Chef Who Fed Pope, UFC Champ Among Bookends' April Authors

In April, villagers can meet the chef who cooked a divine meal for departed Pope Benedict XVI. (He ate goulash, spaetzle, sauerkraut, and strudel, in case you were wondering.) 

There are also opportunities to meet a lauded musician, one of the best basketball players of all time, one of history's best-selling authors, one of the best-pound-for-pound fighters in the world, Dr. Oz's daughter, Miley's dad, and even Sherri Shepherd, who remains unconvinced the world is round.

Of course, the April celeb signings are all going down at Bookends. Check out the list of signees below: 

Wednesday, April 3 at 7:00 p.m. 

Kelly Oxford, whose ascent from Calgary playdate-scheduler to author and screenwriter is largely thanks to a robust Twitter following, will be signing copies of "Everything is Perfect When You're a Liar."

April 5 at 6:30 p.m.

Professional wrestler and current WWE Smackdown manager Booker T will be back in Ridgewood to sign copies of his second biography.

Wednesday, April 10 at 7:00 p.m.

Prominent "mommy" blogger Jill Smokler and "Lost in Suburbia" columnist Tracy Beckerman will be in the familiar 'burbs for a book signing.

Thursday, April 11 at 7:00 p.m. 

Bergen County resident and NY Times best-seller Mary Higgins Clark will stop by Bookends to sign copies of "Daddy's Gone A Hunting," her latest thriller.

Saturday, April 13 at 1:00 p.m. 

Musician Dick Wagner, who wrote songs and played guitar with Alice Cooper, Kiss, Lou Read, Peter Gabriel and Air Supply, will sign copies of his first book.

Saturday, April 13 4:00 p.m.

Model, actress, sportscaster and pro volleyball player Gabrielle Reece will sign copies of her latest novel, "My Foot is Too Big for the Glass Slipper."

Tuesday, April 16 at 6:00 p.m.

Star of "L.A. Ink," Kat Von D will be at Bookends to sign copies of her latest. Interestingly, she recently gave the daughter of Billy Ray Cyrus a tattoo. Billy Ray stops by on Wednesday.

Wednesday, April 17 at 6:00 p.m. 

Singer, actor and father of Miley, Billy Ray Cyrus will be signing copies of his latest memoir, "Hillbilly Heart."

Thursday, April 18 at 4:00 p.m. 

Dan Gutman, NY Times bestselling children's author, will sign copies of his latest work.

Thursday, April 18 at 7:00 p.m. 

Daphne Oz, co-host of The Chew, Thurs. will sign copies of "Relish," which will be released on April 16.

Saturday, April 20 at 9:00 a.m.

Luisa Luisi, Ridgewood schoolteacher and author of "Your Best Coaches" will sign copies of her children's novel.

Thursday, April 25 at 6:00 p.m.

Earl "The Pearl" Monroe, Knicks legend will sign copies of his latest book.

Thursday, April 25 at 8:00 p.m. 

One of the greatest fighters in the world, George St. Pierre, UFC's welterweight champion, will be in Ridgewood to sign copies of his biography, "The Way I Fight."

Saturday, April 27 at 1:00 p.m. 

Famous chef and star of "Lidia's Italy" on PBS, Lidia Bastianich will sign copies of her new cookbook. Oh, by the way, did you know she cooked for the new pope?

Tuesday, April 30 at 7:00 p.m.

"The View" co-host Sherri Shepherd will be signing copies of "Plan D," a weight loss novel.