Real or Electronic?

I'll have time for some leisure reading during the holidays and I'm looking for book suggestions.  Admittedly, I already have a slew of unread books, arranged in no particular order in stacks and on shelves around the house.  Still, it's good to hear from others what I absolutely can't miss.  I'm an eclectic reader. Mysteries, science, non-fiction, contemporary fiction, beach reads -- they all appeal to me.

Do you talk about books?  (I do.) Share your favorites with your friends?  (I do.)  Encourage your friends to read something you didn't like to find out if they feel the same way when they're through? (I do, with the warning that the book wasn't a favorite.) 

Do you read physical books? An e-reader?  Or both?

For my part, I read both.  I love the heft of a book and its smell.  And the feel of the pages.  I don't like smooth pages; they seem slimy to me.  My youngest daughter just gave me a pair of books from the 1930s.  Specifically, William Shakespeare: A Study of Facts and Problems in two volumes by E.K. Chambers.  Of course, she thought I'd enjoy the discourse on Shakespeare, but she also suspected I'd love the peculiarities of old editions: the glassine page protecting the cover page, an irregularly, but deliberately tri-folded map of Stratford-on-Avon, the ombre of the covers. These can't be translated into the experience of an e-reader.

Still, I'd be lying if I didn't confess to also loving my Kindle.  I read from my Kindle every night before bed as part of my routine.  It helps me redirect my brain so that my imagination can take over.  For me, that's a much better prescription for sleep.  And, when I wake in the middle of the night, I simply grab my Kindle and read for a bit.  I'm much calmer after reading than I am when I'm trying to get to sleep and, inevitably, tossing and turning. 

The end result for me is twice as many books in the house.  A lovely solution, in my opinion.