Episode 400 || FTFP Live from Reader Retreat!
Happy Thanksgiving! We’re so grateful for you. To thank you for listening, we have a special episode for you this week: a recording of our live show from our August Reader Retreat! In this episode, Annie, Ashley, and Hunter pair books with their favorite celebrity couples and chat about what they were reading, watching, and listening to this past summer.
To purchase the books mentioned in this episode, visit our website:
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
The View Was Exhausting by Mikaella Clements
The First Wives Club by Olivia Goldsmith
The Bodyguard by Katherine Center
Funny You Should Ask by Elissa Sussman
Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan
My Eyes are Up Here by Laura Zimmermann (currently unavailable to order)
Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff
Matrix by Lauren Groff
Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield
The Work Wife by Alison Hart
A Burning by Megha Majumdar
The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi
The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix
Hooked by Sutton Foster
Dinosaurs by Lydia Millet
The Book of Goose by Yiyun Li
Florida Woman by Deb Rogers
Paul by Daisy Lefarge
Babysitter by Joyce Carol Oates
All That's Left Unsaid by Tracey Lien
Thank You For Listening by Julia Whelan
Husband Material by Alexis Hall
Rabbit Run by John Updike (currently unavailable to order)
Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry
From the Front Porch is a weekly podcast production of The Bookshelf, an independent bookstore in South Georgia. You can follow The Bookshelf’s daily happenings on Instagram at @bookshelftville, and all the books from today’s episode can be purchased online through our store website, www.bookshelfthomasville.com.
A full transcript of today’s episode can be found below.
Special thanks to Dylan and his team at Studio D Podcast Production for sound and editing and for our theme music, which sets the perfect warm and friendly tone for our Thursday conversations.
Thank you again to this week’s sponsor, Visit Thomasville. Spend Christmas in Thomasville! There is something truly special about the holiday season in Thomasville. From shopping for those must-have presents for everyone on your list, to the twinkling lights, sparkling window displays, and tempting smells wafting from restaurants all add to the festive feeling of the season. From downtown hotels, to delightful vacation rentals, book your getaway to Thomasville and add a little more sparkle to your holidays! Learn more and plan your trip at www.thomasvillega.com or @thomasvillega on Instagram.
If you liked what you heard in today’s episode, tell us by leaving a review on iTunes. Or, if you’re so inclined, support us on Patreon, where you can hear our staff’s weekly New Release Tuesday conversations, read full book reviews in our monthly Shelf Life newsletter and follow along as Hunter and I conquer a classic. Just go to patreon.com/fromthefrontporch.
We’re so grateful for you, and we look forward to meeting back here next week.
Our Executive Producers are... Donna Hetchler, Cammy Tidwell, Chantalle C, Nicole Marsee, Wendi Jenkins, Laurie Johnson and Kate Johnston Tucker.
Transcript:
Annie Jones [00:00:01] Welcome to From the Front Porch, a conversational podcast about books, small business and life in the South.
[00:00:24] "I worked my entire life to be at this moment. I can allow this to be good. It gives me permission to own my talent. It calms me down. I don't have to apologize. Make myself small. And I can still be nice while doing it. Sutton Foster, Hooked: How Crafting Saved My Life.
[00:00:46] I'm Annie Jones, owner of The Bookshelf, an independent bookstore in beautiful downtown Thomasville, Georgia. And this week, we're sharing our live show footage from our August Reader Retreat. Before we get into the live show, I just wanted to thank everyone for your support during this holiday season. From the Front Porch is a production of The Bookshelf, an independent bookstore in Thomasville, Georgia. And that means shopping small means a lot to us. We are small business. We're a brick and mortar bookstore. And this time of year is crucial to our business. We hope that as you shop this holiday season, you will consider shopping with The Bookshelf. You can shop locally, obviously, in downtown Thomasville, and you can also shop online at Bookshelfthomasville.com. We're asking all of our long distance customers to place their holiday orders by December 9th, just so we can make sure to get your gifts where they need to be, when they need to be there. And if you've already shopped with us this holiday season, thank you. It means a lot that you support our small business, especially from far away. And we're grateful for every purchase that you make with us. I know I've seen on the Internet the meme that says something like, every time you make a purchase with a small business, somebody does a happy dance. And that's true. We really do a happy dance. We also pay our bills and pay our utility bills and our city and county taxes. And it means more than just a happy dance, right? It means practically being able to keep our business open. And so thank you for every purchase you make this holiday season.
[00:02:18] Now, this is an unusual formated episode, but it's unusual because it's also Thanksgiving. I hope wherever you are, wherever you're traveling, if you're one of our American listeners, I hope you are enjoying your Thanksgiving holiday and maybe this episode will be a nice accompaniment to your after Thanksgiving lunch walk or your travel plans as you go to and from this holiday season. So happy Thanksgiving. And in the words of You've Got Mail, happy Thanksgiving back. But I was trying to think what kind of format episode did we want to do. Also trying to be mindful of my own holiday plans and my own recording schedule. So showing the footage from our live show made sense. So back in August, we hosted a Reader Retreat at The Bookshelf. These are weekend long festivities devoted to literary activities. And basically it's summer camp for people who maybe always hated summer camp. That was the original vision for Reader Retreats. So we hosted one back in August where hosting another one this coming February that we've already sold out, and we'll be doing two more in 2023. But part of our programming for our Reader Retreats is a live podcast episode. So we try to host a live podcast episode on the Saturday night of our Reader Retreats. For this show, I was joined by Hunter McLendon, who obviously you've heard on the podcast many times, and Ashley Sherlock, who you've heard before as well. They are local, meaning they are in Tallahassee and so they were nearby and graciously agreed to be at the live podcast. We decided to discuss favorite celebrity couples and their book pairings. So I identified some celebrity couples and then Hunter Ashley and I brainstormed and chose different book selections per celebrity couple. We wanted something that would appeal even to perhaps these readers retreaters who weren't listeners of the podcast, which actually happens quite a bit. So trying to think of a topic that will appeal to even the non podcast listeners is important to us. So we thought, well, maybe a little bit of pop culture will help for those who are new to the show. And then we did kind of a mini edition of The Kids Table where we talked about what we were reading, watching and listening back in August. So I hope you enjoy this footage from our August 2022 Reader retreat, and I hope you'll consider joining us for our 2023 retreats. Happy listening.
[00:04:41] I'm Annie Jones, owner of The Bookshelf, an independent bookstore in the beautiful downtown Thomasville, Georgia. And I'm joined today by my co-host and guests, Hunter McClendon and Ashley Sherlock. Hi, guys.
Hunter [00:04:53] Hello.
Ashley [00:04:53] Hey.
Annie Jones [00:04:55] Welcome. Welcome. Thank you for being here. Ashley, I'm so sorry, but thank you so much.
Ashley [00:05:01] It's all good.
Annie Jones [00:05:01] I feel like this is Ashley's worst time ever, but we're so glad you're here. So when I thought about what I wanted us to discuss, in February, we did a live podcast and we talked about musicals. Ashley and I had just come back from New York and that was fresh-- I know. It was lovely. And now, instead, what is fresh in my mind is Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson. Just kidding. Not really, I don't care about them at all. I care about Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck.
Hunter [00:05:28] Yes.
