From the Front Porch

Episode 139 || September Reading Recap

September was a decidedly not-great month for our intrepid hosts, but at least they got to read some phenomenal books! Join us for our monthly wrap-up and check out our favorite books of the month! Annie read: + I'll Have What She's Having by Erin Carlson + People Like Us by Dana Mele (on sale February 2018) + Stay With Me by Ayobami Adebayo + Reading People by Anne Bogel + The Road Back to You by Ian Morgan Cron and Susan Stabile + To Dance with the White Dog by Terry Kay + Down and Across by Arvin Ahmadi + When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon + Tell Me More by Kelly Corrigan + Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward Chris read: + The Afterlives by Thomas Pierce (on sale January 2018) + The Mothers by Brit Bennett Also mentioned: + Bossypants by Tina Fey + Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher + Grit by Angela Duckworth + The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger Thank you, as always, to Forlorn Strangers. Learn more at their website.  For an almost-full catalogue of our old episodes, learn more, or contact us, visit our website.  Thank you SO MUCH to our Patreon supporters. If you'd like to become a patron and access our monthly bonus content, check us out here. 

Episode 138 || Fall Literary Lineup

Annie's back from SIBA, and we're here to let you in on a long-distance version of the Fall Literary Luncheon we hosted in the Bookshelf last week. Here's what we're recommending for the fall! + Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward + Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng + Artemis by Andy Weir + The Senator's Children by Nicholas Montemarano + The Glass Eye by Jeannie Vanasco + Uncommon Type by Tom Hanks + Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie + My Absolute Darling by Gabriel Tallent + Five-Carat Soul by James McBride + The Floating World by C. Morgan Babst + Grant by Ron Chernow + An Odyssey by Daniel Mendelsohn + The Second Mrs. Hockaday by Susan Rivers + Blood at the Root by Patrick Phillips + What Unites Us by Dan Rather Also mentioned: + Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward + Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng + The Martian by Andy Weir Support us on Patreon here.  Listen to previous episodes here.  Learn more about Shelf Subscriptions here. Thanks, as always, to Forlorn Strangers. Learn more here.

Episode 137 || Love It or Loathe It, Vol. 9

Annie, Hunter, and Emily are back with another volume of Love It or Loathe It, our show within a show in which we have a book club-style discussion about a divisive book. This week: When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon. Also mentioned this week: + The Blondes by Emily Schultz + Looking for Alaska by John Green + The Big Sick + Master of None + The Almost Sisters by Joshilyn Jackson + Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi + Windfall by Jennifer E. Smith + Twilight by Stephanie Meyer Special mid-credits guest appearance by Margery K. Bear.  Thank you, as always, to Forlorn Strangers. Learn more at their website.

Episode 136 || Reading in the Age of Prestige Television

We've survived the hurricane and the new Bachelor announcement, and we're back with another conversation on books, TV, and life in the South. The 2017 Emmy Awards air on September 17, and so many of the honorees this year are adapted from books! We've got thoughts and opinions. Also, Seth Meyers is blond. Mentioned this week: + The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood + The Handmaid's Tale on Hulu + Hagseed by Margaret Atwood + The Leftovers by Tom Perrotta + The Leftovers on HBO + Big Little Lies by Lianne Moriarty + Big Little Lies on HBO + Before the Fall by Noah Hawley + Fargo on FX + Fargo by the Coen Brothers + Legion on FX If you liked The Crown on Netflix, you might enjoy: + The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan + Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan + China Rich Girlfriend by Kevin Kwan + Rich People Problems by Kevin Kwan If you liked The Handmaid's Tale on Hulu, you might enjoy: + Children of Men by P. D. James + Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler If you liked This is Us on NBC, you might enjoy: + The Nest by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney + Modern Lovers by Emma Straub + Adopted by Kelley Nikondeha + Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate If you liked Westworld on HBO, you might enjoy: + Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick + Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie If you liked Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt on Netflix, you might enjoy: + The Girls by Emma Cline + The Assistants by Camille Perri If you liked Stranger Things on Netflix, you might enjoy: + Meddling Kids by Edgar Cantero If you liked Master of None on Netflix, you might enjoy: + Modern Romance by Aziz Ansari + Read Bottom Up by Neel Shah and Skye Chatham Learn more about Forlorn Strangers on their website.  Support us on Patreon here.

