Natalie Jenner!

We had a wonderful evening of chat and insight last night as we welcomed Natalie Jenner to Skylark to discuss her lovely debut novel, THE JANE AUSTEN SOCIETY with Mary. It was a sparkling conversation, and the hour whizzed by. Our thanks to everyone who participated in the very animated Q and A session, and of course to Natalie for being so generous and gracious with her time and her answers.

If you missed it, don’t worry - the video is on our You Tube channel (yes, we have one now, and all of our Thursday night events are there for your enjoyment whenever you want.)

We still have copies of Natalie’s book available, together with signed book plates. Give us a call at (573) 777 6990 to reserve your copy, or drop us a line.

And don’t forget, next week we have TWO fabulous treats for you - Christina Baker Kline on Wednesday, and Caroline Leavitt on Thursday!

Now We Are Two. And Announcing: Secret Skylark.

Skylark opened its doors for the first time on August 25, 2018, and so today is our second birthday! It’s strange to think that a quarter of our existence has been spent with our doors closed to the public, thanks to the COVID-19 virus. We could not have survived this pandemic without you, our beloved customers and supporters. How we wish we could thank you in person by throwing a big party for you all – but rules is rules. Instead we’ve come up with a different way to celebrate with you, our Skylark community. It’s a way to share the books you love, to discover new titles for yourself, get a free book, and to meet new people, all at the same time. We do hope you’ll join in.
 
We’re calling it: Secret Skylark. Basically, you buy a book for someone else, and get two books back.
 
Here’s how it works:
 

1. Purchase your favorite book for inclusion in the Secret Skylark Reading Nest. You can add a note explaining why the book means so much to you. If you like, you can also make a donation to a fund to buy books for City of Refuge, to help spread the reading love a little further.

2. In return, we’ll send you somebody else’s favorite book, and to thank you for participating we’ll also send you a free signed copy of Setting Free the Kites, by Alex George. Alex will also personalize the book for you, if you wish.

3. Join us at our online birthday party at 7:00 p.m. on September 17 and get to hear about all the books that people have chosen – and (if you want) talk about your book, too! There’ll also be other fun stuff going on – we’ll do some raffles and giveaways of books and Skylark merch, we’ll be reading some of the Skyku that our visiting authors have written for us, and maybe even have a few author appearances, as well!

 
How does it all work? Just go here to complete the google form to get started, and we’ll be in touch! You'll be able to participate for the next month.

Have fun, and we'll see you on September 17! Thanks for the last two years. It's been a blast.

The Natural World - Calming Reads in Difficult Times

Beth writes…

Two exquisite books of the finest nature writing are coming out:  First, a brand new release titled Vesper Flights by Helen MacDonald on August 25, and second, a publisher’s anniversary edition of Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer on October 13.  

I was fortunate to have obtained an advance reader copy of Vesper Flights last March.  Here the author of H is for Hawk returns with a glorious collection of essays about the natural world. The title essay refers to swifts ascending every evening into the sky and disappearing, as regularly as one might utter an evening devotional. In each essay author Macdonald not only shares factual information about creatures or plants, but relays human stories, too, often about her own life. In this particular essay about swifts, she also examines her personal evening ritual of counting geological layers between herself and the center of the earth. In another essay, “Symptomatic,” Macdonald compares her migraine experiences with current ecological breakdowns; in both cases she allows for the possibility of miracles. This is a book that easily might be read straight-through, or, if desired, by chosen topic, be it goats, hares, or mushrooms.

Additionally, I recently listened to a fascinating author conversation between MacDonald and Kimmerer, two kindred spirits when describing the natural world.  Some highlights from this event included their following observations:

• Kimmerer: “The pandemic helps us remember how little we need in the world and what it is.”

• Kimmerer:  “Both science and literature are grounded in attention.”

• MacDonald:  “To learn to love difference is really the pathway to justice.”

• Kimmerer:  “Grief is a measure of how much we love vs. apocalyptic thinking, which leads to despair.”

• MacDonald: “The local can be universal.”

Both authors remained optimistic about the future, focusing on young people’s learning about and democratizing nature by, for example, using digital devices for photography and identification.  Finally, both shared personal reading recommendations: MacDonald suggested Animals Strike Curious Poses by Elena Passarello, and Kimmerer favored books by Louise Erdrich.

Such titles about the natural world act as panaceas during stressful COVID times; feel free to contact us, and we’ll have them ready for you on their release dates.  

Support Downtown Businesses on Saturday, August 15!

We’re looking forward to participating in a local telethon to support downtown businesses who (like us) have been struggling to stay afloat thanks to the effects of COVID-19. From 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. there’ll be a ton of local musicians to delight and entertain you. For more details and links to watch (either Facebook or YouTube) click here.

See you there?

Charlotte McConaghy celebrates the launch of #1 Indie Next List Pick MIGRATIONS at Skylark!

Thursday night saw the second installment of MUST READ TV, and we were so excited to host Charlotte McConaghy’s worldwide (virtual) launch party for her wonderful novel, MIGRATIONS. Charlotte was in conversation with her editor at Flatiron Books, Caroline Bleeke, and their discussion was fascinating and wide-ranging.

