From the Front Porch

284 || How to Start a Book Club

This week Annie discusses how to start a book club and includes the view point of several of her book club friends.

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

• I'd Rather Be Reading by Ann Bogel

• The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin 

• Becoming by Michelle Obama

• Writers and Lovers by Lily King

• Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

• A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

• Educated by Tara Westover

• We Were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter

• The Almost Sisters by Joshilyn Jackson

• The Dry by Jane Harper

• Searching for Sylvie Lee by Jean Kwok

• Recursion by Blake Crouch

• Wild by Cheryl Strayed

• Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer

• Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

• The City Baker's Guide to Country Living by Louise Miller

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 Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi.

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.

283 || Lazy Genius Your Bookshelves

This week Annie is joined by special co-host Kendra Adachi of the podcast The Lazy Genius and author of the soon-to-be-released The Lazy Genius Way. The two of them talk bookshelves, pandemic reading habits, and, of course, the release of Kendra’s new book, which you can preorder from The Bookshelf.

You can preorder Kendra’s book, which releases on August 11, and then join us for a “Books and Blandly Handsome Men” conversation on August 27. Tickets for the virtual event are $10, or free with the purchase of The Lazy Genius Way from The Bookshelf.

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 Cross and the Lynching Tree by James Cone and Kendra is reading The Keeper of Lost Things by Ruth Hogan.

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.

282 || July Reading Recap

It’s the end of July already! This week Annie reviews the books she read in July.

The books mentioned in Annie’s recap are available online at The Bookshelf:

• Tiny Imperfections by Alli Frank and Asha Youmans

• One To Watch by Kate Stayman-London

• True Story by Kate Reed Petty

• The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi

• A Very Punchable Face by Colin Jost

• The Unraveling of Cassidy Holmes by Elissa R. Sloan

• Mary Anne Saves the Day by Ann M. Martin

• Dawn and the Impossible Three by Ann M. Martin

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 Betty by Tiffany McDaniel.

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.

281 || Owning a Bookstore: A Reflection

This week, Annie shares her journey of becoming, and being, the owner of The Bookshelf for the past seven years.

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 Bright Lands by John Fram.

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.

 

280 || Casting Call, Vol. 2

This week, Annie and friends Julie Anna Helms and Courtney Kinsey share their casting selections for the characters in Emily Henry’s Beach Read.

Please go to Julie Anna’s Instagram account and vote for your casting picks!

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 Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi. Julie Anna is reading Heir Affair, and Courtney is reading A Burning.

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.

 

279 || What Would Susie Read?

This week on From the Front Porch, Annie is joined by her mom, Susie Butterworth who shares her suggested PG books for sensitive readers.

All of the books discussed in this episode can be purchased at The Bookshelf:

• Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano

• Anne of Green Gables by by Lucy Maud Montgomery

• Marilla of Green Gables by Sarah McCoy

• Becoming Mrs. Lewis by Patti Henry

• Educated by Tara Westover

• The Love Story of Missy Carmichael by Beth Morrey

• Mr. Malcolm’s List by Suzanne Allain

• The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner

• Stand All the Way Up by Sophie Hudson

• Little House on the Prairie collection by Laura Ingalls Wilder

• Betsy-Tacy Treasury collection by Maud Hart Lovelace

• Hannah Coulter by Wendell Berry

• Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry

• Florence Adler Swims Forever by Rachel Beanland

• Boston Girl by Anita Diamant

• All-of-a-Kind Family Book Series by Sydney Taylor

• We Were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter

• The Dearly Beloved by Cara Wall

• Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner

• I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith

• Mother to Son by Jasmine L. Holmes

• Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor

• All the Days Past, All the Days to Come by Mildred D. Taylor

• The Crosswicks Journal Series by Madeline L’’Engle

• A Rhythm of Prayer by Sarah Bessey

• Miracles and Other Reasonable Things by Sarah Bessey

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 Tiny Imperfections by Alli Frank and Asha Youmans and Susie is reading Old Lovegood Girls by Gail Godwin.