Annie Jones [00:05:29] And so I thought it would be fun to pair our favorite celebrity couples. Maybe they're celebrity couples we love to hate. I don't know. And we're going to pair them with our book recommendations for them. So these are books inspired by our favorite or love to hate celebrity couples. Did you guys approve of this subject matter before I presented it to you?
Hunter [00:05:50] Yes. Obsessed.
Annie Jones [00:05:54] I had this idea in the middle of quarantine, so it may not have come from the same place. I don't know. I just thought it'd be fun.
Hunter [00:06:01] I think this is perfect. I love celebrity couples. I think of myself as a celebrity couple often times. . I used to think I was going to marry like Jessica Lange and Meryl Streep and Glenn Close. And then I realized that was like a little bit outside of my age group and my sexual-- you know, it's fine. But though whenever I do, I do have a deep, serious love for these couples in a way that you guys don't understand. So be respectful.
Annie Jones [00:06:33] I grew up in nineties People Magazine culture. And so I feel like I also have a history, it's why I care about Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck and I don't care about Kim Kardashian. I have friends who care deeply about that relationship. But I grew up watching all of these couples on TV and in People Magazine. And so I'm invested, for better or for worse. And so I thought we would start with Kim and Pete. Do you have opinions about Kim and Pete, do you care?
Hunter [00:07:02] I love Kim because she's just so unserious.
Annie Jones [00:07:07] She's a lawyer, though.
Hunter [00:07:08] That's great. And she also has a house that makes no sense.
Annie Jones [00:07:14] I've never seen [Inaudible].
Hunter [00:07:14] You don't need to see it. It's just barren. I like Pete Davidson. I love that he always makes really uncomfortable jokes about his trauma.
Annie Jones [00:07:30] Is Phoebe Buffay.
Hunter [00:07:31] Yes. And that's what I connect with.
Annie Jones [00:07:34] Okay. So, Hunter, you picked the book for them, for Kim and for Pete. What book did you recommend?
Hunter [00:07:39] I chose the Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo because it really seems really great because it's very salacious, very scandalous in some ways and I felt like it was also really good. This is no shade to them. But I felt like it was something they could very easily digest without much struggle. I don't know their reading comprehension skill. I just don't know. I was just thinking I wanted to make sure it's accessible. Accessibility matters.
Annie Jones [00:08:05] It does.
Hunter [00:08:06] Yes. And so that's why I was, like, this is fun. They'll love it. They'll be able to talk to their friends about it because everyone's read it, and then maybe she'll star in the film. You never know.
Annie Jones [00:08:15] I do think there is something to her.
Hunter [00:08:17] Yeah.
Annie Jones [00:08:18] Okay. So I picked J.London. I have felt invested since what? I don't know. The year 2000 and like a yellow engagement ring or something. I feel like I've been in tune. And so last summer I read this book, I think I talked about it on From the Front Porch, called The View Was Exhausting. I don't know if anybody read that book. I feel like it was under the radar. And it was not maybe just a traditional romcom, but I read it and it was right when Jennifer and Ben were reigniting and everybody was, like, this for publicity probably who knows. Has either of you read this? The View Was Exhausting.
Ashley [00:08:51] No.
Hunter [00:08:51] No.
Annie Jones [00:08:51] Okay. I actually think you might like it. So the main character is Win, she's a woman of color and Leo and they're both huge stars. She is more A-list and he is more like Playboy famous. And in this book, frequently when one of them gets negative press, they will get back together just to spin the headlines. So they'll get back together and have a fling, or he'll be her date on the red carpet or whatever. And the whole time I was reading it, I was like, this is Jennifer and Ben. It was co-written by Mikaella Clements and Onjuli Datta. And I was, like, they obviously wrote this about J.Lo and Ben. No one has made this connection, which I don't understand. And so then when they got married a few weeks ago, I was like, now is this book's time to shine. It's still on the shelf at the Bookshelf. And I'm like, what is going on? I have sang the praises of this book as much as I can. It's really cute. It's less romcom and more romdram, which we've talked about. And it's more just about this couple and them trying to figure out fame and do they want a real relationship. So if you like that fake relationship trope that you see in romcoms, anyway, that is the book that immediately came to mind for them. And I would just want people to read it.
Hunter [00:10:09] I love that.
Annie Jones [00:10:12] It's like a plane book. I read all on plane. It's a great plane book, you can read it in one flight.
Hunter [00:10:16] Now I'm going to have to fly just to read it.
Annie Jones [00:10:17] Yeah.
Hunter [00:10:19] I know this is very ominous, but I thought about Gone Girl. Because we know Ben and he's a cheater. And it was just fine. I would stay with him.
Annie Jones [00:10:28] Would you?
Hunter [00:10:29] Yes.
Annie Jones [00:10:31] I tore his picture down. We've talked about this.
Hunter [00:10:32] Yeah.Okay. If you've seen Gone Girl when she's washed up... You've seen it. And I was like that's [Inaudible] with through Dunkin Donuts and all.
Annie Jones [00:10:44] Yeah. You had a recommendation Hunter for them?
Hunter [00:10:47] Oh, I did. People don't know this is a book, but I chose the First Wives Club because I was a big fan of Jennifer Lopez's album I'm Still Here or It's Still Here, something like that. I don't know. He was in the video. She has dear Ben in the album. So I was like in a way she feels like the first real-- I know they didn't get married. They were engaged, though. But she's also like now like the next one after Jennifer Garner. And so there's all this drama. And so I chose the First Wives Club because I thought it'd be so interesting. Like, what if we did a remake and then Jennifer Garner was cast as like, I don't know, like the Diane Keaton. And then Jennifer Lopez was cast as the Sarah Jessica Parker character. You just never know. And so that was what was in my head. I love the idea, the drama around like the First Wives Club.
Annie Jones [00:11:34] Is it really worth rewatching? Because my history with the First Wives Club is that my best friend, when we were 13, her parents went through a divorce. It was awful. And that was our slumber party movie that birthday year. I think the mom picked it.
Hunter [00:11:50] Okay.
Annie Jones [00:11:52] And so that's the last time I saw the First Wives Club. And I'm like, maybe it deserves a second chance. I was 13. I was, like, why aren't we watching something else?
Hunter [00:11:59] I feel like you would love it. I think. I don't know. Also, it's one of those that feels like it's very much like also for like the gay culture because it has Goldie Hawn getting lip injections. It has that Bette Midler who just... You know.
Annie Jones [00:12:15] Yeah. Enough said. Okay. Ashley, you had a celebrity couple. Who did you want to talk about? Okay. My first celebrity couple is Tom Holland and Zendeya. A personal favorite of mine. I love Zendaya, but also I'd be okay if they broke up because Tom Holland can just come for me and I'd be okay. But the books that I have chosen for this particular couple is one that I actually haven't read. But I thought the title was perfect because Zendaya is a gorgeous, tall woman. She's taller than her significant other. So I have chosen My Eyes Are Up Here by Laura Zimmerman.
Annie Jones [00:12:54] That's a great book.
Ashley [00:12:56] I have the ARC [Inaudible].
Annie Jones [00:12:58] It's a good young adult novel. That's a good pick because she really is trying so hard. The main character in that book is a volleyball player and she's trying so hard to get people to take her seriously. And she's struggling with her own body image issues, which I'm sure actors, actresses do all the time. So good choice.
Ashley [00:13:17] Thank you.
Annie Jones [00:13:18] You did a good job.
