From the Front Porch

Episode 563 || What Would Jane Austen Read?

This week on From the Front Porch, Annie shares the modern books she would recommend to Jane Austen, in honor of Jane’s recent 250th birthday. Listen to find out what books Annie would put in Jane’s hands if she walked into The Bookshelf.

To purchase the books mentioned in this episode, stop by The Bookshelf in Thomasville, visit our website (search episode 563) or download and shop on The Bookshelf’s official app:

• Matrix by Lauren Groff

• Miracles and Other Reasonable Things by Sarah Bessey

• Take Good Care of the Garden and the Dogs by Heather Lende

• Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi

• Tom Lake by Ann Patchett

• The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry

• The Complete Stories by Flannery O’Connor

From the Front Porch is a weekly podcast production of The Bookshelf, an independent bookstore in South Georgia. You can follow The Bookshelf’s daily happenings on Instagram, Tiktok, and Facebook, and all the books from today’s episode can be purchased online through our store website, www.bookshelfthomasville.com. 

A full transcript of today’s episode can be found here.

Special thanks to Dylan and his team at Studio D Podcast Production for sound and editing and for our theme music, which sets the perfect warm and friendly tone for our Thursday conversations. 

This week, Annie is reading Mona’s Eyes by Thomas Schlesser.

If you liked what you heard in today’s episode, tell us by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. You can also support us on Patreon, where you can access bonus content, monthly live Porch Visits with Annie, our monthly live Patreon Book Club with Bookshelf staffers, Conquer a Classic episodes with Hunter, and more. Just go to patreon.com/fromthefrontporch.

We’re so grateful for you, and we look forward to meeting back here next week.

Our Executive Producers are...Beth, Stephanie Dean, Linda Lee Drozt, Ashley Ferrell, Wendi Jenkins, Martha, Nicole Marsee, Gene Queens, Cammy Tidwell, Jammie Treadwell, and Amanda Whigham.

Episode 562 || Unsung Books of 2025

Happy New Year! This week on From the Front Porch, Annie chats about the unsung books you may not have heard about in 2025.

To purchase the books mentioned in this episode, stop by The Bookshelf in Thomasville, visit our website (search episode 562) or download and shop on The Bookshelf’s official app:

• Lightbreakers by Aja Gabel

• Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood

• Before I Forget by Tory Henwood Hoen

• The Girls Who Grew Big by Leila Mottley

• So Far Gone by Jess Walter

• Among Friends by Hal Ebbott

From the Front Porch is a weekly podcast production of The Bookshelf, an independent bookstore in South Georgia. You can follow The Bookshelf’s daily happenings on Instagram, Tiktok, and Facebook, and all the books from today’s episode can be purchased online through our store website, www.bookshelfthomasville.com. 

A full transcript of today’s episode can be found here.

Special thanks to Dylan and his team at Studio D Podcast Production for sound and editing and for our theme music, which sets the perfect warm and friendly tone for our Thursday conversations. 

This week, Annie is reading The Land in Winter by Andrew Miller.

If you liked what you heard in today’s episode, tell us by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. You can also support us on Patreon, where you can access bonus content, monthly live Porch Visits with Annie, our monthly live Patreon Book Club with Bookshelf staffers, Conquer a Classic episodes with Hunter, and more. Just go to patreon.com/fromthefrontporch.

We’re so grateful for you, and we look forward to meeting back here next week.

Our Executive Producers are...Beth, Stephanie Dean, Linda Lee Drozt, Ashley Ferrell, Wendi Jenkins, Martha, Nicole Marsee, Gene Queens, Cammy Tidwell, Jammie Treadwell, and Amanda Whigham.

Episode 561 || Yes, Virginia

This week on From the Front Porch, Annie reads the New York Sun reporter Francis P. Church’s timeless response to eight-year-old Virginia O’Hanlon’s question: “Is there a Santa Claus?” Read the letter from 1897 and learn about its history here.

From the Front Porch is a weekly podcast production of The Bookshelf, an independent bookstore in South Georgia. You can follow The Bookshelf’s daily happenings on Instagram and Facebook, and all the books from today’s episode can be purchased online through our store website, bookshelfthomasville.com. 

From the Front Porch is a weekly podcast production of The Bookshelf, an independent bookstore in South Georgia. You can follow The Bookshelf’s daily happenings on Instagram, Tiktok, and Facebook, and all the books from today’s episode can be purchased online through our store website, www.bookshelfthomasville.com. 

