Mary Morris speaks!

Back in June we had the immense privilege and pleasure of welcoming Mary Morris to our virtual world to discuss her brilliant new memoir, ALL THE WAY TO THE TIGERS. If you missed that discussion, we’re pleased to present it here - just click on this link.

We have signed copies of Mary’s book in the shop - if you’d like to order a copy, call us at (573) 777 6990 or drop us a line.

Here’s what a few people had to say about the book:

"Mary Morris’s All the Way to the Tigers is a travel memoir and quest. Alluringly written in short, meditative chapters, it whizzes back and forth between America and India . . . he conceptual opportunity in a memoir such as this is to understand that the reader is stalking the elusive striped beast alongside the narrator."
--New York Times Book Review

“Fact: Mary Morris is the best travel writer alive. I am humbled by her skill at using the bones of a journey to get to the heart of herself. She's a master of the craft.”
--Jodi Picoult, New York Times bestselling author of A Spark of Light and Small Great Things

"Mary Morris has long been a master memoirist, and All the Way to the Tigers is among her finest works. Brave, layered, complex, and deeply human, this is a story of a woman traveling alone, only now she is older, wiser, and has even more to teach us about the lengths to which we must go to reach our deepest selves. I loved this book.”
--Dani Shapiro, New York Times bestselling author of Inheritance and Hourglass

"In All the Way to the Tigers, Mary Morris so seamlessly combines her interior and exterior experiences, the effect is simply magical, the work of a virtuoso. The journey inside the author’s own mind is every bit as captivating as the trip itself. I’d follow her anywhere."
--Robert Kolker, New York Times bestselling author of Hidden Valley Road

"Morris is frank, funny, and incisive as she revisits her 'free ranging' Chicago childhood, single motherhood, and her start as writer, and expounds on tigers in the world and in the imagination . . . Morris’ epigrammatic memoir is a finely wrought mosaic of unexpected and provocative pieces cunningly fit together."
--Booklist

"Engrossing . . . Morris’s descriptions of remote beauty, grinding urban poverty, and exotic adventures will captivate armchair tourists and travel memoir fans."
--Publishers Weekly

"In short meditative chapters that go back and forth in time, Morris documents her own evolution, as a traveler and a writer, always returning to the tiger, in history, as image, as symbol, as uber-predator whose numbers are dwindling, and finally as that breathing furnace of power and beauty that stalks our dreams, rousing from deepest slumber the little that’s left of the wild in our hearts.”    
--Valerie Martin, author of Ghost of the Mary Celeste and Property

"I have long been a fan of Mary Morris,  and this wry and luminous new memoir only deepens my admiration for her gifts."   
--Dan Chaon, author of Ill Will

"In this extraordinary memoir, Mary Morris explores the wild--and her life--with passion, lyricism, wisdom, and wit. I could not stop reading till I got to the last page. Dazzling."
--Judy Goldman, author of Together

Enjoy the conversation!

Meet Mary!

We’re very excited to welcome bookseller extraordinaire Mary OMalley to the Skylark team! Mary has been slinging books at the fabled Anderson’s Bookshop in Illinois for several years, and is beloved far and wide throughout the independent bookstore world. As the world adapts to a more online existence, we recognized an opportunity for Mary to join the Skylark team as our Roving Virtual Bookseller At Large, even though she won’t be coming to Missouri any time soon. She is super smart, reads absolutely everything, and really, really knows her stuff.

Mary will be posting reviews and other bookish content on the website and our social media pages, so we think you’ll get to know her pretty quickly. One of the things she’ll be doing is posting a weekly book talk via Facebook Live. The first of these will be tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. - go to our Facebook Page to see her in action and say hi!

Mary OMalley is a Ridiculously Enthusiastic Bookseller. An avid reader all her life, she rediscovered her passion for all things literary as a Bookseller for Anderson's Bookshop at their LaGrange location. She has been known to mildly stalk her favorite authors through social media, and reads across a large range of genres. When not reading, she and her husband are tending to their little suburban homestead with two cats, two dogs, two fish, and soon-to-arrive four chickens. She and her husband live outside Chicago and have three children and one adorable grandson. You can find Mary on FB, Insta and Twitter at Blurb Your Enthusiasm. 

Hilary's "Read For Each Other" Library Fundraiser!