Hunter [00:13:20] That was good. I love that.
Ashley [00:13:20] I tried.
Annie Jones [00:13:20] All right. Here you go, Hunter. Who do you have? I think you have somebody else.
Hunter [00:13:24] I do. Beyonce and Jay Z.
Annie Jones [00:13:27] Okay.
Hunter [00:13:30] Just to clarify, I was a big fan of both Lemonade and 4:44 both their albums. That was about their affairs and they're back together. I chose Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff because-- one, of course I did because I love Lauren Groff, but also because the thing is in the book Lota was this creative genius. But it's very clear that his wife, Matilda, is like the person who's kind of pulling the strings behind the scenes. And we all know that Beyoncé is like Beyonce. And it's about a marriage that kind of survives a lot of things. And it's about like a mostly successful marriage. And I think that despite the affair, which, you know, I get it, I think that they're still holding out strong. She just released Renaissance. I think that if you have not read Fates and Furies, you should all read Fates and Furies. Then you should listen to Lemonade and 4:44, and then it's just like one big thing all about marriage.
Annie Jones [00:14:20] Very good. You've created-- what does my friend call it? A content [Crosstalk].
Hunter [00:14:28] Okay.
Annie Jones [00:14:30] Yeah, you did. Good job. Okay. One of my favorite couples-- but then I was like is it okay? I think it is. So it's Sarah Paulson and Holland Taylor. And I really like them together. They do have a 32 year age gap, which is significant. But they also were well into adulthood. Sarah Paulson and Holland Taylor. If you're not familiar, Sarah Paulson's in everything. What would you say that she's in?
Hunter [00:14:55] She's in American Horror Story, American Crime Story. She's in The People versus O.J. Simpson. She was Marcia Clark. She's been in the Post.
Annie Jones [00:15:07] She's in that show with Ben Platt, who we like. She's in that show, I'm pretty sure, on Netflix. And then Holland Taylor, you would all recognize from Legally Blonde.
Hunter [00:15:15] Oh, yes. And George [Inaudible].
Annie Jones [00:15:17] She's supreme law professor in Legally Blond. So they've been dating--
Hunter [00:15:24] You're going to let one man ruin your life.
Annie Jones [00:15:31] That's it.
Ashley [00:15:32] Do not research that.
Annie Jones [00:15:34] Yes. That's Holland Taylor. She's a hero. Okay. So she and Sarah Paulson began dating in 2015, but there is a 32 year age gap. Holland Taylor is 79 years old this year, right?
Hunter [00:15:44] Yeah. She looks good.
Ashley [00:15:45] Good for her.
Annie Jones [00:15:45] She does look good. Yes. So, look, the book that I picked, I picked because I was very specific. I took this task very seriously. So Sarah Paulson was interviewed and she was talking about before she met Holland Taylor that she did not have long relationships. And she talked about how her longest relationships were with her crew and her makeup team. And she loved having these work relationships because for her she really did not have personal romantic relationships. Okay. But then, obviously, she met Holland Taylor. But I think wouldn't it be great if they read Matrix by Lauren Groff and then made it into a movie? Sarah Paulson should be in Matrix, shouldn't she in the film adaptation? I know. I thought about this so much. Wouldn't you love it?
Hunter [00:16:30] Yeah!
Annie Jones [00:16:32] Yes, I know. I feel like Sarah and Holland could read this book aloud together at their home and then turn it into a movie. Yeah. So that was my recommendation because I want them to turn it into a movie and stun it. I also really do think they would like Our Wives Under The Sea because it's about two women who are very different and one of them goes-- have you all read this?This book is bonkers good, but it's very weird and literally. It's kind of Olivia and my crossover. So in the book, one of the wives is a marine biologist and she goes under the sea in a submarine and she's supposed to be gone for three weeks and she's gone for six months.Yeah, under the sea.
Hunter [00:17:11] Under the sea.
Annie Jones [00:17:12] Yes, only scarier. And so she's underwater for a very long time. She comes back, the wife doesn't really know who she is. They've been apart a long time, and then weird things start happening. Like, maybe her wife starts taking really long, hot, salty baths because she's been under the sea so long. You're going to love it.
Hunter [00:17:32] I just bought it. I'm so excited.
Annie Jones [00:17:35] So, anyway, I want them to red The Matrix and turn it into a movie, but I also think they would enjoy Wives under the Sea.
Hunter [00:17:40] I love how we have two Lauren Groff books.
Annie Jones [00:17:45] We didn't plan that.
Hunter [00:17:46] No.
Annie Jones [00:17:46] We just like her.
Hunter [00:17:46] Everyone, read it.
Annie Jones [00:17:47] Okay. Ashley, you're going to talk about this couple that I personally love to hate.
Ashley [00:17:50] Okay. First of all, have I told my Harry Style story on this show yet?
Annie Jones [00:17:56] I don't think.
Ashley [00:17:57] This has nothing to do with books, but I will tell the story for the rest of my life. Did you know that at one point in my life, when I was in college, I received several DMs from strangers asking me if I had dated Harry Styles, but also from other strangers being, like, you don't deserve Harry Styles. So, at some point, Harry Styles dated a woman who either shares my name or similar features or something. I don't know what it is. It happened again like a year ago. Somebody was like, "Hey, did you date Harry Styles?" I don't know who this person is. And I want to be like, "Yeah, I did, obviously." But I didn't. I didn't date Harry Styles. Definitely open to the idea. But my celebrity couples, Harry Styles and Olivia Wilde and the book I have chosen for them is The Work Life by Allison Hart. Partially just because I like this book and also because I feel like it's a book about Hollywood and behind the scenes of these super crazy rich directors who are married, but also meh. And then another past partner in both business and life comes back into the picture. And I feel like maybe that could be like a Jason Sudeikis situation. I like Jason Sudeikis a lot. And then he served her papers in front of [Crosstalk].
Hunter [00:19:14] I know. Cringe.
Ashley [00:19:18] And I was like, why Jason? We all were on your side-- because I was. I was on his side because I'm not a huge fan of this coupling. I am going to see that movie, though. Have you seen the previous movie?
Hunter [00:19:26] Did you watch Booksmart? Because that was really charming.
Annie Jones [00:19:28] Yes, I do. I want good things for Olivia Wilde. Why do I not like her?
Hunter [00:19:32] You know why? Because she was really rude to Joaquin Phoenix and her. And I think that she's so mean. And, listen, I know that he's weird. He falls in love with a computer, but it doesn't mean that you had to be rude to him. He's socially awkward. I think that's what it is.
Annie Jones [00:19:46] Okay, maybe that's it. I don't know. I also chose one of my favorite celebrity couples-- this is not surprising-- is George Clooney and Amal. I love her so much. And actually, these book recommendations are for her. Sorry, George. I like you a lot, but I don't care. She is a human rights attorney and she is an advocate for all kinds of people. She belongs to a bunch of different groups. We talked about Kim Kardashian being a lawyer-- no, no. Amal is a lawyer and has been practicing law a lot a long time before she met George. And so I wanted her to read A Burning Megha Majumdar because that book is all about a criminal case revolving around Jivan, who is the main character, and there's a terrorist attack. And then the book is told in all three perspectives. It's Jivan, PT Sir and Lovely I think are the three characters. Anyway, and I just feel like Amal would really love that book and it would tie in to her career without stressing her out too much because that book has a very hopeful, redemptive ending. And then I also thought she would really appreciate The Death Of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi. Again, dealing with some of the populations that she frequently either represents or advocates for in her humanitarian work. And so those are my two. Look, I thought a lot about this.
