"People are looking for that third space again, and I've always wanted this to be one." Felicia Clark said that to Visit Oshkosh in July, a few weeks after she opened Author Apothecary & Bookstore at 576 N. Main St. on June 6, 2026. In the same interview she mentioned that TBR Anonymous, another independent shop, opened at 1207 N. Main St. "just weeks after we did."
You've probably already seen the news that downtown got two bookstores. The bigger change shows up on the fall calendar. The Oshkosh Public Library's adult book clubs for October through December meet in the morning or early afternoon. Most of Author Apothecary's book clubs, readings and writing nights start at 6 p.m. or later. With both on the calendar, Oshkosh now has organized reading time on both sides of the workday.
Same day, two different clocks
The split is easiest to see on days when both places have something scheduled.
| Date | Daytime at the library, 106 Washington Ave. | Evening at Author Apothecary, 576 N. Main St. |
|---|---|---|
| Wed., Oct. 14 | "Did you finish the book?" Club, 10:30–11:30 a.m. | Book bedazzling, 6–7:30 p.m. |
| Thu., Nov. 12 | Second Thursday Book Club, 1–3 p.m. | Death & Grief Book Club, 6–7 p.m. |
| Wed., Dec. 16 | No adult book club listed | Spiritual Book Club, 11 a.m.–noon, and Writing Group, 7–8 p.m. |
The library's adult groups keep to daytime hours. The "Did you finish the book?" Club meets at 10:30 a.m. on Oct. 14, Nov. 11 and Dec. 9, reading The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife, Anxious People and Life: A Love Story. The group mostly reads fiction and skips romance and horror. The club's reading list gives Oct. 13 and Dec. 8 for two of those books, while the library calendar has the meetings on Oct. 14 and Dec. 9, so check the calendar before you go. The Second Thursday Book Club meets from 1 to 3 p.m. on Oct. 8, Nov. 12 and Dec. 10. October's book is The Women, November's is a title members choose for the U.S. 250th anniversary, and December's is The Great Gatsby. The Preteen and Teen Book Clubs meet from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. on Oct. 2 and Nov. 6. The preteen group meets again Dec. 4.
The library does have one evening event on its book calendar this season. On Dec. 10, from 6 to 7:30 p.m., it hosts the release of Butte des Morts: The Stories Beyond the Tombstones. That's the same day as the afternoon Second Thursday meeting.
What fills the evenings at 576 North Main
Most of Author Apothecary's regular programs are built for people who are free after work.
- Apothecary After Dark: Poetry Open Mic meets the first Tuesday of the month. Sign-up opens at 6:30 p.m. and readings run from 7 to 8. The rest of this year's dates are Oct. 6, Nov. 3 and Dec. 1. It's free.
- Apothecary After Dark: Writing Group is led by Clark and meets the third Wednesday of the month from 7 to 8 p.m. on Oct. 21, Nov. 18 and Dec. 16. Bring something you're working on or use the prompts.
- Inclusivity Book Club meets on the second Tuesday every other month from 6 to 7 p.m. and focuses on diverse perspectives and social and political questions. The Oct. 13 book is One Day Everyone Will Have Been Against This. The store lists a Dec. 8 meeting with the title still to be announced.
- Death & Grief Book Club is held with Bryn of Silver Glass Deathcare from 6 to 7 p.m. It reads From Here to Eternity on Oct. 22 and Grief Is the Thing with Feathers on Nov. 12. There's no December meeting.
The open mic came to the store from somewhere else. Oshkosh Poet Laureate Thomas Cannon hosts it, and it used to meet at NAMI Oshkosh. The bookstore takes donations at each session to keep supporting that organization, though donations aren't required.
The store also fills October evenings beyond its book clubs. There are mocktail mixology classes from 6 to 8 p.m. on Oct. 9 and 23 and a Halloween succulent-garden class from 6 to 8 p.m. on Oct. 15.