One of the rewarding bits about being an independent business is the ability to focus on local impact with our donations and outreach. It isn't something we talk about much, mostly because we believe in the actions more than the publicity of those actions. Right now, however, we are going to share a link with you, because one of our wonderful customers had a very cool idea and it turned into a real thing, and we’d love as many people as possible to get involved.

Hilary is one of our customer-friends and also one of the amazing and involved teachers with CPS. In the vein of birthday fundraising she asked us to help create this little adventure. The idea is to get reading materials into the hands of educators to help provide them with tools necessary to understand cultural, ethnic, and religious groups that they are not a part of. This will allow educators to better understand their students, colleagues, community members, and other stakeholders.

For every dozen books that are purchased, Skylark will make an additional contribution to the fundraiser.

Click on this link to learn more. It’s a really great project, and the more people who get involved, the better for everyone.

Thanks, Hilary!

New Children's Books to Look Forward To!

Beth writes…

Although like the rest of you I’m feeling pretty Zoomed-out, I recently squeezed in the Children’s Book and Author Virtual Dinner as part of BookExpo 2020, which is usually a huge in-person book publishing event.  I was glad to have caught it, because it featured some notable children’s authors discussing their upcoming books that I want to share.  This list constitutes Part I, where I’m focusing on younger booklovers.

Natalie Portman's Fables by--you guessed it--actor Natalie Portman is being released on October 20 for $19.99.  She offers retellings of The Tortoise and the Hare, The Three Little Pigs, and Country Mouse and City Mouse.  In the webinar Natalie talked about striving to present these familiar  tales in a more modern way so that she’d want to share them with her own children.  This book is aimed at children aged 4-7.

Bunheads by another performing artist, dancer Misty Copeland--the first black woman to be promoted to principal dancer at American Ballet Theatre--is coming out on September 29 for $17.99.  Aimed at children aged 5-8, this title is the first in a series of picture books based on Misty’s own early life in ballet.

If you’re familiar with P Is for Pterodactyl: The Worst Alphabet Book Ever that humorously addresses silent letters, you’ll be delighted to hear that Raj Haldar is returning with No Reading Allowed: The Worst Read-Aloud Book Ever, out on November 10 for $17.99.  Aimed at children aged 4-8 (along with the rest of us), this release that highlights homonyms promises to be just  as hilarious as his first title.  During the webinar I discovered that Raj is a rapper, hence his love of wordplay. 

I’ll be back with Part II of BookExpo’s 2020 Children’s Book and Author Virtual Dinner, where I’ll share a couple of upcoming titles for older readers.  In the meantime, let us know if you’d like to reserve any of these sure-to-be-popular titles for pick-up at the shop on release date.

New (=old) Hours!

We know we don’t need to tell you what a strange few months it’s been. We’re so grateful to you all for your patience and support as we have worked to come to terms with this new, COVID world. The shop has been through many strange transformations over the past several weeks, but now actually looks more or less like a shop again - if you ignore the boxes of quarantined books on the floor by the front stage.

We are constantly monitoring developments and keeping track of the progress of the disease, both locally and nationwide. And while things aren’t looking great right now, we’re doing our best to stay positive while also doing everything we can to keep our staff and our customers as safe as possible.

Our doors remain shut. Much as we would love to see you all again, we don’t feel that this is a safe option at this time. However:

• Appointments are now available, and as of today we will be offering four per day. Go here to reserve your spot - but please read our terms and conditions first.

• As of today, Monday, June 29, we’re expanding our hours for curbside pick-up and telephone assistance back to our pre-pandemic operations - almost. We’ll be open from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday to Saturday. So: no late night opening on Friday and Saturday, and we’ll still be closed all day Sunday. But it’s progress.

Again, thank you all for your continued support. We are keeping all extremities crossed that we’ll be able to see you soon.

Anti-Racist Reading, Appointments, and Mary Morris! The June Newsletter.

COPYRIGHT JANE MOUNT

First of all, friends, we hope this finds you well. 

Like everyone else, we have been watching the events of the past several weeks with grief and anger.  Every day brings fresh horrors, new outrages of injustice and systemic racism. Sadly these troubles are anything but new, but recent events have once again brought them into a wider public eye.

As booksellers, we like to believe that you can find the answers to most problems inside the covers of a book, but that is not the case here. What books can provide is context, perspective and insight - and that can be a good place to begin or continue a difficult and uncomfortable journey toward better understanding.

