A Novel Concept

07/31/2026

Happy Stationery Store Day (TOMORROW!) to our favorite Kinshop, Dear Ollie & Co.!

This little shop of marvels Sara Pulver and her team have cultivated offers more than an incredible selection of goods to help stoke your creative soul. Yes, they carry more than 100 makers with a focus on q***r and women artists, but they also hold close the values that are literally lettered all over their shop, and in doing so help uplift all their partners. You, too, have probably felt this sense of authenticity if you’ve come into the shop, whether it’s a genuine welcome or a heartfelt hug — a piece of care to take home with you along with that new journal you’ve been eyeing or a card you might have picked up to brighten someone’s day.

But they aren’t just our favorite partners, they are also our favorite gremlins. Authenticity can mean getting dirty sometimes, and whether it’s the dust flying in the downtown construction or cleaning the shared bathroom, we wouldn’t want to wade through the muck with anyone else. Thank you for helping to make our space and our world a prettier place to be.

We love you Dear Ollie & Co.! (And thank you as always to Wondergold Pictures for capturing some of our finer moments!)

07/30/2026

For the book club this month, we are savoring the dog days of summer with a book that focuses on the relationship between a human and an animal.



Join us TONIGHT at 6:30 pm to discuss what you read in the sultry, orange heat of July!

07/24/2026

We had the supreme (surprise) pleasure of getting to hang with Kate Flannery when she popped by to say hi. We didn’t have to hit her with our company vehicle to find out about her upcoming book, “Observed: The Lucky Life of the Office Drunk”!

She’s in town to throw out the first pitch at Jackson Field for this evening’s “Sit Com Night,” starting at 7:05 p.m. Put on your casual Friday outfits and go see one of the most iconic Office employees open for our beloved Lansing Lugnuts.

If we had the power we’d award her a Dundie for being the sweetest and most genuine, and we’re hoping to welcome her back after her book releases in December. If you’re looking to snag some early pre-orders, feel free to place them with us via the preorder link on our website at www.anovelconcept517.com/preorders!

07/20/2026

Between unexpected closings due to hazardous health conditions outside and the construction surrounding downtown, we understand why you might forego stopping by. Luckily, our online collections at Bookshop.org are always available and, ICYMI, they also offer ebook options!

Browse our virtual shop for available reads from your browser, phone, or Bookshop.org’s ebook app. Because we needed a way to channel some of our own feelings, we’ve curated a special selection of books that deal with processing ecological grief and finding new ways to move forward even when things are literally in flames around us. You can find these (and other titles) on our Bookshop.org page: https://bookshop.org/shop/anovelconcept

PSA: We all know books are said to be transportive. This is not a strange fiction. It’s so important to keep expanding our worldviews to better understand one another, ourselves, and what the hell might be happening out there. Books can help. Let us help you get them.

06/25/2026

TOMORROW! Amanda Uhle will be at A Novel Concept to talk all about her recent memoir, Destroy This House.

Our kinshop crew is raving about this one—we can't wait to see y'all there. Read on for more kinshop praise of what Dave Eggers has called "an iconic, only-in-America fable of desperate Midwestern dreamers."

From Layla:
"I have never felt more connected to a memoir that is so opposite from my life, but in some ways so similar. Amanda Uhle had such an amazing way of telling her story and I was immediately hooked. Her telling of overcoming that familiar feeling of guilt and responsibility for the people in your life, and letting go of what you can’t control in order to help yourself really stuck with me after reading. I would recommend this book to any and everyone—such a good read."

From Emily:
"Have you ever been a kid attending a religious school from grades 1-8 whose pastor also coached your basketball team, taught you catechism, and baptized you? Maybe you looked up to him and he encouraged your dreams of being a lawyer?

Then you grow up, become an atheist, start working at a gay kinshop (lawyer dreams long-deserted), and work through processing your religious trauma.

And THEN, one day, you find out that this same pastor’s daughter has written a memoir recounting her experience as the child of this man who had such an impact on your young life.

How could you resist such an enticing glimpse behind the curtains? You purchase it, devour it, and find a portrait of flawed humanity that evokes both anger and empathy.

Oh, and also some side tea: that your religious grade school employed a known and convicted s*x offender as their organist during the time period you were attending that school??

Ok cool, so this is just me then??

