After months of planning, and lots of reading, Lake Travis Reads 2010 wound up with an appearance by author Sarah Bird at Bee Cave City Hall last Thursday.

The award-winning author had an audience of 60 people in stitches as she read aloud from her newest work, a soon-to-published novel about a single mom faced with sending her only child off to college.
The author’s fans, who braved a torrential downpour to hear the author speak, were wiping away tears of laughter by the time Bird finished her second reading, from one of her many columns for Texas Monthly.
“With the economy in a slump this year, the Lake Travis Reads steering committee felt we could all use a little humor in our lives. Sarah Bird was the perfect choice for our third annual program,” said Bee Cave librarian Angela Palmer. “When she graciously agreed to make an appearance here, we were thrilled.”
Bird has written seven novels, many of which are set in Austin, and feature hilariously irreverent treatments of Austin’s movers and shakers from the Junior League and the old money of Tarrytown to the music scene and campus area, and everything in between.
Lake Travis Reads is jointly sponsored by our three area libraries-Bee Cave Public Library, Lake Travis Community Library and Spicewood Community Library, and their respective Friends groups, and is designed to bring the community together to read and discuss a shared book or, in the case of this year’s program, a body of work by a single author.
“Sarah’s books were checked out a total of 240 times among the three libraries, which shows our program worked to encourage everyone to read this wonderful local author,” said Bee Cave Library Director Barbara Hathaway.
Anyone interested in joining the steering committee for next year’s Lake Travis Reads, and helping to choose the book or author the community will read in 2011 is encouraged to contact any of the three libraries.
For more information, please contact Barbara Hathaway at Bee Cave Public Library at (512) 767-6620; Morgan McMillian at Lake Travis Community Library at (512) 263-2885; or Spicewood Community Library at (830) 693-7892.