I admit I'm a nerd about reading. Even as a tomboy growing up, I would climb a tree with a book in my pocket. Today, I usually carry a paperback in my purse and keep one or two in my car for those times when I am waiting in line or killing time.

I read in the bathtub, read at the dinner table and try to read every night before bed. I used to not care what I read but as I grow older and my time becomes dearer, I have become pretty selective preferring to mostly read mystery books.

I am a fan of a number of mystery writers but have an affinity for Lilian Jackson Braun's "The Cat Who" series. Maybe because the key characters are a crime solving duo made up of a Siamese cat with extra whiskers (which appear to give him some sort of psychic power) and a rich newspaper writer (and that's an oxymoron).

With 28 "Cat Who" books and three short collections, Braun says the reason for her success is that "people are simply tired of all the blood."

I agree with her, I am tired of the blood stuff. My husband who is a movie/TV addict watches videos and television whenever he is home. I frequently make him turn the channel at bedtime, not wanting to try to sleep with images of war, blood, gore and violence in the background.

Granted, mysteries generally involve a murder and the discovery of who the perpetrators are. But many mystery writers involve strangers or people that are not close to any of the main characters, it makes it a little easier to deal with murder when you don't have an attachment to the dead person. And, you don't have a strong visual coming at you of blood and gore.

I confess you will occasionally find me watching an old Jessica Fletcher murder mystery on the telly as well as checking out an occasional CSI episode. But, none of them compare to curling up in a comfy chair and reading a good mystery.

There are several authors who not only write mysteries but throw recipes into the mix. Tamar Myers has an abrasive but lovable Mennonite inn keeper who doesn't cook herself but has a feisty cousin who stirs up Pennsylvania Dutch recipes at the drop of a hat. Every book has four to five recipes included.

Another author, Joanne Fluke has a wonderful character who owns a bakery. Her fabulous recipes are included in every book.

There were two writers I discovered early in my life, after Agatha Christy, of course. They were Eugenia Potter and Mrs. Pollifax. Virginia Rich only wrote three and half books before her death, but her character Eugenia Potter was as delightful a character who ever graced the inside of a book.

Mrs. Pollifax took me to continents far away from my small Midwestern world. She introduced me to characters and sights I might never have otherwise experienced.

Books are wonderful companions. They give us a vision of a world outside the small square where we exist. They open up vistas that we might never see and they help us form a point of view that includes the worlds we read about. I'd love to hear from anyone what you are reading.