In the last few days we have been deluged with requests for books that address racial inequality and discrimination in America. Some of the most requested titles are Stamped From the Beginning  by Ibram X. Kendi, The New Jim Crowby Michelle Alexander, and White Fragility, by Robin DiAngelo. These are titles that we have been selling enthusiastically ever since we opened Skylark, but now copies have become hard to come by due recent events. The publishers (often small houses with limited resources) are scrambling to keep up with the sudden demand. Every day we are speaking to publishers and wholesalers and hunting down copies where we can. Give us a call at (573) 777 6990 or send us an email to let us know what you want - if we can't put our hands on a particular title right away, we can probably recommend something else that we do have in stock. If you or your book group wants to read a particular title, we'll give you our most recent information about availability and arrival estimates. You might also consider listening to the audiobook - Libro.fm is not restricted by reprinting schedules and so everything is immediately available there.

Just to be clear: it isn't enough just to read a book or two. All we can offer, really, is information. Then it's up to each of us to get to work. 

Black Lives Matter.
 

Appointments!

To happier things.

We thought that this newsletter would mainly be about COVID-19 and our on-going work to get through the crisis. Even though under the terms of the city ordinances we have been allowed to open our doors for some weeks now, we have chosen to remain closed to keep our staff and their families safe and healthy. However we are slowly (and cautiously) inching our way back. The next step is to introduce appointments for browsing in the shop, which we are introducing with immediate effect. We'll be offering two slots a day, at 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., and these will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis. We would love to see you and talk books! Go here to sign up - but please, do read our terms and conditions.  
 

Mary Morris Discusses "All the Way to the Tigers"

To more happy things.

We're holding a very special event on Wednesday, June 24, at 7:00 p.m.. Mary Morris, legendary novelist and travel writer, will be coming to Skylark (virtually!) to discuss her wondrous new memoir, All the Way to the Tigers, with Alex, who read the book last year and fell in love with it.  The discussion will take place online, and you can register for it here. Like all our events, it's absolutely free. Mary has kindly agreed to sign some Skylark bookplates for us, so if you would like a signed copy of the book, give us a call or drop us a line and we'll take care of it for you.

Support Independent Bookshops with #ReadIndieForward!

We’ve been so bowled over by your support over the past eight weeks and are so appreciative. Thank you so much to everyone who has called and written to buy books from us during this difficult time.

As many of you already know, although we are now allowed to open our doors, we have chosen not to do so until we are sure that it is the right and safe thing to do. In the meantime we are still mailing out books and doing curbside delivery (on which subject, have you seen our masks? We all have very natty ones that we put on when we run out to give you your books!)

Recent figures from the publishing industry have shown encouraging growth in sales of print books during the pandemic. (Only so much Netflix you can binge, huh.) But despite this good news, things remain perilous for independent bookshops. Thanks to your support, we have managed to keep staffing levels more or less as they were before the virus struck, but there is no way of knowing how sustainable this is. All of which is to say, we - and our local small business friends in the District - continue to rely on your support.

And here's a fun way to help with that. It’s called the #ReadIndieForward campaign. Participating is fun, simple, and easy:

1. Buy a book from your favorite independent bookstore and send it to a loved one;

2. Post to social media that you #ReadIndieForward by gifting a book to a loved one;

3. Tag the person receiving the book, tag the independent bookstore you bought the book from, and use #ReadIndieForward;

4. Encourage your friends and family to #ReadIndieForward too!

We’re looking forward to helping you spread a little bookish love across the universe! Give us a call on (573) 777 6990 or drop us an email at mail@skylarkbookshop.com, and we’ll take care of you!

Joy, and How To Find it

Carrie writes…

The changes that recently (does time exist anymore?) came to Skylark Bookshop came in wave after white capped wave. For a while there, it seemed like Alex and I had to check in several times a day, to adjust and readjust. Then we gradually fell into a rhythm. It was not what we ever expected our shop lives to look like, but it felt more like gentle lapping waves at our shore. It felt manageable.

Skylark never stopped . . . okay there was a five minute span there when Alex and I were texting and a lag between texts made it seem like we couldn't even receive shipments, much less get books to customers. It was an ugly five minutes . . . okay, I cried . . . but then it was over. Some of our staff took extra time with their families. Some worked from home. We all kept in touch, but it was a lonely in touch. We missed the hum of one another, as we missed you.

