Mr Toastmaster, fellow Wavemakers, and honored guests, my name is Russell, and I am a recovering trophy reader. It's shameful, I know. For years, I would buy books...new, shiny hardbacks; crisp, flippable paperbacks, from genres popular and obscure, mass-market edition and academic press. Shelf upon shelf, and then box upon box were laden with heavy tomes. Whenever I moved, they followed, much to the dismay of helpful, although enabling family and friends. I should have known, though...there were warning signs: my father and grandfather each have vast collections of bound editions, and I myself had a shelf of titles I had conquered by age 4.
But I've found help: the Austin Public Library.
You don't need to be an addict to enjoy their services, though. Really, even reading is optional these days...
1.Audio: CDs of popular, local, classical and classic music available (and not, say, copy-protected in any tangible fashion)...
2.Video: Instructional, Classic, and Children's titles
3.Research: the library comes to you via TexShare
4.Cultural Programming
5.Tutoring
6.Oh, yes, books...
The ones you've "been meaning to read..."
New ones
Graphic Novels
All you need is ID and practically any document showing that you live in Austin
Go do it, but beware...it may be habit forming!