Ashley [00:21:02] You really did.
Hunter [00:21:02] That is really good.
Ashley [00:21:02] That's a really thoughtful recommendation.
Annie Jones [00:21:02] Thank you. If only Amal and I were friends.
Ashley [00:21:06] You would be.
Annie Jones [00:21:06] Do you think?
Ashley [00:21:07] I do.
Annie Jones [00:21:07] I think she's slightly smart.
Hunter [00:21:09] I'm going to recommend something. I think you should own a bookstore because this is so good. I'm so impressed.
Annie Jones [00:21:16] I should. What if I owned a bookstore just for celebrities? Like a bookmobile in Beverly Hills?
Hunter [00:21:22] Because you imagine.
Annie Jones [00:21:24] They'd kick me out. They'd be like, what are you doing here? Ashley, you've got another one as well. You do, I promise.
Ashley [00:21:30] Okay. Next up for Ashley is Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban. Keith Urban, who I do not particularly love.
Hunter [00:21:41] Keith?
Ashley [00:21:43] Sure.
Hunter [00:21:45] Okay. Go ahead. It's fine.
Ashley [00:21:46] It's fine. Don't worry about it.
Annie Jones [00:21:48] How do you feel about Nicole in the AMC movie. Yes. Do we like them?
Hunter [00:21:50] Yes! Gay [Inaudible]. I'm for real. Gay people love it. They love it. Don't be homophobic.
Annie Jones [00:21:59] Okay. Great. I can't take that away from you.
Hunter [00:22:01] Go ahead.
Annie Jones [00:22:03] She's great. Love it. We're so happy for her.
Ashley [00:22:04] Oh, you might not like this.
Hunter [00:22:07] It's fine.
Ashley [00:22:07] But I chose them because I don't know why the Southern Book Club's Guide To Slaying Vampires was top of mind. And I chose that because I think Nicole looks a little bit like the vampire and Keith Urban sings country music.
Hunter [00:22:24] Oh my gosh, just because she had some Botox.
Annie Jones [00:22:29] What was that movie? Jordan and I watched the Others.
Hunter [00:22:31] Oh, my God. Yeah.
Annie Jones [00:22:38] That's a great spooky movie. It's a good Halloween movie.
Hunter [00:22:39] She's so beautiful.
Ashley [00:22:40] A beautiful talented vampire.
Hunter [00:22:42] She's so beautiful. That's fine.
Annie Jones [00:22:44] You can be a beautiful, talented vampire.
Hunter [00:22:46] Yeah. Look at Kristen Stewart whenever she was in Diane the Spencer movie.
Annie Jones [00:22:50] Yeah. That movie was great.
Hunter [00:22:52] Yeah.
Annie Jones [00:22:53] Okay. And then, Ashley, this is also one of my favorite couples.
Ashley [00:22:57] Okay.
Annie Jones [00:22:57] I forgot to put this one on here. My recommendations are so weird. Okay. Tom Daley and Dustin Lance Black. I don't even know who Dustin is. Dustin Lance Black is great. He's an author. But Tom Daley is the diver from Great Britain. He's so cute. And he knits, which is why I think they should read Hooked by Sutton Foster.
Ashley [00:23:15] Oh, Hooked by Sutton Foster. That's a good one.
Hunter [00:23:19] Yeah. That's cute. But did you see that he was trying to grow a mustache?
Annie Jones [00:23:21] Tom Daley? Oh, he didn't need to. No. He's a diver. They can't do that.
Hunter [00:23:26] I know. But he tried it. And ever since I've been, like, you are canceled just for this mustache.
Annie Jones [00:23:34] I think a lot of people tried. Do you think he watched Top Gun and that was what made him--
Hunter [00:23:38] Oh, I'm sure. [Crosstalk].
Annie Jones [00:23:39] Yeah. He's just all of us.
Ashley [00:23:41] Happens to the most of us.
Annie Jones [00:23:42] I also want to grow a Mustache. So one of the things that we do on From the Front Porch that I think is actually confusing to some people, so let's just clear the air. We do a series of episodes called The Kids Table, and the understanding I figured out from the audience is that we're talking about kid literature. We're not. That comes from the concept of when you are in the South-- and maybe it's anywhere-- and you're at Thanksgiving, and no matter how old you are, you get seated at the kids table because you are the younger generation. And so you are always at the kids table. And so we have a really good kids table in our family, it really is. You're more than welcome to join us anytime. But our goal was to bring the kids table of the Jacobson Butterworth Sherlock clan and bring it to From the Front Porch. So if you've been skipping Kids Table episodes because you thought we were talking about children's literature, maybe go back.
Ashley [00:24:39] Rude. Offended.
Annie Jones [00:24:43] I love these episodes. They're very fun. It's pretty much just me and Ashley talking. Sometimes they become weirdly confessional because we're literally related. I don't know if we explain that we're cousins.
Ashley [00:24:54] We are, by the way.
Annie Jones [00:24:55] We're actually related. And so, anyway, we thought we would do the Kids Table with Hunter. You're always welcome at our KidsTable, by the way. And so when we talk about Kids Table, we talk about things we're reading, watching, listening to. You can throw in things you're buying if you want to talk about shoes, your cute shoes. And so we're going to talk about what we've been reading lately. So, Hunter, why don't you tell us what you've been reading?
Hunter [00:25:15] Okay. So I just finished this book called Paul by Daisy Lafarge. It came out in the UK or something like that. It's coming out next week or the week after in the US. But it's about this woman who she is studying in Paris but had this really weird relationship falling apart thing with her professor or supervisor. And so she flees to start working in these organic farms and staying with these people. And she works for them in trading for housing or whatever. And she meets this guy named Paul, who is like a super creep. And it definitely is kind of like a very subtle MeToo type vibe, but it's not dark or too much. It's kind of very fine line of that. But what I loved about it was that a lot of books that I love are actually very interior. It spends a lot of time in the character's head, but this actually stays out of her head. Even though she's narrating at the whole time, it stays out of her head.This is not a spoiler, but in the first section and then third section, it's told in present tense when she's with Paul. In the middle section, when she's not with Paul, it's told in past tense. But it's almost about her anxiety, like having to stay present when she's with him. So I just finished that and I didn't think I liked it. But then I was up all night thinking about the last like few pages. And I was like, okay, this is sticking with me. And then I also am reading the new Joyce Carol Oates book because despite her Twitter presence, I still l hold strong for her-- not far [Inaudible] enough but it's good so far.
Annie Jones [00:26:54] Are you going to watch Blonde?
Hunter [00:26:55] Oh, yes. Oh, I am. Yes, I'm very excited.
Annie Jones [00:26:58] There's a Netflix adaptation of Joyce Carol's.
Hunter [00:26:59] Yes. It's like it's about Marilyn Monroe, but it's not really about her. It's about the archetype of who she was and what that stood for. So you should all watch it and read the book. I'm also reading Husband Material, which is the sequel to Boyfriend Material. It's a romcom. I thought you could read this. I love people about to kiss, but are you going to kiss? I don't know.
Annie Jones [00:27:24] That's why I like closed door better than open door.
