From the Front Porch

Episode 154 || New Year, New You?

It's a new year and we've got our resolutions ready, but what about all those books that are supposed to help us sort ourselves out? This week, Annie and Chris chat about self-help and personal growth. Pretty scary, right? Mentioned this week: + The Architecture of Happiness by Alain de Botton + Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller + A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller + Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell + The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo + The Year of Living Danishly by Helen Russell + The New Minimalism by Cary Telander Fortin and Kyle Louise Quilici + The Capsule Wardrobe by Wendy Mak + The Curated Closet by Anuschka Rees + The Art of Stopping Time by Pedram Shojai + How to Stop Time by Matt Haig (on sale February 6) + The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead + Forty Ways to Look at Winston Churchill by Gretchen Rubin + The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin + Better Than Before by Gretchen Rubin + The Four Tendencies by Gretchen Rubin + The Family Manager by Kathy Peel + The Simplified Life by Emily Ley + When by Daniel H. Pink + Originals by Adam Grant + Grit by Angela Duckworth + What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast by Laura Vanderkam Thanks, as always, to Forlorn Strangers for the use of our theme music. Learn and listen more here. Listen to a full back catalogue of our show here, and, if you're interested in some exclusive content like our side-podcast Unpopular Opinions, consider supporting us on Patreon here. 

Episode 153 || Reading Resolutions, Vol. 4

It's a new year, so Chris and Annie are back to discuss their reading plans for 2018. Spoiler: We're not doing quantitative tracking. Also, what is the natural habitat of the North American beaver? Additionally, an extended discussion on Jason Rekulak's The Impossible Fortress​​​​​​​ and what "YA" means in terms of readership.  Thanks, as always, to Forlorn Strangers for the use of our theme music. Learn and listen more here. Listen to a full back catalogue of our show here, and, if you're interested in some exclusive content like our side-podcast Unpopular Opinions, consider supporting us on Patreon here. 

Episode 152 || Live with Jamie Golden

Annie sits down with Jamie Golden, cohost of The Popcast, in front of a LIVE audience to talk about books and pop culture. Learn more about The Popcast here.  Listen to a full back catalogue of our show here, and, if you're interested in some exclusive content like our side-podcast Unpopular Opinions, consider supporting us on Patreon here. 

Episode 151 || Best Books of 2017

It's our last episode of 2017, so it's time for a SUPER-SIZED reading recap. Chris and Annie walk you through their favorite books of 2017, and here they are! Thanks so much for sticking with us, even when our sound quality is far below what we typically aim for. + The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry + The Wanderers by Meg Howrey + This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel + The Almost Sisters by Joshilyn Jackson + Rabbit Cake by Annie Hartnett + Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng + The End We Start From by Megan Hunter + Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward + The Impossible Fortress by Jason Rekulak + We Were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter + Dear Ijeawele, or a Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie + Option B by Sheryl Sandberg + Calling a Wolf a Wolf by Kaveh Akbar + Young Jane Young by Gabrielle Zevin + Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders Thanks, as always, to Forlorn Strangers for the use of our theme music. Learn and listen more here. Listen to a full back catalogue of our show here, and, if you're interested in some exclusive content like our side-podcast Unpopular Opinions, consider supporting us on Patreon here. 

See you in 2018!

Episode 150 || Mailbag, Vol. 3

Thank you for getting us to 150 episodes! This week, Annie and Chris answer YOUR questions. One popular question was, "Where does Annie get her own book recommendations?" Well, here's a big shout out to: @avidbookshop @tylergoodson @_marcidarling @bookshelf.tees @annebogel @bookofthemonth @jaclyncrupi @riverheadbooks @booksaremagicbk @laura.tremaine @notetosarah @erindotsmith @etst @leighkramer @karibaumann @jamiebgolden @knoxmccoy If you want to hear Chris and Annie talk about Great Books curriculum at a time when they didn't know one another very well, listen to Episode 35 here. This episode is sponsored in part by Fontaine Maury, a branding and design firm with offices in Thomasville and Tallahassee. Check them out at their website.  Thanks, as always, to Forlorn Strangers for the use of our theme music. Learn and listen more here. Listen to a full back catalogue of our show here, and, if you're interested in some exclusive content like our side-podcast Unpopular Opinions, consider supporting us on Patreon here. 

Episode 149 || Love It or Loathe It, Vol. 10

It's the latest installment of our show within a show, Love It or Loathe It, in which Annie, Emily, and Hunter discuss a contentious book in a book club-style roundtable. This week: Fierce Kingdom by Gin Phillips. Also mentioned this week: + Room by Emma Donoghue + Get Out SPOILER DISCUSSION OCCURS BETWEEN 19:00 AND 21:12. This episode is brought to you in part by the city of Thomasville. Come join us for Victorian Christmas, our annual celebration of the holiday in the manner of a Victorian street fair! Mark December 14 and 15 on your calendars and learn more here.  Thanks, as always, to Forlorn Strangers for the use of our theme music. Learn and listen more here. Listen to a full back catalogue of our show here, and, if you're interested in some exclusive content like our side-podcast Unpopular Opinions, consider supporting us on Patreon here. 

