At Inquiring Minds in New Paltz:
Friday, December 9 at 7 p.m. – Will Hermes, author of Love Goes to Buildings On Fire: Five Years in New York that Changed Music Forever, will be at Inquiring Minds for a reading and book-signing.
At the Elting Memorial Library in New Paltz:
Sunday, December 4, at 4 p.m. at the Elting Memorial Library in New Paltz – The Haviland-Heidgerd Historical Collection, located in the Elting Memorial Library, will sponsor an author signing to celebrate New Paltz author William B. Rhoads’ new book, Ulster County, New York, The Architectural History & Guide. The book is an historical guide to 325 sites in all 20 Ulster County townships and the city of Kingston. Following a brief slide presentation, Dr. Rhoads will be available to sign his eagerly awaited new work, available for purchase at the library, which is located at 93 Main Street in downtown New Paltz. Call (845) 255-5030 or e-mail havilandheidgerd@yahoo.com for further details.
At Barnes & Noble in Kingston:
Saturday, November 26 at 2 p.m. – William B. Rhoads will discuss his newest offering to the body of local architectural information with his Ulster County, New York: The Architectural History & Guide, featuring 300 years of styles appearing in the Hudson Valley and Catskill Mountains, from the 17th-century Dutch stone houses of the Colonial Era through the Federal and Victorian periods to the Modernist architecture of the mid-1950s. His previous book was Kingston, New York: The Architectural History & Guide.
Monday, December 3 at 3 p.m. – Children of the Seventh Fire: An Ancient Story for Modern Times is Lisa Hart’s fully illustrated children’s book for use by teachers, mentors, parents, outreach educators and others interested in teaching the importance of environmental conservation, protection and sustainability. Using oral traditions from the indigenous people of Eastern North America, Hart has woven the Prophecy of the Seventh Fire into a children’s story that includes student characters of Native American and non-Native American cultures.
Saturday December 10 at 2 p.m. – Attention all train aficionados! Meet Steve Ladin and Glen Moffett, authors of Ulster County Railroads, New York (Images of Rail Series) for a discussion about all things train in our region.
Sunday, December 11 at 4 p.m. – Meet Susan Fox Rogers, author of My Reach: A Hudson River Memoir. Woven into Rogers’ intimate exploration of the river is the story of her life as a woman in the outdoors – rock climbing and hiking as well as kayaking – told from the seat of her kayak. She explores the bays and the larger estuary, riding the tides, marveling over sturgeons and eels, eagles and herons and spotting the remains of the ice and cement industries in this mixed-genre book that includes memoir, outdoor adventure, natural and unnatural history.
At the Golden Notebook in Woodstock:
Friday, December 2 from 5 to 9 p.m. – Open House in Woodstock! In-store author signings throughout the night will feature Jacky Davis and David Soman (Ladybug Girl and Bumblebee Boy), local comic artist Will Thorneater, local comic book legend Ramona Fradon (The Dinosaur that Got Tired of Being Extinct) and Janice Kollar (Butch Bakery Cookbook).
Saturday, December 10 at 5 p.m. at Upstairs at Joshua’s – Poets Brenda Coultas (A Handmade Museum) and Sam Truitt (Vertical Elegies 6: Street Mete) read.
Thursday, December 15 at 7 p.m. at Oriole 9 – Meet Larry Bush, author of Babushkin’s Catalogue of Jewish Inventions, updated and expanded with over 70 inventions.
At Half Moon Books in Kingston:
Saturday, December 3 at 5 p.m. – Nicholas DiGiovanni will read from his novel Rip, a modern retelling of the Rip Van Winkle fable.
At Inquiring Minds in Saugerties:
Sunday, November 27 from 3:30 to 5 p.m. – Helen Benedict will be reading from her new book Sand Queen, praised by the Boston Globe as being “The Things They Carried for women in Iraq.” A young American soldier who joined the Army to bring honor to her family and democracy to the Middle East finds herself guarding a makeshift American prison, where she meets an Iraqi medical student whose father and little brother have been detained in the camp. Culled from real-life stories of female soldiers and Iraqis, Sand Queen offers a story of hope, courage and struggle from the rare perspective of women at war.
Sunday, December 4 at 3 p.m. – Elizabeth Cunningham’s new novel Red-Robed Priestess is the completion of 20 years of work on The Maeve Chronicles. In this story, Maeve comes full circle as she returns to Britain to find the daughter whom the Druids ripped from her arms decades earlier. Formerly known as The Magdalen Trilogy, the Chronicles include The Passion of Mary Magdalen, Magdalen Rising: The Beginning and Bright Dark Madonna. In Red-Robed Priestess, Cunningham brings the series to a close.
Merritt Books in Millbrook:
Friday, December 2 at 7 p.m. at the Cary Institute Auditorium – Writer-in-residence Lynne Cherry, author/illustrator of over 30 award-winning books for children, will give a talk, “Inspiring Environmental Awareness in Youth through Books and Films.” Cherry is best-known for such books as The Great Kapok Tree and A River Ran Wild. The presentation will include videos from her collection of short films, Young Voices for the Planet. A book-signing will follow.
Saturday, December 10 at 4 p.m. – Eric P. Schmitt shares and discusses Counterstrike: The Untold Story of America’s Secret Campaign against Al Qaeda, co-authored with Thom Shanker, the story of how a group of analysts within the military, at spy agencies and in law enforcement fashioned an innovative and effective new strategy to fight terrorism.
At Oblong Books in Rhinebeck:
Saturday, December 3 at 7:30 p.m. at the Rhinebeck High School Auditorium – A special evening with award-winning comedian Andy Borowitz, performer and writer whose work appears in The New Yorker and at borowitzreport.com. Borowitz will perform and sign copies of his new book The 50 Funniest American Writers: An Anthology of Humor from Mark Twain to The Onion. Please note that Andy will only sign books purchased from Oblong Books. RSVP for this free event to rsvp@oblongbooks.com or call (845) 876-0500.
Saturday, December 11 at 4 p.m. – Bring the whole family to this special event with Peter Yarrow. His newest book is The Night before Christmas. Yarrow will sign copies and read to kids ages 3 and up, and adults, too! Copies of his six other children’s songbook titles can be preordered as well. To RSVP and preorder copies, contact rsvp@oblongbooks.com or call (845) 876-0500.
At the Stone Ridge Library:
Friday, December 2 at 6 p.m. at the Marbletown Community Center on Route 209 in Stone Ridge – The Stone Ridge Library and the Ulster County Historical Society will co-sponsor an author signing to celebrate William B. Rhoads’ Ulster County, New York, The Architectural History & Guide. Following a brief slide presentation, Dr. Rhoads will be available to sign his eagerly awaited new work, available for purchase for $24.95. A portion of profits from sales will benefit the two organizations.
At the Village Square Bookstore & Literary Arts Center in Hunter:
Saturday, December 3 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. – The Catskill Mountain Foundation will host a “Meet the Author” day in support of the effort to save historic 175-year-old Saint Mary’s of the Mountain Catholic Church, a structure located in Hunter that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Local author John Ham has produced 500 copies of a new book about the Town of Hunter and its storied past, containing more than 200 fine quality photographs of the communities of Hunter, Tannersville, Haines Falls and the smaller settlements within the township, many dating back to the early 19th century. Signed and numbered books will be offered for a minimum tax-deductible donation of $75. Additional gift copies may be obtained that day for $50 each. One hundred percent of the total sales of this new book will go toward this most deserving community project.
Join the family! 
