There are few experiences in life that match curling up with a good book and losing yourself in the lives of the characters, the exotic settings, and the twists and turns of a compelling plot. Reading continues to be one of the great joys in my life, and I so appreciate the effort that authors put into crafting their work.

As I`ve gotten older, though, I`ve found that I am more apt to read fiction, and to stick to a set of authors that I know and love, or to a single genre of books. Personally, my great esccape isn`t in literature, but in what I term "junk food for the mind" - reasonably well-written murder mystery novels. I enjoy taking the journey with the author down one dead end lead after another, reading with bated breath as the protagonist extracts himself or herself from harm`s way, and finally understanding how all of the puzzle pieces fall together and point the finger at the book`s true culprit.

Although I absolutely adore this genre, I also know that I`m limiting myself in my reading choices. That`s why my New Year`s Resolution this year was to expand my universe and read books that I wouldn`t have even glanced at twelve months ago. Because I`ve never been fond of browsing the aisles of a bookstore, I`ve turned to online bookstores to find new areas of reading to explore. I`m particularly drawn to online bookstores that are the equivalent of independent brick and mortar bookstores - those that have a depth of selection within many different genres, but that don`t purport to stock every book ever published. I`ve found that the mega online bookstores are difficult to browse; keyword searches bring up unrelated titles and I have to dig through all of the wannabes in order to find the gems I`m looking for.

So far, my quest to expand my reading horizon has led me to read non-fiction books like biographies (one on Rosa Parks was a favorite) and autobiographies (Madame Secretary, by Madeline Albright is a winner), as well as African American titles like Black Trials, which traces a path of civic identity through the prism of the legal system. I`ve even read a graphic novel. It wasn`t to my taste, but I can at least say I`ve given the genre a try. I`ve also found a new delight in children`s books. Some of the classics are as good as I remembered, and there are new authors proving that children`s books can, indeed, be considered literature.

I`m enjoying fulfilling my New Year`s resolution, and look forward to browsing my favorite online bookstore for more ways to expand my literary horizons.