From the Front Porch

294 || Anna Karenina and Pop Culture

Annie is joined by Hunter McLendon from @shelfbyshelf to reflect on their 2020 reading of Anna Karenina. Join them on Patreon to hear recaps and reviews of all eight parts of Tolstoy’s classic.

The books mentioned in today’s episode are available at The Bookshelf:

Anna Karenina

Anna K

East of Eden

Rebecca

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

Special thanks to Dylan and his team at Studio D 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 Searcher by Tana French. Hunter is reading Memorial by Bryan Washington.

If you liked what you heard on 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, follow along as Hunter and I conquer a classic, and receive free media mail shipping on all your online book orders. Just go to patreon.com/fromthefrontporch.

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

293 || Baby-Sitters Back, Alright!

Annie is joined by Olivia and Lucy this week to discuss the Baby-Sitters Club books and the enjoyment they've brought during these strange times.

The books mentioned in today’s episode are available at The Bookshelf:

Book Bundle one

Kristy’s Great Idea

Claudia and the Phantom Caller

The Truth about Stacey

Mary-Anne Saves the Day

Dawn and the Impossible Three

Kristy’s Big Day

Claudia and Mean Janine

Boy-Crazy Stacey

The Ghost at Dawn’s House

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

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

This week, I’m reading I Have Been Assigned the Single Bird by Sue Cerulean. Olivia is reading Fortune Favors the Dead by Stephen Spotswood. Lucy is reading The National Road by Tom Zoellner.

If you liked what you heard on 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, follow along as Hunter and I conquer a classic, and receive free media mail shipping on all your online book orders. Just go to patreon.com/fromthefrontporch.

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

292 || Literary Therapy, Vol. 4

Today, Annie channels her inner Frasier Crane to dispense bookish wisdom to her fellow readers. 

The books mentioned in today’s episode can be purchased at The Bookshelf:

• Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi

• House Lessons by Erica Bauermeister

• Friends and Strangers by J. Courtney Sullivan

• This Must Be the Place by Maggie O'Farrell

• Jack by Marilynne Robinson

• Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid

• Here For It by R. Eric Thomas

• Stand All the Way Up by Sophie Hudson

• The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi

• This Is Your Life, Harriet Chance! by Jonathan Evison

• The Big Finish by Brooke Fossey

• The Lazy Genius Way by Kendra Adachi

• Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

• East of Eden by John Steinbeck

• Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

• Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

• The Winters by Lisa Gabriele

• Old Lovegood Girls by Gail Godwin

• Dearly Beloved by Cara Wall

• Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

• The Dutch House by Ann Patchett

• Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson

• Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

• Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo

• We Were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter

• Nobody Will Tell You This But Me by Bess Kalb

• Unsheltered by Barbara Kingsolver

• The Sea Wife by Amity Gaige

• Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam

A full transcript for today’s episode is available 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 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 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 Ghost at Dawn’s House by Ann M. Martin.

If you liked what you heard on 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, follow along as Hunter and I conquer a classic, and receive free media mail shipping on all your online books orders. Just go to patreon.com/fromthefrontporch.

291 || September Reading Recap

This week Annie recaps the books she read in September.

• Recommended for You by Laura Silverman

• The Harpy by Megan Hunter

• His Only Wife by Peace Adzo Medie 

• What Kind of Woman by Kate Baer

• Everything Beautiful in Its Time by Jenna Bush Hager

• Just Like You by Nick Hornby

• Scandalous Witness by Lee Camp

• Evil at Lake Seminole by Steven Epstein

• Cobble Hill by Cecily von Ziegesar

A full transcript for today’s episode is available 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 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 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 Cobble Hill by Cecily von Ziegesar.

If you liked what you heard on 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, follow along as Hunter and I conquer a classic, and receive free media mail shipping on all your online books orders. Just go to patreon.com/fromthefrontporch.

290 || Books for Every Enneagram Type

Annie is joined by Jordan Jones, her husband who also happens to be an attorney and personality typing expert. Today, they’re chatting about the Enneagram and making book recommendations for each type.

• Enneagram 1: East of Eden by John Steinbeck or Burnout by Emily and Amelia Nagoski

• Enneagram 2: Musical Chairs by Amy Poeppel or A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza

• Enneagram 3: The Best of Me by David Sedaris or Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell

• Enneagram 4: The Incendiaries by R.O. Kwon or The Harpy by Megan Hunter

• Enneagram 5: Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi and Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry

• Enneagram 6: Sea Wife by Amity Gaige and Text Me When You Get Home by Kayleen Schaefer

• Enneagram 7: City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert and Here for It by R. Eric Thomas

• Enneagram 8: Untamed by Glennon Doyle and A Knock at Midnight by Brittany K. Barnett

• Enneagram 9: What We Lose by Zinzi Clemmons and Hey Ladies! by Michelle Markowitz and Caroline Moss

A full transcript for today’s episode is available 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 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 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 Boy-Crazy Stacey by Ann M. Martin and Jordan is reading The Biggest Bluff by Maria Konnikova.

If you liked what you heard on 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, follow along as Hunter and I conquer a classic, and receive free media mail shipping on all your online books orders. Just go to patreon.com/fromthefrontporch.

289 || Our Top Ten of the Year (thus far)

Annie is joined by friend and bookstagrammer from @shelfbyshelf, Hunter, to discuss their top ten reads of the year thus far.

