Join us for June’s meeting of The Order of Books and Banter, when we’ll be discussing L.D. Lewis’s astonishing YEAR OF THE MER. This is a dark, bloody epic fantasy reimagining of The Little Mermaid that goes far beyond the fairy tale to explore family legacy, war, and what we will sacrifice for vengeance—the perfect read for fans of The Priory of the Orange Tree and Circe.

As usual, we’ll meet in the shop at 6:30 p.m. We’d love to see you there!

The fairy tale mermaid Arielle might have gotten her happily-ever-after, but her granddaughter Yemi is having a much harder time. Her father, the king of Ixia, was assassinated years ago, her mother is slowly dying of a poisoned wound, and she faces whispers and slights from her own people. Yemi has been raised as the shield of the kingdom and is soon to inherit the throne, but she cannot shake her fury at how Ixia has treated her family after all they’ve sacrificed. Only her patient mother and steadfast personal bodyguard (and fiancée), Nova, help Yemi rein in that fury...most of the time.

When the kingdom’s discontented rumblings reach a fever pitch, a coup erupts and Yemi’s throne is usurped, stripping her of her family and forcing her into exile. Now, only one being has the power to help her: Ursla.

Like her grandmother before her, Yemi is tempted by a deal with the sea-witch. With powerful and ancient magic behind her, Yemi could avenge her family, take back her throne, and protect the love of her life. But she should know more than anyone that there is always a price. As much as Yemi wants vengeance, Ursla has been waiting a very, very long time for her own—and it may take more fortune than Yemi possesses to keep her from losing everything all over again.

Make way for the pups! This Saturday, May 30, will see a joyous (and much-anticipated!) new session of PUPPY YOGA at the shop at 6:30 p.m.! If you have never done this, you totally should. Stretch into calming yoga poses while being surrounded by the delightful playfulness of puppies!

- Unwind Together: Escape the daily hustle and enjoy peaceful, quality time with with your favorite people. Bring your friends and family. Or take some time just for you!
- Puppy Playtime: Experience the joyful energy of playful /cuddly puppies as they explore.
- Support a Cause: Help our furry friends develop social skills and enjoy a lively play session.

As usual, expert yoga guidance is provided by Sara’s Yoga Studio, and puppies are provided by Columbia Second Chance. And yes, they are all available for adoption.

Event Details:
Cost: $28 per person Mats:
Bring your own mat or rent one for just $5
Family-Friendly: This event is perfect for all ages! (Kids 5 and under are free when they share your yoga mat.)

Book your ticket by clicking on the QR code below!

We are very excited to welcome three (count ‘em!) wonderful poets to Skylark on Friday, May 29, for an evening of spellbinding performances. Jesse Millner, Cameron Carter, and Emma DePanise will be taking to the Skylark stage and sharing their work with us - we cannot wait. Come and join us for a magical evening of dazzling poetry! As always, the event starts at 6:30 p.m. and is completely free to attend.

Jesse Millner’s poems have appeared in River Styx, Pearl, The Prose Poem Project, Gravel, The Florida Review, Wraparound South and other literary magazines. His poem, “In Praise of Small Gods,” was selected for inclusion in The Best American Poetry 2013, and his flash piece, “Last Night I Dreamed” was featured in Best Small Fictions 2020. He has published six poetry chapbooks and three full-length collections, The Neighborhoods of My Past Sorrow (winner of bronze medal in 2010 Florida Book Awards), Dispatches from the Department of Supernatural Explanation (Kitsune Books, 2012) and Memory’s Blue Sedan (Hysterical Books, 2020). His latest chapbook, Gina, Editor’s Choice winner of the 2025 Anhinga Press Rick Campbell chapbook contest,  was released by Anhinga Press in February 2026.

Cameron Carter is a fiction writer and educator from Atlanta and the fiction editor for Another Chicago Magazine. He earned his MA from Ball State University, his MFA from Georgia State University, and is a PhD student at the University of Missouri. His work has appeared in StorySouth, Cutleaf Magazine, and other places.

Emma DePanise is a poet and teacher from the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Working at the intersections of ecology and sound, her poems have appeared in venues such as Best New Poets 2024, Verse Daily, Poetry Northwest, The Los Angeles Review, and The National Poetry Review. She has received awards from AWP, Blue Earth Review, and Nimrod International Journal, among others. A finalist in Button Poetry’s 2025 chapbook contest and former editor for Sycamore Review and The Shore, she holds an MFA from Purdue University and is a current PhD candidate in English at the University of Missouri.

Our May Skylarking Bookclub selection is Go Gentle by Maria Semple, writer of the much-beloved and mega-selling Where’d You Go, Bernadette? This new novel is her most exuberant and life-affirming novel yet - the story of one woman’s cheerful determination to live a life of the mind only to have the heart force its way in.

Adora Hazzard has it all figured out. A Stoic philosopher and divorcée, she lives a contented life on New York City’s Upper West Side. Having discovered that the secret to happiness is to desire only what you have, she’s applied this insight to blissful effect: relishing her teenage daughter, the freedom of being solo, and her job as a moral tutor for the twin boys of an old-money family. She’s even assembled a "coven"—like-minded women who live on the same floor in the legendary Ansonia—and is making active efforts to grow its membership. Adora’s carefully curated life is humming along brilliantly until a chance meeting with a handsome stranger.

