Books 'n Beer: Take the Edge Off Holiday Shopping

Lincoln Park book enthusiasts looking to take the edge off their holiday adventures can seek refuge this week in a local bar, where shoppers can kill two birds with one stone. 

Kaye Publicity and The Book Cellar are teaming up Nov. 29 for "Books and Beer Holiday Shopping Night," in which four featured authors will be on hand with their works at The Hidden Shamrock 2723 N. Halsted St. from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. The annual event helps shoppers find the perfect gift for everyone on their list, and have a beer while doing it. 

Authors present will be Jamie Freveletti, Keir Graff, Linda Joffe Hull and Erika O’Rourke. The four will personalize books before they are wrapped, adding an extra special touch, said Dana Kaye, owner of Kaye Publicity.  

"It's completely free to attend the event," she said. "We had this idea a couple years ago when we were thinking about all these holiday shopping nights. … Anyone who buys books from each of the authors will get a free drink."

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The Book Cellar is also offering an incentive—customers will save 10 percent on all book purchases.

Kaye says the beauty of the event lies in the variety of the authors. Freveletti writes high-octane thrillers that often appeal to men; Hull's forte is women's fiction and suburban satire; O'Rourke writes teen fiction and Graff writes middle-grade fiction, she said. She hopes the four will help attendees identify gifts for multiple people on their holiday lists.

This year is the second time the event is being held. It debuted in 2010 and though coordinators didn't hold it last year, they said they hope to keep it going in the future.

"The real draw is the authors, who will all be there hanging out," Kaye said. "But it's also a great way to meet your neighbors over cheap drinks and good books."

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