So, anyway, Destroy This House is for you if you have religious trauma, parental trauma, if you enjoy peeking into someone else’s life, or if you just want to read some really good prose.

From Elise:
"Destroy This House is an evocative, tender, and frequently hilarious exploration of a childhood teeming with a push-pull uncertainty that feels palpable, to the point I was literally dreaming about this book while reading it. Many of us might be able to relate to the kind of chaos that Uhle describes living within, inflicted by parents or family who sincerely believe they are acting out of love, but who are also sincerely the primary chaos purveyors. Uhle’s throwbacks to bits of ’80s and ’90s nostalgia in recalling her childhood are also delightful reminders of how the past can ground us as we continue to grow into ourselves."

https://www.facebook.com/events/992972796901018/

06/22/2026

Come get shattered with us THIS FRIDAY as we welcome McSweeney’s Executive Director and Publisher, and now author of the award-winning “Destroy This House!”

Fans of Jeanette Walls’ “The Glass Castle” and Mary Karr’s “The Liar’s Club” will find this coming-of-age memoir especially exquisite, but Uhle’s account of her turbulent childhood is both wholly unique and wholly Midwestern.

Vacillating wildly between obscene wealth and financial ruin, Uhle tells the story of navigating her fashion designer mother’s hoarding and her preacher father’s penchant for maximalism. This powerhouse of a memoir is about family, love and resilience, with the overarching message that it is always possible to reinvent yourself, even when you yearn to, well, burn it all down.

https://www.facebook.com/events/992972796901018

05/29/2026

Live Storytelling: Developing a Tale You Feel Compelled to Tell

June 2: 1st session | June 16: 2nd session
6:30–8:00 p.m.
$30/session | 12 seats available per session

Have you ever been wowed by folks who can get up onstage and rattle off a story with presence? Are you perhaps looking to hone your storytelling skill set, or to create one? Join us for an easygoing introduction into developing a story meant to be read aloud. During the month of June, author Mickey Hadick will be hosting a two-part workshop series at A Novel Concept that aims to help develop your story and give you the chops to make it come alive on stage.

These 90-minute workshops will be held on the first and third Tuesday in June from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. Each session will include discussion, likely littered with anecdotes, dedicated writing interludes, and a chance to share or discuss. The workshop will incorporate handouts, along with analysis of a live story. To ensure a comfortable experience for all, this class offers limited seating at 12 spots.

Mickey is a student of the art and craft of storytelling in all its forms. He won a Moth StorySLAM with his 21st delivered story. Mickey has written and published several novels of suspense, satire, and sci-fi.

*Scholarships or payment plans available; if interested, email [email protected].

Follow the links below to sign up for one or both sessions!

Click here for an update from A Novel Concept!

05/21/2026

May is a time of transition. The earth is born wet in the morning and one day everything is green. There are big changes happening in the season and in our lives as we move nearer to the middle of the year. There is an urgency pressed upon us to be like horses birthing other horses, running with wobbly limbs.

You are not alone in this world. Stretch your arms out and you will feel the warmth of a sun. Your shadow can dance with the shadows of trees. Everything is alive, and we can carry the weight of each other.

Below are some books that float in that reflection and encourage you to move gently and intentionally during this period of change. - Bella

05/19/2026

From Friday 5/22 through Saturday 5/23, take 20%-40% off select hardcovers!

A few summers ago, we held a used book rummage sale to help us rotate and refresh our used book inventory. This year, it's our new hardcover selection that's in need of some spring cleaning.

As we get ready to refresh our shelves for summer, it's time to bid farewell to last season's reads. Over 70 different titles will be significantly marked down! At the risk of sounding like a shady used car salesman (aka Danny Devito's character in Matilda), THESE BABIES ARE PRICED TO SELL! ...No, but seriously, there are some really good books in this selection. Come see us!

04/29/2026

Excuse us while we emerge (fashionably) late to the week in the post-IBD comedown. It’s for good reason — we have been positively REELING from the love y’all brought to this year’s Independent Bookstore Day celebration. From Friday’s teen open mic hosted by Alexx Lynette to witnessing two humans in love literally get ENGAGED in the shop on Saturday, this weekend was a whirlwind of beautiful conversation, book finds, and human connection points. Thank you from the bottom of our bookish hearts to Lansing’s exceptionally lovable community — we are so grateful to be here with you.