Soon, her ordered world is upended by black-market art deals, secret rendezvous, and international intrigue . . . and her past—which she has worked so hard to bury—lands like a bomb in her present. Inflamed by unquenchable desire, Adora finds herself a woman wanting more: and she’ll risk everything to get it.

Adora Hazzard’s journey of self-discovery will grip you from the start. Romantic, hilarious, intelligent, and bursting with the stuff of life, Go Gentle is a thrilling story of one woman’s mid-life transformation, cementing Maria Semple in the pantheon of our most exciting and important contemporary writers.

We’re thrilled to welcome back to Columbia Courtney Kocak, an alum of Stephens College, to discuss her fabulous (and newly published) memoir, Girl Gone Wild. The book is an unwitting feminist coming-of-age that traces Courtney’s path from a small-town upbringing to earning a BFA at Stephens College to chasing big dreams in Hollywood—and encountering its underbelly, including an uncomfortable chapter selling T-shirts on the Girls Gone Wild tour.

GIRL GONE WILD is a collection of exploits and delusions about chasing your dreams with reckless abandon and what happens when their pursuit becomes a new kind of trap. In this memoir-in-essays, Kocak takes readers along on her heady metamorphosis from girl to woman and from dreamer to professional artist. It's a wild, cringeworthy, and often heartbreaking tale, but with Kocak's wry wit and clear-eyed accounting, it's nothing short of captivating.

Courtney Kocak is a writer, podcaster, and comedian who splits time between Austin and Los Angeles. She's a Stephen College alum and went on to write for Amazon’s Emmy-winning animated series Danger & Eggs and Netflix’s Know It All. She’s produced a slew of highly-ranked podcasts and currently hosts three of her own with over two million downloads to date: Private Parts Unknown, about love and sexuality around the world, The Bleeders, about book writing and publishing, and Podcast Bestie, a best friend to podcasters trying to grow and monetize their shows (and a popular Substack). Her bylines include The New York Times, The Cut, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, Cosmopolitan, Slate, and more. Her debut memoir, Girl Gone Wild, with Trio House Press, was released April 1, 2026!

May’s New Romantic’s pick is the brand new bestseller from Skylark favorite, the wonderful Abby Jimenez. THE NIGHT WE MET is a beautiful, compelling novel that revels in laughter, friendship, and the messy choices life can throw our way. We’ll be meeting in the shop as usual at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 20, which, we should also point out, is KARA’S BIRTHDAY!!!

In everyone’s life, there’s a split-second decision that can change everything ...

For Larissa, it came when choosing who to ride home with after a concert. That night, she had no idea she’d met the perfect man. She and Chris are great friends, co-parenting a slightly unhinged rescue Yorkie, sharing their favorite books, and judging bread (pumpernickel for the win!). For the first time amid all her side hustles to scrape by, things finally feel easy.

But she didn’t choose Chris to drive her home all those months ago—she went with his best friend, and he became her boyfriend. All Chris wants is for Larissa to be happy. Standing by on the sidelines is slowly killing him, but making a move would destroy someone else.

How can something that feels so right be absolutely impossible? 

May’s edition of the Order of Books and Banter sees us discussing AGNES AUBERT’S MYSTICAL CAT SHELTER by Heather Fawcett. It’s full of cats and magic - what’s not to like? Come and join us on Tuesday, May 12 at 6:30!

Agnes Aubert leads a meticulously organized life, and she likes it that way. As the proudly type-A manager of a cat rescue charity, she has devoted her life to finding forever homes for stray cats.

Now it’s the shelter that needs a new home. And the only landlord who will rent a space to a cat rescue is a mysterious man called Havelock—who also happens to be the world’s most infamous magician, running an illegal magic shop out of his basement. Havelock is cantankerous and eccentric, but not nothandsome, and no, Agnes absolutely does not feel anything but disdain for him. After all, rumors swirl about his shadowy past—including whispers that his dark magic once almost brought about the apocalypse.

Then one day a glamorous magician comes looking for Havelock, putting the magic shop—and the cat shelter—in jeopardy. To save the shelter, Agnes will have to team up with the magician who nearly ended the world . . . and may now be trying to steal her heart.

Havelock is everything Agnes thinks she doesn’t need in her life: chaos, mischief, and a little too much adventure. But as she gets to know him, she discovers that he’s more than the dark magician of legend, and that she may be ready for a little intrigue—and romance—in her life. After all, second chances aren’t just for rescue cats. . . .

We’re pleased to welcome back to Skylark Dr. Roberta Tabanelli, for the second in her series of talks about bestselling Italian novelist, Elena Ferrante, whose series of novels, known as The Neapolitan Quartet, has earned her a devoted following in the United States and across the globe.

These talks will be of interest to anyone who has read the novels, or is contemplating doing so. The idea is not so much to give a guided reading of the books themselves, but rather to provide knowledge and context of the Italian subtext (including Italian socio-political and cultural elements) to enrich and inform a reader’s understanding and enjoyment of the novels. Come and learn about the bewitching world of this most enigmatic and of modern writers!

Among many other things, Roberta will be discussing:

• Various historical issues, such as:

  • the Italian Communist Party

  • the Fascist party

  • Italian feminism and women’s rights

• Italian dialects and their importance, especially in the context of Italy’s Unification.

• A brief background on some of the Italian authors mentioned (e.g., Grazia Deledda, Luigi Pirandello, and Alessandro Manzoni)

• The topography of Naples

• The challenges of translating fiction from Italian into English

This will be the second of two discussions. Attendance is free, but we would really appreciate it if you would let us know that you’re planning to attend.