Its latest event of the fall runs until midnight. On Monday, Oct. 26, from 10 p.m. to midnight, the store hosts an after-hours release party for Sarah J. Maas's A Court of Splintered Harmony. Tickets are $70 and include a copy of the book, an ACOTAR-themed swag bag, tarot readings with Larissa Rosa, court-themed mocktails from The Dandelion Lounge with the first drink free, a costume contest and court-sorted trivia teams.
Saturday mornings are the exception
On Saturday mornings, the library and the bookstore schedule things at the same time.
Saturday, Oct. 3, shows it clearly. From 10 a.m. to noon, Author Apothecary hosts a free signing with Rebecca M. Zornow for the third book in her Landsome series. During those same hours, the Oshkosh Area Writers Club meets at the library. It's a free creative-writing and feedback group for adults, open to anyone 17 and older. Read to a Dog also runs at the library that morning from 10 to 11 a.m. Children practice reading to a trained therapy dog in 15-minute appointments. The Writers Club meets again Nov. 7 and Dec. 5.
Author Apothecary's next two Saturdays are just as full. Nikki Kallio signs from 10 a.m. to noon on Oct. 10, the store is a nonalcoholic-cider stop for Boos + Brews from 1 to 5 p.m., and a Soul Attunement session runs from 4 to 5 p.m. Kevin Otte signs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Oct. 17.
The store's posted hours are still labeled "summer store hours." They list Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday and Friday until 8 p.m., Tuesday and Wednesday until 7 p.m., Sunday from 10 to 3, and closed Monday. Check the store's website before a late visit, since fall hours may be different.
TBR Anonymous runs on a subscription instead of a set meeting time
The other new shop on North Main has a different setup. TBR Anonymous is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and closed Sunday. It focuses on fantasy, romance and thrillers, plus children's books, bookish accessories and puzzles. The Oshkosh Chamber lists horror among its genres too.
Its book club works as a monthly subscription. Members get a book each month, a discussion guide or bookish extras, member discounts and access to member events. Discussions happen online or in person, and there's a Discord server too. October's genre is Horror and Thriller. The club page doesn't list a meeting date. Because the discussion can happen on Discord, members don't all have to be free at the same hour. The shop also sells audiobooks through Libro.fm, takes orders through Bookshop.org and offers local pickup and delivery.
The store's events page invites people to book an event but showed no dated fall listings when we checked.
The rest of the book map
North Main Street already had one book-related stop. House of Heroes Comics at 407 N. Main St. sells comics and graphic novels, so the street now has three book-related shops between the 400 block and the 1200 block.
Away from North Main:
- Caramel Crisp Book Store, 200 City Center, sells fiction, nonfiction and children's titles and carries work from more than 100 local authors.
- On This Rock Books, 216 W. South Park Ave., is a Catholic books-and-gifts shop with a children's room and a full-sized book room.
- Oshkosh Public Library Bookstore, 106 Washington Ave., sells donated and withdrawn books during library hours, and the proceeds help pay for future library purchases.
The library's Banned Book Scavenger Hunt is listed as an offsite, all-ages event from Oct. 5 through Oct. 9.
How the year ends
December has the clearest example of the day-and-evening split. The Poetry Open Mic starts the month at Author Apothecary on Dec. 1 at 7 p.m. The library's "Did you finish the book?" Club meets Dec. 9 at 10:30 a.m. The Second Thursday Book Club reads The Great Gatsby at 1 p.m. on Dec. 10, and the Butte des Morts book release follows at the library that evening at 6. On Dec. 16, the Spiritual Book Club meets at the bookstore at 11 a.m. to discuss The Women of Lemuria, and the Writing Group meets that night at 7.
Clark lives in the apartment above her shop, in a building her partner, Vinny Seichter, bought through Seichter Property Holdings. Her commute to the evening events is one flight of stairs.
Our team keeps up with the shops and events in the Oshkosh neighborhoods we work in. If a new business on your street has you wondering how your own block is changing, Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Special Properties is happy to talk it through. Get the Special Advantage. Talk with our team today.