Hunter [00:27:27] Yeah, I think this is very like PG 13. It's not like I like open door, but if it's in [Inaudible] 17, I'm not going to play. [Inaudible]. But, yes, I like the tension. But then also I'm married. I want to see married people.
Annie Jones [00:27:49] Okay. That's fair. Would I like Paul?
Hunter [00:27:52] I think you would, yeah. And you'd finish it so fast.
Annie Jones [00:27:55] Okay. Ashley, what are you reading?
Ashley [00:27:57] Okay, so this one hasn't changed since our last recording of the Kids Table, which we recorded on Sunday. I haven't read it in between now and then, but I am reading Florida Woman by Deb Rogers. If you watched and were interested in Tiger King way back in the beginning of the pandemic, this might be for you. It's a wild ride. It's a play on the Florida Man. Somebody commits a crazy crime. This lady gets sent somewhere in like Ocala, Florida, which isn't too far from here. It's like a monkey farm. Weird things happen. It's weird, but it's fun.
Hunter [00:28:32] Would I like that?
Ashley [00:28:33] You know what? I think it's your type of weird.
Annie Jones [00:28:36] We've been recommending it to Carl Hiaasen fans. Like something different.
Ashley [00:28:40] I love striptease.
Annie Jones [00:28:42] Yeah, something a little different. Okay. My next one. I'm super excited cause you're going to like these. So the first one is Dinosaurs by Lydia Mallette. I've been reading that one and really liking it. It's a short book about a guy who moves to Arizona. I have said this before, but during the summer I really don't want to read cold weather books. I think you all now know why. It's miserably hot outside. And so he's in, like, the heat of Arizona and he buys his house next door to some neighbors and the neighbor's house is glass on one side. And so he winds up really observing what's going on in their home. And so I'm really liking that. So it's kind of a very literary neighbor story. This is book I'm so excited about that I almost brought it with me. So it's called The Book of Goose is by Yiyun Li. Have you seen this? The cover is one of the most beautiful things I have seen. It is gorgeous. And at first I was, like, am I going to pick a book just based on the cover? And at first I said yes and then I started reading it. It is excellent. So if you liked Elena Ferrante's books-- somebody I was talking to earlier today loved My Brilliant Friend. Those books are quiet and really lovely. This book is also quiet about two friends growing up in France. Somebody else just was talking about books that spans decades. And so this book starts with these two young women, but it's an older woman narrating in person. She's looking back at the friendships she had with her childhood best friend. But get this, so it's like postwar France. And in France, they're growing up kind of in this beautiful pastoral landscape and they befriend a local widow and he helps them. One of the friends loves to write. She can't write, but she has beautiful stories and kind of grew some imaginary stories. And so she and her friend write and publish these stories under the other friend's name, and they never know that it was the other friends idea. And so it's all about the secrets that these friends have held on to in publishing and writing this book. It is so good. If she sticks the landing, I think it's going to be in my top five. And it's kind of outside my typical genre. There's a historical fiction element to it, but the writing, it's that quiet, character-driven, but it's not boring. It's not boring at all. I think some people think my tastes are boring. It's not boring. Stuff happens.
Hunter [00:31:02] I also felt about to start crying cause I'm like, Oh my gosh, it sounds so good. I need it. And I read her book Where Reasons End.
Annie Jones [00:31:08] Yes.
Hunter [00:31:10] I did not expect to be crying over that book.
Annie Jones [00:31:12] I really need that. Maybe I should...
Hunter [00:31:14] It is good. And I told you before about Lydia Millet. She wrote a book called The Children's Bible that was very post-apocalyptic esque, very strange, very weird. She wrote a book called Sweet Lamb of Heaven, which is like it's Rosemary's Baby esque, but also about like Sentian. Like it's very religious type stuff, but in a really weird way. I was obsessed with her previous books I've read. She has [Inaudible] about mermaids, and I love mermaids. And so I have to read that.
Annie Jones [00:31:39] She kind of runs the gamut. She's pretty impressive actually.
Hunter [00:31:41] Yeah. You're reading such good. Oh, my gosh.
Annie Jones [00:31:43] I know. Let me tell you. So I had Covid a couple of weeks ago, and I was really worried. I told Jordan all the time, my brain is all I have. That's all I have to offer the world please. And so anyway, I was afraid I was going to lose my sense of reading. Forget the taste and smell, which I did lose. It was terrible. But I was really worried that I was [Inaudible] focus. But instead, I read some really good books and then I continue that trend and these are really great.
Hunter [00:32:11] I don't know if you all have seen Still Alice. You just made me scared about-- Have you seen Still Alice?
Annie Jones [00:32:17] I can't.
Hunter [00:32:18] I was just in a flash of like-- I don't want Julianne [Inaudible] play. She's too old to play.
Annie Jones [00:32:25] Do you like Amy Adams?
Hunter [00:32:25] I've told you before Amy Adams. Because Julianne I think she kind of captures that, I don't know, very funny [Crosstalk].
Annie Jones [00:32:34] Yeah, that's delightful. Okay, so tell me what you guys been watching. My watching is significantly lower brow. So, Ashley, what have you been watching?
Ashley [00:32:42] Okay, so I just started the show called Loop on Apple TV. Have you have of it?
Annie Jones [00:32:46] With Maya?
Ashley [00:32:47] With Maya Rudolph and Adam Scott.
Annie Jones [00:32:49] Yes.
Ashley [00:32:49] II think I'm on episode five or six. I'm not going to give it as rave a review as I did the bear. It's not laugh out loud funny, but it's good to just have on.
Annie Jones [00:33:02] And it's 30 minutes I hear.
Ashley [00:33:04] Short episodes, digestible, but it's okay.
Annie Jones [00:33:08] You know what we're going to watch?
Ashley [00:33:09] What?
Annie Jones [00:33:09] We're going to watch Never Have I ever.
Ashley [00:33:11] Oh, I forgot.
Annie Jones [00:33:11] As soon as you guys leave.
Ashley [00:33:15] Monday night.
Annie Jones [00:33:15] Monday night we're watching Never Have I Ever. We're going to do Netflix party. That show is delightful. It's Mindy Kaling's show on Netflix and the new season just came out. Do you watch it?
Hunter [00:33:23] I haven't seen it.
Annie Jones [00:33:24] Oh, Hunter, it's great.
Ashley [00:33:25] It's good. You'll like it.
Hunter [00:33:25] Okay. I need to watch it. I'm also interested in Loot too. What I've been rewatching a lot because my brain does not want to work, I've been rewatching Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. And let me tell you, this show is better on second and third and fourth viewing because when you watch it, there are so many jokes on jokes on jokes, it's hard to keep up with it. And so that's really great. And then my husband and I have been watching RuPaul's Drag Race because they just-- and you guys need to watch the--
Annie Jones [00:33:59] I do now because of the Count of Monte Cristo.
Hunter [00:34:00] Oh, yeah. Yeah.
Annie Jones [00:34:02] I feel like now I need to.
Hunter [00:34:03] Yeah, I think it would help. So the latest season is all stars all winners. And so it's eight winners of previous seasons of Drag Race. And let me tell you, one, this is the first season where they don't really show any like negative critiques. It's all very positive, very loving, warm. Typically, it's full of drama. There's always like a villain edit at some point, which was a little disappointing because I like to see somebody like--
Annie Jones [00:34:25] You like the drama.