A full transcript of today’s episode can be found here.

Special thanks to Dylan and his team at Studio D Podcast Production for sound and editing and for our theme music, which sets the perfect warm and friendly tone for our Thursday conversations. 

This week, Annie is reading A Bit Much by Lyndsay Rush.

If you liked what you heard in today’s episode, tell us by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. You can also support us on Patreon, where you can access bonus content, monthly live Porch Visits with Annie, our monthly live Patreon Book Club with Bookshelf staffers, Conquer a Classic episodes with Hunter, and more. Just go to patreon.com/fromthefrontporch.

We’re so grateful for you, and we look forward to meeting back here next week.

Our Executive Producers are...Beth, Stephanie Dean, Linda Lee Drozt, Ashley Ferrell, Wendi Jenkins, Martha, Nicole Marsee, Gene Queens, Cammy Tidwell, Jammie Treadwell, and Amanda Whigham.

Episode 560 || Best Books of the Year

This week on From the Front Porch, Annie and Hunter discuss their top 10 favorite books of 2025!

Annie
1. A Guardian and a Thief by Megha Majumdar
2. The Correspondent by Virginia Evans
3. Flashlight by Susan Choi
4. Tilt by Emma Pattee
5. The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett
6. Things in Nature Merely Grow by Yiyun Li
7. Memorial Days by Geradine Brooks
8. Buckeye by Patrick Ryan
9. Life, and Death, and Giants by Ron Rindo
10. Awake by Jen Hatmaker

Hunter
1. Audition by Katie Kitamura
2. Flashlight by Susan Choi
3. Ordinary Time by Annie B. Jones
4. Lightbreakers by Aja Gabel
5. Minor Black Figures by Brandon Taylor
6. A Guardian and a Thief by  Megha Majumdar
7. Mothers and Sons by Adam Haslett
8. Middle Spoon by Alejandro Varela
9. The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett
10. Alligator Tears by Edgar Gomez

Annie - July picks
1. Tilt by Emma Pattee
2. Flashlight by Susan Choi
3. The Correspondent by Virginia Evans
4. Things in Nature Merely Grow by Yiyun Li
5. Show Don’t Tell by Curtis Sittenfeld
6. Memorial Days by Geraldine Brooks
7. Everything Is Tuberculosis by John Green
8. The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett
9. Lucky Night by Eliza Kennedy
10. Playworld by Adam Ross

Hunter - July picks
1. Audition by Katie Kitamura
2. Ordinary Time by Annie B Jones
3. Mothers and Sons by Adam Haslett
4. Alligator Tears by Edgar Gomez
5. Among Friends by Hal Ebbott
6. The Wilderness by Angela Flourney
7. Open, Heaven by Sean Hewitt
8. The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett
9. Perfection by Vincenzo Latronico
10. Exit Zero by Marie-Helene Bertino

From the Front Porch is a weekly podcast production of The Bookshelf, an independent bookstore in South Georgia. You can follow The Bookshelf’s daily happenings on Instagram, Tiktok, and Facebook, and all the books from today’s episode can be purchased online through our store website, www.bookshelfthomasville.com. 

A full transcript of today’s episode can be found here.

Special thanks to Dylan and his team at Studio D Podcast Production for sound and editing and for our theme music, which sets the perfect warm and friendly tone for our Thursday conversations. 

This week, Annie is reading Grace and Henry’s Holiday Movie Marathon. Hunter is reading Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club.

If you liked what you heard in today’s episode, tell us by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. You can also support us on Patreon, where you can access bonus content, monthly live Porch Visits with Annie, our monthly live Patreon Book Club with Bookshelf staffers, Conquer a Classic episodes with Hunter, and more. Just go to patreon.com/fromthefrontporch.

We’re so grateful for you, and we look forward to meeting back here next week.

Our Executive Producers are...Beth, Stephanie Dean, Linda Lee Drozt, Ashley Ferrell, Wendi Jenkins, Martha, Nicole Marsee, Gene Queens, Cammy Tidwell, Jammie Treadwell, and Amanda Whigham.

Episode 559 || Staff's Favorite Books of the Year

This week on From the Front Porch, The Bookshelf staff share their favorite books of 2025!

