Oxford

The link among all of these people is the Howorths, who own Square Books, a local institution and one of the country’s better known independent bookstores. (They also operate an annex, Off Square Books, and a store specializing in children’s books.) Located in a 19th-century brick building on Oxford’s elegantly preserved town square, the store is a popular stop on book tours, and the couple has become friendly with a lot of writers in the 29 years they’ve been in business. Being naturally hospitable people, they often invite visiting authors to stay at their five-bedroom house instead of in a hotel.

Mr. Hodgman, who is a contributing writer to The New York Times Magazine, and Mr. Blount — both in town to appear on “Thacker Mountain Radio,” a variety program co-created by Mr. Howorth and broadcast live each Thursday from Off Square Books — were the writers-in-residence on this particular night. But on any given week, especially in the fall, the publishing industry’s busy season, a best-selling novelist or first-time author is likely to be sleeping in the downstairs guest room.