Editor’s note: The press release was provided by the Friends of the Town of Pelham Public Library.

The Friends of the Town of Pelham Public Library are happy to announce that this year’s Novel Night invitation is generously sponsored by the Mellstrom Bischof Team at Julia B. Fee Sotheby’s. Novel Night, which will take place on October 2nd, is the central fundraiser for Pelham’s library. Funds raised through Novel Night are used to support library programming for adults and children, to fund essential purchases like new furniture and computers, and to ensure patron access to electronic information and technology.

Holly Mellstrom, the #1 ranked real estate agent in Pelham for 10 years, has lived in the same house on Manor Lane for 23 years. When giving tours of Pelham to potential residents, Mellstrom always includes a stop at the library, a beautiful building that serves as a meeting space for Pelhamites. When she first moved to town, Mellstrom hosted a Novel Night dinner based on Orhan Pamuk’s, My Name is Red, for which she cooked a Turkish feast for guests. Recalling that evening, Mellstrom said, “I even tried to get the author of the book to come make an appearance since he was on his book tour here in the US. Though I was initially disappointed when he couldn’t come, I later learned he doesn’t speak English!” Mellstrom values Novel Night because, as she said, “It reminds everyone that our library is here, relies on our support, and (that) the library helps make our community better—even if you don’t use it personally, it’s another great thing about Pelham. It is part of a larger Westchester Library System and it also helps families in neighboring towns as well.”

A Westchester native, Kristin Bischof has closed more than 150 real estate transactions worth over $120 million. Growing up with parents who owned a bookstore, Bischof has been surrounded by books her whole life. Bischof has lived in Pelham for the past 18 years, and her house is two blocks away from the Pelham library. She and her family have used the library as a valuable resource for books and movies, and as a quiet space to study or work. Bischof and her husband have hosted two Novel Night dinners in the past, one based on American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld and another inspired by The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri. “It is always such a fun event! When you get to the NYAC and see all the different costumes, you wish you could have gone to all the dinners,” Bischof said when asked about her experience with Novel Night. She added that the event “enhances the Pelham community by bringing different people together and making connections that otherwise might not have been made.”

Novel Night invitations, sponsored by Mellstrom and Bischof, will be mailed to all Pelham residents later this month; tickets for the event will go on sale August 17th at www.pelhamnovelnight.com.