Though National Poetry Month is in April, our book club has been wanting to read some poetry for a while. We wanted to read something that had recently won an award and that was accessible to non-poetry readers. We landed on The Poet X since it had just won the National Book Award and was written for younger readers. Elizabeth Acevedo is a New York Times best selling author. She is the winner of the 2018 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature, The Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Fiction, the Boston Globe-Hornbook Award Prize for Best Children’s Fiction, and the Pura Belpré Award for a work that best affirms the Latinx cultural experience.

Her books include, Beastgirl & Other Origin Myths (YesYes, 2016), The Poet X (HarperCollins, 2018), & her upcoming title--With The Fire On High (HarperCollins, 2019). We're so excited to discuss this critically acclaimed book together and to bring more poetry into our lives. What's it about, though? The summary given by the publisher says: 

Xiomara Batista feels unheard and unable to hide in her Harlem neighborhood. Ever since her body grew into curves, she has learned to let her fists and her fierceness do the talking. But Xiomara has plenty she wants to say, and she pours all her frustration and passion onto the pages of a leather notebook, reciting the words to herself like prayers—especially after she catches feelings for a boy in her bio class named Aman, who her family can never know about.

With Mami’s determination to force her daughter to obey the laws of the church, Xiomara understands that her thoughts are best kept to herself. So when she is invited to join her school’s slam poetry club, she doesn’t know how she could ever attend without her mami finding out. But she still can’t stop thinking about performing her poems--because in the face of a world that may not want to hear her, Xiomara refuses to be silent.

If this sounds like something you'd like to read, you can get your copy of the book from the store with a 15% discount until the end of May. If you'd like to purchase online, we have the following the formats available:

Hardcover
Large Print
Digital Audiobook
Audiobook CD

We'll meet at Foggy Pine Books on May 25th at 7:30pm. We'll have free wine and snacks for book club members to share.  Bring a friend and come discuss the book with us, even if you weren't able to completely finish it or if you didn't like it. You can see the Facebook event & RSVP here.

Starred Kirkus Review -- "The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo"
The New York Times Review -- "Speaking Truth, Beautifully, to Shattered Young People"
Publisher's Weekly Interview -- "Q & A with Elizabeth Acevedo"
Literary Hub Interview -- "Meet National Book Award Finalist Elizabeth Acevedo"

This month's choice for the Foggy Pine Book Club is Girl In Disguise by Greer Macallister. We so enjoyed The Alice Network and when we found another book about female detectives/spies, we couldn't resist giving it a chance.  

Published last year, this historical fiction is set in Chicago in 1856 and has an ending inspired by true events. Kate Warne, widowed and penniless, manages to convince the great Allan Pinkerton to hire her as one of his detectives. From there, Kate fights her way to becoming one of Pinkerton's elite squad. Her talents lie in deception and manipulation, taking on the role of countless women, all in the name of getting the job done. Her work takes Kate from her former life of near-ruin to one of danger, deviousness, and trickery as she establishes herself in a man's world. From Chicago's mean streets to the battle lines of the Civil War, Kate's dangerous journey is a never-ending thrill ride. Macallister's masterly storytelling brings her characters to life, and the skillfully handled suspense never wavers. 

The Pinkerton National Defense Agency, as it was founded, was created by Scotsman Allan Pinkerton in 1850. He became famous when he claimed to have prevented an assassination attempt on then-President Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln hired Pinkerton for personal security during the Civil War and, at the height of it's power, was the largest private law enforcement organization in the world. Due, in part, to this success the Pinkerton agency became the model for the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the United States.

Copies of the book are available for purchase at the bookstore for $15.99 but you'll always get 15% off our book club selections. You can also purchase it from us online in the following formats:

We will meet at Foggy Pine Books on Saturday, June 30th at 7:30pm. We'll share free wine and a snack together. Bring a friend and come discuss the book with us, even if you weren't able to completely finish it or if you didn't like it. You can see the Facebook event & RSVP here. 

'Girl In Disguise' Is A Spunky Spy Saga
Celebrating History's Bad-Ass Women: PW Talk with Greer Macallister (interview) 

Hi, folks! I want to say THANK  YOU to everyone who came out for the September meeting. There were more people than I was expecting and, in the excitement, I forgot to take pictures. I'll try to remember this month though, so we can have a running gallery of how much fun we have! 

Anyway, this post is about our meeting this month. It's scheduled for 7:30pm at the bookstore on Saturday, October 29th. We will be discussing In A Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware. Click the title to read more about this fast-paced thriller, which is available at the store for 15% off or, if you prefer, you can order it as an e-book from my online ordering site, just click HERE for an epub file or to use with the blio e-reader app. I'll also have Halloween themed treats and apple cider available to members. 

All in all, it's going to be a lot of fun. If you plan on coming, please use this form to sign up so I know how many snacks and drinks to prepare for. 

I look forward to meeting everyone and I'm so ready to discuss this book!
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