From the Front Porch

Episode 30 || Reading Post-Charleston

Annie and Katie discuss the events in Charleston and books about race in America; start with Shauna Niequist's original question on Instagram, then read Annie's blog post for a suggested book list. Want to dig even further? Try following the #CharlestonSyllabus hashtag for more recommendations. 

Review the podcast on iTunes here.

Episode 29 || Introversion + Extroversion

Annie and her husband Jordan discuss extroversion, introversion, and the influence of Susan Cain (and her book Quiet) on our daily lives. This episode have you curious for more? Find out your MBTI results and whether you're a Highly Sensitive Person, plus check out one of Annie's favorite podcasts, The Popcast (hosted by an excellent introvert and extrovert pairing) and Cain's famous TED talk. You can also join Cain's "Quiet Revolution" here. 

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Episode 28 || Fifty Shades + Literary Guilty Pleasures

Annie and Katie talk about the Fifty Shades of Grey books and why they're so popular (maybe because we're repressed?), plus they tackle their own literary guilty pleasures, including chicklit and self-help books. 

Love what you hear? Rate us on iTunes, and vote for The Bookshelf as we try to win a Main Street grant! You can vote here. 

Episode 27 || May Reading Recap

Annie reviews the books she read in May, including Mamrie Hart's You Deserve a Drink and Erik Larson's Dead Wake. Don't forget to rank and review the podcast on iTunes here.

Episode 26 || Audiobooks

Annie chats with husband and frequent podcast contributor Jordan about audiobooks: he loves them, but she's not a fan. Where do you stand? (Some of Jordan's favorites, in case you're curious: Defending Jacob, The Dinner, and Lord of the Rings.) Annie would rather listen to podcasts; some of her favorites: Lit Up, Books on the Nightstand, This American Life, Gilmore Guys, Around the Table, and The Popcast.

Episode 25 || Narrative Nonfiction

Annie and Katie chat about narrative nonfiction, the ones we love and the ones we hate, including The Lemon Tree, author Erik Larson, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Wild Swans, the American Girl books, and the books we're reading right now.

Episode 24 || April Reading Recap

Annie reviews the books she read in April, including A Little Life (reviewed by Books on the Nightstand here) and Emma, part of The Austen Project. Rachel Held Evans' Washington Post article is here.

Episode 23 || The Localist

Annie chats with author and entrepreneur Carrie Rollwagen in this 45-minute interview episode. They chat about local shopping and eating, Leslie Knope, and Amazon versus the indie. (You can follow Carrie on Instagram or Twitter.)

Episode 22 || March Reading Recap

Annie reviews the books she read in March, including Gretchen Rubin's Better Than Before (recapped in its own podcast episode here) and Hey Natalie Jean.

Episode 21 || Word of South

Annie and Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra CEO Amanda Stringer chat Tallahassee's first-ever Word of South festival (Ann Patchett, Tony Hale, Julia Reed, J.K. Simmons, and more!), the beauty of Cascades Park, and why Tallahassee might be a new Southern travel destination.