Fresh off what we know is going to be an astonishing Unbound Book Festival, our April OG Bookclub will meet to discuss the most recent book by this year’s keynote speaker, Terry Tempest Williams. With luck most of us will have had the opportunity to hear Terry speak just beforehand - so it will be an especially vibrant conversation! We can’t wait!

Come and join us! As usual, the talk starts upstairs in the shop at 6:30 p.m.

In this time of political fragility, climate chaos, and seeking beauty wherever we can find its glimmer, Terry Tempest Williams introduces us to the Glorians. They are not distant deities, but the ordinary, often overlooked presences--animal, plant, memory, moment--that reveal our shared vulnerability and interconnectedness with the natural world. The Glorians can be as small as an ant ferrying a coyote willow blossom to its queen or as commonplace as the night sky. But what they can collectively show us--about the radical act of attending to beauty and carrying forward against all odds--is immense.

Journeying through encounters with the Glorians in the red rock desert of Utah during the pandemic to Harvard University where she teaches in the Divinity School, Williams weaves a story of astonishing personal and societal insight. As she grapples with the unsettled state of the world, she turns not to despair but to deep reflection. She sees how the Glorians are calling us to attention, not as an army, but as fellow inhabitants of our sacred, threatened home. They remind us of the power of contact between species and the profound courage--and awareness--it will take to dream a more cohesive future into being.

Wise and lyrical, The Glorians is a testament to the power of witness, a field guide to finding grace in the unexpected, and a moving invitation to engage with one another and our surroundings with renewed intention. In a modern world filled with increasing noise and anxiety, Terry Tempest Williams offers honest sustenance for the mind and spirit and distinguishes herself again as a trusted voice to whom we can turn to more fully understand our times.

It’s one of our favorite days of the year!

Independent Bookstore Day will be landing once again on Saturday, April 25. As usual, we’ll be participating in this nation-wide celebration of independent bookstores with the usual mixture of giveaways and drawings (including our famous stuffed Skylark tote bag and gift certificates.) We’ll also be hiding a Libro.fm golden ticket somewhere in the shop - the lucky person who finds it will receive a free audiobook every month for a year, courtesy of our friends at Libro.fm.

We’ll also be launching an exciting new project, which we’ve hatched in collaboration with our other Missouri indie bookstores: The Missouri Indie Bookstore Tour!

Come and join the fun!

We’re looking forward to this year’s Unbound Book Festival keynote address next Friday - everyone is excited to hear Terry Tempest Williams speak. (If you don’t have your FREE tickets yet, you can get them here.)

We’re writing today because our setup after the keynote speech will look a little different this year. Terry won’t be able to sign books after the event, but don’t worry! We’ve got you covered.

Signed books will be available for purchase at the Missouri Theatre before and after the keynote event, while supplies last.

If you want your book(s) personalized, you have two options:

1. Order your books here and complete this form to request that Terry personalize them. Books will be available for pickup at the keynote event on Friday, April 17. All purchases and forms requesting personalized books must be received by midnight on Wednesday, April 15.

2. If you have already purchased books by Terry that you would like signed and/or personalized, bring them to the shop before 6 p.m. on Wednesday, April 15, and we will assist you.

   If you have questions or need special assistance, please email us at mail@skylarkbookshop.com.

Come and join us for April’s New Romantics book club, when we’ll be discussing Star Shipped, from Unbound alum, Cat Sebastian - her long-awaited foray into contemporary romance! As always attendance is free and the fun starts at 6:30 p.m.! We hope to see you there!

A witty, emotional, and deliciously slow burn enemies-to-lovers romance between two costars on a popular sci-fi television series.

Simon and Charlie, actors on a long-running sci-fi show, can’t stand one another. Charlie is impetuous, outgoing, and basically feral, and Simon thinks he should have stayed in reality television where he belongs. They’ve spent the better part of a decade quarreling over the spotlight and pretty much everything else, and everybody in the industry knows it. Now that Simon’s contract is finally done, he can move to New York, start fresh with work he actually likes, and get away from Charlie.

Simon’s only problem is that people might assume he’s been pushed off the show due to being impossible to work with. And he is kind of difficult to work with. He doesn’t get along with people—unlike Charlie, who somehow tricked everyone on the show into adoring him despite some outrageously bad on-set behavior during the show’s first season. Simon would rather never have to see Charlie again, but reluctantly agrees to stage a very public friendship during the short time before he moves. When Charlie has to leave town to deal with a family emergency, this means Simon comes along. Their road trip brings Simon to places he would never have willingly chosen to visit—and he finds he’s actually not having a terrible time.

The more he gets to know Charlie, the more Simon suspects he’s underestimated his former coworker. Simon also realizes that after seven years, Charlie might know him better than anyone ever has. Even stranger, Charlie seems to be starting to actually like him, despite knowing him so well. Still, Simon is about to move three thousand miles away, so whatever’s starting between him and Charlie can’t really amount to anything... right?

For April’s meeting of The Order of Books and Banter, we’ll be discussing Sing the Night, the first book in an exciting new series by Megan Jauregui Eccles. As always, we start at 6:30 and attendance is free!

Discover a fantastical story inspired by The Phantom of the Opera, as musical magicians compete for the once-in-a-lifetime role as the King's Mage, but only if their magic—or fellow contestants—don't destroy them first—perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo and Erin Morgenstern. 