Now the waves are retreating, unpredictably. We know adapting is part of the long game, but adapting in the direction of having you in the shop again brings us joy. And since we have all that extra joy hanging around, I wanted to share some bits of it with you.

None of us like to think too hard about Faramola graduating and moving onward, but we also love her ambition. We love her. Recently her awesomeness has been recognized in some pretty major ways. She truly is headed to do some incredible things. My new routine involves random shouts and whispers of "Yay, Faramola!" She rewards me with a smile every single time. I encourage you all to chime in at random. Because, seriously, Yay, Faramola!

Our phone line gets tied up . . . a lot. Some of it is busy and some of it is how we get to spend time with you now. On each end of the line, we attempt efficiency and sometimes get distracted. The excitement when we say "Hi, Joe/Marsha/Lily/Kelcie/Jeri/Justin/Peggy/Pam/Suzanne(I could keep going)" is serious excitement. We wish we had more time to touch base, but the glimmers are shiny.

My car now needs an oil change. That is to say, while we couldn't bring your books curbside, Alex and I delivered a lot of books. It was fun seeing how many of you are neighbors. It was particularly fun dropping off the same book to three different houses on a cul-de-sac and pondering the upcoming discussion. I loved texting "book delivery!" and seeing you grin from your door before I could put my car into gear. We are still doing a few deliveries (see website for restrictions) but are happy to be getting home in time for dinner now. My husband is thrilled about the early oil change . . . or something.

Yay, Faramola! (See what I did there?)

The Paris Hours met the world. So many feels.

Speaking of The Paris Hours, Becky and I spent a few hours last week prepping the mail packages. As I typed your names into the computer we greeted you . . . no really . . . we talked to each of you, shared some of our favorite memories (we might be a young store, but oh my word, the memories!), and laughed. For the record, Becky is amazing to laugh with.

Also for the record . . . we need to tidy the shop. It is possible that we don't visit the recycle daily anymore (unless Chris is working . . . thank goodness for Chris) and boxes are our new decor. It is also possible that we have rearranged some of our inventory to make room for things like puzzles, and curbside pick-ups.

I have always enjoyed opening boxes, but there are new squeals of joy these days. Some for the distraction products like the puzzles, and even more when a publisher ships us something in a perfectly sized box for a set of books about to head out into the brave world. Beth is our master of oooing in excitement. You should hear it sometime. Joyful.

Not to leave anyone out, Erin is our new rock star on emails. She can pretty much plow us all in email answering efficiency. Though we all sign "Team Skylark," a huge percentage of those replies come from her. I think she has extra hands. As much as she loves trees, I wouldn't put growing limbs past her.

Also, Carol . . . Carol does a million and one amazing things on a daily basis, but right now she is my absolute hero. Carol procured me extra Snack Tuna Packs. This might sound silly, but I have been living on those five-minute multi-tasking lunches. Tuna matters folks. Carol matters.

Oh and one last thing.

Yay, Faramola!

COVID-19 - an update

As the Missouri statewide stay-at-home order lifts today, we wanted to write to give you an update about the shop and how we will be moving forward from here.

Under the terms of the statewide and local ordinances we are allowed to open our doors to the public today, but we won’t be doing that.

Our priority, first and foremost, is the health and safety of our staff and our customers. We do not feel that opening the shop right now is the safest course of action. We will continue just as we have over the past several weeks, taking orders by phone and email, and mailing, delivering or doing curbside pick-up.

In other words, nothing is going to change.

We plan on spending the next week tidying up the shop, securing additional cleaning supplies, and monitoring the situation generally, and then we will decide how to proceed. We may at that point decide that it’s safe to open the shop to individual shoppers on a by-appointment basis, but cannot make any promises right now. Rest assured that all decisions will be made in order to protect the health and safety of you and our staff.

WE MISS YOU ALL SO MUCH! But we hope you understand our decision to proceed with caution at what is still a very uncertain time. Thank you all so much for your amazing support over this extraordinarily difficult time. We feel honored and proud to keep getting books into your hands.

Stay well, keep reading, and keep washing your hands!

THE PARIS HOURS is available today! (Yes, 3 days early!!)

So, today is the day when THE PARIS HOURS ventures out into the world - in Columbia, at least. (Everyone else has to wait until Tuesday.)

If you pre-ordered a copy of THE PARIS HOURS, you can pick it up curbside today, from 11:00 to 5:00.

If you asked for home delivery but don't want to wait until Monday or Tuesday, you're welcome to stop by today and pick it up instead.

