Episode 360 || Winter Kids' Table
Every few months, Annie and her cousin Ashley sit down to talk about what they’re reading, watching, and listening to that season; basically, they’re having the kinds of conversations you might have around your family’s kids’ table.
To purchase the books mentioned in this episode, visit our new website:
Reading
Recitatif by Toni Morrison
What the Fireflies Knew by Kai Harris
Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson
Hannah Coulter by Wendell Berry
Watching
Abbott Elementary
The Story of Late Night
Emily in Paris
Encanto
Listening to
Beatles’ albums (Please Please Me and With the Beatles)
Breezy Instrumentals
Greenlights by Krewella
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.
This week, Annie is reading The Confessions of Frannie Langton by Sara Collins. Ashley is reading Matrix by Lauren Groff.
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, follow along as Hunter and I conquer a classic, and receive free media mail shipping on all your online book orders. Just go to patreon.com/fromthefrontporch.
We’re so grateful for you, and we look forward to meeting back here next week.
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Transcript:
Annie [00:00:01] Welcome to From the Front Porch, a conversational podcast about books, small business and life in the south.
[00:00:24] Because the world needed decent even more than it needed brilliant, which her son also happened to be. Charmaine Wilkerson, Black Cake.
[00:00:38] I'm Annie Jones, owner of The Bookshelf, an independent bookstore in beautiful downtown Thomasville, Georgia. And this week, it's time for our quarterly series, The Kids Table. Every few months, my cousin Ashley and I sit down to talk about what we're reading, watching and listening to that season. Basically, we're having the kinds of conversations we might have around our families kids table. Welcome back to the show, Ashley.
Ashley [00:01:00] Thank you very much.
Annie [00:01:02] I'm so glad to have you here because I feel like -- I won't say all the people, but many of the people, some of the people want to know about our recent escapades. You and I, for my birthday, took a much longed for, hoped for, planned four trip to New York City.
Ashley [00:01:24] Yes, this trip was a long time coming and it is kind of a miracle that it happened, but I am extremely glad that it did.
Annie [00:01:31] It was truly miraculous that we got to take this trip. We got back a couple of weeks ago. We took every kind of precaution. We were so careful and cautious as you can be while traveling during a global pandemic that's still happening. But we originally started planning this cousin trip honestly, what, when you were graduating high school?
Ashley [00:01:55] Oh, we've been talking about this for a long time.
Annie [00:01:58] So the fact that it finally got to happen really did feel like an absolute dream come true. This was your first time in New York.
Ashley [00:02:04] Yep. Yep, New York nervous.
Annie [00:02:06] How do you feel? Two weeks later, how are you feeling?
Ashley [00:02:11] I am a little depressed that I am not still there. Everything in my life is like, what if I was still in New York? Or This is how they do it in New York? Or this is how it was in New York. Like, it's cold, but there's no snow here. I'm over it. Like, I only want the beautiful New York snow. I'll even take that New York sludge that we were walking through over just this nasty cold that we have here. But my life is forever changed for the better, even if I am still a little bit sad that I'm not there.
Annie [00:02:45] Oh, were you changed for the better, just like Elphaba?
Ashley [00:02:48] Oh, my goodness. Yes. Full circle. Yes, I did.
Annie [00:02:55] So I thought it would be fun because obviously we don't want to devote this entire bookish podcast to our trip to New York. So I thought you could give maybe your two or three favorite things. I would give my two or three favorite things. We'd briefly talk about food and then we'd move on.
Ashley [00:03:09] Oh, this isn't all going to be about New York, because that's what I came prepared for. Just kidding. Well, I think I can guess what our mutual favorite thing was, but what was your favorite thing?
Annie [00:03:23] So should I not say our mutual favorite thing?
Annie [00:03:26] No, you should. Let's do it. Okay because it's my favorite thing. And it was the music man with Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster, who are both dreamboats.
Annie [00:03:34] And who were both actually there. Like a couple of people who I think locals to Thomas who saw me after I got back and they said, "Oh, how was it? Did you really get to see Hugh Jackman?" I was like, "I really got to see Hugh Jackman, and I was stunned about that as you are."
Ashley [00:03:52] Look, it still would have been a great show without them. And I would have been fine if they hadn't been there. But the fact that they were there and the show was the way that it was, it's still a little bit makes me want to cry and I might go to sleep every night trying to remember every single detail about it.
Annie [00:04:10] Their performances. You're right, it would have been stunning no matter what, because we went to see Wicked also on this trip. And honestly, just seeing Broadway performers of such a caliber is a truly stunning. But there was something about Sutton and Hugh, if I can just use their first names, that just really elevated everything, and the whole show was so joyful and fun and their chemistry was delightful. I pre music man saw it. Sure, Hugh Jackman's great. But I don't really think about Hugh Jackman very much in general. And you and I left there and I know we're related, but we both looked at each other and we were like, are we attracted to Hugh Jackman now?
