World-class authors come to town for annual book signing

SHARON — Few things are better on a summer evening than table-hopping at the Hotchkiss Library of Sharon’s annual Summer Book Signing, to be held this year on Friday, July 31.

 Now firmly established on New England’s literary map, the event traditionally boasts an eclectic roster, and this year is no exception: Book buyers can reminisce with former Blood, Sweat & Tears guitarist Steve Katz, ask politically charged questions of national security specialist-turned-professor-and-novelist Richard A. Clarke and get gardening tips from design maven Bunny Williams.

“We have an unusually broad range of authors,” said Hotchkiss Library board member Tom Trowbridge, “from best-selling thriller writers with behemoth publishers like Random House to talented local authors with small, independent West Cornwall Publishing.”

Claudia Roth Pierpont, a featured author in 2014 with “Roth Unbound,” her biography of Philip Roth (no relation), was thrilled to share a table last summer with “the fascinating” Michael Korda, especially since she’d attended the book signing for years with her husband’s parents, Sharon residents Bob and Mary Pierpont.

“I’ve always enjoyed the mix of readers and writers in a garden party atmosphere,” Claudia Pierpont wrote in an email, en route from London. “And the dinner parties that are a new part of the tradition seem to me a brilliant stroke — a chance to continue talking about books with like-minded people late into the night. What greater pleasure?”

This year, her daughter, Julia Pierpont, will sign copies of “Among the Ten Thousand Things,” a debut novel that Vanity Fair calls “obsessively compelling” and “one of the most anticipated books of the year.” 

 “The entire family is over the moon about Julia’s beautiful, wise and very funny novel, and the tremendous acclaim it has received,” said her mother. “How many first novels get two rave reviews in The New York Times? We will all be there on Friday to bask in the glow.”

While the six author dinners being given in private homes later on Friday night are sold out, the book signing’s regular $30 admission gives everyone a chance to have the books they buy personally inscribed by authors — who often feel pressure to say more than “best wishes.” (In recent years, a few have been encouraged to write, “Thanks for the wonderful weekend,” in hopes of inciting lively posthumous speculation.)

Library board member Gretchen Hachmeister, who now heads the author selection committee, pointed out that the process of finding and inviting writers for the event takes several months — and begins not long after the previous book signing is over.  

“We start with local authors, spread out to the Tri-state area, follow reviews and pre-publication reviews, and see if names seem familiar,” she said. “Then we look back at who has been here over the last 10 or 15 years to see if they have new books. There are a number of publishing professionals in the area who contact us with suggestions. We also reach out to people in New York and beyond, thinking they might come up for the weekend, and they do!”

A dozen prize-winning children’s authors and illustrators will be on hand this year, among them Barry Blitt, an artist known for his New Yorker covers (including last week’s image of Donald Trump gleefully belly-flopping into a pool of Republicans), who also drew the lively illustrations for “The Founding Fathers!: Those Horse-Ridin’, Fiddle-Playin’, Book-Readin’, Gun-Totin’ Gentlemen Who Started America.”  

And while Newbery Award medalist Rebecca Stead’s eagerly awaited new YA romance, “Goodbye Stranger,” won’t be published until August, it can be pre-ordered at Friday’s event — and the obliging author, who lives in Sharon part-time, will sign bookplates and backlist titles.

 “Our area is incredibly rich in children’s authors and illustrators,” noted Hachmeister, who is one of the organizers of the Children’s Summer Book Signing. Free for children and their caregivers, it includes healthy refreshments and free paperbacks for the first 40 youngsters. 

“We did this two years ago and had so many compliments from the authors,” she said. “One even raved on her blog about the delicious cupcakes, which were donated by Sharon’s Jam Food Shop. This year we’re serving Jam’s equally delicious cookies, so of course we’re expecting more raves!”

 The Sharon Summer Book Signing on Friday, July 31, is held  under the tents at the Hotchkiss Library of Sharon, on Upper Main Street. The Children’s Summer Book Signing is 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., and the regular book signing begins at 6 p.m. The $30 admission  includes seasonal hors d’oeuvres and drinks. For directions and more information, go to www.hotchkisslibrary.org  or call 860-364-5041.