Pat Baker has written several well received novels including Union Street, Blow Your House Down, The Century's Daughter, The Man Who Wasn't There, Regeneration, The Eye in the Door, The Ghost Road, and Another World. She has won numerous awards (the Fawcett Society Book Prize, the Guardian Fiction Prize, the Booker Prize for Fiction) and has had several of them adapted for stage and screen. 

In The Silence of the Girls, Barker takes on the story of the Iliad and re-imagines it as we’ve never seen it before: in the words of Briseis, Trojan queen and captive of Achilles. Given only a few words in Homer’s epic and largely erased by history, she is nonetheless a pivotal figure in the Trojan War. In these pages she comes fully to life: wry, watchful, forging connections among her fellow female prisoners even as she is caught between Greece’s two most powerful warriors. Her story pulls back the veil on the thousands of women who lived behind the scenes of the Greek army camp—concubines, nurses, prostitutes, the women who lay out the dead—as gods and mortals spar, and as a legendary war hurtles toward its inevitable conclusion. Brilliantly written, filled with moments of terror and beauty, The Silence of the Girls gives voice to an extraordinary woman—and makes an ancient story new again.

If this sounds like something you'd like to read, you can get your copy of the book from the store or online with a 15% discount through the end of March. Remember, you can have it shipped directly to you or come pick it up in store!

We'll meet at Foggy Pine Books on March 28th at 7:30pm. There will be 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.

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) 

Summer has passed and we're finally headed into Fall. The weather up here has been cooperating on that front and the temperature has dropped more quickly than it has in previous years. In addition to getting chilly, we've also had a lot of rainy & foggy weather. In short, it's reading-under-a-blanket-with-a-mug-of-tea season! 

For that reason, instead of wine, we're going to offer warm apple cider with rum at this month's book club meeting, and a sweet fall treat. Once everyone gets settled in, we'll be discussing The Keeper of Lost Things by Ruth Hogan. 

Here is the book summary from the publisher: 
A charming, clever, and quietly moving debut novel of of endless possibilities and joyful discoveries that explores the promises we make and break, losing and finding ourselves, the objects that hold magic and meaning for our lives, and the surprising connections that bind us
​Lime green plastic flower-shaped hair bobbles--
Found, on the playing field, Derrywood Park, 2nd September.

Bone china cup and saucer--
Found, on a bench in Riveria Public Gardens, 31st October.

Anthony Peardew is the Keeper of Lost Things. Forty years ago, he carelessly lost a keepsake from his beloved fiancée, Therese. That very same day, she died unexpectedly. Brokenhearted, Anthony sought consolation in rescuing lost objects—the things others have dropped, misplaced, or accidently left behind—and writing stories about them. Now, in the twilight of his life, Anthony worries that he has not fully discharged his duty to reconcile all the lost things with their owners. As the end nears, he bequeaths his secret life's mission to his unsuspecting assistant, Laura, leaving her his house and and all its lost treasures, including an irritable ghost.

Recovering from a bad divorce, Laura, in some ways, is one of Anthony’s lost things. But when the lonely woman moves into his mansion, her life begins to change. She finds a new friend in the neighbor’s quirky daughter, Sunshine, and a welcome distraction in Freddy, the rugged gardener. As the dark cloud engulfing her lifts, Laura, accompanied by her new companions, sets out to realize Anthony’s last wish: reuniting his cherished lost objects with their owners.

As always, these monthly book club meetings are open to everyone. We also do book club a little differently. If you didn't finish the book or didn't like it, we won't hold it against you and we definitely still want you to come. The whole point of book club is to bring people together through a love of literature. So, come out and join us! We love new members!