Ashley [00:04:55] The answer is yes.
Annie [00:04:56] The answer is most definitely yes. So that was also my favorite thing. Life changing, if you can go. I think it officially -- we were there for previews, whatever that means. Now it's real. And if you get a chance to go, I just can't recommend it enough.
Ashley [00:05:14] Did I tell you that someone messaged me on Instagram about the Music Man because she had gone before we were there and then saw us go and was like, I need to do this again. And so she went a second time and I loved it. She was obsessed with it. And so now I think she lives in Virginia or somewhere. I can't remember her name. I'm so sorry. I didn't think I was going to talk about this. But I was like, if you need to go for a third time, you know where to find me. Anyone who needs to go to New York, just let me know I am available.
Annie [00:05:48] I've already thought we have some weird flight credits and things now because so much of our original flights were canceled or delayed or had issues. And so I've already thought and some of them are in your name and some of them are in my name, so I was like, "Should we just go again? I think we could go again."
Ashley [00:06:06] We should. Why not?
Annie [00:06:09] So stay tuned. Okay Music Man was also my favorite thing, but my second favorite thing was going to see Seth Meyers. I will be honest, there were moments where I looked at Ashley, and I was just wondering, should we be doing this because it was very time consuming to go to a live television production. And when you're only in New York for a certain period of time you're like, oh, do I really want to spend five hours like waiting in lines and not taking pictures and not being able to, you know, share with the world where you are?
[00:06:42] And I can tell you that, for me, the answer to those questions is, yes. You do want to do that. I did think it was worth it. Seth Meyers is just as handsome as I wanted him to be, as I dreamed him to be. But also, the whole thing was just really fun and kind of cool just to see behind the scenes, to get to go behind the scenes of essentially 30 Rock and to see these framed pictures of SNL and like the history of this storied building. And just to get to participate as a live audience member and to basically get to see a free comedy show was delightful.
Ashley [00:07:17] This is a dumb question. Did we pay for those tickets?
Annie [00:07:20] No.
Ashley [00:07:22] That was just that was a free show.
Annie [00:07:24] Yeah, it was free.
Ashley [00:07:27] That's nuts.
Annie [00:07:30] As long as you were patient enough, essentially. And, you know, we signed up -- it was a whole thing. We signed up for tickets. So we played the waiting game, but it did not financially cost us anything. He is a great performer. It was really fun.
Ashley [00:07:44] That's mind blowing. I would pay money. I would pay so much money to see that anyway. I love all things behind the scenes. So live TV tapings are 100 percent yes, for me. Always worth it.
Annie [00:07:59] Although, interestingly, we did transform into alternate versions of ourselves in the live audience. I fully expected Ashley, who has a secret or not so secret dream of like being on the stage, I really expected her to come alive during the[Inaudible] audience and to get to the point where the warm up comic would like see her big eyes over her mask and come and talk to us. And I was just stunned that they didn't pick on us to ask.
[00:08:30] Like I raised my hand to ask a question. I fully expected the warm up comic to, like, see us together and ask us questions. And I was kind of bummed that he didn't. I cheered as loud as I could, and when we left, I looked at Ashley and I was like, "I just knew he was going to call on us because you give off this vibe of like wanting to be on the stage." And Ashley looked at me deadpan and was like, "I didn't make eye contact with anybody. I wouldn't get to look at anybody."
Ashley [00:08:59] Look, it was going to happen. I have those deer in the headlights eyes and the warm up guy, we kept making eye contact and so I knew it was coming. And I didn't want him to talk to me because I do not watch Seth Meyers like you do. I enjoy Seth Meyers, but I have zero knowledge of his show.
Annie [00:09:21] We could have been together.
Ashley [00:09:21] I know. I could have just handed it over to you, and I wish I had done that. And if we do it again, then I will, and I will raise my hand on your behalf. But I was not prepared.
Annie [00:09:30] I could not believe it because I'm going to say that there were a couple of instances on this trip -- and we're going to use a literary reference because this is a bookish podcast. There were a couple of instances on this trip where I finally realized that our sibling energy is Bianca and Catherine from Taming of The Shrew. And there were multiple moments -- I told my dad this today and I thought he was going to fall out of the chair. There were multiple moments where I was like, "Oh, this is Bianca and the Shrew take Manhattan." And I'll give you two guesses as to who's who. Ashley is Bianca and I'm the shrew, and I just knew Bianca was going to get me on stage at Seth Meyers. And instead, during Seth Meyers, I became Bianca and you became the shrew.
Ashley [00:10:19] And I was not expecting it.
