It's October and what better way to celebrate this spooktacular month than by diving into something by the master of scary, Stephen King! King has received many awards and nominations over the years including multiple Bram Stoker Awards, World Fantasy Awards, and British Fantasy Society Awards as well as the National Medal of Arts, Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters and the O. Henry Award. He has also received awards for his contribution to literature for his entire oeuvre, such as the World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement (2004), the Bram Stoker Lifetime Achievement Award (2002), the Canadian Booksellers Association Lifetime Achievement Award (2007), and the Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers of America (2007).

This month, we've selected Joyland, a story set in a small-town North Carolina amusement park in 1973. The novel follows college student Devin Jones who takes a summer job at Joyland, hoping to forget the girl who broke his heart. But he winds up facing something far more terrible: the legacy of a vicious murder, the fate of a dying child, and dark truths about life—and what comes after—that will change his world forever.

A riveting story about love and loss, about growing up and growing old—and about those who don’t get to do either because death comes for them before their time--Joyland is Stephen King at the peak of his storytelling powers. With all the emotional impact of King masterpieces such as The Green Mile and The Shawshank Redemption, Joyland is at once a mystery, a horror story, and a bittersweet coming-of-age novel, one that will leave even the most hard-boiled reader profoundly moved.

"High Pulp: Stephen King's "Joyland" -- LA Review of Books
"Joyland by Stephen King" -- The Guardian
"Stephen King on Growing Up, Believing in God and Getting Scared" -- NPR
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This month we wanted to read something both true and spooky. We decided on this memoir by Jen Waite about discovering that her husband was most likely a psychopath or sociopath after what had seemed like a perfect marriage. Definitely creepy and a little unnerving, this book has received good reviews from Publisher's Weekly and Kirkus Reviews so we thought we'd give it a chance. 

Here's the official summary:
One night. One email. Two realities.

It all started with an email…

Before: Jen Waite has met the partner of her dreams. A handsome, loving man who becomes part of her family, evolving into her husband, her best friend, and the father of her infant daughter.

After: A disturbing email sparks suspicion, leading to an investigation of who this man really is and what was really happening in their marriage.

In alternating Before and After chapters, Waite obsessively analyzes her relationship, trying to find a single moment form the past five years that isn’t part of the long con of lies and manipulation. Instead, she finds more lies, infidelity, and betrayal than she could have imagined. With the pacing and twists of a psychological thriller, A Beautiful, Terrible Thing looks at how a fairy tale can become a nightmare and what happens when “it could never happen to me” actually does.

In addition to being disturbing as all hell, this book also address the topic of domestic violence and abuse. October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month and our hope is to tie in some of the events in the book to DV awareness and support of victims. 

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 the month. If you'd like to purchase online, we have the following the formats available:

Digital Audiobook
eBook
Paperback
Hardcover

We'll meet at Foggy Pine Books on October 27th 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.

Today Show Interview--"Jen Waite on Megyn Kelly"

BookPage Review-- "Book Reviews: A Beautiful, Terrible Thing" 

The New York Times Review--"New in Memoir: Lessons in Falling in Love and 2 accounts of its Horrors"​

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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