From the Front Porch

Episode 411 || New Release Rundown: February

This week on From the Front Porch, it’s another New Release Rundown! Annie, Olivia, and Erin are sharing February releases they’re excited about to help you build your TBR.

Don’t forget, if you purchase or preorder any of the books they talk about, you can enter the code NEWRELEASEPLEASE at checkout for 10 percent off your order.

To purchase the books mentioned in this episode, visit our website:

Annie's picks:

Stealing by Margaret Verble
Maame by Jessica George
B.F.F.: A Memoir of Friendship Lost & Found by Christie Tate

My Last Innocent Year by Daisy Alpert Florin (Releases Feb 14)
Time’s Undoing by Cheryl A. Head (Releases Feb 28)

Erin's picks:

Someone Else’s Shoes by Jojo Moyes
The Sun Walks Down by Fiona McFarlane (Releases Feb 14)
I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai (Releases Feb 21)
The Crane Husband by Kelly Barnhill (Releases Feb 28)
Enchantment by Katherine May (Releases Feb 28)

Olivia's picks:

The Swifts: A Dictionary of Scoundrels by Beth Lincoln
Cold People by Tom Rob Smith
Come Home Safe by Brian Buckmire
Lasagna Means I Love You by Kate O’Shaughnessy (Releases Feb 21)
The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz (Releases Feb 21)

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 at @bookshelftville, 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 My Last Innocent Year by Daisy Alpert Florin. Olivia is reading Cold People by Tom Rob Smith.  Erin is reading Age of Vice by Deepti Kapoor.

If you liked what you heard in today’s episode, tell us by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. Or, if you’re so inclined, support us on Patreon, where you can hear our staff’s weekly New Release Tuesday conversations, read full book reviews in our monthly Shelf Life newsletter and follow along as Hunter and I conquer a classic. 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... Donna Hetchler, Cammy Tidwell, Chantalle C, Kate O’Connell, Nicole Marsee, Wendi Jenkins, and Laurie Johnson.

Episode 410 || January Reading Recap

This week on From the Front Porch, Annie recaps the books she read and loved in January. As always, we’re offering a Reading Recap Bundle, which features Annie’s three favorite books she read this past month.

You can get the books mentioned in this episode on our brand-new website:

January Reading Recap Bundle ($74):

Decent People by De’Shawn Charles Winslow

Really Good, Actually by Monica Heisey

Graceland, At Last by Margaret Renkl

Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld (releases 4-4-23)

Decent People by De’Shawn Charles Winslow

Really Good, Actually by Monica Heisey

Graceland, At Last by Margaret Renkl

Spare by Prince Harry
Games and Rituals by Katherine Heiny (releases 4-18-23)

What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez by Claire Jimenez (releases 3-7-23)

My Last Innocent Year by Daisy Alpert Florin (releases 2-14-23)

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 at @bookshelftville, 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 Rikers by Graham Rayman.

If you liked what you heard in today’s episode, tell us by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. Or, if you’re so inclined, support us on Patreon, where you can hear our staff’s weekly New Release Tuesday conversations, read full book reviews in our monthly Shelf Life newsletter and follow along as Hunter and I conquer a classic. 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... Donna Hetchler, Cammy Tidwell, Chantalle C, Kate O’Connell, Nicole Marsee, Wendi Jenkins, and Laurie Johnson.

Episode 409 || Reading Resolutions with Hunter McLendon

This week on From the Front Porch, Annie is joined by Hunter McLendon (@shelfbyshelf) to chat about their 2023 reading resolutions!

We’re thrilled that you can now shop for the books mentioned in this episode on our brand-new website:

Annie's reading resolutions last year:

Recitatif by Toni Morrison

Beloved by Toni Morrison

Sula by Toni Morrison

Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

Annie's resolutions this year:

Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry

Hannah Coulter by Wendell Berry

Standing by Words by Wendell Berry (unavailable to order)

Bleak House by Charles Dickens

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 at @bookshelftville, 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 Games and Rituals by Katherine Heiny. Hunter is reading The Farewell Tour by Stephanie Clifford.

