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My day is surrounded by stories.

Yes, I work in a place quite literally stacked with books, but that is not what I mean.

Here is what the best storied-filled weekday looks like:

The morning begins with coffee and a comic book, collection of essays, or short stories.

I have to be careful in the morning as to not read something I am going to get lost in and lose track of time. Reading something light and funny is a nice change up to being bombarded with unpleasant news at the start of the day.

On my commute to and from work, I start the car and an audiobook on CD starts.

This story also accompanies me on any errands I may have to run later in the day.

My Kindle is the star of lunchtime.

Some lucky people possess the skill of being able to read a book while eating. I am not one. I’ve got the holding a book in one hand and a fork in the other part down. When it comes to turning the page...well, that part becomes a bit of a mess.

While eating lunch, I read a book that has usually found a temporary home in my Kindle from Overdrive.

No balancing act required.

On a run day, the only thing that motivates me to actually lace up my shoes --especially now that we are in the colder months-- is the digital audiobook.

Downloaded from Hoopla waiting on my phone, of course

There are days I have extended my run just to keep listening to a story.

Before bed is possibly my favorite time to read.

In trying decrease the amount of screentime in the day, I pick up an “actual book." 

No cell phone. No headphones. No e-readers. Just paper. Usually about a chapter in, my reading day is over.

Is this too many stories to dive into at once?

Maybe. It sure does make my day a lot more adventurous.

Here is a list of lovely books to pair with your morning coffee:

All Over Coffee 

by Paul Madonna

...blends the timing of comics with the depth of poetry. Artist and writer Paul Madonna has fused art, literature, and comics by pairing timeless cityscapes with philosophical musings and poignant stories in masterfully rendered ink-wash drawings that surpass the art of Ben Katchor in elegance and architectural detail. His work has been compared to “a meeting of the tone of Edward Gorey, the uniqueness of Chris Ware, and the artfulness of Raymond Pettibon.”

Wedding Toasts I'll Never Give

by Ada Calhoun

"...an unflinching but also loving portrait of her own marriage, opening a long-overdue conversation about the institution as it truly is: not the happy ending of a love story or a relic doomed by high divorce rates, but the beginning of a challenging new chapter of which 'the first twenty years are the hardest'"--From publisher description.

Herding Cats:  A "Sarah's Scribbles" Collection

by Sarah Andersen

Sarah valiantly struggles with waking up in the morning, being productive, and dealing with social situations. Sarah's Scribbles is the comic strip that follows her life, finding humor in living as an adulting introvert that is at times weird, awkward, and embarrassing.

What If? Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions

by Randall Munroe

Millions of people visit xkcd.com each week to read Randall Munroe's iconic webcomic. His stick-figure drawings about science, technology, language, and love have a large and passionate following. Fans of xkcd ask Munroe a lot of strange questions. What if you tried to hit a baseball pitched at 90 percent the speed of light? How fast can you hit a speed bump while driving and live? If there was a robot apocalypse, how long would humanity last? In pursuit of answers, Munroe runs computer simulations, pores over stacks of declassified military research memos, solves differential equations, and consults with nuclear reactor operators. His responses are masterpieces of clarity and hilarity, complemented by signature xkcd comics. They often predict the complete annihilation of humankind, or at least a really big explosion. The book features new and never-before-answered questions, along with updated and expanded versions of the most popular answers from the xkcd website. What If? will be required reading for xkcd fans and anyone who loves to ponder the hypothetical.