If you asked for the book to be mailed, then we probably sent it out yesterday, and it should be arriving today or Monday.

If you did none of the above, but would like to grab a copy today, please call us at (573) 777 6990 (or email your number if you can't get through and we'll call you back! mail@skylarkbookshop.com) to make payment and then you can swing by to pick it up!

Love, Actually

From Carrie…

I got my first Skylark accidental "I love you" yesterday. We've all done it . . . closed a conversation with the awkward and autopilot affection, face palmed, and pretended it was possible for the person on the other line not to hear properly.

This was not a regular customer; it was someone completely new, someone discovering the joys of local business and customer service. I participated in the obligatory feigning of ignorance and hung up the phone before chuckling.

But then it hit me. I wanted to say "I love you too." 

In our current isolated and physically distant coronavirus world, human interaction is valuable. I had just spent five minutes on the phone with a stranger. We joked, bonded, found the perfect book, and filled a gap that only literature could fill. This is love folks . . . and I am holding onto every little nugget that I am fortunate enough to experience.

So yes, strangers. Yes, friends. I love you too.

We Miss Our Customers!

Becky writes…

Like everyone, I have been adjusting to the daily changes that living in this uncertain time requires. It's been a trying time, for everyone, and I've felt very lucky for my many blessings. Our world has never felt so small, nor so confusing. It's hard to keep my head on straight.

I was able to take a few weeks off work from the bookshop, when things started to get really serious in the news. It was time that I needed to focus on my children, and I was grateful for the time off.

I returned to the bookshop this past Monday to a completely different world. Same bookshop, same staff, but no customers. No cars downtown. I could sit in the middle of 9th St and not see a car for several minutes. It's bizarre. The sun is still shining, but it's like a snow day, every day.

But then we get to the emails and the phone starts ringing. At first, and maybe for always, it's a bit overwhelming. This isn't how I'm used to selling books. I like to see you in person and talk to you a bit before I try to find the right book for you. Doing this kind of transaction electronically takes away that interaction, that getting to know you part. And I miss that.

I've been stuck at home, just like you all, and I realize that my absolute favorite part is getting to talk to you all. And now we're having to do this a whole new way.

I worked three frenetic days in a row. By day three, I felt like I had finally found my rhythm. And, maybe, the secret...

Every time the phone rang, or I clicked on an email, I decided to treat it just as if you were in front of me in the bookshop. I'll take the time to offer suggestions for your different aged grandchildren, even if it takes us several emails to sort it all out. We've got nothing but time, right? 

You all have been so patient with us while we try to work through all this. Our organizational systems could probably be better, but we are an indie bookstore, not corporate. There weren't contingency plans for this and no one is telling us what to do.

I know I speak for the entire staff when I say that we miss you guys. I got teary yesterday when one of our regulars walked by and waved through the window, after calling a few minutes earlier to order a boxed set. We blew kisses at each other through the glass.

So let me keep recommending books to you, because that really what I like best. And since I can't do it in person, here are two of my favorite recent reads that I'd be putting in your hands if you were in the bookshop. One day we'll get there again. I'm looking forward to it.

The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel

A beautifully written novel about a woman with a complex family history and an intense tie to the sea, who gets involved with a man who runs a Ponzi scheme. I read this book slowly and languidly because the scenes were so thoughtfully described. Architecture, place, and time are themes that flow through the story, along with the ability to completely change one's self in order to adapt to situations. It felt timely, and was a nice balm to the soul at the end of the day.

In Five Years by Rebecca Serle

A charming novel about a young woman who has her life plan completely in place, but is then derailed when she has a dream/premonition about herself in five years, living a vastly different life than the one she had planned. She then spends the next five years trying to keep her life on track and avoid the dream outcome. I read this is one sitting, so be warned. It's that compelling. 

We have both of these at the shop if you want to pop us an email at mail@skylarkbookshop.com and say hi, we can send them to you! And we love hearing from you!

The extrovert in me is dying to see you all again, but for the meantime, virtual hugs to you all. Be safe. Read well.

A Little Fright Reading

Chris writes…

We are living in fear inducing times.  The pandemic we are suffering through likely has many of us feeling more frightened than we have experienced before.  Some may find horror to be the wrong genre to explore presently, but for me it has been a source of refuge. Monsters, ghouls, and evil humans offer a type of fear we can easily accept and understand.  Particularly when compared to a virus we know little about and which we have received contradictory information about. I happily embrace the boogeyman over a fear I have little control over.  