Annie [00:10:20] If the warm up guy had been Hugh Jackman or Sutton Foster, then security would have been called on me because I would have jumped on the stage. But Seth Meyers is not my lane. I should have made it my lane on your behalf. And I know that next time.
Ashley [00:10:40] Next time. Okay. Do you have any other New York highlights or like a favorite thing that we did?
Annie [00:10:46] All of them were my favorite things. Is it too nerdy of me to say the shark exhibit at the museum?
Ashley [00:10:54] Yes, because we did two museum things that speak, I think, directly to our personalities. We did the shark exhibit for you. What museum was that? I don't even remember.
Annie [00:11:07] American Museum of Natural History.
Ashley [00:11:09] Okay. So we did the shark exhibit because Ashley loves sharks. We did that the day we arrived. The day we left, we did the New York Public Library treasures exhibit. And when I saw the handwritten Declaration of Independence, I began to weep openly. And so those are our two personalities.
Annie [00:11:35] Sharks and Declaration of Independence. It's fun.
Ashley [00:11:36] Both nerdy in their own right, but just in different ways.
Annie [00:11:39] No, I thought the museums were a real highlight. We just don't get stuff like that here, really.
Ashley [00:11:43] We really don't. We do have this Tallahassee museum, but nothing like it.
Annie [00:11:47] I love the Tallahassee museum.
Ashley [00:11:48] Nothing like sharks or the Declaration of Independence.
Annie [00:11:52] Not quite on the same caliber. Although I do love the Tallahassee Museum, I highly recommend. Favorite meal we ate?
Ashley [00:12:00] Easy answer. It is Locanda Verde, and I had a butternut squash risotto with shaved truffles on top. And I have never had truffles before, but now I am a believer. I never understood what they were until I saw them. And then you told me because I still couldn't tell what they were. Because The Bookshelf sells truffles, but they are made of chocolate. That would not have been a good combination. So I'm an other kind of truffle believer now. And I still think about that meal and how delicious it was.
Annie [00:12:33] I almost texted you on Sunday night to be like one week anniversary of you eating butternut squash risotto.
Ashley [00:12:42] Look, I don't think I knew what the best meal of my life was.
Annie [00:12:48] Hmm. And now you know.
Ashley [00:12:49] Now it's that. Yeah.
Annie [00:12:49] That was a restaurant recommendation from Shana Quest [Sp]. Shana did not like text me that or anything. It's just she had it on her Instagram
Ashley [00:12:58] You kind of left that out and let people believe you're on texting terms with Shana.
Annie [00:13:03] But that was an excellent meal. And I think I also loved that restaurant. I know it sounds touristy, but I really did enjoy my birthday breakfast at Tavern on the Green. That was, I think, my favorite experience.
Ashley [00:13:18] Look, we never missed on meals.
Annie [00:13:23] We did not.
Ashley [00:13:24] Everything we had was fantastic. I also really liked Sarabeth's for breakfast. I thought about Sarabeth's for breakfast for a long time afterwards too.
Annie [00:13:32] That was so good. Also, Jordan and I never understand why when we go out of town, it's fresh squeezed orange juice everywhere. But when we drink orange juice here, where oranges are outside our door, we don't get fresh squeezed orange juice at restaurants. I don't understand it.
Ashley [00:13:49] I'll tell you why, because I work in Florida agriculture. Florida provides all the oranges to everywhere else. So Floridians can't always find it unless it's like Tropicana or something.
Annie [00:14:01] Yes.
Ashley [00:14:01] But Florida doesn't keep its oranges. They go everywhere else. They're the largest exporter of oranges in the nation.
Annie [00:14:08] Oh my gosh, I had no idea. Jordan and I have been -- because breakfast is one of our favorite meals to eat out when we travel, and we will go to Chicago or New York or Philadelphia and I'll always order orange juice because it is always fresh squeezed everywhere else and it is never fresh squeezed locally. No shade to my favorite local joints, but like, it's not.
Ashley [00:14:27] Yeah, it's disappointing. I mean, I don't know where specific restaurants get their produce, but I'm guessing a lot of them get their oranges in Florida.
Annie [00:14:34] Oh, fascinating. This is why you're the expert. Any last minute New York observations? We've taken up approximately 16 minutes with our New York trip details.
Ashley [00:14:44] I mean, I have a lot more, but we can move on.
Annie [00:14:48] Okay. So let's talk about reading and what we've been reading. This is Kids' Table the winter edition. We last spoke right before Christmas. And so let's kind of chat about what we've been reading this month. You want to go first?
Ashley [00:15:03] You go first because you probably have more than me.
Annie [00:15:06] So I listened to -- and actually, this is a recommendation for you as well because I know you like to listen to an audiobook. So I listened to Toni Morrison's only short story she ever wrote called Recitatif. I hope I'm pronouncing that correctly. I did listen to the audio book and I like practiced before I got on here because I believe that is a French word. But it is a short story written by Toni Morrison. It's her only short story, and it's never been published as a standalone book until now. And there is an audiobook version on Libro FM, and the introduction is written by Zadie Smith and is narrated by her. And then the book is narrated by someone else who is also a phenomenal narrator.