The books mentioned in today’s episode are available for purchase from The Bookshelf:

Annie’s Top Ten

1. Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi

2. The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

3. House Lessons by Erica Bauermeister

4. Nobody Will Tell You This But Me by Bess Kalb

5. A Burning by Megha Majumdar

6. The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi

7. Here for It by R. Eric Thomas

8. One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London

9. Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid

10. Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix

 

Hunter’s Top Ten

1. Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi

2. Fairest by Meredith Talusan

3. Real Life by Brandon Taylor

4. How Much of These Hills Is Gold by C Pam Zhang

5. The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi

6. Kept Animals by Kate Milliken

7. The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

8. Shiner by Amy Jo Burns

9. Such A Fun Age by Kiley Reid

10. Cleanness by Garth Greenwell and I know You Know Who I Am by Peter Kispert

Also mentioned: Memorial by Bryan Washington, Florence Adler Swims Forever by Rachel Beanland, Daddy by Emma Cline, and What Are You Going Through by Sigrid Nunez.

A full transcript for today’s episode is available 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 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 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 Memorial by Bryan Washington, and Hunter is reading A Children’s Bible by Lydia Millet.

If you liked what you heard on 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, follow along as Hunter and I conquer a classic, and receive free media mail shipping on all your online books orders. Just go to patreon.com/fromthefrontporch.

288 || Netflix and Read

Annie is joined this week by cousin, friend and former Bookshelf staffer, Ashley Sherlock. The two will pair books with some of their favorite TV shows.

The books discussed today can be purchased online from The Bookshelf:

• Britt-Marie is Here by Fredrik Backman (matched withTed Lasso on Apple TV+)

• Long Bright River by Liz Moore (matched with Ozark on Netflix)

• Three by D.A. Mishani (matched with You on Netflix)

• Swamplandia! by Karen Russell (matched with Tiger King on Netflix)

• Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson (matched with Gilmore Girls)

• I Think You’re Wrong, but I’m Listening by Beth A. Silvers and Sarah Stewart Holland (matched with The Politician)

• Savage News by Jessica Yellin and Rise and Shine by Anna Quindlen (matched with The Morning Show on Apple TV+)

• One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London (matched with Married at First Sight)

• Musical Chairs by Amy Poeppel and All Adults Here by Emma Straub (matched with Schitts Creek)

• Layoverland by Gabby Noone, Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders and Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett (matched with The Good Place)

• The Coincidence of Coconut Cake by Amy E. Reichert and The City Baker’s Guide to Country Living by Louise Miller (matched with The Great British Bake Off)

• Priestdaddy by Patricia Lockwood and Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi (matched with Fleabag)

• The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy (matched with Love on the Spectrum on Netflix)

• The Other’s Gold by Elizabeth Ames (matched with The Baby-Sitter’s Club on Netflix)

• The Bright Lands by John Fram (matched with Lovecraft Country on HBO)

A full transcript for today’s episode is available 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 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 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 Claudia and Mean Janine by Ann M. Martin, and Ashley is reading A Very Punchable Face by Colin Jost.

If you liked what you heard on 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, follow along as Hunter and I conquer a classic, and receive free media mail shipping on all your online books orders. Just go to patreon.com/fromthefrontporch.

287 || Royals Report: Finding Freedom

Annie is joined by friend and fellow royals aficionado, Courtney Kinsey to discuss the book Finding Freedom. Courtney and her sister Betsy host the podcast, I Do Declare!

The book discussed today can be purchased online from The Bookshelf:

• Finding Freedom by Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand

A full transcript of today's podcast can be found online 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 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 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 Recommended for You by Laura Silverman, and Courtney is reading The Guest List by Lucy Foley.

If you liked what you heard on 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, follow along as Hunter and I conquer a classic, and receive free media mail shipping on all your online books orders. Just go to patreon.com/fromthefrontporch.

286 || August Reading Recap

Is August really over? It’s hard to believe it’s that time again, but here we are! This week, Annie recaps her reads during the month of August.

All of the books mentioned on today’s podcast can be purchased online at The Bookshelf:

• Stand All the Way Up by Sophie Hudson

• Memorial Drive by Natasha Trethewey

• Musical Chairs by Amy Poeppel

• Finding Freedom by Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand

• Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi

• Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam

• The Resisters by Gish Jen

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 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 Here She Is by Hilary Levey Friedman.

If you liked what you heard on 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, follow along as Hunter and I conquer a classic, and receive free shipping on all your online orders. Just go to patreon.com/fromthefrontporch.

285 || Books Kids Actually Want to Read

This week, Annie is joined by Olivia, The Bookshelf manager, children and young adult lit specialist and leader of Dumbledore’s Army, to discuss books kids like to read.

The books mentioned on today’s podcast are available for purchase through The Bookshelf:

• Alien Superstar by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver

• Middle School Bites by Steven Banks

• Confessions of a Dork Lord by Mike Johnston

• A Flicker of Courage by Deb Caletti

• Mightier Than the Sword by Drew Callander and Alana Harrison

• The Day I Was Erased by Lisa Thompson

• Voyage of the Frostheart by Jamie Littler

• The Land of Stories series by Chris Colfer

• Allies by Alan Gratz

• Brother's Keeper by Julie Lee

• The Blackbird Girls by Anne Blankman

• Echo Mountain by Lauren Wolk

• Broken Strings by Eric Walters and Kathy Kacer

• Coo by Kaela Noel

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 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 still reading Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi and Olivia is reading The Silver Arrow by Lev Grossman.

If you liked what you heard on 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, follow along as Hunter and I conquer a classic, and receive free shipping on all your online orders. Just go to patreon.com/fromthefrontporch.