Skylark Bookshop turns the page with May literary events
Some Columbia readers might be suffering a literary letdown with the conclusion of this year's Unbound Book Festival. Not to worry as Skylark, the fest's home-turf bookshop, is presenting a couple early May events — one in-person, one virtual — to sate history and fiction lovers.
Historian Andrew Roberts holds court on George III
Tuesday, May 3, Skylark teams with the University of Missouri's Kinder Institute to welcome Andrew Roberts, a historian and, most recently, the author of "The Last King of America: The Misunderstood Reign of George III."
"Most Americans dismiss George III as a buffoon – a heartless and terrible monarch with few, if any, redeeming qualities," Roberts' website notes, promising his book offers a "more nuanced and fascinating" portrayal.
The book is "at its best when Roberts analyzes how George III navigated issues with personal as well as political implications," the Minneapolis Star-Tribune notes.
Roberts also has penned books on Napoleon and Winston Churchill, among others.
Tuesday's event takes place at 7 p.m. at Missouri United Methodist Church. Admission is free, but registration is required.
Novelists Sarah McCoy and Jane Green in conversation
Skylark joins the rank of independent bookstores hosting an online event honoring Sarah McCoy's new novel, "Mustique Island."
The May 9 event features McCoy in conversation with her peer Jane Green ("Sister Stardust," "The Sunshine Sisters").
"Mustique Island" fixes its gaze on a former Texas beauty queen and her two daughters, as they dock at the titular paradise looking for a fresh start.
Upon arrival, the family finds that "beneath its veneer of decadence, Mustique has a dark side, and like sand caught in the undertow, their mother-daughter story will shift and resettle in ways they never could have imagined," according to the author's website.
McCoy's other books include "Marilla of Green Gables," "The Mapmaker’s Children" and "The Baker’s Daughter."
Green's "Sister Stardust" released last month, and represents a "shimmering" look "into the short life of real-life Dutch socialite Talitha Getty, via the perspective of a woman who met her during the swinging ’60s," according to Publishers Weekly.
Admission to the online event comes with a pre-order of "Mustique Island" through the bookstore. Learn more about both happenings at https://www.skylarkbookshop.com/new-events.
Aarik Danielsen is the features and culture editor for the Tribune. Contact him at adanielsen@columbiatribune.com or by calling 573-815-1731. Find him on Twitter @aarikdanielsen.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Skylark Bookshop turns page with events featuring historian, novelists
