February is here and no matter how you feel about Valentine's Day (😍/🤮), we know you'll agree that everyone wants to feel loved. You have certainly made that feeling real for us this year as we were honored to receive the Startup Business of the Year award from the Boone Chamber of Commerce. We know this award is directly related to community nominations and we literally could not have done any of this without you so thank you, from the bottom of our hearts! We are grateful to be part of such a generous and open-minded community of book lovers and we look forward to serving you for many years.

If you're a lover of Valentine's Day, be sure to come by the store for our First Friday Art Crawl, Friday, February 7th, and create your own love notes to distribute to your favorite people. We will have a Valentine's craft station, free wine (with valid ID), and a great giveaway!  Plus, if you make a shelf-talker for a book in our store, you get a coupon for 20% off ONE BOOK.

Not sure which book to purchase with your 20% off? Why not snag one of our new releases? There are several new titles available this month and you're sure to find something you love. You can choose from the following: A Black Women's History of the United States by Daina Ramey Barry, Belle Révolte by Linsey Miller, How to Live on 24 Hours a Day by Arnold Bennett, When We Were Vikings by Andrew David MacDonald, The Third Rainbow Girl by Emma Copley Eisenberg, and Highfire  by Eoin Colfer.

Watching a show or texting with a friend and the name of a great new book comes up? Afraid you won't remember the title when you finally make it to the store? Jump online and order it while you're thinking about it! You can have it shipped directly to your home or order it for in-store pick-up.

When you're ready to recommend your new book to a friend, you can use Libro.fm's new service, Bookstore Link, to be sure those you love are supporting your local bookstore. Bookstore Link connects readers to their local independent bookstore for online book purchases. When you follow a link to a book on Bookstore Link, you'll choose your local independent bookstore and be connected directly to our website to complete your transaction. This ensures that Foggy Pine Books, not Amazon, is making book sales. It's a win for all of us!

Not only does Libro.fm provide thousands of DRM-free audiobooks and independent bookstore support via Bookstore Link, they also offer FREE ALC's (Advanced Listening Copies) for all teachers and librarians. That's right! If you are a teacher or librarian, you can sign-up and download the books everyone else is waiting to read! Get started here! 

Wondering what titles you can expect in your ALC's? Chances are, some of our most popular upcoming pre-orders will be available! These include: Heartstopper by Alice Oseman, If It Bleeds by Stephen King, Conjure Women by Afia Atakora, The Prettiest Star by Carter Sickles, Aru Shah and the Tree of Wishes by Roshani Chokshi (Book 3 of the Pandava Series), and Stormsong by C.L. Polk. If you're wanting to get your hands on a hard copy of these titles you'll be happy to know that all pre-orders are marked 15% off the cover price. So browse away and, when you're ready to order, head over to the website to choose your favorite one(s)!

If you've been by lately, maybe for a book club or author event, you may have noticed a new face around the store. We would like to formally introduce y'all to Elly Murray, our newest staff member. Elly is interning with Foggy Pine Books as she pursues her professional writing degree at App State. She is writing content for the blog and newsletter and, closer to the end of the semester, will be doing an intern takeover of all our social media. Keep your eyes peeled for her exciting, literary content and be sure to give her a wave if you see her around the store!

Speaking of book clubs and author events, we are excited to be hosting/co-hosting a ton of amazing events in February. First up is Story Slam at Noble Kava on Saturday, February 8th at 7pm. Come out and tell your true, 5 minute story on the theme "Moral Dilemma". Not ready to share your own story? Come listen and enjoy this welcoming and supportive community storytelling event. Foggy Pine Books also hosts a monthly open mic in partnership with Out of Your Mind, a local, non-profit mental health community. We'll be meeting on Feb. 10 at 5:30pm at the bookstore. This open mic provides a space for our local high school students (& extended community) to creatively express themselves and socialize with other artists. Musicians, poets, comedians, dancers, and magicians are welcome!

We are, once again, hosting a TRIO Live event on February 18th at 7pm. TRIO is a testament to the way words, music and art can come together around the power of a single story. We will be hosting the following authors/songwriters/visual artists this year and we hope you'll join us for this free event brought to you by Working Title Farm and check out some of the books, music, and art promoted by TRIO: PJ Brunson, Mark Bumgarner, Kay and Patrick Crouch, Eric Erdman, Radney Foster, Joanie Gardner, Jim Hamilton (The Last Entry), Caleb Johnson (Treeborne), Liz McKay, Dale Neal (Appalachian Book of the Dead), Bobbie Pyron (Stay), Kimberly J. Simms (Lindy Lee: Songs on Mill Hill), Shari Smith (I Am A Town), and Terry H. Watkins (Darling Girl).