For as long as Selene remembers, she's only wanted one thing: to sing the boldest, brightest magic into existence and win L′Opéra du Magician. To the winner goes the spoils of being declared King′s Mage, a position her father held years ago, before he lost control of his magic and spiraled into madness, leaving Selene an orphan. But when the competition turns cutthroat and a competitor steals Selene′s song, the chance to redeem her father's legacy begins to slip through her fingers.

Until, in the depths of the opera house, she discovers a mysterious and beautiful man trapped within a mirror. He offers not only the magic of music, but a darker sorcery of shadow, blood, and want. He can help Selene if she helps him in return—but his forbidden magic may not be worth the cost.

As the competition continues and mages are driven to ruin competing for the king′s favor, Selene must navigate betrayal, the return of childhood love, and the price of ambition.

One of the more fascinating literary phenomena of recent years has been the amazing popularity of beloved and bestselling Italian novelist, Elena Ferrante, whose series of novels, known as The Neapolitan Quartet, has earned her a devoted following in the United States and across the globe.

We are thrilled to welcome Mizzou professor, Dr. Roberta Tabanelli, to Skylark to discuss Ferrante’s work. These talks will be of interest to anyone who has read the novels, or is contemplating doing so. The idea is not so much to give a guided reading of the books themselves, but rather to provide knowledge and context of the Italian subtext (including Italian socio-political and cultural elements) to enrich and inform a reader’s understanding and enjoyment of the novels. Come and learn about the bewitching world of this most enigmatic and fascinating of modern writers!

Among many other things, Roberta will be discussing:

• Various historical issues, such as:

  • the Italian Communist Party

  • the Fascist party

  • Italian feminism and women’s rights

• Italian dialects and their importance, especially in the context of Italy’s Unification.

• A brief background on some of the Italian authors mentioned (e.g., Grazia Deledda, Luigi Pirandello, and Alessandro Manzoni)

• The topography of Naples

• The challenges of translating fiction from Italian into English

This will be the first of two discussions. The second will take place on May 6. Attendance is free, but we would really appreciate it if you would let us know that you’re planning to attend.

We are very excited to welcome Pulitzer Prize winner Rick Tulsky to Skylark to present his stunning new book, Injustice Town: A Corrupt City, a Wrongly Convicted Man, and a Struggle for Freedom, a gripping true-crime story and an exposé of systemic rot at the core of Kansas City’s government and police department.

When the bodies of two Black men were found sitting with a crackpipe in a parked car in a rundown section of town in 1994, it seemed just another day in Kansas City, Kansas. The swift arrest and conviction of a seventeen-year-old Black kid from a broken home raised no eyebrows either.

And yet, thirty years later, Lamonte McIntyre would prove to be the David that took down the Goliath of corruption that had long controlled the city’s power structure and enveloped the city’s justice system

But the effort to prove Lamonte’s innocence opened a Pandora’s box. Before it was over, the fight to win Lamonte’s exoneration exposed corrupt police and prosecutors, incompetent court-appointed defense lawyers, and a judge who violated ethical standards by his secret past relationship with the prosecutor, whom he favored in his rulings.

Injustice Town follows Lamonte’s case from its harrowing beginning to its triumphant end and beyond, including the legal tsunami that came in its wake, that engulfed prosecutors, attorneys, and judges. Most shockingly, the lead cop on the case was indicted by the Department of Justice for the widespread abuses he had committed years earlier on women in the Black community of Kansas City, Kansas. Abuses documented by Lamonte’s team. The criminal case ended, literally, with a bang, denying Lamonte and those whom the detective hurt, the chance for them to seek their own justice.

Rick Tulsky, a Pulitzer prize-winning journalist, goes beyond the courthouse, exposing the ways in which corruption flourished for decades in an erstwhile quiet Midwest town, a town once dedicated to justice and equality.

A lawyer by training as well as a reporter, Tulsky's narrative not only brings Lamonte's story to vivid life, it will empower cities, counties, states, and everyday citizens with a blueprint for equal justice. At a time when the federal government is abdicating its responsibility for demanding fairness and justice, it is up to states, local governments, and we the people look to ways they can act. Vivid and unforgettable, Injustice Town tells the story of one man and shows us a vision of what a better future could be.

Rick Tulsky began writing about abusive police and unjust court systems as a young reporter in Jackson Mississippi and that focus has defined his work ever since. Rick became a lawyer in Philadelphia and he continued exposing injustices on the staff of newspapers in Philadelphia, Los Angeles and San Jose. His work has won more than two dozen national awards, including a Pulitzer Prize, and he was a Pulitzer finalist two additional times. In 2011 Rick moved back to his hometown and joined the faculty of Northwestern University’s journalism school and co-founded a nonprofit newsroom, Injustice Watch in 2015. It was there that Rick first heard about Lamonte McIntyre, a story that took over his professional life. Rick lives in Evanston, Illinois, with his wife, Kim. They have two terrific children, Eric and Elizabeth, and one fabulous dog, Jasper.

We’re delighted to welcome back to the shop a Skylark favorite, Michelle Collins Anderson, who will be discussing her new novel, The Moonshine Women, a richly evocative Prohibition-era novel of three sisters who take over their father’s Ozark Mountains moonshine business in a story of reinvention, sisterhood, revenge, and the alchemy of love.

The book will officially be published the next day, so help us celebrate the launch and get your signed copy a day early!

