Hamptons Celebrity Book Boom Continues with New Star Authors

Book deals have become the latest Hamptons status symbol. After releases from locals like Christie Brinkley, Naomi Watts, Jessica Seinfeld, Brooke Shields, Amy Griffin and Hilaria Baldwin, social media star Meredith Hayden – known as Wishbone Kitchen – has joined the trend.

Hayden, a former private chef for Hamptons-based designer Joseph Altuzarra, just released The Wishbone Kitchen Cookbook, her first at age 29. The book features seasonal recipes aimed at helping readers “cook like a professional hostess.”

Hayden has made a home for herself in the Hamptons, literally. She recently bought a $2.8 million barn-style house in Water Mill after spotting it during a cookbook shoot. “This house immediately felt special,” she told her 3 million followers. She plans to make it her full-time residence, with just “occasional trips to the city.”

Also joining the Hamptons book boom are Neil Patrick Harris and chef-husband David Burtka, who co-authored Both Sides of the Glass, a cocktail and mocktail recipe collection.

“We’ve spent years consuming incredible cocktails and getting frustrated at the lack of options for the sober,” the East Hampton couple said. Burtka, who celebrated eight years of sobriety last fall, joked with People, “Neil lost his drinking buddy, but after time tells, it’s great…I can push alcohol on [Neil] so we can go shopping afterwards. He’s more inclined to buy things.”

Meanwhile, Sagaponack’s own Jimmy Fallon just released Papa Doesn’t Do Anything on May 13 – the final book in his five-part children’s series highlighting different family members. The Tonight Show host has also co-written three additional kids’ books, including Con Pollo: A Bilingual Playtime Adventure with Hamptons neighbor Jennifer Lopez.

Paul McCartney is turning his 2005 children’s novel High in the Clouds into a 3D animated feature – and he’s bringing some musical heavyweights with him.

The Amagansett resident co-wrote the adventure book with Philip Ardagh and illustrator Geoff Dunbar. Now, under director Toby Genkel, the upcoming film adaptation will feature the voices of Celine Dion, Idris Elba, Lionel Richie, Ringo Starr, Hannah Waddingham, Himesh Patel, Jimmy Fallon, Clémence Poésy, Pom Klementieff, and Alain Chabat.

McCartney penned original songs for the movie. The former Beatle, a Hamptons regular, made waves last summer when he dropped in at an intimate show at The Stephen Talkhouse. He surprised the crowd by jumping onstage alongside producer Andrew Watt and Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith, performing The Beatles’ “I Saw Her Standing There” and Neil Young’s “Rockin’ in the Free World.”