I have recently changed my morning routine. 'Gone' is the radio news announcing the things I need to add to my worries and which I have no control over. 'In' is some classical music or jazz. 'Gone' is the immediate coffee pot brewing on the hob (that comes later) - 'in' is a hot lemon drink. 'Gone' is the reaching for the Apple Mac, hooking into the net, to read the mostly junk mail that accumulated overnight like snow in a ditch.

'In' is some thoughtful, meditative reading. 

Reading in the morning has a different quality to night reading. Often in the evening you are winding down, and the brain wants to relax. I enjoy my evening reading, but after a certain hour I know that I stop retaining information. At that time I'm heading for a bit of tv to start the wind down.

In the morning my mind is blank, yet to be wrinkled by the events of the day. 

I enjoy non-fiction during the early hours, something meditative or contemplative and it seems to suit my mind better than fiction. Sometimes I'll only read a few sentences or paragraphs; I like to let the meanings settle, to drop slowly into my waking mind.

In this post I'll share of my recent reads below, with a link to a longer review. As always, let me know below if you too are an early morning reader and which books you have enjoyed recently.