If you’d like to order a copy of the book from us, we also have a strictly limited number of signed Skyku - a haiku composed by Charlotte just for Skylark customers - which we will include at no extra cost, while stocks last.

We’re already looking forward to next Thursday, when we’ll be welcoming Samantha Downing to Skylark to discuss her fabulous new thriller, HE STARTED IT. Click here for free registration to this event.

All of our online author events are available 24/7 on our You Tube page, and you can watch last night’s conversation below:

Did You Miss Byron Lane on Thursday Night? Also, SKYKU.

This guy.

We had a wonderful start to our late summer/fall reading series on Thursday night. The first installment of what we are calling MUST READ TV featured playwright and novelist Byron Lane in conversation with Mary about his debut novel, the much buzzed-about A STAR IS BORED. Byron and Mary talked about the book, writing, what it’s like to work with Carrie Fisher, and a bunch of other stuff, and there were special guest appearances by Byron’s fiancé Steven Rowley and their dog, Tilda.

If you missed out on the fun, the whole conversation is available for viewing on Facebook and also on our brand-new YouTube channel, where we will posting all our online author events from now on, together with those little staff recommendation movies that we sometimes do.

We announced a fun new thing last night, too. We’re asking all of the authors who appear on MUST READ TV to compose a haiku specifically for Skylark customers. The first 25 people who buy that author’s book from us will receive an extremely limited edition and totally exclusive haiku, each one signed and numbered by the author. Which we thought was pretty fun. And then we thought: we can call them Skyku. Which made us giggle. If you would like to receive one of Byron’s Skyku along with your first edition of A STAR IS BORED (with signed bookplate), drop us a line at mail@skylarkbookshop.com to be sure to snag one. They are going fast!

Next Thursday, August 6, Charlotte McConaghy will be discussing her astonishing novel MIGRATIONS with her editor at Flatiron Books, Caroline Bleeke. Charlotte’s novel has been receiving rave advance reviews and was recently voted the #1 Indie Next Pick for August - the title that independent booksellers are most excited about selling next month. We wholeheartedly concur: it’s an utterly gorgeous novel - sad, revelatory, inspiring, and just beautifully written from start to finish. Click here for more information and to register for free!

Where's Waldo? (Pandemic Edition)

Every summer, independent bookstores and their communities partner to put together a Waldo scavenger hunt, complete with a party and prizes. It's a pretty big deal, and a whole lot of fun. This was to be our first year participating, until Coronavirus put an end to all things social, and our finding Waldo ended before it even began. While we will miss having you search for Waldo throughout The District, we are excited to have you help us provide Waldo with adventures in all sorts of fun places!

Waldo's publisher, Candlewick Press, has put together a pile of tools to help bring the Waldo fun back to life for the summer, and we're all in for it! 

For  the rest of the summer we'll be doing "Waldo Wednesdays." Each Wednesday will come with a new challenge and a new way for kids and adults to have fun with our beloved traveler. 

Each challenge will be posted on our Instagram and Facebook pages on Sundays, from July 19th through August the 30th. Simply follow the instructions for the week and comment on each post with your entries. At the end of the summer, we will have a prize drawing. The more times you enter, the better chance you have of winning!

If you would like to be involved, shoot us an email at mail@skylarkbookshop.com and we will send you everything you need to get started! Then you’ll just have to add the imagination! We can't wait to see what you come up with!

Spread the word! 

More New Children's Books!

Beth writes with the second part of her new children’s book update…

I’m back with Part II of BookExpo’s Children’s Book and Author Virtual Dinner that I attended!  About a week ago I shared three upcoming titles for younger booklovers:  1) Natalie Portman’s Fables by Natalie Portman, 2) Bunheads by Misty Copeland, and 3)  No Reading Allowed: the Worst Read-Aloud Book Ever.

This week I’m introducing a couple of upcoming fantasy titles for older readers.

In the webinar Marie Lu discussed how the 2016 presidential election prompted her to write Skyhunter, which will be released on September 29 for $19.99.  Her latest created world highlights hopeful young warriors in a broken society.  Typical of Marie Lu, who once designed as an artist in the video game industry, this book contains lots of action, and it is geared toward readers aged 12-17.  

The other featured author in the webinar was Kwame Mbalia, whose second book in the Tristan Strong trilogy--Tristan Strong Destroys the World--is being released on October 6 for $17.99.  In this title seventh-grader Tristan must return to Alke, the land of African American folk heroes and African gods, in order to rescue his grandmother from a baffling villain.  First fun fact:  Kwame Mbalia was participating in the webinar from his wife’s maternity room bathroom after she had just given birth to the couple’s fourth child.  Second fun fact:  Kwame assumed very amusing character voices while he was reading an excerpt.  This title is aimed at readers aged 9-12.

I’m really excited for readers to enjoy these upcoming titles from outstanding authors for young people.  Give us a call at the shop if you’d like for either of them to be ready for you to pick up on their release dates.

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.