If you liked what you heard in today’s episode, tell us by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. Or, if you’re so inclined, support us on Patreon, where you can hear our staff’s weekly New Release Tuesday conversations, read full book reviews in our monthly Shelf Life newsletter and follow along as Hunter and I conquer a classic. 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... Donna Hetchler, Cammy Tidwell, Chantalle C, Kate O’Connell, Nicole Marsee, Wendi Jenkins, and Laurie Johnson.

Episode 408 || Literary Therapy, Vol. 19

This week on From the Front Porch, it’s time for another Literary Therapy session! Our literary Frasier Crane, Annie, is back to answer more of your reading questions and dilemmas. If you have a question you would like Annie to answer in a future episode, you can leave us a voicemail here.

Our new website will be live on Friday, January 20! You can purchase books mentioned in today’s episode in the store or on our website starting January 20:

Heating & Cooling by Beth Ann Fennelly (unavailable to order)

84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff

But You Did Not Come Back by Marceline Loridan-Ivens (unavailable order)
Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica

The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker (unavailable to order)

Signal Fires by Dani Shapiro

My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Brainwaite

Nobody Will Tell You This But Me by Bess Kalb (unavailable to order)
Glitter & Glue by Kelly Corrigan (unavailable to order)
My Name Is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout

One More Thing by BJ Novak (unavailable to order)

Single, Carefree, and Mellow by Katherine Heiny (unavailable to order)

Girls in White Dresses by Jennifer Close (unavailable to order)
My Monticello by Jocelyn Nicole Johnson

Five Tuesdays in Winter by Lily King
A Rover’s Story by Jasmine Warga

Maizy Chen’s Last Chance by Lisa Yee

Maus by Art Spiegalman
Displacement by Lucy Knisley (unavailable to order)
Shadow Life by Hiromi Goto (unavailable to order)
And Now I Spill the Family Secrets by Margaret Kimball (unavailable to order)
Wake: The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts by Rebecca Hall

Audition by Barbara Walters
I Miss You When I Blink and Bomb Shelter by Mary Laura Philpott
Memorial Drive by Natasha Trethaway
Beautiful Country by Quian Julie Wang
Know My Name by Chanel Miller
The New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance by Elna Baker (unavailable to order)
Becoming by Michelle Obama
Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry
Spare by Prince Harry
Men We Reaped by Jesmyn Ward
Finding Me by Viola Davis
Chasing History by Charles Bernstein

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 at @bookshelftville, 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 Spare by Prince Harry.

If you liked what you heard in today’s episode, tell us by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. Or, if you’re so inclined, support us on Patreon, where you can hear our staff’s weekly New Release Tuesday conversations, read full book reviews in our monthly Shelf Life newsletter and follow along as Hunter and I conquer a classic. 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... Donna Hetchler, Cammy Tidwell, Chantalle C, Kate O’Connell, Nicole Marsee, Wendi Jenkins, and Laurie Johnson.

Episode 406 || Annie’s Favorite Books Ever

This week on From the Front Porch, Annie tells you all about her favorite books ever! Don’t forget to join our bookish Patreon community and get your copy of Bleak House if you’d like to join our Conquer a Classic Book Club this year.

To purchase the books mentioned in this episode, visit our website:

Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee
The Mothers by Brit Bennett
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

An Old-Fashioned Girl by Louisa May Alcott (unavailable to order)
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi
The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

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 at @bookshelftville, 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 Decent People by De’Shawn Charles Winslow.

If you liked what you heard in today’s episode, tell us by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. Or, if you’re so inclined, support us on Patreon, where you can hear our staff’s weekly New Release Tuesday conversations, read full book reviews in our monthly Shelf Life newsletter and follow along as Hunter and I conquer a classic. 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... Donna Hetchler, Cammy Tidwell, Chantalle C, Kate O’Connell, Nicole Marsee, Wendi Jenkins, Laurie Johnson and Kate Johnston Tucker.

Episode 405 || Staff’s Favorite Books of the Year

This week on From the Front Porch, The Bookshelf staff share their favorite books of 2022!

To purchase the books mentioned in this episode, visit our website:

A Rover’s Story by Jasmine Warga
Signal Fires by Dani Shapiro
Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
Art & Faith by Makoto Fujimura
The Stories We Tell by Joanna Gaines (Libro.fm)
Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid
How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water by Angie Cruz
The Swimmers by Julie Otsuka

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 at @bookshelftville, 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. 

