I love to read. It's great therapy for me--keeps me from losing my mind and temper (so often). I also get to learn new techniques for my photography/computer through the window of reading. More importantly, I get to read about various historical events, topics in science, biographical subjects and more. Reading is not just a window to the world and to life; without it, I would not be able to function.

My favorite magazines include PhotoPlus (for Canon digital single-lens users), Digital Camera, Shutterbug, Popular Photography, Practical Photography, Bloomberg BusinessWeek, Aviation Week, Outdoor Photographer and the Atlantic Monthly. I favor the British photography magazines such as Practical Photography for their tutorials on how to use my camera software and hardware, along with their reviews; both fields in which they are superior to such American publications as Popular Photography. For non-photographic reading, I favor The Atlantic monthly, which has lengthy in-depth articles about a variety of topics, Consumer Reports which guides me whenever I need to make decisions on what products I should purchase and Bloomberg BusinessWeek.

I read a variety of newspapers. Of course, there is the Des Moines Register, the daily publication where I live. But I prefer the alternative publication, Des Moines Cityview, which covers many topics ignored by the Des Moines Register and also does some muck-racking on the Des Moines Register as a bonus. For nationwide newspapers, I prefer the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and USA Today. I recall when supermarkets in the Des Moines area had the Omaha World-Herald, the Chicago Tribune and even the New York Post (!) for sale--those days are no longer with us, I am sorry to say.

My favorite works of non-fiction--outside of my photography and computer reference manuals--include books about military and American history. I've read many of the volumes of the Oxford History of the United States (Battle Cry of Freedom, What Hath God Wrought, Freedom From Fear, etc.), along with the works of such authors as David McCullough, David Halberstam, Max Hastings, Jean Edward Smith, Carlo D'Este and Robert Caro. As of right now, I'd have to say my favorite works include Caro's The Years of Lyndon Johnson (all four volumes--still incomplete), McCullough's Truman and The Great Bridge, Hasting's The Korean War, Halberstam's The Reckoning, and Carlo D'este's Patton: A Genius For War.

There are so many other titles and topics which I cannot think of at this time--that is one of the side effects of being an avid reader!