Every batch of Strong moonshine has its own special flavor, thanks to the secret ingredients that matriarch Lidy Strong adds to the barrels of fermenting corn mash. Whether a bucketful of golden peaches, a ripe melon or juicy, jewel-toned berries, that extra “something something” is what makes the Strong “shine” so prized—and allows the family to survive after crop prices plummeted in the wake of the Great War.

Each of the Strong sisters, too, is distinct. The stoic and steadfast eldest, Rebecca, finds more comfort in nature than with people…until she finds a new home in the love she discovers for the woman who restores her health after a near-devastating accident. Middle sister Elsie is kind, beautiful—and itching for a life more thrilling than the farm can offer. And Jace, the bold and wild-hearted youngest, is known far and wide as “Shine,” a name that suits her fiery personality and flaming red hair as much as her innate skill with a still.

Their father, Hiram, has been drowning himself in grief and liquor ever since his wife died. But the moonshine business is unforgiving, especially with Prohibition agents turning up in every creek and holler. When tragedy strikes, it falls to the Strong women to keep the still running, the family together, and hope burning on the horizon.

From the Ozark mountains edged in oak and pine, to the outlaw paradise of Hot Springs, Arkansas—where gangsters like Al Capone line the bar at the Southern Club—the sisters’ quests for vengeance, healing, and love will drive them forward, in search of a future as transformative and powerful as the purest Strong moonshine.

Michelle Collins Anderson is the USA Today bestselling author of The Moonshine Women and The Flower Sisters, which was a Missouri Library Association Literary Award winner, the Scenic Regional Library, Washington Public Library & East Central College Community Reads selection, and winner of the “Show Me” Award from the Missouri Writers’ Guild. She grew up on a farm in the Missouri Ozarks — a place and a way of life that has shaped her writing. A graduate of the University of Missouri with a MFA from Warren Wilson College, she previously worked in advertising and public relations, taught elementary school creative writing, and was an adjunct professor at the University of Missouri and Stephens College. She serves on the board of The Missouri Review and her Pushcart Prize-nominated short fiction has appeared in numerous publications. A mother of three, she lives with her family in St. Louis, Missouri. She can be found online at MichelleAnderson.me.

Our February selection for the Skylarking Bookclub is one of the season’s hottest titles: The Correspondent, by Virginia Evans. We’ll be meeting at the shop at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 26, to discuss this beautiful novel which the Wall Street Journal calls “this year’s breakout novel no one saw coming.”

Filled with knowledge that only comes from a life fully lived, The Correspondent is a gem of a novel about the power of finding solace in literature and connection with people we might never meet in person. It is about the hubris of youth and the wisdom of old age, and the mistakes and acts of kindness that occur during a lifetime.

Sybil Van Antwerp has throughout her life used letters to make sense of the world and her place in it. Most mornings, around half past ten, Sybil sits down to write letters—to her brother, to her best friend, to the president of the university who will not allow her to audit a class she desperately wants to take, to Joan Didion and Larry McMurtry to tell them what she thinks of their latest books, and to one person to whom she writes often yet never sends the letter.

Sybil expects her world to go on as it always has—a mother, grandmother, wife, divorcee, distinguished lawyer, she has lived a very full life. But when letters from someone in her past force her to examine one of the most painful periods of her life, she realizes that the letter she has been writing over the years needs to be read and that she cannot move forward until she finds it in her heart to offer forgiveness.

Sybil Van Antwerp’s life of letters might be “a very small thing,” but she also might be one of the most memorable characters you will ever read.

We’re very excited to welcome to Skylark Jennifer Maritza McCauley and Kali White VanBaale - two wonderful authors who Skylark regulars may know as both have done events with us in the past. Their stunning new collections of stories have just been published (on the same day!) and both books have their roots in the Midwest. We look forward to a lively reading and conversation!

Neon Steel: Set in Pittsburgh, PA, in the 1990s and early 2000s, Neon Steel is acclaimed writer Jennifer Maritza McCauley's love letter to millennial nerd culture. Anime fans, vampires, indie rappers, robots, comic book fans, and thrill seekers find their way through the Steel City's neighborhoods and haunts. A young girl discovers an underground world of Afro Otaku who change the way she sees the city; a high school student discovers a kindred spirit in a Bomba girl; The Terminator is reimagined as a josei story featuring a purple loc'd robot; and a secret coven of vampires who hide out in Pittsburgh steel mills risk being discovered after they lose one of their own. Magical realist and neon-lit, Neon Steel faithfully follows a group of nerds and the magic that excites them, bringing to life a city and a state of being.

Release of Information: A doctor attends a weekend medical convention in St. Louis; a new mother shops at a Minneapolis suburban Target with her newborn and indulges in a secret habit; two rural southern Iowa brothers hunt a rare mountain lion; a teenage girl attends the ten-year anniversary of her dramatic rescue from a deep pipe on her uncle's farm in rural Missouri; a young woman comes across shocking information while working in a Des Moines hospital records department. Midwesterners reveal secrets at pivotal moments in their lives in Release of Information, award-winning writer Kali White VanBaale's radiantly gripping story collection. Exploring marital roles, complex family legacies, abuse, and generational trauma, the interconnected characters and stories move through time and space, as VanBaale catches ordinary people in extraordinary moments of revelation.

