Tea or coffee?

Many of us identify ourselves by the choice of beverage – tea or coffee? Of course, some people prefer soda or hot chocolate, juice or alcohol. But how often have you been asked, “Tea or coffee?” And you invariably pick one or the other in an instant.

I love tea – especially quality loose tea, but I’ll sip whatever house brand a coffee shop offers when I’m out, even a grocery store brand. I’m not into flavoured teas or herbal teas…in fact, I dislike most scented or smoky teas like Earl Grey or Lapsang-Souchong, but tea is my hot drink of choice.

Are you that way with your choice of reading genre? In a blink, you can say what authors are your favourite, what genre keeps you up too late on a work night, who spins the best tale in your genre of choice. You can also quickly say what you don’t like – which authors, which genres, which plots that let you down.

However, what if you’ve never tried hot chocolate or Ovaltine? Do you know what you're missing? Maybe you’ll like it even better than tea or coffee! That’s why it’s great to join readers’ groups, to talk to friends about what they’re reading, to browse through a bookstore. You could find an author you’ve never read before, or one who also writes under another name as well and discover a whole new world of reading.

By all means, enjoy your tea or coffee, but take a few minutes every now and then to try out a different beverage or have a low-fat muffin with it. Enjoy!