From the Front Porch

It’s hard to know what to say, so this week’s episode is unusually short, focused instead on sending you toward resources we hope might be helpful as we grieve and learn together. You can find several titles geared toward racial justice on our store website , including: How to Be an Antiracist, Just Mercy, and I’m Still Here. Ten percent of the proceeds from the sales of these titles and more are...

This week, Annie recaps the fourteen books she read during the month of May, all of which can be purchased on The Bookshelf ’s website: Meet Me at Midnight by Jessica Pennington The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett Hidden Valley Road by Robert Kolker American Royals by Katherine McGee You Never Forget Your First by Alexis Coe Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas Nobody Will Tell You This But Me by Be...

NOTE: There’s a small audio glitch in today’s episode, and you may hear it pop up when Annie's speaks. It’s not you; it’s us, and it should be resolved next week. Annie is joined today by friend and fellow book club member Julie Anna Helms. You may know Julie Anna from her popular bookstagram account, @ julieannareads , where she specializes in “Who Would You Cast?,” an Instagram story series wher...

Annie and cousin, friend, and former Bookshelf staffer Ashley Sherlock share their thoughts on quarantine reading. What is one supposed to read during a global pandemic? The following are Annie and Ashley’s recommendations. All of the books mentioned in today’s podcast are available at The Bookshelf : The one who wants to pretend everything is fine: How To Be Fine by Jolenta Greenberg and Kristen...

Annie is joined today by my friend Hunter McLendon to talk all about personal libraries. What books do we buy, which do we borrow? What titles stay on our shelves forever and which ones make their way to a donation bin? The books mentioned in today’s episode can be purchased on The Bookshelf’s website. The New York Times' piece about celebrities' bookshelves is here . From the Front Porch is a wee...

This week, Annie recaps the eleven books she read during the month of April, all of which can be purchased on The Bookshelf ’s website: Friends and Strangers by J. Courtney Sullivan (released June 30, 2020) The Return by Rachel Harrison Siri, Who Am I? by Sam Tschida (released January 12, 2021) An Old Fashioned Girl by Louisa May Alcott The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady H...

This week, Annie chats with Bookshelf staffer Lucy all about her favorite baby books and books for mom and moms-to-be, including: Great with Child How to Raise a Reader Giraffes Can’t Dance The Read-Aloud Family Who Sang the First Song Don't Forget to Remember You Nest with Me Because Cribsheet Expecting Better Let Us Pray The Word of the Lord If There Never Was a You From the Front Porch is a wee...

This week on From the Front Porch, host and owner of The Bookshelf, Annie Jones, has a special guest joining her to tackle an important listener question: What should the royals be reading? Annie’s friend Courtney Kinsey is a fellow royals enthusiast, an avid reader and book club member, and a podcaster in her own right, co-hosting the show “ I Do Declare! ” with her sister Betsy. The books mentio...

Today, it’s time for another round of Literary Therapy. If you’re new here, Literary Therapy is a recurring episode series in which Annie plays the Dr. Frasier Crane or the Lucy van Pelt to listeners’ literary ailments.  As mentioned in the episode, you can get book recs from the following: Hunter Mclendon at @ shelfbyshelf Tyler Goodson at @ tylergoodson Laura Tremaine at @ laura.tremaine Mary La...

Annie and Olivia sat down in the middle of the chaos to talk about The Bookshelf’s reading challenge (of sorts!) for 2020. We covered all sorts of categories, with a variety of books: A Is for Alibi by Sue Grafton Pashmina by Nidhi Chanani The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende The BFG by Roald Dahl There There by Tommy Orange The Space Between Us by Thrity Umrigar The Heartbeat of Wounded Kne...

Today, Annie recaps all the books she read in March. The books mentioned in today’s episode are available at The Bookshelf: Most Likely by Sarah Watson Our Stop by Laura Jane Williams Weather by Jenny Offill Jo & Laurie by Margaret Stohl & Melissa de la Cruz Untamed by Glennon Doyle A Good Marriage by Kimberly McCreight The Silent Treatment by Abby Greaves Not Like the Movies by Kerry Winfrey Spec...

Annie is joined this week by her husband, friend, audiobook listener, and fellow basketball enthusiast Jordan Jones. The NCAA tournament may have been canceled -- a true tragedy in the Jones’ house -- but they’re still debating The Bookshelf’s bestsellers in their annual March Madness episode. They hope their conversation brings a little light and levity to what’s been a stressful couple of weeks....