To purchase the books mentioned in this episode, stop by The Bookshelf in Thomasville, visit our website (search episode 559) or download and shop on The Bookshelf’s official app:

• Olivia: Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy

• Erin: Life, & Death, & Giants by Ron Rindo

• Keila: Water Moon by Samantha Soto Yambao

• Kyndall: Deep Cuts by Holly Brickley

From the Front Porch is a weekly podcast production of The Bookshelf, an independent bookstore in South Georgia. You can follow The Bookshelf’s daily happenings on Instagram and Facebook, and all the books from today’s episode can be purchased online through our store website, www.bookshelfthomasville.com. 

A full transcript of today’s episode can be found here.

Special thanks to Dylan and his team at Studio D Podcast Production for sound and editing and for our theme music, which sets the perfect warm and friendly tone for our Thursday conversations. 

This week, Annie is reading A Beautiful Year by Diana Butler Bass.

If you liked what you heard in today’s episode, tell us by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. You can also support us on Patreon, where you can access bonus content, monthly live Porch Visits with Annie, our monthly live Patreon Book Club with Bookshelf staffers, Conquer a Classic episodes with Hunter, and more. Just go to patreon.com/fromthefrontporch.

We’re so grateful for you, and we look forward to meeting back here next week.

Our Executive Producers are...Beth, Stephanie Dean, Linda Lee Drozt, Ashley Ferrell, Wendi Jenkins, Martha, Nicole Marsee, Gene Queens, Cammy Tidwell, Jammie Treadwell, and Amanda Whigham.

Episode 558 || Annie Recommends: Holiday Reads

This week on From the Front Porch, it’s an episode of Annie Recommends! In this series, Annie curates a stack of books in a certain genre or theme for you – just as if you walked into our brick-and-mortar store, The Bookshelf. This month, Annie recommends her favorite holiday reads.

To purchase the books mentioned in this episode, stop by The Bookshelf in Thomasville, visit our website (search episode 558) or download and shop on The Bookshelf’s official app:

A Home for the Holidays by Taylor Hahn

Before I Forget by Tory Henwood Hoen

Eight Heartbreaks of Hanukkah by Jean Meltzer

Faking Christmas by Kerry Winfrey

Grace and Henry’s Holiday Movie Marathon by Matthew Norman

From the Front Porch is a weekly podcast production of The Bookshelf, an independent bookstore in South Georgia. You can follow The Bookshelf’s daily happenings on Instagram and Facebook, and all the books from today’s episode can be purchased online through our store website, www.bookshelfthomasville.com. 

A full transcript of today’s episode can be found here.

Special thanks to Dylan and his team at Studio D Podcast Production for sound and editing and for our theme music, which sets the perfect warm and friendly tone for our Thursday conversations. 

This week, Annie is reading Lightbreakers by Aja Gabel.

If you liked what you heard in today’s episode, tell us by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. You can also support us on Patreon, where you can access bonus content, monthly live Porch Visits with Annie, our monthly live Patreon Book Club with Bookshelf staffers, Conquer a Classic episodes with Hunter, and more. Just go to patreon.com/fromthefrontporch.

We’re so grateful for you, and we look forward to meeting back here next week.

Our Executive Producers are...Beth, Stephanie Dean, Linda Lee Drozt, Ashley Ferrell, Wendi Jenkins, Martha, Nicole Marsee, Gene Queens, Cammy Tidwell, Jammie Treadwell, and Amanda Whigham.

 

Episode 557 || November Reading Recap

This week on From the Front Porch, Annie recaps the books she read and loved in August. You get 10% off your books when you order your November Reading Recap bundle. Each month, we offer a Reading Recap bundle, which features Annie’s favorite books she read that month.

To purchase the books mentioned in this episode, stop by The Bookshelf in Thomasville, visit our website (search episode 557), or download and shop on The Bookshelf’s official app:

November Reading Recap Bundle

• This bundle includes

  • Wreck by Catherine Newman (hardcover)

  • The Land of Sweet Forever by Harper Lee (hardcover)

  • Grace and Henry’s Holiday Movie Marathon by Matthew Norman (paperback) (currently backordered)

The Midnight Show by Lee Kelly and Jennifer Thorne 

Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes

Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke

Wreck by Catherine Newman

 How to Survive in the Woods by Kat Rosenfield

The Land of Sweet Forever by Harper Lee

Grace and Henry’s Holiday Movie Marathon by Matthew Norman

From the Front Porch is a weekly podcast production of The Bookshelf, an independent bookstore in South Georgia. You can follow The Bookshelf’s daily happenings on Instagram and Facebook, and all the books from today’s episode can be purchased online through our store website, www.bookshelfthomasville.com. 