Hunter [00:34:25] I like the drama. I don't even hate people you want to hate. I genuinely love that. I'm like, good for you. But this last season was so good. They were so talented. And there is this one joke I thought was so funny. There's this drag queen Jinkx monsoon and they did a roast. And there's this other drag queen whose name is escaping me-- where's my husband? Oh, there you are. Who is the country one? Trinity. Trinity the top. So she's this country woman, this country drag queen and Jinkx like points back and she's, like, Trinity, she's so kind. When she broke up with her last boyfriend, she said, let's just be cousins. It is good.
Annie Jones [00:35:08] It is good. So my watching is significantly less entertaining. Jordan and I have been watching Only Murders in the Building. We have finished season one and, yes, we're watching season two. I really do like that show. It's really good. Yeah, I find it to be very pleasant. I've had a longtime crush on Steve Martin like my whole life. And so this just confirms that. I find him charming. I think Selena Gomez is great in this. And we've watched Wizards of Waverly Place back in the day. So anyway, really like supporting that group of people. And then I've been rewatching-- and I'm almost done-- and I discovered I had not finished it ever, Younger.
Hunter [00:35:43] Yeah.
Annie Jones [00:35:45] And I'm on the very last, I've got like three more episodes. The last season is a bit of a slog.
Hunter [00:35:48] Yeah.
Annie Jones [00:35:49] But are you, I'm just curious, team Charles, team Josh, neither?
Hunter [00:35:54] I can't tell you because you have to text me I'm actually watching the last episode.
Annie Jones [00:35:59] Okay. I've heard that the last episode is very good.
Hunter [00:36:03] It is a roller coaster.
Annie Jones [00:36:04] Oh, I need to rewatch. Now I remember.
[00:36:07] So that's on tap for this week. I should finish it up. Because I watched it probably two or three times through. But I have this weird thing where I just like to leave characters. I don't really like to close it. And so I haven't watched the last season and I heard the last season was kind of hit or miss like maybe I can skip it. But anyway, quarantine. So I've got two or three episodes left.
Hunter [00:36:28] Yeah, I did that with Glee. I didn't finish. And I still have never seen the last episode of Glee because I thought I was waiting to watch it with my children, but now I'm like I don't know if I want them to watch it.
Annie Jones [00:36:39] It's not like progressively...
Hunter [00:36:42] Yeah. But I still watch all the time and I'm always like, oh, wow, this is so great. And I know it's not. But I love to cry over the oldest scene--
Annie Jones [00:36:51] But the music is good.
Hunter [00:36:52] Yeah..
Annie Jones [00:36:54] Okay. Last thing. What are you listening to? You go.
Ashley [00:37:00] I started Thankyou For Listening by Julia Whelan. Okay. I don't know what you want to talk. I haven't finished it. I think I'm like halfway through.
Annie Jones [00:37:07] Okay. Who here has read Thankyou For Listening by Julia Whelan?
Ashley [00:37:11] I'm trying to listen to it with what you said you want. [Crosstalk].
Annie Jones [00:37:15] I hate it.
Ashley [00:37:18] I thought it was weird that you would read this. This is not for you.
Hunter [00:37:24] I'll try it out, guys.
Annie Jones [00:37:25] It's a new Julia Whelan. I love her as an audiobook narrator.
Ashley [00:37:28] She's fantastic.
Annie Jones [00:37:29] She's a great audiobook narrator. I think I shared this on From the Front Porch maybe, but like on an earlier episode, you'll appreciate the reference. In the Oscars, it's like Oscar bait, right? When you play a real person and you have to, like, lose a lot of weight or disfigure yourself in some way. Okay. So Julia Whelan, in this audiobook, y'all, it's ten different voices. I'm like, okay, Julia, we get it. What award are you trying to win?
Ashley [00:37:56] Like, that's what the book is about.
Annie Jones [00:37:58] It is. It's about audiobook narration. But I'm like, why does this random father-in-law all of a sudden have a Yankee accent? He's from New York all of a sudden. And then this person all of a sudden is from West Texas, very specifically from West Texas. I'm like, okay, Julia, we understand. Subtlety, that's all I want.
Hunter [00:38:16] There's nothing worse than than a vocal showboat.
Annie Jones [00:38:19] Yes.
Hunter [00:38:20] I'm telling you. The accent people are terrible. I'm like, okay, you can do jolly old good. I get it. Me, too. I know I can't. Just kidding.
Annie Jones [00:38:33] Y'all, I'm so sorry. And I hesitate to say that because I don't ever like to say I hate books on the podcast cause it's really not fair, because I have not written a book. Authors work so hard. I value true Julia Whelan's work. And that's why on the podcast we often say, "Good for you, not for me," so it's just not for me. And I think that's partly because I don't think it's a romcom. I think it's a romance. It's just a romance novel. And it you're listening to it, feels open door. It may not be, but listening is a very different experience from reading and skimming a few pages. There are moments where I was, like, that's awkward. But it was the voices. And then, ya'll, the banter is one thing. I love Gilmore Girls. I love rat-a-tat tat. Multiple times I hit pause and said, "I hate everyone." I hate all of you. I know it's too cutesy. I could never be friends with you. Like, it's too much.
Ashley [00:39:21] So you would hate this even in, like, regular written form. .
Annie Jones [00:39:26] I think I would have just liked it. I think the way to read it is to listen to it. If you have not read it, I think you should listen to it. Did you listen to it?
Ashley [00:39:32] Yes.
Annie Jones [00:39:34] I think it's great. I do think it's good in audio and I don't want to rain on other people's parades. So you love that book, I'm so happy for you. It was not for me.
Hunter [00:39:41] I'll try it. I'll give it a go.
Annie Jones [00:39:43] Please report back.
Hunter [00:39:44] I will.
Annie Jones [00:39:44] That's going to be fun. And what do you think so far?
Ashley [00:39:46] I don't know. It's not my favorite, mostly the subject matter.
Annie Jones [00:39:53] Right. But I will say, you know what I did like? There's a lovely grandmother-granddaughter relationship and I thought that was absolutely wonderful and very moving. I thought that was great. And I really did love the audiobook narration because she's narrating this book about audiobook narrators, and I love getting some inside scoop into how audiobooks are made. So I did like those two parts of the book a lot.
Hunter [00:40:15] That kind of sound like that movie Inner World with Lake Bell.
Annie Jones [00:40:19] Yes.
Hunter [00:40:20] Yes.That's what I kept thinking.
Annie Jones [00:40:21] And she's like a voice actress.
Hunter [00:40:22] Yeah. Which I didn't mind that as much because I think that she kind of rolls her eyes herself. And there's also this really weird thing where she's with her sister and she wants her sister to share stuff, so she's like sister code, sister code. And I just love that because, like, I don't have a sister, but I imagine-- well, I have a best friend and I used to try to do that with her.
Annie Jones [00:40:38] Cousin Code. We should do that.
Ashley [00:40:39] Okay.