[00:15:46] Ashley, you need to listen to this. Here's why. It's like two hours. Like it's 45 minutes for the introduction and 45 minutes for the audiobook because it's a short story. And then you can do what I did, I mean if you want, no pressure. But you could do a deep dove into all the reviews and articles and analyses of this short story because it is really interesting. It's got two main characters Twyla and Roberta. And you know from the beginning of the story that one of them is white and one of them is black, but you don't know which is which. Toni Morrison specifically kind of removes racial coding from the story. And you, as the listener/reader, find yourself trying to figure it out like as if it is figurable.
[00:16:35] And then, of course, you're analyzing yourself wanting to know why is it so important that I know which one of these women is white and which one of these is black? And then if you can move beyond that, you kind of get more into the story and who these women are. And so anyway, it is fascinating. I really loved it. I highly recommend, especially because why not? It's 45 minute. Like you can get so much with just the short story and the introduction. The Zadie Smith introduction is phenomenal, by the way. So I highly recommend it. It's on Libro Fm. Obviously, you can read a physical copy and the new edition that has just released is really great. But I did really like my audio experience of this, and I think you would too.
Ashley [00:17:15] Nice. I've kind of fallen off the audio book train the last several months, so that sounds like a pretty good one to get me back on it.
Annie [00:17:21] Yeah. So tbh, I have not read a lot since we last did this, but the one I did read is Hannah Coulter by Wendell Berry.
Ashley [00:17:34] Oh, did you?
Annie [00:17:36] You've read it, right?
Ashley [00:17:37] No, I have not.
Annie [00:17:40] You haven't? Oh, my goodness.
Ashley [00:17:41] I've not read this.
Annie [00:17:41] I'm shocked. Okay, everybody, I don't think this is the Kids' Table first, but is it is a Kids' Table rarity. So please just let me bask in this moment for just a second. You've read Wendell Berry before, though, right?
Ashley [00:17:55] Only his poetry.
Annie [00:17:57] Okay, well, that's excellent. But this book is very good, you will you would fly through it and I think it is right up your alley. It's about a woman in her 70s who is twice widowed, recalling her childhood, her love and loss, children, the changing of seasons. And it's her just offering her voice. Mostly just like think of things about community and her opinions about the way things were, the way they are and sometimes the way things might have been. It's pretty short. So you would read it probably in one sitting. But once you start to, you will not be able to put it down.
[00:18:37] So my brother, your cousin, he loves Wendell Berry. My parents then became huge Wendell Berry fans. And so as you know, like last year, I did a Jane Austen year. And then this year I'm doing a Toni Morrison year. It's part of the reason I got that short story. And then next year, I already decided it's going to be my Wendell Berry year. So I'm really excited because I feel like there's always a lot of pressure. Not pressure, but just like I want to read his books and I never have. But now I have a designated time where I'm going to do it, so I have that on my list for 2023.
Ashley [00:19:12] That's exciting. I didn't know you had systems like that, but that's interesting.
Annie [00:19:18] Well, it's very nerdy, but I did it. I did it last year and really liked it. I read three Jane Austen books throughout the year, and then this year I was going to try to do the same with Toni Morrison and then do the same with Wendell Berry. Yeah.
Ashley [00:19:29] So structured.
Annie [00:19:30] And that's where our Venn diagrams do not cross. I also have another book that I do think you would really like. It is called What the Fireflies Knew, which I am sorry to say, I consistently sing to myself as what the cowgirls do, but What the Fireflies Knew, which is who I am as a person. So try not to sing what the fireflies knew to yourself from now on. But it is a debut novel by Kai Harris, and the narrator is an 11 year old named KB. She spends the summer at her grandfather's home in Michigan, so it's very much kind of this coming of age story reminiscent to me of something like rabbit cake but actually another bookstore owner, the owner of Fabled Bookshop DM'd me and said, "You know, it actually also reminds me kind of a really good children's literature because the narrator really does feel like an 11 year old."
[00:20:35] So Kai Harris is obviously not 11 years old writing this great book, but she very much embodies 11 year old KB. And in that way, it really does feel reminiscent of like your best written, your most well-written kids' books. And it's about this summer that she spends in Michigan with her granddad and her sister. And although there are parts of the book that are really kind of laugh out loud or at least feel very familiar because they feel very reminiscent of, I think, everybody's childhoods to some extent, kind of this magic of childhood, there are also some really dark and kind of scary parts of the book, I guess, but they're all handled so, so, beautifully. And I really think this would be a good book to pick up for book clubs. It was also one of those it was very easy to read. Like, I just fell in love with the narration so much and I bet would be really good in audiobook format as well.
