A Bestselling Novelist Is Coming to Highlands for Books & Bites

By Jon Tharp, Broker  ·  June 23, 2026

A #1 New York Times bestselling novelist is heading to the mountains, and her stop in Highlands tends to fill a room fast. Ruta Sepetys, the Carnegie Medal winning author behind Between Shades of Gray and Salt to the Sea, is the featured guest at Books & Bites, the literary gathering hosted by the Highlands Chamber of Commerce. If you read historical fiction, or you know someone who does, this is one to circle on the calendar.

Books & Bites does what its name promises. It pairs a visiting author with food and conversation, the kind of afternoon where you hear a writer talk about her work and then linger over it with other readers.

Where is Books & Bites being held in Highlands?

The event takes place in Highlands, the small high-elevation town tucked into Macon County in the far southwestern corner of North Carolina. Highlands sits at about 4,118 feet, which makes it one of the highest incorporated towns in the eastern United States and explains why its summers stay so much cooler than the lowlands.

You get there on US-64 and NC-106, the winding roads that climb up through the Nantahala National Forest. From Asheville, plan on roughly a two hour drive. That distance is part of the appeal. Highlands has always felt a little set apart, and that has helped it draw writers and artists for decades.

The Highlands Chamber posts the date, time, venue, and ticket details on its website. Author events in this town have a habit of selling out, so if you are interested, check sooner rather than later.

Who is Ruta Sepetys, and why does she matter?

Sepetys writes about the parts of history that got buried. The daughter of a Lithuanian refugee, she built her career telling stories that textbooks skipped, the deportations and wartime crossings that pulled in ordinary families.

Between Shades of Gray followed a Lithuanian girl deported to a Siberian labor camp under Stalin. Salt to the Sea told the story of the Wilhelm Gustloff, a maritime disaster that killed more people than the Titanic and Lusitania combined and that most readers had never heard of. The Fountains of Silence turned to Franco's Spain. I Must Betray You took readers inside 1989 Romania.

Her books have been published in more than sixty countries, and Between Shades of Gray became the film Ashes in the Snow. Hearing an author like this talk about how she finds and researches these stories is the real draw of an event like Books & Bites.

Why does Highlands keep attracting writers and readers?

For a town of just a few hundred year-round residents, Highlands has an outsized cultural life. Hudson Library, one of the oldest libraries in the state, anchors a long tradition of author talks and literary programming. The Bascom brings in visual art and exhibitions. Add a walkable Main Street full of galleries and restaurants, and you have a place that punches well above its size.

The seasonal rhythm helps too. From late spring through fall, the population swells with second-home owners and visitors escaping the heat, many of them readers with time to spend on a good event. That mix of permanent residents and seasonal regulars is exactly the crowd a writer like Sepetys draws.

If you have been meaning to spend a day up the mountain, an author talk gives you a reason. Pair it with a waterfall stop or lunch downtown and you have a full afternoon in one of the prettiest corners of Western North Carolina.

Author events like this are part of the rhythm up here, and if it has you imagining a place of your own in the mountains, Jon Tharp is always glad to talk it through.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Ruta Sepetys?

Ruta Sepetys is a #1 New York Times bestselling author of historical fiction and the daughter of a Lithuanian refugee. She won the Carnegie Medal, one of the highest honors in literature, and her books have been published in more than sixty countries. Her best-known titles include Between Shades of Gray, which was adapted into the film Ashes in the Snow, Salt to the Sea, The Fountains of Silence, and I Must Betray You. Her work focuses on hidden chapters of twentieth-century history, often stories that were silenced or forgotten, told through young characters caught in real historical events.

What is Books & Bites in Highlands, NC?

Books & Bites is a literary event presented by the Highlands Chamber of Commerce in Highlands, North Carolina. The format pairs a visiting author with food and conversation, giving readers a chance to hear directly from a writer and connect with other book lovers in a relaxed setting. Highlands has a long history of drawing notable authors and speakers, helped by institutions like Hudson Library and The Bascom art center. Event details including date, time, ticket price, and venue are posted on the Highlands Chamber website, and popular author events in town often sell out, so checking early is worth it.

Where is Highlands, North Carolina?

Highlands is a small mountain town in Macon County in the far southwestern corner of North Carolina. It sits at roughly 4,118 feet of elevation, which makes it one of the highest incorporated towns in the eastern United States. You reach it primarily by US-64 and NC-106, winding routes that climb through the Nantahala National Forest. From Asheville, the drive runs about two hours. Highlands is known for its cooler summers, waterfalls, upscale dining, and a walkable downtown that fills with visitors from late spring through fall.

What is there to do in Highlands besides the event?

Highlands packs a lot into a small footprint. Within a short drive you will find Dry Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, and Glen Falls, all easy to reach and popular with photographers. The Highlands Botanical Garden and the Highlands Nature Center offer a quieter afternoon, and The Bascom hosts rotating art exhibitions. Downtown Main Street is lined with galleries, boutiques, and restaurants that range from casual to fine dining. The surrounding Nantahala National Forest gives hikers miles of trails, and the cooler mountain air makes Highlands a favorite summer escape for visitors from across the Southeast.