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.

 

278 || June Reading Recap

This week Annie recaps all of her June reads.

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

• The Next Great Jane by K.L. Going

• I’m Still Here by Austin Channing Brown

• Check Please! Book 1: #Hockey by Ngozi Ukazu

• Check Please! Book 2: Sticks and Scones by Ngozi Ukazu

• House Lessons by Erica Bauermeister

• Florence Adler Swims Forever by Rachel Beanland

• Home Before Dark by Riley Sager

• The Lightness by Emily Temple

• A Burning by Megha Mujumdar

• Party of Two by Jasmine Guillory

• Sex and Vanity by Kevin Kwan

• Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson

• The House on Fripp Island by Rebecca Kauffman

• Claudia and the Phantom Phone Call by Ann M. Martin

• The Truth about Stacey by Ann M. Martin

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 Destination Wedding by Diksha Basu.

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.

277 || Traveling through Books

Annie is joined this week by her well-traveled friend and fellow entrepreneur, Morgan Thomason. Morgan is the designer behind Winsome Paper, a whimsical stationery brand. Annie and Morgan help listeners travel through books this summer as most of our travel plans are a bust (for now).

The books discussed on today’s podcast are available for purchase from The Bookshelf:

London picks:

• Ordinary People by Diana Evans

• 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff

• The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Annie Barrows and Mary Ann Shaffer

• Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams

Europe picks:

• L’Appart by David Lebovitz

• The Hundred-Foot Journey by Richard C. Morais

• The Vacationers by Emma Straub

• Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter

• My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante

America picks:

• A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson

• The Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard

• The Next Great Jane by K.L. Going

• Maine by J. Courtney Sullivan

• Next Great Jane by KL Going

• Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

Other hot summer vacation picks:

• Tangerine by Christine Mangan

• Born a Crime by Trevor Noah

• Do Not Become Alarmed by Maile Meloy

• Hannah Coulter by Wendell Berry

• The Dutch House by Ann Patchett

Annie’s Summer TBR list:

• Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson

• The Jetsetters by Amanda Eyre Ward

• Here Comes the Sun by Nicole Dennis-Benn

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 Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson and Morgan is reading Dorothy Day: The World Will Be Saved by Beauty by Kate Hennessy.

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.

276 || Literary Therapy, Vol. 3

Annie’s tackling more readerly dilemmas in this week’s episode.

Leave your own bookish conundrum via voicemail by going to fromthefrontporchpodcast.com/contact.

Reading People

You and Me Forever

Garlic and Sapphires

A Woman Is No Man

A Place for Us

Mother Land

Delancey

House Lessons

I Capture the Castle

Happier at Home

Strangers and Cousins

This Is Where You Belong

Hidden Art of Homemaking Anna Karenina

East of Eden

A Little Life

Poisonwood Bible

Theft by Finding

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’s reading A Burning by Megha Majumdar. 

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.

275 || Playlist Meets Booklist: Summer

Annie is joined by Robbie Hopkins, a former teacher/librarian, now homeschool dad. Robbie is a music and literary aficionado, and shares his summer playlist based on some of Annie’s anticipated summer reads. 

You can listen to the playlist on Spotify here.

The books mentioned in today’s episode can be purchased or preordered from The Bookshelf:

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

Rodham by Curtis Sittenfeld

The Lightness by Emily Temple

Beach Read by Emily Henry

Nothing Can Hurt You by Nicola Mae Goldberg

Mother Land by Leah Franqui

The Bright Lands by John Fram

Let's Never Talk about This Again by Sarah Faith Alterman

A Star Is Bored by Byron Lane

The Switch by Beth O’Leary

Of Bears and Ballots by Heather Lende

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 I’m Still Here by Austin Channing Brown and Robbie is reading The Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt.

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.

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