One for the books: beautiful weather, no bugs, big crowds

SHARON — It was a weekend to remember for the Hotchkiss Library of Sharon.

On Friday, Aug. 6, the library held its annual summer book signing event. Thirty-one authors attended, with books about everything from a dog called Waggit to a monk who is also a respected chef to the perpetrator of a notorious fraud. The only author who was unable to attend was Rafael Yglesias, author of “A Happy Marriage,â€� who had to cancel because of an injury.  He was represented instead by his agent, Lynn Nesbit, a Sharon resident.

Sharon resident Ann Brashares, author of the Traveling Pants series, attended, as did Brian Ross of ABC News, Rachel McPherson of the Good Dog Foundation and others.

Figures are not available yet on how much money was raised at Friday’s event, but Library Board President Kristin King said  318 people attended.

“Many of the authors sold out of their books, which is wonderful. It was a very lovely evening. It was also successful in terms of morale boosting. This is an event that celebrates the town and our wonderful volunteers.�

Board member Laurie Lisle, who is chairman of the summer book signing, said the annual event brings Sharon residents together for a project that generates tremendous enthusiasm.

“So many people in the community helped to pull this all together,� Lisle said. “I think it is seen as a gift to the community from the library. This is our way to celebrate reading, writing and learning, which is exactly what the library is all about.�

On Saturday, Aug. 7, and Sunday, Aug. 8, the library held its annual used book sale under tents outside the library building.

“Used book sales are very hard to organize, which is why some libraries don’t hold them anymore,� King said. “They are very labor intensive because you have to move and organize tons of books. There was lots of work involved.�

Again, no figures are available yet but King said sales were strong at this summer’s event.

“It was a very special weekend for us,� King said. “We are all so grateful to everyone who has helped us out. Overall, we had more than 100 people volunteer for us during this past month. This is how organizations like ours succeeds, because we have a lot of people helping out.�

Summer events continue this month at the library when Robert the Guitar Guy performs on Aug. 12 at 1 p.m.

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