Looking for your next great read? Consider these Missouri-centric books.

Still the Night Call 

Joshua Senter, 162 pages, fiction, Roubidoux Press, hard cover (6 1/4 x 9 1/4 inches), $16.59.

The author grew up in the Ozark Mountains, where he was homeschooled on a cattle farm. He now lives in Los Angeles, where he has written for television, including for Desperate Housewives. He set this novel, his second, on a southern Missouri farm, and through the eyes of a 32-year-old dairy farmer, explores the world of the disappearing small farms and young men who are still trying to make a go of it.

St. Louis Civil War Sites and the Fight for Freedom

Peter Downs, 208 pages, nonfiction, The History Press, softcover (6 x 9 inches), $23.99.

The St. Louis author dives deep into the stories behind 34 different locations of significance to the Civil War. There are fascinating stories behind lesser known locations such as Freedom Crossing and a slave pen site. Even well-known sites like the Ulysses S Grant National Historic Site and Jefferson Barracks Park benefit from old photos and his clear and concise storytelling. Extensive chapter notes, a bibliography, and an index complete the book.

Mississippi River Mayhem

Dean Klinkenberg, 255 pages, nonfiction,Globe Pequot, softcover (6 x 9  inches), $16.95.

For more than a decade, the author has been traveling along the entire Mississippi by car, canoe, and cruise boats and studying the river’s history, culture, economy, and environment. This book explores tragedies in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, within and along the banks, from natural disasters like tornadoes and the New Madrid earthquakes to steamboat wrecks and explosions. Four different floods, prohibition piracy, and a cholera outbreak also give insight into the mighty river’s past.

100 Things to Do in Columbia, Mo., Before You Die

Stephen Paul Sayers, 160 pages, nonfiction, Reedy Press, softcover (5.5 x 8.5  inches), $19.95.

The author has lived in Columbia for 20 years while teaching at the University of Missouri. This handy guide for newcomers is divided into sections for food and drink, music and entertainment, sports and recreation, culture and history, and shopping and fashion. Activities by season and itineraries for different interests is a handy addition.

Lily, a True Story of Courage & the Joplin Tornado

Carolyn E. Mueller and illustrated by Nick Hayes, 32 pages, children’s book, Reedy Press, softcover (9 x 12 inches), $13.50.

This real life search and rescue dog and her trainer and best friend Tara Prosser, and their efforts after the Joplin tornado earned Lily a nomination for National Hero Dog of the Year. This treatment is geared for young children. The author lives in St. Louis.

Urban Wild Adventure Maps

Jessica Hoagland and Angela Wildermuth, 69 pages, children’s book, self-published, softcover (8 1/2 x 11 inches), $12.98.

Originally published in 2017, the book has been updated. Adventure maps for 10 St. Louis-area parks give kids (and their parents) fun activities for a couple of hours in each park.