Annie is joined by Robbie Hopkins, a former literature teacher, avid reader, and frequent Bookshelf customer. Today, the two are previewing some spring titles that should be on your radar, but it’s being done a little bit differently—literature meets music. Tap or click here for the full Spotify playlist. The books mentioned in today’s episode can be purchased online from The Bookshelf: Separation...

This week Annie and guest, Hunter McLendon of @shelfbyshelf, bring you the first Backlist Book Club of 2020. The discussion revolves around Geraldine Brooks'  March . All of the books discussed today can be purchased from The Bookshelf: March by Geraldine Brooks Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte Louisa May Alcott: A Personal Biography by Susan Cheever The Second Mrs. Hockaday by Susan Rivers Special t...

This week Annie recaps the books she read in February, all of which can be purchased on our website, www.bookshelfthomasville.com : My Eyes Are Up Here by Laura Zimmerman Writers & Lovers by Lily King Layoverland by Gabby Noone March by Geraldine Brooks The Office by Andy Greene The Holdout by Graham Moore Here for It by R. Eric Thomas Handle with Care by Lore Ferguson Wilbert Dumplin ’  by Julie...

Today, Annie is diving into listeners’ bookish dilemmas with some literary therapy. Topics include romance novels, tackling nonfiction, genre shame, and, of course, Little Women. Pretend Annie is coming to you live from Seattle, because she is Annie Jones, and she is listening. Want to leave a voicemail for the next round of Literary Therapy? Email podcast@bookshelfthomasville.com, or leave a voic...

SURPRISE! We know it’s Tuesday, but we thought you’d enjoy this bonus episode of FTFP, where Annie and Olivia debrief about Winter Institute, an annual conference held for members of the American Booksellers Association. Here’s a link to “Reinventing Retail: The Novel Resurgence of Independent Bookstores,” by Ryan Raffaelli. Some books Annie brought home: The Fixed Stars by Molly Wizenberg The Har...

In honor of Valentine’s Day, Annie and her two special guests — Ashley Sherlock, cousin, friend, and former Bookshelf social media guru, and Hunter McLendon of @shelfbyshelf — discuss the book To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han and reminisce about all the literary crushes they’ve had and what literary crushes say about you. Most of the books discussed today can be purchased from The Bo...

Annie and fellow book club member and Oscar enthusiast, Callie Sewell, deep dive the 2020 Academy Awards and what it means for our reading lives. The books discussed during the podcast can be purchased from The Bookshelf: The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty Little Women by Louisa May Alcott The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery I Heard Y...

On this week’s episode of From the Front Porch, Annie recaps all the books she read in January. These can be ordered or pre-ordered through The Bookshelf website: We Wish You Luck by Caroline Zancan The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano Saint X by Alexis Schaitkin The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel We Ride Upon Sticks by Quam Barry All Adu...

Happy New Year! We are so excited to bring you the first episode of 2020! Annie and Hunter Mclendon, a regular From the Front Porch contributor and bookstagrammer at @shelfbyshelf, honor Greta Gerwig and Louisa May Alcott, by diving into the genius that is Little Women . Find Kevin Porter’s review of Little Women can be found here . What is Hunter reading this week? He is reading -- and loving --...

In our final episode of 2019 (and the decade as a whole!), Annie and Bookshelf staffers Olivia and Lucy sit down to talk through their favorite titles of the year. These are the books that meant the most over the last 12 months: Annie's List: 1. The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead 2. The Dutch House by Ann Patchett 3. The Dearly Beloved by Carla Wall 4. Olive, Again by Elizabeth Strout 5. Family o...

In our final Seasonal Reads of 2019, Chris and Annie run through some reads (and movies) for the Christmas season and chat about the Christian season of Advent.  + A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens + A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote + A Child's Christmas in Wales by Dylan Thomas + Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris + Let It Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle + One Day in D...

A new month means a new look at what books Annie and Chris were able to read in the last one. And folks, it was pretty light. Annie read: + Fleishman is in Trouble by Taffy Brodeser-Akner + Born a Crime by Trevor Noah + Olive, Again by Elizabeth Strout Chris read: + The Aleph by Jorge Luis Borges + The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North Thanks, as always, to Forlorn Strangers for...

Hunter joins Annie once again for the fifth installment of Backlist Book Club. On the docket this week: Trevor Noah's Born a Crime. Follow Hunter and his own Backlist Book Club 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 Unp...