Annie Jones [00:40:39] Yeah. Okay. I am listening to-- and this is a really good audiobook if you listen to audiobooks so far. It's called All That's Left Unsaid. It's by Tracy Leien. She's an Australian author. And it's very much, if you all read and enjoyed Celeste Ng's Everything I Never Told You. I love it on audiobook so far, it's fabulous. But it's about a young Vietnamese woman refugee. Her family were refugees in Australia and it's set in the nineties and she's been away and she's like a journalist and she realizes her parents call her home and there's some second generational immigration stuff it's pretty interesting that she's dealing with, but she's called home because her brother has been murdered and her parents didn't want an autopsy performed. And none of the people in their Vietnamese community will talk to the white cops. And so there's this tension. She's a journalist. And so she's, like, I'm going to solve why my brother was murdered. It is so good so far. It's great on audiobook. I've not read the physical copy. It's out later. I'm sorry. It's out later. It's out at the end of September.
Hunter [00:41:47] That's not helpful.
Annie Jones [00:41:47] I know.
Hunter [00:41:48] Preorder.
Annie Jones [00:41:49] Preorder. Okay. So we want to end tonight with some Q&As. Thank you guys for joining me at the Kids Table this evening. So if you have your question cards, Felicia and maybe Michelle are going to collect those and bring them to Ashley. If you have a question, we would happily answer any questions you might have tonight. Anybody got a question card? , Oh, they didn't know that. Okay. Yeah, well, you can ask questions. We can ask questions, right? If we don't want to answer, we'll just ignore you. Okay.
Question 1 [00:42:23] So I have celebrity couple. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. What book would you pick for them?
Annie Jones [00:42:28] Okay, that's good. You know, I actually hated the royal [Inaudible]. I did not like that. [Crosstalk].
Hunter [00:42:37] Oh, yeah.
Annie Jones [00:42:38] I think I would almost go the direction I went with Amal Clooney, because I think Meghan is really trying hard to move in the direction of less royalty and more humanitarian. She showed up at Uvalde. So I'm trying to think, what would I recommend to her that's more almost like nonfiction or literature. Oh, I think I would do The Vanishing Half by Britt Bennett. I think that's what I would recommend to Meghan to read. It would not remind me of Prince Harry. What's a book about like a playboy who did good? A playboy who turned it around.
Hunter [00:43:14] I was going to say the Red, White and Royal Blue. He'll be fine. Oh, he's a prince.
Annie Jones [00:43:21] Yeah.
Hunter [00:43:22] Perfect.
Annie Jones [00:43:22] Okay. Yeah. All right. Red, White and Royal Blue.
Hunter [00:43:24] He might end up falling in love with a man who knows.
Annie Jones [00:43:29] Who knows. Who's to say. I think those are pretty good. That's a good couple.
Question 2 [00:43:37] I have another couple. Taylor Swift and Joe Alwin.
Annie Jones [00:43:40] Oh, do you not like them? That was a face.
Hunter [00:43:44] I don't know. He's got that face that [Inaudible]. I have a face but he's got a face. I'm sorry.
Annie Jones [00:43:55] He's blond, but you're blond.
Hunter [00:43:56] Yeah, but I wouldn't date a blonde.
Annie Jones [00:43:58] Okay. Me neither.
Hunter [00:44:00] I would date you if you were a man.
Ashley [00:44:06] Okay. That's fair.
Annie Jones [00:44:08] Okay. Wait. I had it on the tip of my tongue. Then new Kerry Winfrey. Which is-- what is it called? Just Another Love Song. That's what I would recommend, because it's got that country music element. The whole time Kerry Winfrey was writing it, she was listening to Nives Country, which is a great Spotify playlist, by the way. And so that's what I would recommend.
Hunter [00:44:24] I was going to say, Oh yeah, 13 reasons why. I don't know why, but I was like depressed.
Annie Jones [00:44:28] That's dark.
Hunter [00:44:28] I know. I was thinking about Folklore and I was like--
Annie Jones [00:44:32] Folklore is dark?
Hunter [00:44:32] It's a little too moody. And I was like, oh, she's love it. She'd write a good album about him.
Annie Jones [00:44:39] Look, I love Taylor Swift, no shade, but what's a book that you read to make yourself, like, be popular and smart? I think she would also read that. Like, whatever the cool kids are reading.
Hunter [00:44:49] I mean, well, she did.
Annie Jones [00:44:50] Taylor's reading Sally Rooney, for sure. She's trying hard to-- Look, and I love Sally Rooney.
Hunter [00:44:56] I won't say what book she read, but she read a book that I don't like. She wrote a song for it.
Annie Jones [00:45:06] Oh, okay. I think Sally Rooney is also a good pick because she does like British culture for Joe Alwain.
Hunter [00:45:12] That's true.
Annie Jones [00:45:12] Yeah. And Irish. Sally Rooney's Irish.
Hunter [00:45:14] But I guess she read poetry, but I bet she'd read like--
Annie Jones [00:45:20] Jewel's [Sp] Poetry. The most popular poetry online?
Hunter [00:45:22] I think she'd read like the milk and honey.
Annie Jones [00:45:25] Yeah.
Hunter [00:45:26] And then she probably get, like, a tattoo.
Annie Jones [00:45:28] Yeah. Okay. Anybody else? Any other questions about From the Front Porch or The Bookshelf before we wrap up?
Hunter [00:45:37] Yeah, [Inaudible].
Annie Jones [00:45:41] Okay. Ashley's got a question.
Question 3 [00:45:45] [Inaudible]. When do you think you guys got so passionate about reading? When was the moment you remember [Inaudible].
Hunter [00:45:57] I actually didn't. Whenever I was in second grade, my granny got a call from the school and they were, like, he doesn't know how to read. And she was, like, I don't understand. He's listening to these audio books and reading along with every morning. And when she told me I was so offended that I was like, Oh my gosh, I have to read for that reason. And I read a lot when I was younger, but then when I was 18, I only got into like one college. It was arts school I could afford. And I was like I have to read to be smart and cultured. And so I started reading for that reason. But then I started to discover that I was able to better understand the people around me. And it helped me to be a more empathetic person, not just to people who I knew, but to people I don't know and to people who I had maybe hated in the past or just didn't understand. And so I think that the more I read, the more I understand that. I just think that's a really beautiful thing and it's something that I can't let go of now.
Annie Jones [00:46:54] That's a beautiful answer, you know should have gone last.
Hunter [00:46:56] Sorry.
Ashley [00:47:00] Okay, well, I think I have three different things that I can attribute this to. First is the first book I ever loved, which was Junie B. Jones. I would try to read and walk at the same time when I was in the first grade. And second is I'm a writer by trade. I don't write books, but I'm a copywriter and I place a lot of value on beautiful words. And I believe that you can't write if you don't read. And third is the person sitting next to me.
Annie Jones [00:47:34] Okay. So my answer is mostly the house I grew up in, which I think is a lot of us, if we're fortunate and lucky and I happened to be. But I was a pretty avid reader immediately and a pretty early reader. And my mom likes to tell a story of how she bought me, I'm sure you all will be familiar with the American Girl books. She bought me one of those she fell asleep and I kept reading and then when she woke up, I had finished it and she was like, no, you didn't. Like, she did not believe me that I finished it. And then I told her the whole plot and she was like, oh, you did. And so my mom jokes that she didn't have the experience of reading aloud to me, like a lot of moms do, I think like bedtime stories and stuff, because I was doing it on my own and all by myself. And I just remember thinking I could tune everything else out. Like, I could write in cars. I could be anywhere and I could disappear into a book. And I think that's really because I was fortunate enough to be in a house and in an extended family where storytelling is a value. So even if the people in my life who aren't readers were storytellers. I mean, we have some real storytellers in our family. And so I just put such value on that and my family put such value on that. And my mom will say that she was not an avid reader until she turned 40, and she discovered the Medford books. That's how she fell in love with reading. But she was, like, I wanted my kids to have that. And so we had books in the house and she was always reading. She'll tell you she was reading nonfiction. She was reading parenting books and she was reading personal growth books and things like that. And so just being in a household where storytelling mattered and where conversations mattered, I mean, really what we do on From the Front Porch and The Bookshelf is really what I did all growing up. It's having conversations and a lot of times the best conversations come from what you've been reading. And so that's my answer.