Jennifer Maritza McCauley is the author of the cross-genre collection SCAR ON/SCAR OFF (Stalking Horse Press), the short story collections When Trying to Return Home (Counterpoint), and Recognition (U. Wisconsin Press, ‘27), the poetry collections Kinds of Grace (Flower Song) , VERSUS (Texas Review Press, ‘27) and Tumbao (Texas Review Press, ‘29) and the speculative collection NEON STEEL (Feb ‘26) (Cornerstone). She has received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, Kimbilio and CantoMundo and her work has been a New York Times Editors’ Choice, Best Short Fiction Book of the Year by Kirkus Reviews and a Must-Read by Elle, Latinx in Publishing, Ms. Magazine and Bookshop. She is an assistant professor of English at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

Kali White VanBaale is the author of three novels, a linked short story collection, and numerous short stories, essays, and articles. She’s the recipient of an American Book Award and 2025 Iowa Author Award among others, serves as editor-at-large for the Past Ten journal and book, and is a core faculty member of the Lindenwood University MFA in writing program. She lives in Iowa.

Come and join us for March’s edition of the New Romantics book club, when we’ll be discussing Two Can Play, from Skylark favorite, Ali Hazelwood! As always attendance is free and the fun starts at 6:30 p.m.! We hope to see you there!

An enemies-to-lovers spicy novella set in the world of video gaming from the New York Times bestselling author of Problematic Summer Romance—now in print and ebook!

Viola Bowen has the chance of a lifetime: to design a video game based on her all-time favorite book series. The only problem? Her co-lead is Jesse F-ing Andrews, aka her archnemesis. Jesse has made it abundantly clear over the years that he wants nothing to do with her—and Viola has no idea why.

When their bosses insist a wintery retreat is the perfect team-building exercise, Viola can’t think of anything worse. Being freezing cold in a remote mountain lodge knowing Jesse is right next door? No, thank you.

But as the snow piles on, Viola discovers there’s more to Jesse than she knew, and heat builds in more ways than one.

Ali Hazelwood is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Problematic Summer Romance and The Love Hypothesis, as well as a writer of peer-reviewed articles about brain science, in which no one makes out and the ever after is not always happy. Originally from Italy, she lived in Germany and Japan before moving to the US to pursue a PhD in neuroscience. When Ali is not at work, she can be found crocheting, eating cake pops, or watching sci-fi movies with her three feline overlords (and her slightly-less-feline husband).

March’s meeting of the Order of Books and Banter will be discussing The Poet Empress by Shen Tao. This stunning debut is sweeping, epic and intimate fantasy perfect for fans of The Serpent & the Wings of Night, The Song of Achilles and She Who Became the Sun.

Wei Yin is desperate. After the fifth death of a sibling, with her family and village on the brink of starvation, she will do anything to save those she loves.

Even offer herself as concubine to the cruel, dissolute heir of the blood-gutted Azalea House—where poetry magic is power, but women are forbidden to read.

But in a twist of fate, the palace now stands on the knife-edge of civil war, with Wei trapped in its center. . . with a violent prince.

To save herself and the nation, she must survive the dangers of court, learn to read in secret, and compose the most powerful spell of all. A ballad of love. . . and death.

The Poet Empress is an epic fantasy that explores darker themes, subjects, and scenes that may not be suitable for all readers. Please see the author's content note at the beginning of the book.

We’re very pleased to welcome James Owen to Skylark to discuss his debut true crime book, The Wicked Among Us. It’s a riveting read and an entertaining and fascinating evening is guaranteed! Come join us on Thursday, February 19!

Atop the Ozark Mountains and in the buckle of the Bible Belt, the murder of an eccentric lawyer reveals a tragic family drama and an examination of a community that would rather see some crimes left unsolved.

Rolland Comstock lived in what was described as “a Grimm Fairy tale.” With his pet wolves roving the estate and a world-famous book collection to obsess over, Rolland was no ordinary country lawyer. When he was murdered, Rolland’s story turned into a tragic mystery—a mystery some in the community did not want to see solved.

This intimate true crime tale not only seeks to resolve the question of who killed this man but also to examine his life as well. Beneath his quirky personality, there were secrets and turmoil at odds with the ultra-conservative community Rolland called home. Some were wicked enough to say Rolland got what he deserved. The Wicked Among Us is a legal thriller from the perspective of a tragic victim who can no longer tell the story himself.

James Owen left the family farm to become a lawyer to some success. In fact, that is where he became involved with the intriguing circumstances that make up The Wicked Among Us. He was appointed a judge and, after that, worked in state government for a few years. James now runs the nonprofit Renew Missouri focused on clean energy advocacy. In addition, he writes a film column for the local Gannett newspaper and is the film critic for a local talk radio station. He also hosts two podcasts: Renew Gurus and FilmSnobs. James lives in Columbia, Missouri with his wife, Claire, and their two kids, Cecile and Miles, along with an unruly dog named Rosie.

Valentine’s, Schmalentine’s.

Come and join us for February’s New Romantics Bookclub on Wednesday, February 18, when we’ll be discussing the brilliant Audrey Lane Stirs the Pot by the bestselling Alexis Hall. The fun starts at 6:30 p.m., and attendance, as always, is completely free.

Audrey Lane is perfectly fine. Really. So what if she left her high-powered job as a Very Important Journalist—and her even higher-powered long-term girlfriend—to live a quiet life as a reporter for the second-biggest newspaper in Shropshire? And so what if she keeps hearing that same higher-powered long-term now-ex-girlfriend in her head night and day, constantly judging just how small Audrey's allowed her life to become?