A full transcript of today’s episode can be found here.

Special thanks to Dylan and his team at Studio D Podcast Production for sound and editing and for our theme music, which sets the perfect warm and friendly tone for our Thursday conversations. 

This week, Annie is reading Upward Bound by Woody Brown.

If you liked what you heard in today’s episode, tell us by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. You can also support us on Patreon, where you can access bonus content, monthly live Porch Visits with Annie, our monthly live Patreon Book Club with Bookshelf staffers, Conquer a Classic episodes with Hunter, and more. Just go to patreon.com/fromthefrontporch.

We’re so grateful for you, and we look forward to meeting back here next week.

Our Executive Producers are...Beth, Stephanie Dean, Linda Lee Drozt, Ashley Ferrell, Wendi Jenkins, Martha, Nicole Marsee, Gene Queens, Cammy Tidwell, Jammie Treadwell, and Amanda Whigham.

Episode 556 || Conquer a Classic 2026 Announcement

This week on From the Front Porch, we announce our Conquer a Classic book club selection for 2026! We’re excited to announce A Year With Flannery – a communal exploration of Georgia author Flannery O’Connor’s short stories (and novels). Listen to learn how to join our From the Front Porch Patreon Conquer a Classic book club (you’ll also find details below).

To purchase the books mentioned in this episode, stop by The Bookshelf in Thomasville, visit our website (search episode 556) or download and shop on The Bookshelf’s official app:

From the Front Porch Patreon

Conquer a Classic 2026 Collection

The Complete Stories by Flannery O’Connor

Conquer a Classic 2026 Bundle

• This bundle includes

  • The Complete Stories

  • The Violent Bear it Away

  • Wise Blood

  • Mystery & Manners: Occasional Prose

Now is the perfect time to join the From the Front Porch Patreon community and our Conquer a Classic Book Club. One perk of being a Patreon member is being a part of our super-popular, year-long Conquer a Classic book club! Each year, Annie and Hunter select a classic book and read it with our Patreon community over the course of the year. 

Our Conquer a Classic book club begins in January 2026. Your Conquer a Classic orders ship by Friday, December 12. 

Join our Conquer a Classic book club: 

• Step 1. Join the Patreon here. You’ll unlock bonus episodes of the podcast where Annie and Hunter discuss Flannery’s works, plus discussion forums with other Conquer a Classic book club members.

• Step 2. Buy your copy of THE COMPLETE STORIES or your Conquer a Classic bundle here. Your order will include an exclusive reading guide and bookmark. Your order will ship by Friday, December 12.

On Patreon, you can choose from two different tiers to join our Conquer a Classic book club: 

• For $5/month, you get: 

  • Monthly Conquer a Classic recap episodes with Annie and Hunter for THE COMPLETE STORIES

  • Monthly Porch Visits on Zoom with Annie

• For $20/month, you get: 

  • Monthly Conquer a Classic recap episodes with Annie and Hunter for THE COMPLETE STORIES

  • Monthly Porch Visits on Zoom with Annie

  • Quarterly book club conversations about O’Connor’s books: WISE BLOOD, THE VIOLENT BEAR IT AWAY, and MYSTERY AND MANNERS

  • Biannual movie recap episodes with Annie and Hunter: FLANNERY (2019) and WILDCAT (2023)

From the Front Porch is a weekly podcast production of The Bookshelf, an independent bookstore in South Georgia. You can follow The Bookshelf’s daily happenings on Instagram and Facebook, and all the books from today’s episode can be purchased online through our store website, www.bookshelfthomasville.com. 

A full transcript of today’s episode can be found here.

Special thanks to Dylan and his team at Studio D Podcast Production for sound and editing and for our theme music, which sets the perfect warm and friendly tone for our Thursday conversations. 

This week, Annie is reading The Midnight Show by Lee Kelly and Jennifer Thorne.

If you liked what you heard in today’s episode, tell us by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. You can also support us on Patreon, where you can access bonus content, monthly live Porch Visits with Annie, our monthly live Patreon Book Club with Bookshelf staffers, Conquer a Classic episodes with Hunter, and more. Just go to patreon.com/fromthefrontporch.

