house. They’re tucked into backpacks, overflowing bookshelves, still in moving boxes, piled on my desk, and in the yard sale box (they all aren’t keepers, even if they were good reads).

I’m not sure being on my nightstand confers a special status to a book. Some have been there for a couple of years, but I still haven’t gotten around to reading them, even though plenty of other books have transitioned through that space. I will confess many paper books got shuffled aside when I got hooked on the ease of reading on my iPad.

I’ll list the physical nightstand books first, followed by what I’m reading and is probably on deck on the iPad. On the nightstand, we have:

State of Denial: Bush at War, Part III by Bob Woodward (I’m about 2/3 through this one)

A Clash of Kings, by George R. R. Martin (just started)

A Death in Vienna, by Daniel Silva (my dad recommended)

The Kill Artist, by Daniel Silva (my dad recommended)

The Complete Lincoln-Douglas Debates of 1858 (I’ve been a fan of Abraham Lincoln since I was a kid)

The Tycoons, by Charles R. Morris (the current state of affairs in the US has piqued my interest in the Golden Age of US history, and these guys, for better or for worse, were key players)

Hellhound on his Trail, by Hampton Sides (I like Hampton Sides, and I had the good fortune to meet him (and get a book autographed) several years ago at The Bataan Death March Memorial Marathon at White Sands, NM, so I try to pick up his work when I see it)

In the President’s Secret Service, by Ronald Kessler (who doesn’t wonder what goes on with The Secret Service?)

Hard Times, by Studs Terkel (interviews with survivors of The Great Depression)

The 5000 Year Leap: A Miracle that Changed the World (I put this one down a year or so ago and just haven’t picked it back up)

America in the Gilded Age, by Sean Dennis Cashman

Age of Betrayal, by Jack Beatty

Major Problems of the Gilded Age and the Progressive Era

The Dirty Dozen, by Levy and Melnor (This is about 12 important Supreme Court Decisions)

New Spirits, by Edwards (I’ve finished this one – highly recommend)

How to Teach Physics to Your Dog, by Chad Orzel (maybe a third of the way into this)

I am increasingly intrigued by the capability to carry an entire library in one hand or neatly tucked into small briefcase. I don’t have to whittle my choices down to a few books I can carry before leaving the house. Anything is at my fingertips and available to read or reference on a whim. Because of this, my iPad surprised me shortly after I bought it and became my go-to reading device. Sure, I miss the ability to thumb the physical pages of a book, the ability to physically flip through to find a reference, and at least once, I had to buy the physical copy of a book after I’d purchased the Kindle version, because the author came to my area, and I wanted an autographed copy. The benefits, so far, are out-weighing the disadvantages, and I’m hooked on my iPad reading apps — I have Kindle (my favorite) as well as nook, iBooks, and Goodreader (my second favorite for .pdfs). Books in the .epub format are easily imported to iBooks.

Here’s what’s foremost in my mind on my Kindle:

The Healing Touch for Cats: The Proven Massage Program for Cats by Dr. Michael W. Fox (I’m owned by four cats)

A Conflict of Visions: Ideological Origins of Political Struggles by Thomas Sowell (a friend told me this is written as devoid of personal bias as possible, and I’ve long held Dr. Thomas Sowell in high regard.)

Using WordPress by Tris Hussey (Just trying to see if there are ways to use WordPress that aren’t immediately obvious. I’d also like to use it from a Content Management System (CMS) perspective — more than “just” a blog.)

City of Dust: Illness, Arrogance, and 9/11 by Anthony DePalma (hoping that with some distance, we’re going to see what the aftermath of the aftermath means to so many)

1959: The Year Everything Changed by Fred Kaplan (I was conceived in 1959. Do you think that caused the world to change?)

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (because I’ve never read it, and I think I should)

Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe (because I’ve never read it, and I think I should)

Deceit by Brandilyn Collins (I like Brandilyn’s writing)

There are 136 books on my Kindle — this was a sampling. My interests beyond reading and writing vary but seem to center on my pets, my husband, our properties in Central Texas, the San Antonio Spurs, and American history. I have a several first draft works I categorize as mainstream. I’m working my way through Holly Lisle’s course using my first draft of my first completed work with a working title of Polar Bear on the Loose.

Today’s post was inspired by the topic “What Books are on Your Nightstand?” the opening question in the inaugural cycle of the Merry-Go-Round Blog Tour, an ongoing tour where you, the reader, travel around the world from author’s blog to author’s blog. We have all sorts of writers at all stages in their writing career, so there’s something for everyone to enjoy.

If you want to get to know nearly twenty other writers and find out the books on their nightstand, check out the Merry-Go-Round Blog Tour. Tomorrow’s post will be brought to you by L. C. Aisling.