She's fine. She's happy. She's perfectly within her groove. Do not-in-their-groove people get weekday drunk and impulsively apply for the UK's most beloved baking show?

All right, so maybe she's not completely fine, but being on Bake Expectations is opening her world again in ways she never anticipated. First through fellow contestant Doris, whose personal story of queer love during WW2 captures Audrey's heart, imagination and journalistic interest like nothing has in ages. Then through Jennifer Hallet, the most foul-tempered (and fouler-mouthed) producer, woman, and menace Audrey has ever met. Jennifer should be off-limits, but her fire lights something unexpected inside of Audrey, making her want to burn back a million times brighter. A million times hotter. A million times more herself than she's been in a long, long time.

Hey gals and pals! Join us for a night of crafts, bingo, and bevs. We will have paint supplies and mocktails for your enjoyment and close the night of with bingo! Tickets are available in store or online for $15.00 per person - link to purchase is here! We would love to see you there!

We’re thrilled to welcome poet Aly Acevedo to Skylark to read from her new collection of poems, My Dear Cult Leader.

My Dear Cult Leader by Aly Acevedo is a winding, weighty collection-at once layered with scars and warm, velvet nights.

The collection dissects cyclic violences through the figures of the 'cult leader' and his followers, interwoven with personal narratives of trauma and survival. Acevedo examines the lasting effects of sexual assault and toxic relationships on the body and mind. Dynamically sensory and emotionally raw, Acevedo's work calls for female safety and solidarity, and strikes a remarkable balance between devastation and hope.

My Dear Cult Leader gives careful attention to the wounds of humanity--finding in them the way back to love and self-empowerment.

Aly Acevedo is a Puerto Rican and Vietnamese poet, educator and speaker based in the Kansas City area. Her debut collection, My Dear Cult Leader (Button Poetry, 2026), examines the long shadows of a toxic relationship and the aftermath of sexual assault, weaving personal history with persona poems that explore power, trauma and reclamation. Her writing has been featured in Frontier Poetry, TRASH MAG, Ink and Marrow, Anti-Heroin Chic and elsewhere.

Beyond the page, Aly is a lover of fantasy novels, licorice root tea and admiring the birds that visit her back porch. She lives with her husband, two cats and dog. Find her on Instagram at @_AlyAcevedo_.

Mark your calendar for a very special meeting of the Order of Books and Banter on February 10. We’ll be discussing the wonderful cozy fantasy, Cursed Cocktails, and we’re thrilled to announce that the author, S.L. Rowland, will be joining us for the evening to discuss the book!

Cursed Cocktails is a cozy, low-stakes fantasy of found family, delicious drinks, and starting over later in life. Perfect for fans of Legends & Lattes, Can't Spell Treason Without Tea, and TJ Klune. You’re going to love it. Come join us!

When life gives you lemons, squeeze them into a stiff drink and stir.

After twenty years defending the frozen north against some of the most dangerous threats in the nine kingdoms, Rhoren "Bloodbane" has finally earned his retirement. While the blood mage's service to the realm may have ended, burning veins and aching joints remain, and Rhoren soon learns that a warmer climate offers relief from his chronic pain.

And a chance at a fresh start.

In the warm and relaxing atmosphere of Eastborne, the umbral elf finds a new purpose and a sense of belonging. He may have left the frozen north behind, but he brings with him the skills and strength gained from a lifetime of defending the realm. Along with his most prized possession-a book of drink recipes inherited from his father.

Spilled cocktails may not carry the same weight as spilled blood, but opening a tavern brings a unique brand of challenges. With the right friends and a little bit of luck, he might just have a recipe for success.

We’re all a bit obsessed with The Merge, by Grace Walker. It’s a thrilling and ominously prophetic debut set in a world when Earth and its resources have been pushed to breaking point, giving rise to a revolutionary—and highly controversial—procedure in which two people’s consciousness can be combined to exist in one body. Lots of us have read it, lots of us have opinions about it (imagine that) and we want to talk with you all about it, as well! So we’ll be discussing it in our first Skylarking book club of 2026, on Thursday, January 29 at 6:30 p.m. Come and join us!

How far would you go to never say goodbye?

Laurie is sixty-five and living with Alzheimer’s. Her daughter Amelia, a once fiery and strong-willed activist, can’t bear to see her mother’s mind fade. Faced with the reality of losing her forever, Amelia signs them up to take part in the world’s first experimental merging process for Alzheimer’s patients, in which Laurie’s ailing mind will be transferred into Amelia’s healthy body and their consciousness will be blended as one.

Soon Amelia and Laurie join the opaque and mysterious group of other merge participants: teenage Lucas, who plans to merge with his terminally ill brother Noah; Ben, who will merge with his pregnant fiancée Annie; and Jay, whose merging partner is his addict daughter Lara. As they prepare to move to The Village, a luxurious rehabilitation center for those who have merged, they quickly begin to question whether everything is really as it seems.

An exhilarating, immersive debut from an astonishing new voice, The Merge is a personal story of love, family, and sacrifice, as well as a thought-provoking examination of the limits of control, resistance, and freedom in our modern world.

PLEASE NOTE: THIS EVENT IS NOW SOLD OUT.

Join us for our first in a new series! These ticketed events will be a more intimate conversation with the authors. With your ticket, you will receive a copy of the book, a scoop of Sparky's Ice Cream, and an evening of spontaneous camaraderie. This will be a must-attend for all Romantasy readers out there!

