Chiswell Book Club November Meeting

Every other month, Chiswell’s avid readers and wine enthusiasts are getting together to deep dive on a new and exciting book! Join us for cozy times, compelling discussion, and (naturally) just the right wine to pair with our book.

November’s Book: The Pirate Queen by Ariel Lawhon

2026 | Historical Fiction, Adventure

A sweeping historical adventure inspired by the life of Grace O’Malley, the legendary Irish folk heroine who risked everything to defend her people. Venture onto the high seas with the thrilling latest from the New York Times bestselling author of The Frozen River and I Was Anastasia.

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Grace O’Malley was born to be a sea captain. But despite her natural skill on the water, Grace learns early that her dreams of a life at the helm are not compatible with the expectations of her noble family. As the only daughter of a powerful chieftain, her role is to secure a strong alliance and bear children. But when she’s sent to foster with a nearby clan, Grace falls for a clever and open-minded second son—a man she cannot have.

Married off against her will to a brutal warrior, Grace performs her duty, all the while gathering followers loyal to her, and consolidating her husband’s power, only to be ousted from his lands. But this betrayal offers Grace the opportunity to return to sea, finally leading clan O’Malley’s mighty fleet. Just as she finds true independence, Queen Elizabeth’s incursions into Ireland grow bolder and Grace must fight to defend her land, her ships, and the people she loves most against the cruel and power-hungry English deputies, who will stop at nothing to check her influence.

Keenly observed and fiercely written, Ariel Lawhon’s new action-packed novel channels the untamed beauty and harsh realities of sixteenth-century Ireland, as seen through the eyes of an unforgettable heroine who rightly became “the Pirate Queen of Ireland.”

–Penguin Random House

The Chiswell Book Club

The Chiswell Book Club meets every other month, with each book chosen by the previous meeting’s attendees. Our 2026 meetings are:

Sunday, February 1 | 1–3 PM | Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera
Sunday, March 22 | 1–3 PM | The Correspondent by Virginia Evans
Sunday, May 24 | 1–3 PM | By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult
Sunday, July 26 | 1–3 PM | The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett
Sunday, September 27 | 1–3 PM | One Tragic June by Jean Pugh Shipman
Sunday, November 22 | 1–3 PM | The Pirate Queen by Ariel Lawhon

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