Ashley [00:21:26] Did you say that's come out already or not?
Annie [00:21:28] Yes, it is out already. It released this month.
Ashley [00:21:31] Okay, I'm interested in that one.
Annie [00:21:33] I also read the book Black Cake, this is by Charmaine Wilkerson. The book gets its title from this cake that they make in the Caribbean. And in this book, the matriarch of a family has died and the two siblings fly out to California and they've kind of become estranged, but they fly out to California to learn what their mother has kind of left them. And turns out one of the things she has left them is this black cake. And then the other thing she's left is an audio recording kind of laying out some family secrets. And I love this book. It is Jenna Bush Hager's pick for the month of February.
[00:22:13] And Jenna and I, another person I am definitely on first name basis with, she and I continue to just really share literary tastes, and I really, really, liked this book. And I also love that because I didn't receive ARC of this one, I got to discover it along with everybody else, which I feel like for me it can be a rare feeling. And or for booksellers in general, I feel like could be a rare feeling. So I really liked this one. I suspect you would, too, but it is Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson. Again, family secrets, sibling story. Just really liked it.
Ashley [00:22:47] Nice.
Annie [00:22:48] Okay, what about watching? I hope you're watching something good so you can tell me about it. I feel like I need something.
Ashley [00:22:56] I'm watching things, they might not be good. The one good thing that I have seen, though, is I did end up watching Encanto. And I think we talked about that at some point because it's been really hyped up and I wonder what it was about. But I do think it is worth the watch. I think it's a very sweet story. It's about a family, I don't know where they're from, but it's either Mexico or another Spanish speaking country. And all of the children, once they come of age, are given gifts.
[00:23:30] So one of them has like super strength, she's the oldest daughter. And then another one we see is given the gift of being able to speak to animals, communicate with animals. Somebody else can control the weather. Somebody else has, like, really good hearing. And then there's the main character who ends up not getting a gift when she comes of age. And it's the story of, you know, what that means, what a gift actually is. It's good music. I saw Lin-Manuel Miranda contributed to it. And I don't know. It's just a really sweet story.
Annie [00:24:11] Should I watch it by myself or with Jordan?
Ashley [00:24:14] Probably by yourself.
Annie [00:24:15] Okay. I'm just trying to decide, like, some things I think Jordan would really like, but he's not around right now. And so I'm just trying... He's fine everybody. He's just working. That sounded darker than I [Inaudible]. So I just wondered if it's one I would enjoy by myself. I've heard the music is great. I just haven't watched it yet.
Ashley [00:24:35] Yeah. You definitely should one. One night when he's working late, try it out.
Annie [00:24:41] Okay. Something you and Caroline, your sister, my cousin, should be watching is Abbott Elementary. This is on Hulu. There's not a lot of episodes because it's like playing in real time. Like, I think new episodes drop every Tuesday because I think it is an ABC show. I want to say like a traditional show on your network television. But it's being put on Hulu, I think every Tuesday, maybe. Anyway, very much reminiscent of The Office, where it's kind of mockumentary style, but it's all about life at an elementary school. And I adore it. And I gasped out loud during the presentation of two characters one Chessie from the Parent Trap.
[00:25:28] I've never seen her in anything but the Parent Trap, and she showed up on my screen and I literally said, "Chelsea?" Like, I couldn't believe she was back on my TV. And I think you will also understand this reference, this beautiful woman was on the screen with a very commanding presence. She plays the older teacher, I believe, named Barbara. And I was like, "Who is she?" She's so striking and just she has a real presence. Like I thought, is she from Broadway? Like, where do I recognize her from? And then I figured out, oh my gosh, she's a mom from Sister Act 2.
Ashley [00:26:01] Wait, what? A mom from Sister Act 2.
Annie [00:26:06] So she's Lauryn Hill's mom.
Ashley [00:26:10] Oh my goodness.
Annie [00:26:12] Like the mom who's like, you can't sing. No singing in my house. You know what I mean?
Ashley [00:26:18] I know exactly who you're talking about.
Annie [00:26:19] She really does have this very striking presence, and that's because I recognize her as the strict mom, from Sister Act 2.
Ashley [00:26:28] What a brain you have because I would never, never, put those together.
Annie [00:26:34] I just think you and Caroline would really like it. I suspect teachers especially would really love it. But I think honestly, you know, all of us went to elementary school. I just think there's a lot that's very recognizable about it. And I think Caroline would really like it.
Ashley [00:26:51] Is it centered around adults or children?
Annie [00:26:54] Centered around adults, although you get some, you know, funny little looks and stuff from the kids, but it's really about the teachers and the administrators. The principal is a riot. She is so funny because she's so bad at her job. And then the main character is kind of like almost an overeager but really good at her job teacher. But she's young. And so there's a lot of like generational differences between this young, optimistic teacher and then the more seasoned teachers who've like been around the block. I just really think it's great. I really highly recommend.
