From the Front Porch

Episode 104 || January Reading Recap

Annie and Chris chat about public transit, public urination, and all the books they read in January.  Annie read: +The Underwriting by Michelle Miller +The Folded Clock by Heidi Julavits +The Throwback Special by Chris Bachelder +American Fire by Monica Hesse +Himself by Jess Kidd +The Second Mrs. Hockaday by Susan Rivers

Annie is currently reading: +Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl

Chris read: +The Wanderers by Meg Howrey +Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders

Chris is currently reading: +American War by Omar El Akkad

Episode 103 || Book Club Extravaganza

Annie and Chris get ready for the Bookshelf's upcoming Book Club Fair by discussing their favorite book club picks for 2017 (so far), including:

In Case You Missed It: + Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradal + Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff + Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert + This is Your Life, Harriet Chance by Jonathan Evison + The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving by Jonathan Evison

2016 Tastemakers: + A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles + Among the Living by Jonathan Rabb + A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman + Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi + Hillbilly Elegy by J. D. Vance + Commonwealth by Ann Patchett

Coming in 2017: + The Second Mrs. Hockaday by Susan Rivers (out now) + The Wanderers by Meg Howrey (out March 14) + Himself by Jess Kidd (out March 14) + American Fire by Monica Hesse (out July 11) + The Book that Matters Most by Ann Hood (out now--in paper back August 1) + Hue and Cry at Our House by Benjamin Taylor (out May 23)

Episode 102 || Meet the Manager

Chris and Annie chat with the Bookshelf's new manager, Magali Kent, about missionary work, the proper execution of an eye roll, culture shock, and favorite children's books. 

+ Watership Down by Richard Adams

+ Reply All

+ Lore

+ Up and Vanished

+ Serial

Episode 101 || Reading Resolutions

2016 is over, but of reading many books there is no end. In this episode, Annie and Chris talk about their resolutions for the new year and challenge one another to read outside of their usual habits--with hypothetically apocalyptic results.

+ Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow

+ Rita Dove

+ Claudia Rankine

Episode 100 || Mailbag, Vol. 2

From the Front Porch celebrates episode 100! Annie and Chris answer listener questions about One Book, My Brilliant Friend, and reading translations. 

+ One Book Thomas County website

+ On the Same Page (Decatur, Ga., One Book program)

+ American Booksellers Association

+ Love It or Loathe It episode ft. My Brilliant Friend

+ Episode ft. Virginia Price

Episode 99 || Best Books of 2016

It's time to reflect back on 2016, which means... It's time to recap Annie's favorite books of the year. 

+ The Mothers by Brit Bennett

+ Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

+ Sons and Daughters of Ease and Plenty by Ramona Ausubel

+ Commonwealth by Ann Patchet

+ Forty Rooms by Olga Grushin

+ This Is Where You Belong by Melody Warnick

+ When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

+ My Name Is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout

+ Another Day in the Death of America by Gary Yeung

+ You'll Grow Out of It by Jessi Klein

Episode 98 || The Pros & Cons of Life in the South (ft. Julia Reed)

"Grape nuts or sex? It's a no brainer." Food writer and editor Julia Reed popped by the podcast to chat about Southern food culture, holiday entertaining, and mixing politics with pleasure. (You'll hear lots of laughter this episode; Julia's one-liners will have you in stitches.) 

+ You can find Julia's piece about Bill and Melinda Gates in the Wall Street Journal Magazine.

+ More about Julia Reed and her books can be found here.  

+ Julia was in town for Thomasville's Plantation Wildlife Arts Festival

+ William Christenberry photography

+ Garden and Gun magazine

+ The Bitter Southerner

 

Julia mentions: 

+ William Trevor short stories 

+ Walker Percy

+ Night School by Lee Child

+ The Jealous Kind by James Lee Burke

Don't forget to leave us a voicemail for our 100th episode here!

Episode 97 || November Reading Recap

Annie and Chris work through Annie's books she read in November:

+ Fun Home

+ Scrappy Little Nobody

+ My Brilliant Friend

+ Talking as Fast as I Can

Listen to Anna Kendrick's Nerdist interview here.

Reply All's 48-hour call-in episode.

Listen to our Love It or Loathe It episode about My Brilliant Friend here. 

Vote for The Bookshelf in the Indie Awards: http://www.independentwestand.org/indies/profile.php?id=92.

Don't forget to leave us a voice message for our upcoming 100th episode: http://www.bookshelfthomasville.com/frontporch.

 

Episode 96 || Love It or Loathe It, Vol. 5

Annie sits down with podcast regular Hunter McLendon and new voice Emily McKenna to discuss Elena Ferrante's international bestseller My Brilliant Friend. 

+ Get an introduction to Emily on her first podcast episode here.

+ Read more about the mystery of Elena Ferrante here. 

 

Shop from The Bookshelf here. 

Episode 95 || Thanksgiving and Favorite Cookbooks

Annie and Chris talk Thanksgiving menus and favorite cookbooks. 

+ The Can't Cookbook

+ A Southern Gentleman's Kitchen

+ Jamie's Food Revolution

+ Soup Nights

+ Appetites

+ Cooking for Jeffrey

+ Joy of Cooking

+ The Forest Feast

 

Learn all about Ina and Jeffrey's marriage here. 

Shop local from faraway by browsing our online store here.