From the Front Porch

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 ....

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 . 

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 .

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...

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.

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 .

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 .)

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 .

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 .

Annie and Katie discuss habit tendencies, the power of Gretchen Rubin, activity trackers , and goal-setting worksheets .

Annie and Jordan tackle literary bracketology, BOOK MADNESS 2015 , and John Green .

Annie and author/journalist Jodi Helmer discuss pining for publication in the New York Times , marathon-running nuns , Farm Fresh Georgia , and why writing groups are so important.

Annie and Katie discuss  The Localist , kindred spirit Carrie Rollwagen , shopping locally in Thomasville, "perfect as enemy of the good," the future of retail , why it's okay to settle , and what they're reading right now. (Bonus reading: Ronda Rich on why shopping for books in person is always better, John Green on the future of bookselling , why Millennials like to read paper books , and " The...

Annie reviews the books she read in February , including Bon Appetempt and its author Amelia Morris .

Annie and fellow Bookshelf staffer Sidney Webb chat about book clubs , Bon Appetempt , food-blogging goddess Molly Wizenberg , and other bloggers with books ( Design Sponge , Young House Love , Nie Nie Dialogues , Hey Natalie Jean , Ann Voskamp ).

Annie and Katie chat about the controversy swirling around the discovery of Harper Lee's Go Set a Watchman, what makes Southern stories so special, the truth about book sequels , and the documentary Hey, Boo ; plus Annie reviews this year's ABA Winter Institute . (Bonus reading: HarperCollins botched the release of Harper Lee's new novel , the New York Times article about Go Set a Watchmanand the...

This episode, Annie reviews the books she read in January (eight in all... hooray!). A complete list of titles and reviews can be found on  The Bookshelf store blog and in the latest issue of the Thomasville Townie . Author Celeste Ng has a helpful  book club guide on her website, and her novel, Everything I Never Told You, comes out in paperback later this year. A free soundtrack inspired by Dona...

In this episode, Annie interviews fellow entrepreneur Cadence Kidwell, owner of the new knitting shop The Fuzzy Goat, located in downtown Thomasville, Georgia. They talk about adjusting to entrepreneurship, living in a small town, and knitting vs. reading. -  The Fuzzy Goat is on the main street coming into downtown Thomasville. Pay her a visit, and take a class ! - Cadence's yarn shop was partial...

We're back with Episode 11 of From the Front Porch! This episode, Annie is joined by Bookshelf staffers Sidney and Rebekah ; they're talking about the new suspense novel The Girl on the Train -- a book readers are calling the next Gone Girl. They'll talk about whether that's a fair assessment, and why the book would make a fun book club read. (Not discussed? Author Paula Hawkin's ingenious way of...

We're back after a holiday hiatus! This episode, Annie and Katie discuss their reading resolutions and their words of the year. - Annie's currently reading -- and loving -- All the Light We Cannot See, with her sights set on more nonfiction in 2015, particularly historical nonfiction. Any books in particular you'd recommend? - Katie's favorite book for the new year is The Life-Changing Magic of Ti...

Ever wondered if Grey's Anatomy is an accurate portrayal of med school? Annie interviews Sidney Webb, communications specialist at The Bookshelf. Sidney covers shop events and operates the store's social media accounts; in this episode, she and Annie discuss how working at The Bookshelf is a lot like working for a church, and how medical school isn't exactly like Shonda Rhimes says it is (go figur...

Annie is joined by guest Rebekah Arwood, manager of The Bookshelf in Thomasville. Rebekah and Annie chat about that ever-controversial topic: Is the book better than the movie? The discussion runs the gamut, from the newly-released Gone Girl to The Hunger Games, Great Gatby to Little Women (which Rebekah and Annie both identify as a wintertime classic).  - Gillian Flynn wrote her own screenplay fo...

Snuggle up on the couch with a blanket and a cup of tea, because this episode, Annie and Katie talk about married-lady crushes, poetry before bedtime, and turning off the TV. Summer might be for easy, breezy beach books, but fall is all about slower-paced fiction and re-reading the classics. Here are Annie's fall reading recommendations: - The Boston Girl by Anita Diamant (releases December 15) - ...

In this episode, Annie and her attorney husband Jordan discuss the ramifications of wrongful convictions, a topic central to the plot of Picking Cotton, this year's One Book selection for Thomas County. For the uninitiated, One Book programs celebrate literacy by encouraging entire communities to read the same book; this month, Thomas County is reading the bestselling memoir Picking Cotton. Later...

The podcast is back this month after a brief summer hiatus, and Annie and Katie are talking about their favorite books on education. They're covering Montessori schools and the importance of playing outside, plus how big a role technology plays in today's classrooms. And, this month, Annie's introducing shownotes -- a rundown of everything discussed in this episode. Books on education you need to...