Ashley [00:27:28] Okay. That one sounds really exciting. We're probably going to start that this weekend, maybe. So I've been watching this, you've already seen it and it's not great, but it does the trick. It's Emily in Paris. I started it, I did not like the first episode but here I am still watching it. I think it's a similar situation to Love Island, not in substance but subject, like what it does for me. Like it's it's not it's not good TV, but it's there and it's decent enough for me to get hooked into. So Emily is a social media manager. I am also a social media manager for a few different businesses, and I just need a PSA to say that she is not good. She does not represent what we do. And that is mostly why I don't like the show because she makes us look bad. But I mean, it's just not a good show, but I enjoy watching it.
Annie [00:28:42] It's really not. And yet I'm with you. So I watched the first season and didn't like it, but watched the whole thing. And then season two, I'm trying to think, was it more compelling? Was I more into it? I honestly couldn't tell you, but I finished the whole thing. And for me, it's very bingeable. So it's like one of those Netflix shows that I watch in a couple of days and then I move on. My brain has completely forgotten anything that happened. But I think it also goes back to pandemic. And, yes, you and I did get to go to New York, but for the most part we've all been staying put. And so there is something about like, oh, at least they're in Paris. Like it's very pretty.
Ashley [00:29:21] True, I am very invested in the Paris aspect of it.
Annie [00:29:25] Yes. So there's that, but I'm with you. It's not good, but at the same time, it's something I'm watching, something I watched. The only other thing I watched and I watched a little bit, I think, with you in the room, but after we got back from Seth Meyers, I remembered that I had seen this documentary about Late Night on HBO, but I believe it was a CNN production. And so I love stuff like that so very much. And I watched David Letterman as a kid, but definitely as a teenager, middle schooler, who would like convince my parents I could stay up till whatever 11:30 on a Friday night.
[00:30:09] And Chet was a big Conan O'Brien fan, and so I feel like I was attuned to all of that drama when all of that was happening. And so I really was just curious about the history of Late Night and the story of Late Night. And I thought this was really great. So I watched it on HBO, but I believe it is a CNN production. It's called The Story of Late Night, and if you read the SNL oral history or if you, yeah, are curious about Johnny Carson or David Letterman or Jay Leno or trying to get women involved in Late Night TV, which I was actually super intrigued by the fact that David Letterman, I think I know he did. And maybe Jay Leno did too. Like their show runners or their writers were predominantly women, which I found interesting because that was never really something I knew or was aware of.
[00:30:55] And so that even behind these men of Late Night, really women were behind the scenes doing a lot of the writing in the work. Anyway, I just thought it was fascinating and interesting to see kind of the evolution of Late Night TV. So all the people they interviewed, they were like," Late Night will continue forever." And I thought, will it, will it really? Because it feels like not. Or it feels like we're watching it differently. Like people like Seth Meyers know we're watching it on YouTube the next day. And so anyway, it was just interesting to see how people were like, "Oh, Late Nights around will be around forever." And I thought, I mean, I guess I kind of hope so, but that's an interesting statement to make. So I thought the whole thing was really interesting.
Ashley [00:31:32] Yeah, I remember watching a little bit of that with you. And that's more of those behind the scenes things that I'm super interested in, so double recommendation from me.
Annie [00:31:42] Okay, anything else or ready to move on to listening?
Ashley [00:31:44] Let's move on to listening.
Annie [00:31:46] What have you been listening to?
Ashley [00:31:49] So we all know Emily Freeman. We all know and love her. She has a podcast called The Next Right Thing. I'm sure a lot of people listening have already heard of, listened to, and loved this podcast. But there has just been something about these past few months, really starting probably in the last quarter of 2021 continuing on through now, the subjects and the words that she says have really just been resonating with me. I don't know what she's studying or thinking about, but whatever it is is fantastic because it's translating into things that I am really needing to hear.
Annie [00:32:33] I love her podcast and I really have to pick and choose when I listen to it because it often moves me. And so it's not like my morning listen to while I'm trying to, you know, put eye make up on, but it's really shower listening. Shower therapy.
Ashley [00:32:53] Right, great shower listening
Annie [00:32:55] Or something like that. I don't know how she does it. She always seems to speak to right what I need.
Ashley [00:33:01] Yeah, she's so wise, so wise.