On the 20th we are thrilled to offer a reading/signing/Q&A session with Lees-McRae professor Scott Huffard for his new book, Engines of Redemption. In his book, Huffard examines the rapid growth, systematization, and consolidation of the southern railroad network, demonstrating how economic and political elites used the symbolic power of the railroad to proclaim a New South had risen. The railroad was more than just an economic engine of growth; it was a powerful symbol of capitalism’s advance. Come by the store at 6:30 to learn more!

Our book clubs will meet as usual this month. Silent Book Club will be meeting February 11th @ 1pm and February 15th @ 6pm. Bring any book you're currently enjoying for an hour of quiet reading in the company of other book lovers. If you want to discuss what you're reading afterwards, the conference room is available for discussion. If you want to read and leave, you can do that too! Whatever makes you comfortable.

Our Fantasy/Sci-Fi Book Club will meet on the 27th @ 6:30pm to discuss Monstress, by Marjorie Liu and Foggy Pine Book Club will meet on the 29th @ 7:30pm to talk about My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithewaite. We'll share wine & conversation as we discuss the books. These book clubs are open to anyone & we want to hear what you thought about the book, even if you didn't finish it. Book club is an excellent way to meet fellow book nerds in your community!

For more information on book clubs, author events, and featured events, check our our Facbook page or online calendar.

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!

And last, but not least, our labor of love is finally ready to share with you! We have been fine-tuning our local consignment page and we are beyond excited to announce that it is open for submissions! If you are an author who lives in NC full time, who is independently published, and whose book is not published via CreateSpace, which is an Amazon-owned company, we would love to talk with you about stocking your book in-store. Please read our FAQ here and, if you think your book would be a good fit for the store, fill out the application and we will be in touch!

And that's a wrap for February. We can't wait to see you around the store for an event or just to chat about what you're reading. You can find more information about any of our events or readings on our Facebook page. 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!

Every year, for Father's Day, we get to see dads spending this special day with their kids at our bookstore. We can't tell you how much it pleases us to see fathers sharing a love of reading with their children. The encouragement of a father who loves to read can go a long way toward showing children, but boys especially, that reading is not only fun but something you can develop and enjoy your whole life.* So, we want to say thank you to ALL dads but a special thank you to the bookish ones who read bedtime stories, make up silly songs, take their kids to storytimes, and generally model reading as a pleasure activity. You are helping to build the next generation of readers, of critical thinkers, of authors and illustrators, of storytellers. And we all know that the world needs more stories.

We still have time slots available for the conference room so now's your chance to get your book club, knitting club, wine club, whatever club into a great space that is designed to meet your needs. We've got everything set up online so that making reservations is as simple as possible. You can even schedule a time to volunteer at the bookstore! We could always use someone to help out in the garden, clean, organize, read stories, and many other things. We always appreciate any help we receive but, after all, this is your bookstore too! Click here to get started or call the bookstore with any questions!

Don't forget that we accept used books now! We are available to go through your order from 12-5pm Tuesday through Saturday. If you have more than 50 books, please call ahead to make an appointment so we can be sure someone gets through them all at once. Your accepted books will be credited to your account and can be redeemed when purchasing other used books. For more information about our used book program, visit this page. Right now, we could use books to help fill out the fantasy, science fiction, chapter books, mystery, southern nonfiction, and classics sections. It's the perfect time of year to get that spare room/storage unit/closet cleaned out. 

We are still accepting donations for a few items that we need to help make Foggy Pine Books the coziest little bookstore you could imagine. ​We need rugs to help protect a few areas in the store from damage through use, particularly behind the register where we're constantly moving our chairs around and in the seating areas that get the most use. This summer has been sweltering and, even with open windows and ceiling fans, we've been feeling pretty melted by the end of the day. We could use just one standing fan to help create a cross breeze that will, hopefully, keep the store cool for the rest of the summer--especially once the new windows and window screens are installed (thank you, Joan!). Finally, we're trying to green up our space with house plants and we just love how cozy they make our space feel. We've been getting them a few at a time and nurturing some cuttings so that they can be potted but we could always use more. Whether you just have some cuttings or you have full, potted plants, we want to adopt your house plant babies. We prefer ones that need low to medium light since they'll stay inside all year long, often on top of shelves that aren't near windows. As always, a huge thank you to everyone who has donated and volunteered so far!

