by Katharine Brown

Hello fellow bookworms! Spring is here with grey mornings, soggy afternoons, and chilly evenings but don't you worry, we have some great opportunities to keep you from getting bored as we wait for the sunshine. We have our monthly book clubs, an open mic, author events and more. Or, if you'd rather stay inside and snuggle up with a good book, check out our staff picks and new releases. There's something for everyone at Foggy Pine Books!

We are always excited to be partnering again with Out of Your Mind, a local, non-profit mental health community, to bring you Foggy Minds Open Mic! This open mic will provide a space for our local high school students and extended community to creatively express themselves and socialize with other artists! Musicians, poets, comedians, and magicians are welcome. Foggy Minds Open Mic will take place every second Monday of the month from 5:30-7:00pm at Foggy Pine Books. Our next meeting is Monday, March 9th, TODAY, and we hope to see you there. You can learn more and RSVP here on our Facebook page.

We are continuing to host Silent Book Club and have meetings twice a month, the second Tuesday @ 1pm and the third Saturday @ 6pm. Getting involved is simple. Just show up with the book you’re currently reading, grab a cup of coffee or tea, and read for an hour curled up in one of our chairs or couches. When you're finished, you can chat with other members in the conference room or you can head out. No pressure. If you're interested in a more traditional book club, our Foggy Pine Book Club meets on the last Saturday of the month @ 7:30pm and a Fantasy & Sci-Fi Book Club that meets the last Thursday of the month @ 6:30pm. Check out this month's selections on the book club blogs where you can read author interviews, book reviews, and more.

Come join us for a community event featuring local author Meredith Leigh and Blue Ridge Women In Agriculture (BRWIA) in celebration of the second edition release of Ms. Leigh's book, The Ethical Meat Handbook. Foggy Pine Books will host a conversation between Ms. Leigh and BRWIA on assuming responsibility for the food on your fork, integrating animals into your garden or homestead, and the economics and parameters for responsible meat production. For more information or to RSVP check out our Facebook event.

Last month, we introduced you to Elly, our new professional writing intern. She has been hard at work researching literary news, writing reviews, and crafting blog posts. If you've read The Golden Compass you'll love her take on the award-winning YA book and, if you're a Gaiman fan (and who isn't?) you'll be over the moon when you read her piece about The Sandman. Take a peek, leave a comment, and let her know what you think!

As you know, we have partnered with Libro.fm to bring you the hottest new audiobooks at great prices that support your local indie bookstore (that's us!). They have everything you want to listen to, including a Foggy Pine Books Staff Picks list and a playlist for Women's History Month. Want to earn two free book credits? Switch from Audible & use the code SWITCH when you sign up to get your free credits! We want to reward you for choosing your local indie bookstore.

We do have a bit of housekeeping to cover when it comes to parking. We know how difficult it is to find parking on King St. but, with the amount of downtown traffic, we are having to enforce our customers-only parking policy more strictly. The 6 spaces marked by 3 signs on the Turchin Center side of the lot and the handicapped parking space are for Foggy Pine customers currently in the store ONLY. You may not leave your car & walk elsewhere. If you do this, we will have you towed, at your expense, according to the signs posted clearly in our lot. If your car has been towed, you may pick it up from Bill's Garage. Thank you for your understanding in this matter.

Take a peek at what we're reading behind the scenes this month. As always, if you've read any of these titles, we'd love to chat with you about them!

Before we wrap up this post, we have some sneak-peeks at events coming soon that we know you'll be as excited about as we are. April 25th is Independent Bookstore Day and we have lots of exciting things planned to celebrate. Keep your eyes peeled for a blog post detailing all the discounts, giveaways, and other surprises we have in store! Then, in May, we are thrilled to bring author Brian Panowich to Foggy Pine Books to launch his new book, Hard Cash Valley. Finally, keep your eyes peeled for an announcement later this week about a new series of low stress social events. If you’re an introvert, new in town, or just want to socialize in a casual, task-oriented environment, these events will be perfect for you. More details will be forthcoming so make sure you’re signed up for our newsletter! We can't wait to see you all there!

​Read on!

Hello fellow bookworms! As we head into the next few weeks, many of us are looking for ways to give back out of our abundance. We are excited to share with you an opportunity to do just that this holiday season. We have set up a donation program to benefit OASIS by providing books for all their littlest clients during the holidays. Get 25% off any children's or YA book that is purchased for donation and Foggy Pine Books will match that with a book donated for an adult. Together, we can spread the joy of reading and be sure that no one is without a gift this season!

While you're here picking out the perfect donation title, don't forget to snag a copy of our beautiful holiday catalog. Filled to the brim with lovely books and great gift-giving ideas, you're sure to find something for the reader on your list. Can't swing by the store but still want to shop? Browse from the comfort of your couch on our brand new website. That's right - we've been hard at work and we finally get to share our online store with you! We can't wait to hear what you think!

There are a few other changes ahead as we move toward the end of the year and the calendars start filling up. The Swap Shop is ending in December and will no longer be accepting donations. All items will still be available for $1 per item or $5 for a bag. Swing by and take a peek - you never know what you will find! We have also decided, after a show of hands, to change the meeting time for the Fantasy & Sci-Fi Book Club. The club will meet on Thursdays at 6 pm starting January 2020. If you're not already part of a book club, we would love to have you try us on for size!

Not ready to commit to monthly book club meetings? An author visit may be just what the doctor ordered. We have local author Jim Hamilton in the store this month, doing a reading from his debut novel, The Last Entry. Come by this Friday and see what all the buzz is about!

We will be closed for Thanksgiving to allow our staff time to visit with family & friends. We'll be open our regular hours on Black Friday & Small Business Saturday. Come see us first thing Saturday and be entered to win one of THREE amazing giveaways - a set of books, a $30 gift card, or a canvas totebag! If you're one of the first ten purchasing customers, you will get 25% off your total order. Can't make it in first thing? We are also offering 10% off all books purchased between 5-9 pm. All purchases entitle you to a free, warm cup of coffee/tea/cider/cocoa and some Jane cuddles. So many reasons to shop local!

Looking for things to do this month? In addition to today's author visit, we have quite a few things events to join in this month. We have two regular book clubs that meet once a month to discuss our shared read. You can learn more about them here. The inaugural meeting of the brand new Silent Book Club is November 12th at 1pm. Learn more about that here. It's also NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) and we're holding 4 more write-ins this month. Come write with us and get free coffee & snacks then, during the last write-in, we'll have cake to celebrate your writing all month! There's always a lot happening at Foggy Pine Books so keep an eye on our calendar & we hope to see you at an event.

November is shaping up to be a busy month but that doesn't mean we've taken a break from reading over here at the store. Check out our staff picks and let us know what's on your list this month! Hint: You can click each cover to buy online from our new store!

Book signings, story time, discounts: there's always a lot going on at Foggy Pine Books. On top of our event packed weekend, we are offering 20% off parenting books and 2018 calendars and planners. Come browse our selection and get some cat snuggles for free!                                                                                     

That's all the news for this week, book worms. See you at the store!