The horror genre has many short stories.  Short stories have been appealing because presently my body is flooded with stress hormones which has left me with a decreased attention span.  After finishing a short story I am left with the same feeling of accomplishment from reading a full length novel, but have a much smaller level of commitment I must dedicate.  Despite the length, these tales pack quite a punch. Think of Edgar Allen Poe for example; he has very few lengthy works, but provides a concise and powerful explanation of civilization, human motivations, and the fears which drive each of us (no matter how much we attempt to repress them.) 

Fear isn’t going to leave us, even after the pandemic subsides.  Fear is ingrained in humanity. It is a core emotion; fear is a survival mechanism.  Fear is uncomfortable, it is overwhelming, it changes the ‘us’ we understand ourselves to be.  Fear is powerful, but it is not negative. Fear changes how we see and understand the world around us, and facilitates ways in which we can respond differently.  Being frightened forces us to think outside the box, to search for new solutions, and encourages us to find out how we can become the heroine of our life story.

To be a hero we need a monster to scare us.  

Horror is a powerful genre! It teaches ways to cope with fear, and how to adapt when the world becomes frightening.  Through literature we can experience a controlled fear, and a fear we can control will help us learn how to manage fear in situations we have little control over.  Literature lets us practice fear in safe settings. Scare yourself a little with a frightening tale, so the world doesn’t do it for you. No matter what story you pick I am certain you will find parallels to what you are experiencing now.  

Here We Are. Thanks To You.

First of all, and most importantly, we hope that you are all well.

It’s now been two weeks since we closed our doors to the public, and we are continuing to adapt to ever-changing circumstances here at the shop. Since the Columbia City Council passed its Stay At Home order, we’ve been in touch with city officials to check (and double-check) that we are complying with all requirements. We continue to follow CDC best practices to ensure the health and safety of our staff and customers. We no longer share phones, pens, or keyboards, and of course we are practicing social distancing. And boy, are we ever washing our hands.

Our day-to-day lives have changed beyond recognition; we are a mail order business now. We have been thrilled, and so, so grateful, for the good wishes and book orders that have been flooding into the shop. Thank you all so much for your incredible support during these difficult times. It means the world to us. We’ve been talking to customers on the telephone, via email, and (when we remember to check!) via Facebook messages and Instagram. We love hearing your voices - we miss you all so much! - but a word to the wise: it’s probably easiest if you write to us at mail@skylarkbookshop.com. That way we can keep track of the conversation, which is helpful when we get a shift change.

We’ve repurposed some of the display tables at the front of the shop as workstations since nobody is doing any browsing any more. By the end of most days, one table looks like this:

We go to bed at night dreaming of tape dispensers. (OK, maybe that’s just me.) But we’re here, we’re working hard and staying safe, and we’re ready to find the perfect book to help you through this time. Oh, and if you haven’t done so recently, you should check out our Instagram and Facebook pages. We’ve been having a lot of fun on social media lately.

And if there’s a book you need, or if you’d like a recommendation or two - well, we’re here for you, as always. It might take us a little longer than usual to get back to you as we can get bit submerged at times - but we will get back to you!

Thanks for your patience, and for your messages of support. We miss you! Please stay safe. We can’t wait to see you all soon.

A Mighty Blaze!

Adversity affects us all in different ways. Some scuttle off to hide until things improve; others step up and face the problem. Like every other facet of our society, the publishing industry has been mightily affected by the terrible rampage of COVID-19 across the globe. Bookshops have closed; festivals have been canceled, book tours have been obliterated. All at a time, ironically, when people need books more than ever as we shelter in place and self-quarantine.

Two author friends of Skylark, Jenna Blum and Caroline Leavitt, faced the problem like heroes. They decided to do something to help authors with books being published at this difficult time, and they created A Mighty Blaze, an online forum where authors can celebrate the publication of their books online.

Skylark is proud to have been one of the first partners in this wonderful project (as is the Unbound Book Festival) and we’re especially excited that tomorrow, Wednesday, April 1, we will be the featured independent bookstore on the site’s Indie Wednesday.