We have some store adjustments to share with you to make your browsing experience a little easier. We have expanded our religion section and that entire bookshelf now features the Religion/Spirituality section. We also decided to remove all biographies from the General History/Social Sciences section and relocate them to the Memoir/Autobiography section, which has been expanded and renamed Memoir/Biography. We felt that it made more sense to meld these two genres together. We've also added titles to the Discount Section so be sure to check it out!

Attention Watauga High students and parents!! We stock ALL of the summer reading titles for your rising 9th to 12th graders. We have these books in stock throughout the year so that those who won't be taking these classes until the fall will still be able to make the purchase for their class. All assigned titles are in their own section with the Battle of the Books titles. Books are separated by class and a book list is tacked up right next to the shelf. All assigned titles will get a 10% discount, as well! Included in this discount is the title assigned by Appalachian State University for the Common Reading Program--The Laramie Project. You can find this book in the same Summer Reading section.

June is Audiobook Month and our audiobook partner, Libro.fm, is giving you a FREE audiobook! All you have to do is click here to sign up for a membership, which you can cancel at any time, and you'll get your free audiobook--NO STRINGS ATTACHED! While your on their site, take some time to browse their playlists, audiobook bestsellers, and bookseller recommendations. You can always find something excellent to read on Libro.fm!

We have a couple events this weekend and a few more to wrap up the month that we'd like to share with you and hope very much to see you there.

First, let's discuss this weekend's events. On Saturday, June 23rd from 6-9pm, we'll be hosting the Travelin' Appalachians Revue. This event is a showcase of Appalachian authors, artists, and musicians featuring local creators. We're incredibly excited for this unique event and look forward to meeting the local talent. We hope you'll join in and share some free wine with us while we soak up some local Appalachian creativity. 

Next, we have the Young Adult Book Club on Sunday, June 24th at 6:30pm. We meet at the bookstore to discuss the book and share some drinks and snacks. This month we're reading Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi.  You can learn more about this book and our book club through our book club blogs. Click here to read about the June 2018 meeting. You can also check out the Foggy Pine Book Club Blog and the Hatchet Coffee Book Club Blog to learn more about those meetings that will take place next week. 

We are so excited about the Queer Literature and Film Series that we've partnered with Noble Kava to bring to our community next week. On Friday, June 29th at 6:30pm, we'll host the Queer Literature Night at Foggy Pine Books. Mary will give an introduction to the event and talk about the importance of representation and diversity in publishing. Then, we'll mingle and share book suggestions with one another. We'll have our Queer Literature display on hand with lots of LGBTQIA+ titles to help generate discussion. On Saturday, June 30th at 7pm at Noble Kava, we will be showing the movie Milk, about California's first openly gay man to be elected to public office. Kristina will introduce the film and talk a little bit about representation and about queer politics. Then, we'll watch the movie together on the kava bar's projection screen. There will be plenty of seating and snack and drinks available for purchase at the bar. 

Finally, we are pleased to introduce to you our newest featured author as a part of the Local Author's Spotlight program--Kelsey Day. Kelsey is an incredible young person whose passion for writing has led her to publish a variety of things before even finishing high school. She's just graduated now and has released a collection of poetry about her high school and own coming of age experiences titled The Last Four Years. You can pick up a copy of her book from the bookstore anytime and you can meet her at the July First Friday Art Crawl! We'll be hosting the talented young author during the downtown Art Crawl who will be available to chat with about her writing and to sign your books. You won't want to miss out on this opportunity to get Kelsey's autograph before she hits the big time. So, come out for Art Crawl on July 6th and, starting at 6pm, you'll be able to meet this lovely author and browse the store with a glass of free wine. To learn more about Kelsey and her book, click here.

We have a new review up on our website, written by our bookseller, Yelisa. She discusses Leslie Marmon Silko's classic novel, Ceremony. You can read the whole review on our review blog (click here) which features reviews from the owner and booksellers at Foggy Pine Books. 

We also have a review blog to feature reviews written by our community members! You can see the page here to read reviews and to get an idea what we're looking for. Then, the next time you finish a book you love, email it to us, and we'll feature it on our blog! We'll also let you borrow an ARC (Advance Reader's Copy) book if you'd like to review something but are unable to buy a book right now. We just want to know what books our community is into and we know that the community wants to know what everyone else is reading. So, don't be shy! Please email us your reviews!

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* - Five Reasons Why Dads Should Read to Their Children More