Summer Reading

Out of my peripheral vision I can see a stack of brown cardboard packages waiting to be opened. As book section editor, I get tons of books daily. Despite that embarrassment of riches, I have found myself haunting our local bookstores of late like some sort of lost soul searching for meaning or truth in pages between covers.

This is largely due to a personal obsession involving Celtic history but it has been a most illuminating pursuit in every realm: The bookstores of this town provide an astonishing array of reading material. I find myself just as engrossed at Barnes & Noble and Borders as I do Bookstop and Book People, even though I also shop the Half-Price Books stores regularly.

Adventures in Crime & Space, 609-A W. Sixth, 473-2665, and Mysteries & More, 11139 N. I-35, 837-6768, are bookstores offering much for the mystery fan. Whether lost in miles of aisles or just footsteps from a knowledgable clerk, Austin's bookstores are our treasures. And just as important during our sweltering summers, they are cool and comfortable places to enjoy the ever-wonderful world of books.

-- Margaret Moser