Episode 135 || Campus Tour + Nothing Stays the Same!

Welcome to the brand new month of September! School is back in session, Fall is (kinda-sorta) in the air, and change is afoot. Check out our new podcast website and see all the new, special content we've been making just for you! Also, Nick and Vanessa? Donezo.  Mentioned this week: + The Secret History by Donna Tartt + Liberal Arts + Shadow of the Lions by Christopher Swann + A Separate Peace by John Knowles + Looking for Alaska by John Green + The Fault in Our Stars by John Green + The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach + Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld + Commencement by J. Courtney Sullivan + Friends from College  + Tribal by Diane Roberts + Tribe by Sebastian Junger + Against Football by Steve Almond + The One and Only by Emily Giffin Learn more about Forlorn Strangers at their website. Support us on Patreon here. Find your favorite books in our online store. 

Episode 134 || August Reading Recap

August is over, and we're ready to celebrate. Annie and Chris are back to talk about the books they read in August, despite--or maybe in spite of--how terrible the month of August is. Also, can the old Taylor please come to the phone? Chris read: + nothing + life gets in the way + part of How to Stop Time by Matt Haig Annie read: + Final Girls by Riley Sager + The Glass Eye by Jeannie Vanasco (on sale October 3) + There's Someone Inside Your House by Stephanie Perkins + Girl in Snow by Danya Kukafka + The Misfortune of Marion Palm by Emily Culliton + Goodbye, Vitamin by Rachel Khong + Of Mess and Moxie by Jen Hatmaker + The Party by Robyn Harding Also mentioned: + Priestdaddy by Patricia Lockwood + Brain on Fire by Susannah Calahan + Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins + Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty + Everybody Rise by Stephanie Clifford + Where'd You Go, Bernadette? by Maria Semple + Seven by Jen Hatmaker + For the Love by Jen Hatmaker + The Dinner by Herman Koch There are changes on the horizon! Stay tuned!  There's one day left to sign up for September's Shelf Subscription pick, so check out our store website for more details!

Episode 133 || Three Books and a Movie

We're hungry, so let's plan out a menu. This week, Chris and Annie have prepared a few "book flights" for you, and these are the tasting notes. We're also calling them "mini-syllabi" because books talk to each other, and it's the coolest thing. Also, a dyed-in-the-wool Slytherin. Annie's "Fear and Trembling" syllabus: + Final Girls by Riley Sager + Girl in Snow by Danya Kukafka + Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng + Scream  Chris's "A Space Odyssey" syllabus: + The Martian by Andy Weir + The Wanderers by Meg Howrey + The Book of Strange New Things by Michel Faber + Gravity Annie's "Not Another Teen Movie" syllabus: + Dumplin' by Julie Murphy + You'll Grow Out of It by Jessi Klein + Dare Me by Megan Abbott + The DUFF Chris's "Kubelko Bondy" syllabus: + The End We Start From by Megan Hunter + The First Bad Man by Miranda July + Spider-Woman by Dennis Hopeless  + The Babadook Annie's "Slightly Romantic" syllabus:+ Extraordinary Adventures by Daniel Wallace + This Is Your Life, Harriet Chance by Jonathan Evison + The Rosie Project by Graeme Simison + Dan in Real Life Chris's [bonus] "Cruise Ship" syllabus: + "A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again" by David Foster Wallace + "My Honeymoon, or A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again Either" by Tina Fey + "Our Perfect Summer" by David Sedaris Chris's "The Earth is Alive" syllabus: + Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard + Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry + The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien + An Inconvenient Truth OR Mad Max: Fury Road OR Waterworld Annie's "Campus Tour" syllabus: + Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld + Shadow of the Lions by Christopher Swann + The Secret History by Donna Tartt + Dead Poets Society OR Liberal Arts Chris's "Apollo and Dionysus" syllabus: + The Birth of Tragedy by Friedrich Nietszche + The Secret History by Donna Tartt + Brave New World by Aldous Huxley + Black Swan Annie's "Family Dysfunction" syllabus: + The Nest by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney + Commonwealth by Ann Patchett + Standard Deviation by Katherine Heiny + The Family Stone  Learn more about Bookshelf Bucks on our store website. 

