The General Store will once again host Common Stories, a literary series designed to let authors and readers connect with each other, on Friday, Sept. 9, at 7:30 p.m. Two novelists will read from their debut novels, both published this summer. Lindsay Hatton will read from her novel “Monterey Bay,” and Louise Miller will read from her novel “A City Baker’s Guide to Country Living.”
Lindsay Hatton. (Courtesy photos)
Louise Miller.
Both novels have been well received. “A City Baker’s Guide to Country Living,” published in August, was included on Bon Appétit magazine’s list of “8 New Food Novels to Read This Year,” which compared the book favorably to “Gilmore Girls,” the popular television show. Common Stories organizer Rich Marcello, who read the novel this summer, said in a phone interview this week, “If you like food movies and food books, this is a good writer to come see. It was a superfast read, lots of fun, and it really draws you in. It’s very well written.”
Hatton’s novel, “Monterey Bay,” published in July, is literary fiction that engages with one of the most famous American novelists, John Steinbeck. Booklist magazine said the novel’s “authoritative writing” brings to life the realm of John Steinbeck’s “Cannery Row.” Marcello also praised Hatton’s writing, which Kirkus Reviews called “exceptional prose,” by saying, “Hatton is trying to channel John Steinbeck, one of America’s most acclaimed authors, and she’s gotten good reviews saying she’s done it. For people interested in serious fiction, she’s a good one to come and see.”
Connecting writers and readers
As before, Common Stories is designed to allow readers and writers to interact with each other in a relaxed atmosphere. Each writer reads from her work for about 20 minutes and then engages in about 25 minutes of questions and conversation with the audience. Listeners can buy books, provided by Willow Books in Acton, and have them signed by the authors. Food and drink are for sale downstairs at the General, giving the event a night-on-the-town feel.
“It’s an opportunity for people to be exposed to an art form they won’t normally be exposed to in person,” said Marcello, who believes listening to the written word is very beneficial for both authors and readers. “For those of us who have experienced a writer read from his or her work, it ends up being very special, very generative, as the author connects with the audience.” And, he said, these readings are fun: “You get to hear interesting people speak, ask them questions, have some wine, eat some food, and have fun at a common gathering place.”
More information, including reviews of the novels and profiles of the authors, is available at the Common Stories Facebook page.