What does this mean? Well, we’ve been given the keys to A Mighty Blaze’s online kingdom, which means that we’ll be doing a social media takeover. We’ll be posting all morning from the shop, giving book recommendations and tours of the place, possibly interviewing Theo, and other things. There may well be giveaways and other things, too. Check in at A Mighty Blaze’s Facebook Page to find our more - and we’ll see you tomorrow for all the fun!

The New (Temporary) Normal

From Carrie:

Things aren’t changing week-to-week, or even day-to-day. Alex and I seem to be making tweaks and adjustments on a permanent basis now. It is a strange universe right now, and to be honest, we are pretty tired.

While the doors are closed to the public, we are in the shop receiving and sending shipments and making deliveries. At the moment I type this, you can reach us by phone between 11 am and 5 pm Monday through Saturday. You can email anytime, but those are the primary hours we will be responsive.

We love our shop. We love all of you. And we will continue to do our best to get books into the right hands (even if you put them in quarantine in the middle there – my house can’t be the only house with a slotted mail quarantine box). This experience really shows us how much we miss handselling, having you in the shop to talk about books and life (and everything). But, like you, we are figuring out how to make it work. We are emailing, Facebooking, Instagramming, talking on the phone – so many long distance versions of what we do. It takes time, it takes patience, and it is a strange juggling act, and it is still wonderful.

Our shop has been rearranged, with stacks of books in various stages in display cubbies labeled things like “options pending email” and “incomplete” (thank you for your laughter and patience on the phone as we try to navigate our labels). Two tables have been stripped bare, one for our amazing mail dude (Seriously, Lowell is our hero), and one for Alex and Carrie to divide and deliver (you should see us at the end of the day trying to figure out routes). Still, amidst all the chaos, the shop feels like home. We are surrounded by books and beauty.

We miss the daily moment, when someone new walks in and has that little gasp of awe. We miss you taking a picture from the top of the stairs. I bet you all could fill a gallery. We miss you telling us the store smells good (we can’t smell it). And we miss standing there at the computer trying desperately to remember your last name to enter you into the computer, because we actually do know you, but last names are hard!

In the meantime, waving from the car as we drive away and you grin at the bag on your stoop feels good. Getting an email when your package arrives is exciting. We are caught up in it all. The knowledge that these books are providing distractions, learning experiences, or helping you process things feels pretty dang good. We feel heart warmed as we package your gifts to friends and loved ones, knowing your surprise will bring them love. You are letting us witness such kindness.

To be honest, we are working longer hours and harder than ever, and it might be a bit of exhaustion speaking, but we are pretty teary on a daily basis. Okay, so if you know us . . . that isn’t out of the ordinary. Seriously though, there are a lot of huge and beautiful moments happening in the Skylark community right now. So although I linger a bit longer at home to see my family settle into their day together before I head into the shop, I still get giddy when I unlock the door. Though I am tired and sore and hungry by the time I finally pull into my garage after deliveries, my soul is full.

Each day I feel a little less scared about the now, and a little more hopeful about seeing you all on the other side. Every day you are showing us that you love us as much as we love you. And while we can’t wait to have you back to browsing with your own hands, for now, I will sleep with a paste of lotion under gloves every night, so that I can wash my hands all day and touch the books for you.

Books are essential. You are essential. Thanks for helping us be essential.

Columbia's Stay at Home Order - What It Means For Us

As most of you probably know, yesterday the City of Columbia issued a Stay at Home order (Order 2020-03) mandating that everyone stay home unless on “Essential Business.” This is of course an effort to stem the spread of COVID-19 throughout our community and beyond, and is a measure we whole-heartedly support, even though it poses certain challenges for us.

First of all, we would like to say a personal and heartfelt thank you to Mayor Brian Treece and his colleagues for such strong leadership during this unprecedented time. We are lucky, as a community, to be in such good hands.

So what does the Stay at Home order mean for Skylark Bookshop? Well, we’ve read it very carefully and have been in touch with the leadership at both the Columbia Chamber of Commerce and the City in order to clarify a few points and get firm guidance as to what we can and can’t do. We’re still waiting to hear back on a few issues, but as of right now, here’s the deal.

Until we hear back from the City authorities, we will no longer be offering curbside pick-up. However we will still be offering free delivery within the city limits and can still mail books anywhere in the country at a reduced rate.

We continue to be inundated with orders and requests for book recommendations, and we’re so grateful to each and every one of you who has reached out to offer support. We’ll be back at work this morning (keeping our distance of course), getting your orders ready and dispatching them. Please keep ‘em coming - email us at mail@skylarkbookshop.com or call us at (573) 777 6990. (Although email is better: we only have one line and it’s usually busy!)