If you liked what you heard in today’s episode, tell us by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. Or, if you’re so inclined, support us on Patreon, where you can hear our staff’s weekly New Release Tuesday conversations, read full book reviews in our monthly Shelf Life newsletter and follow along as Hunter and I conquer a classic. 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... Donna Hetchler, Cammy Tidwell, Chantalle C, Kate O’Connell, Nicole Marsee, Wendi Jenkins, Laurie Johnson and Kate Johnston Tucker.

Bonus Episode: Yes, Virginia

Merry Christmas, friends! On today’s bonus episode, Annie reads the New York Sun reporter Francis P. Church’s timeless 1897 response to eight-year-old Virginia O’Hanlon’s question: “Is there a Santa Claus?” Read the letter and learn about its history here.

We wish you and yours a peaceful and joyful holiday! Thank you for listening.

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 at @bookshelftville, and all the books from today’s episode can be purchased online through our store website, www.bookshelfthomasville.com. 

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. 

If you liked what you heard in today’s episode, tell us by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. Or, if you’re so inclined, support us on Patreon, where you can hear our staff’s weekly New Release Tuesday conversations, read full book reviews in our monthly Shelf Life newsletter and follow along as Hunter and I conquer a classic. 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... Donna Hetchler, Cammy Tidwell, Chantalle C, Kate O’Connell, Nicole Marsee, Wendi Jenkins, Laurie Johnson and Kate Johnston Tucker.

 

Episode 404 || Best Books of the Year

This week on From the Front Porch, Annie and Hunter (@shelfbyshelf) discuss their top five favorite books of 2022!

To purchase the books mentioned in this episode, visit our website:

Annie's Top Five:

The Crane Wife by CJ Hauser

The Swimmers by Julie Otsuka

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

The Many Daughters of Afong Moy by Jamie Ford

Hunter's Top Five:

The Crane Wife by CJ Hauser

The Swimmers by Julie Otsuka

Trust by Hernan Diaz

The Last White Man by Mohsin Hamid

Just by Looking at Him by Ryan O'Connell

Other favorites:

The Book of Goose by Yiyun Li
Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan
Dinosaurs by Lydia Millet
How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water by Angie Cruz
Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield
The Town of Babylon by Alejandro Varela
Paul by Daisy Lafarge
Lapvona by Ottessa Moshfegh
Clean Air by Sarah Blake

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 at @bookshelftville, 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. 

Thank you again to this week’s sponsor, Visit Thomasville. Spend Christmas in Thomasville! There is something truly special about the holiday season in Thomasville. From shopping for those must-have presents for everyone on your list, to the twinkling lights, sparkling window displays, and tempting smells wafting from restaurants all add to the festive feeling of the season. From downtown hotels, to delightful vacation rentals, book your getaway to Thomasville and add a little more sparkle to your holidays! Learn more and plan your trip at www.thomasvillega.com or @thomasvillega on Instagram.

This week, Annie is reading Barracoon by Zora Neale Hurston. Hunter is reading A Woman's Story by Annie Ernaux.

If you liked what you heard in today’s episode, tell us by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. Or, if you’re so inclined, support us on Patreon, where you can hear our staff’s weekly New Release Tuesday conversations, read full book reviews in our monthly Shelf Life newsletter and follow along as Hunter and I conquer a classic. 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... Donna Hetchler, Cammy Tidwell, Chantalle C, Kate O’Connell, Nicole Marsee, Wendi Jenkins, Laurie Johnson and Kate Johnston Tucker.

Episode 403 || Kids’ Table: Winter

This week on From the Front Porch, Annie is joined by friend, cousin and former colleague, Ashley Sherlock. Annie and Ashley share what they’re reading, watching, listening to and buying.