Episode 148 || November Reading Recap

The holiday season is upon us, which means it's time for us to recap what we read in the month of November. Give thanks! Also, Universal, please consider changing how your lockers work.  Annie read: + Bachelor Nation by Amy Kaufman (on sale February 27) + The Stranger Beside Me by Ann Rule + Loving Frank by Nancy Horan + Rosie Colored Glasses by Brianna Wolfson (on sale February 20) Chris read: + Future Home of the Living God by Louise Erdrich Also mentioned: + Mindhunter + Rabbit Cake by Annie Hartnett This episode is brought to you in part by the city of Thomasville. Come join us for Victorian Christmas, our annual celebration of the holiday in the manner of a Victorian street fair! Mark December 14 and 15 on your calendars and learn more here.  Thanks, as always, to Forlorn Strangers for the use of our theme music. Learn and listen more here. Listen to a full back catalogue of our show here, and, if you're interested in some exclusive content like our side-podcast Unpopular Opinions, consider supporting us on Patreon here. 

Episode 147 || The New Childhood Classics

'Tis the season to start thinking about children's books! What will you buy this year for the young reader in your life? Chris and Annie have some suggestions for you this week, hopefully beyond the old standards--not that there's anything wrong with the old standards! Also, weird moles. Mentioned this week: + Wild Things: The Joy of Reading Children's Literature as an Adult by Bruce Handy + Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin + Dragons Love Tacos Too by Adam Rubin + Dough Knights and Dragons by Dee Leone + Franklin's Flying Bookshop by Jen Campbell and Kathie Harnett + The Book with No Pictures by B. J. Novak + Elephant and Piggie by Mo Willems + There's a Monster at the End of this Book by Jon Stone + This is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen + Vegetables in Underwear by Jared Chapman + Little Red by Bethan Woollvin + The Ugly Pumpkin by Dave Horowitz + Hooray for Hat by Dave Won + Boss Baby by Marla Frazee + Bossier Baby by Marla Frazee + King Baby by Kate Beaton + Giraffes Can't Dance by Giles Andreae + God's Very Good Idea by Trillia Newbell + Big and Small, God Made Them All by Ben Wilder + The Story Cure by Ella Berthoud and Susan Elderkin This episode is brought to you in part by the city of Thomasville. Come join us for Victorian Christmas, our annual celebration of the holiday in the manner of a Victorian street fair! Mark December 14 and 15 on your calendars and learn more here.  This week's episode is also sponsored by the Paxton House, a historic bed and breakfast in downtown Thomasville. Make a reservation at their website above and follow them on Instagram here! Thanks, as always, to Forlorn Strangers for the use of our theme music. Learn and listen more here. Listen to a full back catalogue of our show here, and, if you're interested in some exclusive content like our side-podcast Unpopular Opinions, consider supporting us on Patreon here. 

Episode 146 || Food for Thought

Because of the Thanksgiving holiday, we're coming to you a couple days early! Spend time with us, and then spend time with your loved ones. Best of both worlds. This week, Annie and Chris talk about food books, cookbooks, and how feasting structures our lives. Also, bedbugs. Featured this week: + The Comfort Food Diaries by Emily Nunn + Cooked by Michael Pollan + Sex, Economy, Freedom and Community by Wendell Berry + Voracious by Cara Nicoletti + A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg + Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradal + The City Baker's Guide to Country Living by Louise Miller + Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin + Dough Knights and Dragons by Dee Leone + Supper of the Lamb by Robert Farrar Capon + Bread and Wine by Shauna Niequist + Of Mess and Moxie by Jen Hatmaker Follow Joy the Baker here. (Or Drake on Cake here.) This week's episode is sponsored by the Paxton House, a historic bed and breakfast in downtown Thomasville. Make a reservation at their website above and follow them on Instagram here! Thanks, as always, to Forlorn Strangers for the use of our theme music. Learn and listen more here. Listen to a full back catalogue of our show here, and, if you're interested in some exclusive content like our side-podcast Unpopular Opinions, consider supporting us on Patreon here. 

Episode 145 || New Books for Old Souls

Sometimes we talk about old books like they're sacred and have nothing to do with what we're reading day to day, but new books and old books both speak to us, don't they? And sometimes they speak to each other. This week, Chris and Annie discuss some of their favorite classics and their favorite new books as if they are cousins. Of the kissing variety? For instance, if you like To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, check out Rabbit Cake by Annie Hartnett. If you like One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, you may enjoy Stay With Me by Ayobami Adebayo. If you like The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, you may enjoy The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. If you like Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, you may enjoy My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante. If you like The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger, you may enjoy The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. If you like The Giver by Lois Lowry, you may enjoy Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn.  If you like In Cold Blood by Truman Capote, you may enjoy American Fire by Monica Hesse. If you like The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, you may enjoy Blankets by Craig Thompson. If you like The Joy of Cooking by Irma S. Rombauer, you may enjoy Delancey by Molly Wizenberg. If you like A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith, you may enjoy The Boston Girl by Anita Diamant. November 25 is Small Business Saturday! Come visit us at the Bookshelf and see all of our small business friends. If you can't come to Thomasville that weekend, support your local businesses! Thanks, as always, to Forlorn Strangers for our theme music. Listen to more here.  If you'd like to gain access to our exclusive content, consider supporting us on Patreon here.  Full episodes of our show are available here.