Episode 132 || Back to School

It's that time of year again, and we can't believe it. Annie and Chris talk about some of their favorite books for emerging readers and sit down for an interview with one such reader. Also, the importance of haircuts and a pregnant pause (or three).  Mentioned this week: + Miles Morales, Spider-Man by Jason Reynolds + The Adventures of Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey + Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney + Dog Man by Dav Pilkey + Theodore Boone series by John Grisha + Treasure Hunters series by James Patterson + Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales by Nathan Hale + Emily Windsnap series by Liz Kessler + Land of Stories series by Chris Colfer + Hatchet by Gary Paulsen + The Incredible Worlds of Wally McDoogle by Bill Myers + A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle + The Austin Family Chronicles by Madeleine L'Engle + The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis + Bloomability by Sharon Creech + The Wanderer by Sharon Creech + The View from Saturday by E. L. Konigsburg + From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg + Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson + An Old-Fashioned Girl by Louisa May Alcott + Little Women by Louisa May Alcott + The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain + Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery + A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein + Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein + The Missing Piece by Shel Silverstein + The Sea of Trolls by Nancy Farmer + All-of-a-Kind Family series by Sydney Taylor + Bobbsey Twins series by Laura Lee Hope + Betsy-Tacy and Tib by Maud Hart Lovelace + Encyclopedia Brown series by Donald J. Sobol + Nimona by Noelle Stevenson + Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur by Amy Reeder and Brandon Montclare + Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson + Hamster Princess series by Ursula Vernon + I Survived series by Lauren Tarshis + Time Warp Trio series by John Scieszka + The Magic Treehouse series by Mary Pope Osborne

Episode 131 || Shelf Subscription Sneak Peek

Don’t get scared of the word “change.” Annie and Chris are joined this week by the rest of the Bookshelf staff. Ashley, Maddie, and Kate are here to talk about Shelf Subscriptions and what you can expect when you choose one of us to pick out a brand new book for you. Also, let’s take bets on which Office alum is Mindy Kaling’s baby daddy. Annie’s picks are for fans of: + The Mothers by Brit Bennett + Forty Rooms by Olga Grushin + Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradal Chris’s picks are for fans of: + Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders + Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel + A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan Maddie’s picks are for fans of: + Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel + The Walking Dead by Robert Kirkman + The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemison Kate’s picks are for fans of: + The Queen of the Night by Alexander Chee + The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell + Pachinko by Min Jin Lee Ashley’s picks are for fans of: + Paper Towns by John Green + What We Lose by Zinzi Clemmons + This Is How It Always Is by Lauren Frankel Magali’s picks are for fans of: + The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle + The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien + Tlll We Have Faces by C. S. Lewis Learn more about Shelf Subscriptions at our store website. If you would like to advertise your business on From the Front Porch, email Annie at annie [at] bookshelfthomasville [dot] com.

Episode 130 || July Reading Recap

Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name. And even though that might not be exactly how podcasts work, Chris and Annie are here to tell you about what they read in July. Also, Bookshelf Bucks are here! Check out the store website to learn more and start your tab! Annie read: + The Story of a New Name by Elena Ferrante + Ramona Blue by Julie Murphy + The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry + Priestdaddy by Patricia Lockwood + What We Lose by Zinzi Clemmons + The People We Hate at the Wedding by Grant Ginder Chris read: + The End We Start From by Megan Hunter (on sale November 7) + Rabbit Cake by Annie Hartnett Also mentioned: + Dumplin' by Julie Murphy + It Devours by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor + Frances and Bernard by Carlene Bauer + The Mothers by Brit Bennett + Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi + Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel