Fiction. Biography. Memoir. Mystery. This summer booklovers can find something for everyone at the "Meet the Author" events during June and July at The Country Bookshop in Southern Pines.

"We had a wonderful response to our winter and spring series," says Bobbie Bicket, owner of the independent bookstore on Broad Street. "There was standing room only for UNC basketball star Wes Miller; Ann B. Ross, the author of the 'Miss Julia' series; and 'Hissy Fit' author Mary Kay Andrews. We were particularly excited to introduce our customers to new authors like novelist Therese Fowler, author of 'Souvenir,' and investigative reporter Ron Stodghill, author of 'Redbone;' along with a number of award-winning mystery writers who were in the South for the Malice Domestic conference. Several of the authors agreed to do phone interviews for area book clubs."

During the next two months, The Country Bookshop will host seven author events.

"It's a great time to get out of the heat, have a cool drink, and meet some fascinating people," Bicket says.

The summer series begins on Friday, June 6, at 2 p.m. with Asheville native Sara Addison Allen and "The Sugar Queen," the follow-up to her New York Times best-selling debut novel, "Garden Spells," a finalist for the 2007 Southern Independent Booksellers Award (SIBA) and a book club favorite.

On Thursday, June 12, at 4 p.m., Justin Catanoso, a Pulitzer Prize-nominated business journalist and visiting lecturer at Wake Forest, will present his book, "My Cousin the Saint: A Search for Faith, Family, and Miracles."

Catanoso charts the parallel history of two relatives -- his grandfather who left Italy to pursue New World prosperity in the U.S. between the two World Wars, and his grandfather's cousin who, after a life of serving the poor in Italy and founding an order of nuns, was approved by Pope John Paul II to become a saint.

Dawn Shamp from Durham, who was recently interviewed on NPR, will present "On Account of Conspicuous Women," on Thursday, June 19, at 4 p.m. In her debut novel, Shamp paints a portrait of four suffragette-era women struggling with race, gender, class, and religion as they try to find their way in 1920s rural Roxboro.

The month ends with historian Dr. Valerie Raleigh Yow from Chapel Hill on Thursday, June 26, at 4 p.m. when she discusses her biography, "Betty Smith: Life of the Author of 'A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.'" Yow will share the real-life stories of Smith's relatives who inspired the characters in her books, and of Smith herself who was Francie.

Horse lovers and anyone who cares about animals won't want to miss Susan Richards, author of "Chosen by a Horse," on Wednesday, July 9, at 4 p.m., when she shares her new memoir, "Chosen Forever."

"Richards' 'Chosen by a Horse' is one of the most popular books we've ever had at The Country Bookshop," Bicket says. "The bond she forged with Lay Me Down, the abused racehorse rescued by the SPCA, is simply unforgettable."

In Richards' honor, Bicket is donating a portion of the sales of her two books during the author event to the North Carolina Equine Rescue League-Sandhills Region. Additional contributions will be accepted at the bookstore during the entire week and forwarded to the League.

Mystery lovers will enjoy hearing Donna Andrews, creator of the "deliciously daffy" (Publishers Weekly) Meg Langslow mysteries, on Friday, July 11, at 2 p.m., when she presents "Cockatiels at Seven," her new hardcover, and "The Penguin Who Knew Too Much," new in paperback.

The Country Bookshop's Summer "Meet the Author" series concludes on Thursday, July 17, at 4 p.m. with Mary Alice Monroe and her new novel, "Time is a River," set in a mountain sanctuary near Asheville where a breast cancer survivor begins her recovery while reading the long-lost journal of a well-known fly-fisherwoman from the 1920s. Monroe, who lives on Isle of Palms, S.C., is the author of 11 books including "Sweetgrass," "The Beach House," "Swimming Lessons," and a children's book, "Turtle Summer: A Journal for My Daughter."

The fall series will begin on Thursday, Aug. 28, at 4 p.m. with John McNally, author of the novels, "America's Report Card" and "The Book of Ralph," and a collection of original essays, "When I Was a Loser: True Stories of (Barely) Surviving High School."

McNally, whose fiction has appeared in over 30 journals and magazines, will present "Who Can Save Us Now? Brand-New Superheroes and Their Amazing (Short) Stories," an anthology of 22 of today's most talented writers (and comics fans) who unite to fight the forces of evil.

For information, call The Country Bookshop at (910) 692-3211.