Ashley [00:49:25] So beautiful. [Inaudible]
Annie Jones [00:49:35] Any other questions? Y'all this has been a delight. And before we wrap up, I do want to say thank you to a few people. So, first of all, round of applause for Felicia. This is like day two of the job. So thank you to Felicia who jumped on board. Truly, this is her second or third day of work. So thank you to Felicia. Those of you who support us on Patreon, you'll be interacting quite a bit with Felicia. She's our new community manager and she'll be doing a lot of chatting in our Patreon chat. We have a book club this coming week that I hope you'll join us for. And so you'll be seeing and hearing a lot more out of Felicia. I also want to say a special thank you. I don't want to get tearful about it, but Michelle is my assistant. She works on [Inaudible] She lives in Minnesota and she came down for this [Inaudible]. Michelle and I have worked together since 2019, and she has been a huge game changer in my personal life and in the life of The Bookshelf. It's enabled me to be able to do other things. And the fact that she's here this weekend is so helpful. And I want to give a special thank you to my guests. I could never do this by myself, and I prefer not to. So thank you so much to Hunter and to Ashley. And they're not here tonight because they've been working hard all weekend long. But I assure you noticed that this is not an event that runs because of Annie B. Jones. This is an event that runs because of The Bookshelf team. And so thanks to Olivia and Erin and Nancy and Keila and Kanzel and Esmee, who works tirelessly. And then I don't forget Jordan. So thank you to The Bookshelf staff, Nancy, they're just a fabulous team.
[00:51:18] And I hope you can tell that this weekend. My mom said as she was leaving pensively last night, she was like, this is the best team you've ever had. And it's also the largest team we've ever had. We are up to 10 employees. We hire Felicia and Caroline, our new employees, starting this week. And so that is because of customer support and that is because The Bookshelf miraculously grew over the last three years. And I am so grateful, you have no idea. And so thank you for keeping us open. And I do want to thank Jordan, because he is an attorney by trade, better than Kim Kardashian, I think. [Inaudible] And truly is my unpaid business coach and just a true partner in every sense of the word. And so thank you to everybody who makes this possible. Thank you to you for being here. Reader Retreat is a dream come true. It's something we dreamt of and we were able to start in 2019 and then I thought they were over forever. I thought we were never going to get to do them again. And here we are doing them again and I think still doing them in a really special way. I was worried the Paxton house thing would mess with our mojo. I think we've done well. And I just want to thank you all for coming and from coming from all over people. People don't believe it when I tell them. People do not believe it. And so thank you so much for making my dreams come true. Yeah. Thank you, guys.
Annie Jones [00:52:45] This week, what I am reading is brought to you by visit Thomasville. Everyone loves Christmas in Thomasville, Georgia. When it's time to get away, our small town has exactly what you need. Find romance, explore historical sites, dine out, shop, and make time to relax and unwind. There's no better getaway than a Thomasville getaway. If you're listening to this, the weekend that it releases, it is Thanksgiving weekend, Black Friday, Small Business Saturday. All kinds of fun is happening in downtown Thomasville because downtown Thomasville supports small businesses like mine. If you wonder what Thomasville is like during this time of year, let me tell you. A few weeks ago, I started to notice that the lights were being put up in the trees downtown. My office happens to be on the second floor of The Bookshelf so I can kind of look out and see the city workers putting up the lights into the trees downtown. But they're just there, they're not lit yet. And then they light up the week of Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, the week of Thomasville's open house, which we had this past weekend. And so the lights are up in downtown. No, it does not snow here, at least, except for maybe that one time a few years ago. But it doesn't really snow here, but it still feels like the inside of a snow globe. And I know you probably think I'm exaggerating, but I'm not. This past Saturday, I had the opportunity to go shopping in downtown Thomasville. It's not something I get to do very often because I'm frequently working weekends. But Jordan and I decided we had some Christmas shopping to do, and so we parked our car and we walked downtown, which is just one of our very favorite things, because we both grew up in cities where there wasn't a lot of like park and shop. It was more drive to your location, get what you need than drive to the next location. So that's the first kind of special thing about downtown Thomasville, is you can park your car and then walk the whole thing.
[00:54:32] So we walked around, we visited quirky parks, which is a shop run that just contains lots of pretty gift items, decorative items. We walked around to Firefly, the gift shop located across from The Bookshelf. We poked our head in Relish and the new coffee bar they have in the back run by Pasco Farms. And we picked up Christmas gifts for all sorts of people on our list. It is really important to me to put my money where my mouth is and to shop locally when I can. So the fact that we were already able to knock out some of our Christmas shopping downtown was really important to me. And I think it's a good sell to tourists who might be wanting to visit our fair downtown. It's a great place to finish up your Christmas shopping or to get started, whether you're a procrastinator or you're on time-- there's no judgment here. But it's a great place to come and to finish or start your holiday shopping. Every store downtown feels so festive and fun. The shopkeepers and the people who run these stores are so friendly and helpful, and it's a reminder of why I live in a small town. If you don't live in a small town, you can visit mine. How about that?
[00:55:36] This week, I'm listening to Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry. Thank you again to our sponsor, Visit Thomasville. To find out more about how you can visit Thomasville, including our town's upcoming Victorian Christmas festivities, go to Thomasvillega.com.
[00:55:55] From the Front Porch is a weekly podcast production of The Bookshelf, an independent bookstore in Thomasville, Georgia. You can follow The Bookshelf's daily happenings on Instagram @Bookshelftville and all the books from today's episode can be purchased online through our store website: Bookshelfthomasville.com. A full transcript of today's episode can be found at Fromthefrontporchpodcast.com.
[00:56:16] Special thanks to Studio D Podcast Production for production of From the Front Porch and for our theme music which sets the perfect, warm and friendly tone for our Thursday conversations. Our executive producers of today's episode are Donna Hetchler. Cami Tidwell. Chantelle C.
Executive Producers (Read their own names) [00:56:32] Nicole Marsee. Wendy Jenkins. Laurie Johnson. Kate Johnston Tucker.
Annie Jones [00:56:38] Thank you all for your support of From the Front Porch. If you'd like to support From the Front Porch, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Your input helps us make the show even better and reach new listeners. All you have to do is open up the podcast app on your phone, look for From the Front Porch, scroll down until you see, 'Write a Review' and tell us what you think.
[00:56:55] Or, if you're so inclined, you can support us over on Patreon where we have three levels of support. Front Porch Friends, Book Club Companions and Bookshelf Benefactors. Each level has an amazing number of benefits, like bonus content, access to live events, discounts and giveaways. Just go to patreon.com/fromthefrontporch. We're so grateful for you and we look forward to meeting back here next week.