To purchase the books mentioned in this episode, visit our website:

Annie’s holiday reading:

• Holiday Romance by Catherine Walsh

• The Matzah Ball by Jean Meltzer

• 10 Blind Dates by Ashley Elston

Ashley’s holiday reading:

• Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Other books mentioned in this episode:

• Moonrise Over New Jessup by Jamila Minnicks (releases 1/10/23)

• Have I Told You This Already? by Lauren Graham

Annie’s holiday watching:

• Home Alone

• The Family Stone

• White Christmas

• Miracle on 34th Street

• #Xmas (Clare Bowen and Brant Daugherty)

Ashley’s holiday watching:

• White Christmas

• Miracle on 34th Street

• Elf

• It’s a Wonderful Life

Annie’s holiday listening:

• My First Popsicle edited by Zosia Mamet

• Taste by Stanley Tucci

• Juliet and Amanda’s gift guide

Ashley’s buying:

• Zabar’s

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 at @bookshelftville, 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. 

Thank you again to this week’s sponsor, Visit Thomasville. Spend Christmas in Thomasville! There is something truly special about the holiday season in Thomasville. From shopping for those must-have presents for everyone on your list, to the twinkling lights, sparkling window displays, and tempting smells wafting from restaurants all add to the festive feeling of the season. From downtown hotels, to delightful vacation rentals, book your getaway to Thomasville and add a little more sparkle to your holidays! Learn more and plan your trip at www.thomasvillega.com or @thomasvillega on Instagram.

If you liked what you heard in today’s episode, tell us by leaving a review on iTunes. Or, if you’re so inclined, support us on Patreon, where you can hear our staff’s weekly New Release Tuesday conversations, read full book reviews in our monthly Shelf Life newsletter and follow along as Hunter and I conquer a classic. 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... Donna Hetchler, Cammy Tidwell, Chantalle C, Kate O’Connell, Nicole Marsee, Wendi Jenkins, Laurie Johnson and Kate Johnston Tucker.

Episode 402 || Literary Therapy Vol. 18

This week on From the Front Porch, it’s time for another Literary Therapy session! Our literary Frasier Crane, Annie, is back to answer more of your reading questions and dilemmas. If you have a question you would like Annie to answer in a future episode, you can leave us a voicemail here.

Get your copies of the books mentioned in this episode from The Bookshelf:

Little Women Book Club

Flight by Lynn Steger Strong

Seven Days of Us by Francesca Hornak (currently unavailable to order)

The Santa Suit by Mary Kay Andrews

Voracious! by Cara Nicoletti (currently unavailable to order)

My First Popsicle edited by Zosia Mamet

The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen

Winter Solstice by Rosmunde Pilcher

An Old-Fashioned Girl by Louisa May Alcott (currently unavailable to order)

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Mr. Dickens and His Carol by Samantha Silva (currently unavailable to order)

Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris

Wintering by Katherine May

Perestroika in Paris by Jane Smiley

Little Women (painted edition) by Louisa May Alcott

Persuasion (painted edition) by Jane Austen

The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green

All These Wonders and Occasional Magic by The Moth

Liturgies for Hope by Elizabeth Moore & Audrey Elledge

A Child’s Christmas in Wales by Dylan Thomas

A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote

Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson

Miracle on 10th Street by Madeleine L’Engle (currently unavailable to order)

A Treasury of Family Christmas Poems by Union Square Kids

The Boy, The Mole, the Fox, and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy

The Sense of Wonder by Matthew Salesses (releases 1/17/23)

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 at @bookshelftville, 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. 

Thank you again to this week’s sponsor, Visit Thomasville. Spend Christmas in Thomasville! There is something truly special about the holiday season in Thomasville. From shopping for those must-have presents for everyone on your list, to the twinkling lights, sparkling window displays, and tempting smells wafting from restaurants all add to the festive feeling of the season. From downtown hotels, to delightful vacation rentals, book your getaway to Thomasville and add a little more sparkle to your holidays! Learn more and plan your trip at www.thomasvillega.com or @thomasvillega on Instagram.

If you liked what you heard in today’s episode, tell us by leaving a review on iTunes. Or, if you’re so inclined, support us on Patreon, where you can hear our staff’s weekly New Release Tuesday conversations, read full book reviews in our monthly Shelf Life newsletter and follow along as Hunter and I conquer a classic. 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... Donna Hetchler, Cammy Tidwell, Chantalle C, Nicole Marsee, Wendi Jenkins, Laurie Johnson and Kate Johnston Tucker.