Annie [00:33:04] I've actually been listening to some music lately, and you're going to laugh at this because because you poked fun at my Jane Austen, Toni Morrison, Wendell Berry plan, but you know I've been a little obsessed with The Beatles, and I decided to lean fully in this year. And The Beatles have 12 studio albums that's equal to 12 months everybody. And so I'm listening to one Beatles album a month. I'm trying to then pick my favorite song from the album in hopes that then I will pick my favorite Beatles song. I know what I think my favorite Beatles song is and what it was when I was 18, and I would like to know if it's still the same. I know for sure what I loved when I was 18, but I'd like to know if it's still that.
[00:33:53] So in January, I listened to Please, Please Me. And in February, I'm listening to With the Beatles, that's their second studio album. I think people would find fascinating that the Beatles released multiple albums a year, which is not, I think, the norm anymore, really. And I don't know if this is cliche or not, but I really wanted to tell what my favorite songs were, not what like the critics say or anything. So my favorite song from the Please Please Me album is their cover song of Twist and Shout, which turns out is the version that I was most familiar with already. .
Ashley [00:34:36] I physically can't wrap my brain around doing something like that. I just have a question.
Annie [00:34:40] It's a fun little project.
Ashley [00:34:41] It's so much fun. So, 12 albums in 12 months, does that mean you're just not even going -- like the 12th album doesn't even exist until December?
Annie [00:34:55] So far, yes.
Ashley [00:34:55] Like, you are only listening to one? That is fascinating.
Annie [00:34:58] I'm trying it this way because I am most familiar.with the 12th album, but I'm less familiar with some of their earlier and middle albums. And so I feel like I don't really need to listen to the 12th album until later in the year. But it depends. I mean, look, and I'm listening to other things. I'm not just listening to Please Please Me by the Beatles, because I do think that would have made me go a little bit crazy in January. I'm listening like podcasts or other playlists or songs. But if I am like driving in my car and I'm thinking, oh, I need something to listen to, I default to a Beatles album so that I can, you know, research.
Ashley [00:35:41] That is just fascinating. You're so good for any kind of structured environment. I just when I get in the car, it's whatever I'm feeling that day. It's a song from the playlist that I keep or I just keep all of the songs that I like.
Annie [00:36:02] I think you and I have very similar ways of creating playlists. I could be wrong about this, but lI just create a playlist for every season, give or take of my year. And by create a playlist, what I mean is when a song comes across, whether it's through Instagram, or maybe I hear in a commercial or it's in a movie I like or whatever, I add it to the playlist and these become little time capsules for me. And so I've started my Winter 2022 playlist and put a Beatles song on there because it's the Beatles cover of the song from Music Man. And so it's delightful. And now every time I play this playlist, I will think about you and me going to Music Man, but I didn't want to include a song from the actual music man.
Ashley [00:36:47] Right. Oh my goodness, we tried to listen to that when we were driving home from the Atlanta airport. Let us know if you want to hear the whole story. But the Music Man soundtrack is not quite of the same caliber as the Music Man the show, the life show.
Annie [00:37:03] No, I think you kind of need to experience the show. I don't think it's the kind of cast recording that you can just listen to for kicks and giggles. Maybe you can. I cannot.
Ashley [00:37:11] It's not the Wicked soundtrack for sure.
Annie [00:37:14] Yeah. Anyway, so I think the Beatles has been a fun thing to like incorporate in. But you're right, it is a little structured. It's very Enneagram five. It's like a deep dive. It's my little project, and I like that it has nothing to do with books. As much as I love books, it's just a nice thing that is not The Bookshelf.
Ashley [00:37:35] It's not work. Makes sense. So I've been listening to a song over and over again. That's what I do. I just listen to one thing. I find one thing that I like, and I run it into the ground until I hate it. I I don't hate the song yet. I actually really like it. It's on my playlist. It's called Greenlights by Krewella. I don't know if it's your thing. It's spelled with a K-R-E-W-E-L-L-A. I don't even remember where I heard the song. It's good for workouts, good for in the morning before you get going, maybe on a tough day or something. And it's just good energy not to. It's just a fun song.
Annie [00:38:15] The only other thing that I really have been listening to is I really love -- speaking of somebody who does playlists totally differently is Kendra Adachi, who like she creates these beautiful playlists and like she wants you to play them in order, whatever more power to you. I think that's amazing. That's not how I create playlists, but that's why we love Kendra. And so she has two playlists that I listen to pretty religiously. One is called Breezy Instrumentals. And then the second one, it's her second instrumentals playlist and I am somebody who cannot listen to music with words while I work.
[00:38:48] Like, I cannot, I will type the lyrics for i what I'm listening to. If I'm going to listen to anything, it needs to be instrumentals. And I think she really does a beautiful job of compiling instrumental playlists that I would not be able to compile on my own at all. And so I really love both though. She's a genius at it, and I'm happy too to take advantage of that. We normally do buying. Do you want to share anything that you bought?