Seating/availability is strictly limited and on a first-come-first-served basis, so be sure to reserve yours early!

Outlander-meets-The Princess Bride plus Camelot in a fresh, big-hearted, feminist, timeslip adventure reimagining the epic saga of King Arthur, as told from the perspective of his spunky and surprising queen, Vera – complete with time travel and good running shoes!

Vera always knew she didn’t fit in. When she learns that she is meant to be in another time, she leaps at the chance to embrace a new life in a world of valor, intrigue, and unexpected magic in this bold and romantic retelling of Arthurian legend . . .

22-year-old Vera is at a crossroads: waiting tables, grieving her previous relationship, and jogging aimlessly each morning as if toward an uncertain future. Then an odd man shows up at her workplace, insisting that she was once the legendary Queen Guinevere of Camelot, and that her lost memories hold the key to changing both the past and the present. Somehow, it all feels like the direction she’s been looking for. But when she asks the mysterious man to tell her more about Lancelot, Arthur, and a faithless queen, he can only say that much of what she’s heard about Camelot is wrong. The truth, he claims, is something she must see for herself.

After jumping through a portal in Glastonbury’s historic center, Vera is not prepared for what she finds. Magic is everywhere, but a curse on the kingdom means it dwindles every day. She has no idea how to perform a queen’s duties. Her fast friendship with Lancelot sets gossip flowing, and the stranger she must call “husband” often refuses to meet her eye. Arthur is a puzzle: cold, forbidding, and, while angry to her face, keeps leaving secret tokens of tenderness in her chambers. Worst of all, Vera’s memories—and the answers locked within them—show no signs of returning. If Vera is truly destined to save Camelot, she’ll have to trust her instincts. And her king will have to trust her . . .

Paula Lafferty is the author of La Vie De Guinevere, a feminist timeslip reimagining of King Arthur’s legend that was independently published through a hugely successful Kickstarter campaign before being traditionally released by Kensington Publishing. It has since become an international sensation, published in 10 countries and translated into 8 languages, with an audiobook edition narrated by Julia Whelan. Born and raised in Kansas, she earned BFA in Film Production from Chapman University and a Master of Divinity from Saint Paul School of Theology. She now lives with her husband, daughter, and dog in the Kansas City, KS area and can be found online at PaulaLafferty.com, on Instagram @paulalafferty_writes and on Tiktok @paulalafferty.

Join us for the first New Romantics book club of 2026 when we gather to discuss the (very) steamy new werewolf romance from Lana Ferguson, The Mating Game. As usual, we’ll meet in the shop at 6:30 on the third Wednesday of the month. It’s free to attend, and all are welcome! Perhaps we’ll see you there?

Two wolf shifters reluctant to love discover there’s no fighting the call of the wild in this steamy romance by USA Today bestselling author Lana Ferguson.

Contractor Tess Covington has spent her entire life as a regular non-shifter human, so after she lands in the Denver ER with flu-like symptoms, it comes as a complete shock to be told that, no, she’s not sick—she’s actually a late-presenting omega wolf shifter. With her family in dire financial straits and a contract for her own television show on the line, she can’t afford not to complete the renovation job she came for. And given that her newly emerged wolf is in danger of going into heat, she’ll just have to do her best to follow the doctor’s advice to keep away from alpha shifters.

Alpha wolf Hunter Barrett has spent most of his adult life living by a routine, and a big part of that involves staying clear of omegas after having one stomp on his heart. So when the tiny contractor shows up at his place smelling like the one thing he’s determined to avoid, he thinks it must be some sort of cosmic joke. But with his lodge on the verge of failing and this sweet-smelling omega his only hope to turn things around . . . he’s left with few other options than to grin and bear it.

Set on avoiding each other as much as possible, they find things unexpectedly starting to heat up between them enough to thaw even the frostiest of hearts. Though even with the pair going head over paws for each other, there’s no changing that their fling has an expiration date. The more time they spend together, the more they realize they’re playing a dangerous game—one where the only thing on the line is their hearts.

Join us for the first Order of Books and Banter of 2026, when we will be discussing Fallen City, by Adrienne Young!

As usual, we’ll meet upstairs at the shop at 6:30 on the second Tuesday of the month, which for those you keeping score is January 13. All are welcome, and attendance is free! We’d love to see you there!

In the great walled city of Isara, political turmoil ignites a rebellion one hundred years in the making. But when a legionnaire falls in love with a Magistrate's daughter, their love will threaten the fate of the city and the will of the gods.

Luca Matius has one purpose—to carry on the family name, maintaining its presence in the Forum once his powerful and cruel uncle dies. But his noviceship with the city's Philosopher places him in the middle of a catastrophe that will alter the destiny of his people.

Maris Casperia was raised amidst the strategic maneuvers of the Citadel's inner workings, and she knows what her future holds—a lifetime of service to a corrupt city. But her years of serving as a novice to the last Priestess who possesses the stolen magic of the Old War has made her envision a different kind of future for the city. When she meets Luca, a fated chain of events is set into motion that will divinely entangle their lives.

As a secret comes to light and throws the city into chaos, Luca and Maris hatch a plot to create a calculated alliance that could tip the scales of power. But when an execution forces Luca to become the symbol of rebellion, he and Maris are thrown onto opposite sides of a holy war. As their fates diverge, they learn they are at the center of a story the gods are writing. And even if they can find their way back to each other, there may be nothing left.