We’re so grateful for you, and we look forward to meeting back here next week.

Our Executive Producers are...Beth, Stephanie Dean, Linda Lee Drozt, Ashley Ferrell, Wendi Jenkins, Martha, Nicole Marsee, Gene Queens, Cammy Tidwell, Jammie Treadwell, and Amanda Whigham.

Episode 555 || Annie Recommends: Nonfiction

This week on From the Front Porch, it’s an episode of Annie Recommends! In this series, Annie curates a stack of books in a certain genre or theme for you – just as if you walked into our brick-and-mortar store, The Bookshelf. This month, Annie recommends a short list of her favorite nonfiction reads.

To purchase the books mentioned in this episode, stop by The Bookshelf in Thomasville, visit our website (search episode 555) or download and shop on The Bookshelf’s official app:

Cherished Belonging by Gregory Boyle

Awake by Jen Hatmaker

Things in Nature Merely Grow by Yiyun Li

Bone Valley by Gilbert King

Blessings and Disasters by Alexis Okeowo

From the Front Porch is a weekly podcast production of The Bookshelf, an independent bookstore in South Georgia. You can follow The Bookshelf’s daily happenings on Instagram and Facebook, and all the books from today’s episode can be purchased online through our store website, www.bookshelfthomasville.com. 

A full transcript of today’s episode can be found here.

Special thanks to Dylan and his team at Studio D Podcast Production for sound and editing and for our theme music, which sets the perfect warm and friendly tone for our Thursday conversations. 

This week, Annie is reading The Midnight Show by Lee Kelly and Jennifer Thorne.

If you liked what you heard in today’s episode, tell us by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. You can also support us on Patreon, where you can access bonus content, monthly live Porch Visits with Annie, our monthly live Patreon Book Club with Bookshelf staffers, Conquer a Classic episodes with Hunter, and more. Just go to patreon.com/fromthefrontporch.

We’re so grateful for you, and we look forward to meeting back here next week.

Our Executive Producers are...Beth, Stephanie Dean, Linda Lee Drozt, Ashley Ferrell, Wendi Jenkins, Martha, Nicole Marsee, Gene Queens, Cammy Tidwell, Jammie Treadwell, and Amanda Whigham.

Episode 554 || November 2025 New Release Rundown

This week on From the Front Porch, it’s another New Release Rundown! Annie, Erin, and Olivia share the November releases they’re excited about to help you build your TBR. When you purchase or preorder any of the books they talk about, enter the code NEWRELEASEPLEASE at checkout for 10% off your order!

To purchase the books mentioned in this episode, stop by The Bookshelf in Thomasville, visit our website (search episode 554) or download and shop on The Bookshelf’s official app:

How About Now by Kate Baer

Like Family by Erin O. White

Lightbreakers by Aja Gabel

With Friends Like These by Alissa Lee

The Sunshine Man by Emma Stonex

59 Minutes by Holly Seddon

Helm by Sarah Hall

The Tortoise’s Tale by Kendra Coulter

Family of Spies by Christine Kuehn

From the Front Porch is a weekly podcast production of The Bookshelf, an independent bookstore in South Georgia. You can follow The Bookshelf’s daily happenings on Instagram and Facebook, and all the books from today’s episode can be purchased online through our store website, www.bookshelfthomasville.com. 

A full transcript of today’s episode can be found here.

Special thanks to Dylan and his team at Studio D Podcast Production for sound and editing and for our theme music, which sets the perfect warm and friendly tone for our Thursday conversations. 

This week, Annie is reading Journey Towards Morning by Victoria Safford. Olivia is reading The Secret of Secrets by Dan Brown. Erin is reading The Tortoise’s Tale by Kendra Coulter.

If you liked what you heard in today’s episode, tell us by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. You can also support us on Patreon, where you can access bonus content, monthly live Porch Visits with Annie, our monthly live Patreon Book Club with Bookshelf staffers, Conquer a Classic episodes with Hunter, and more. Just go to patreon.com/fromthefrontporch.

We’re so grateful for you, and we look forward to meeting back here next week.

Our Executive Producers are...Beth, Stephanie Dean, Linda Lee Drozt, Ashley Ferrell, Wendi Jenkins, Martha, Nicole Marsee, Gene Queens, Cammy Tidwell, Jammie Treadwell, and Amanda Whigham.