Ashley [00:39:19] Sure. Always. That's what I did the most this season. First and foremost, I bought Broadway tickets. This is a New York plug, but you can buy this online. We went to Zabar's, the grocery store, and I bought -- hold on, I looked up how to pronounce this earlier today. Rugelach. I bought those little pastries and they come with cinnamon or chocolate. I bought the chocolate. I originally bought them for my dad, but I think I have eaten 98 percent of them. They are fantastic. You would love them because you just like pop one in your mouth and you're done. They're a perfect little snack. You can buy them online. They have a website. I highly recommend. They're delicious.
Annie [00:40:09] Okay. I have so many things to say. But I bought a tote bag from the New York Public Library. That was one of my actually favorite little spots for souvenirs while we were in New York. So that is something that I really loved. And I also bought a Seth Meyers T-shirt that I really am proud of and excited about. And, gosh, I also brought home -- now, you have to tell me, how do I pronounce this bakery. Lavonne or Lavanne?
Ashley [00:40:38] I say Lavonne because it's French.
Annie [00:40:54] Anyway, we went there, Ashely wanted to go there, it turns out I was right near our hotel. And I didn't give you a report back, so I just wanted you to know I brought home approximately six pounds worth of cookies in my carry on.
Ashley [00:41:06] Not an exaggeration.
Annie [00:41:07] No, not an exaggeration. They weighed the same as those little baby weights you lift at the gym. And Ashley was like, "I don't know if these are going to hold up." And I was like, "They have to. Like, they're supposed to be the world's best cookie." And so I brought them home and I did have to throw a couple away only because I could not eat them fast enough. They are so rich. But I brought them home. I wrapped a warm, wet paper towel around them, microwaved it for 30 seconds and truly some of the best cookies I've ever had in my life.
[00:41:40] Again, so rich. But I just wanted to tell you if you find yourself on another trip to New York or on your own trip to New York, and you stop at that bakery and you get cookies and you're like, "Are these going to make it home?" The answer is yes. And you just need to warm them up in a warm paper towel. And then you'll be so glad you brought them home, even though they weigh six pounds in you carrier.
Ashley [00:42:00] I wish I had brought some home for my family because I make my chocolate chip cookies based on their recipe, and I would really like for everyone to know that I make really good chocolate chip cookies and they do taste a lot like those cookies. But nothing compares to those cookies that were really good. Huge and very rich, but so good.
Annie [00:42:17] They were so good. I really wish you had taken and we could have split the bag. I don't know why we didn't think of it.
Ashley [00:42:24] I know that would have been a good idea next time.
Annie [00:42:26] It's fine, next time. Anything else?
Ashley [00:42:29] Speaking of running things I love into the ground, I've already talked about these on this podcast, but I bought more of those ICanoe2 notebooks. I cannot remember the details about it, but The Bookshelf used to carry them. I don't know if they still have them, but 1Canoe2 carries them. And the pages are fantastic. They weren't even having a sale, but I bought three. And the very next day on Instagram, somebody posted a reel and was like, I don't know who needs to hear this, but you already have 10 unused notebooks you don't need to buy anymore. I was just like, welp, rude. No regrets, though. These notebooks are absolutely fantastic. They haven't come in the mail yet, but...
Annie [00:43:12] Oh, happy meals on its way. Oh, I got in the mail COVID tests. That's not as fun, but I did get the mail finally.
Ashley [00:43:20] Yeah, we got those too.
Annie [00:43:21] Okay, well, I feel like -- you know what, I think I know how you feel about winter. I know how the internet feels about winter. I love winter. It is my birthday. The store is a little slower. My life feels slightly less chaotic. I know there is some angst around winter and this season of the pandemic, and I will admit that it has been hard for me as well. But I feel like it sounds like we've had a pretty good winter, really.
Ashley [00:43:52] Yeah, you're right, and I have no regrets about this winter at all.
Annie [00:43:56] Yeah, we're doing it.
Ashley [00:43:58] Coming out alive.
Annie [00:43:59] Thanks for coming on. And, yeah, we'll see you in a few weeks.
Ashley [00:44:04] Sounds good. Thanks for having me.
Annie [00:44:07] This week, I'm reading The Confessions of Frannie Langton by Sara Collins. Ashley, what are you reading?
Ashley [00:44:14] I'm reading Matrix by Lauren Groff.
Annie [00:44:22] From the Front Porch is a weekly podcast production of The Bookshelf, an independent bookstore in Thomasville, Georgia. You can follow The Bookshelf daily happenings on Instagram @bookshelftville and all the books from today's episode can be purchased online through our store website:
[00:44:38] bookshelfthomasville.com
[00:44:42] A full transcript of today's episode can be found at:
[00:44:45] fromthefrontporchpodcast.com.
[00:44:48] Special thanks to Studio D Podcast Production for production of From the Front Porch and for our theme music, which that's the perfect, warm and friendly tone for our Thursday conversations.
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