We’re hoping to get the go-ahead to do reinstate curbside pick-up again, but won’t do so unless and until we receive confirmation from the City that it’s OK to do so. We’ll let you know if and when that happens - we love to see your smiling faces!

Finally, we want to reassure you that we continue to take the utmost precautions within the shop to keep everything clean and everyone healthy. We wash our hands religiously and scrub surfaces obsessively. Every book that leaves our shop is wiped down and then wrapped up.

Thank you all for your continued support of our little shop. We’re humbled and grateful beyond measure. Oh, and without customers to worry about, Carrie has adopted a new kind of footwear which allows her to scoot about much more quickly:

Closing Our Doors, But NOT Our Business!

In the light of the developing news about COVID-19, and in order to do our part to protect the health of our customers and staff, we have reluctantly decided that until further notice, Skylark will close its doors to regular browsing customers. We’re heartbroken about this - a bookshop isn’t really a bookshop without readers pulling books off the shelves - but we know it’s for the best. We’ll still be here, though. Our hours will remain 11:00 to 5:00 every day, and we will now be open by appointment. So give us a call at (573) 777 6990 or drop us an email at mail@skylarkbookshop.com. Or you could just try knocking on the door. You never know.

And we’re still selling books! Curbside pickup is the new thing, don’t you know - everybody’s doing it - and we’re still mailing books all across the country at reduced rates. Home delivery, too. We are so grateful to everyone who has called and emailed with orders and requests - please, please, keep them coming. That is how we are going to survive this thing.

Thank you all for your wonderful support during this unprecedented time. We’re buckling up, knuckling down, and ready for the long haul. Thank goodness there’s lots of good stuff to read on the way.

New Hours

Please note that until further notice our hours will be from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. every day.

We are so grateful for all your telephone and email orders! Please consider calling ahead and doing curbside pick-up so we can minimize contact and keep everyone as healthy as possible!

Call us at (573) 777 6990 or drop us a line at mail@skylarkbookshop.com!

Going Viral

There’s a joke going around right now that the “social isolation” required by the spreading COVID-19 virus is every reader’s dream come true. Whether for solace, entertainment, or education, books and reading feel more important than ever right now. And, of course, if you’re reading a book it’s difficult to touch your face.

So: we are open, and we plan to stay open. We are also getting really good at cleaning stuff. Counters, computer keyboards, door handles, books – much of our days right now is spent wiping things down. 

We realize, though, that some people may feel anxious about going out, even for ultra-necessary items like books. That’s why we’ve come up with a few things to help you out:

QUESTION ONE: WHAT TO BUY 

1.              If you already know what book you want…

If you already know what you need, email us at mail@skylarkbookshop.com with your titles, address, & phone number. We will pluck your book off the shelves with freshly washed hands, give you a ring to settle up. If it is not on our shelves, give us a few extra days and we will take care of it. 

2.              If you don’t… 

Email us a photo of your bookshelf or stack of favorite books, or just tell is what you’re in the mood for, and we’ll call or write back with some recommendations for great reads based on what we see. Choose what sounds good and we’ll get everything packed up and on their way to you!

Either way, please email us at mail@skylarkbookshop.com. Please don’t call – help us keep our phoneline open! 

QUESTION TWO: HOW TO GET IT

When we speak with you about your order, we’ll ask you to choose one of the following delivery options:

1.              Free Home Delivery 

If you live within Columbia city limits, we will deliver books to your door at no extra charge. We will do our best to deliver the same day if you place your order before noon. To qualify for this service, you must be over 55 years old or have an immunocompromised household member (honor system!) and the overall value of the order must be over thirty bucks. 

2.              Mail

We will mail books anywhere in the country, prettily gift-wrapped and tied up in string. We will mail orders over $100 free of charge. For the time being we’ll knock two dollars off the mailing charge for all other orders. 

3.              Curbside Pick-Up

If you pre-pay over the phone, we’ll walk out to your car and deliver your books to you. It’s kind of like a drive-through, with less calories. 

AND DON’T FORGET: AUDIOBOOKS

If you want to completely avoid contact, you can always download a good audiobook: use Libro.fm! 

We could all use a good book stack right now. Let us make yours enticing, distracting, and wonderfully local. And please, wash your hands, people.