Episode 375 || June New Release Rundown
This week on From the Front Porch, Annie and Olivia sit down to chat about the books releasing in June. Don’t forget, if you purchase or preorder any of the books they talk about, you can enter the code NEWRELEASEPLEASE at checkout for 10 percent off your order. Just go to www.bookshelfthomasville.com and click or tap podcast, then Shop From the Front Porch to see today’s titles.
To purchase the books mentioned in this episode, visit our new website:
Annie’s list:
Cult Classic by Sloane Crosley
So Happy for You by Celia Laskey
Boys and Oil: Growing Up Gay in a Fractured Land by Taylor Brorby
Last Summer on State Street by Toya Wolfe
Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan
Flying Solo by Linda Holmes
The Catch by Alison Fairbrother
The Bartender’s Cure by Wesley Straton
Olivia’s list:
The Measure by Nikki Erlick
Goldenacre by Philip Miller
Fibbed by Elizabeth Agyemang
Charlie Thorne and the Curse of Cleopatra by Stuart Gibbs
House Across the Lake by Riley Sager
Poopsie Gets Lost by Hannah E. Harrison
The Surprise by Nick Laird and Zadie Smith
Cedarville Shop and Wheelbarrow Swap by Bridget Krone
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 listening to Cult Classic by Sloane Crosley. Olivia is reading House Across the Lake by Riley Sager.
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, Angie Erickson, Cammy Tidwell, Chantalle C, Nicole Marsee, Wendi Jenkins, Laurie johnson and Kate Johnston Tucker.
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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] "Welp, you're either in a cult or you're a creative director," I said, handing her back the card. "I'm not sure which is worse." Sloane Crosley, Cult Classic.
[00:00:36] I'm Annie Jones, owner of the bookshelf, an independent bookstore in beautiful downtown Thomasville, Georgia. And this week, I'm joined by retail floor manager, Olivia, to chat about the books releasing in June. Before we begin, I wanted to say thank you to all the listeners who have reviewed from the front porch on iTunes. Thank you, thank you, thank you! You helping us spread the word about the show and I am so grateful. Here is one of our favorite recent reviews.
[00:01:02] This is from Emily. Emily says, this podcast makes me want to read. As a Thomasville native, now living in a neighboring state, From the Front Porch gives me a glimpse into my hometown bookstore and keeps me up to speed on what to read next. Every time I'm listening, I get an ache to just pick up a book. I'm truly inspired to read more when I listen. This podcast is lovely for anyone interested in books and small town living. Be careful though. Listening to from the front porch just might make you want to move to beautiful, historic Thomasville, Georgia. Thank you, Emily.
[00:01:34] And don't worry, no one wants to move here right now because it's 100 degrees and all of my windows are fogged, so you're fine. Keep leaving nice reviews. We really appreciate it so very much. The show is growing every week and that is thanks to you lovely listeners spreading the word. If you want to leave your own review, just 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. Your review could be featured on an upcoming episode. Hi, Olivia.
Olivia [00:02:03] Hey.
Annie Jones [00:02:04] Welcome back.
Olivia [00:02:05] Happy to be here.
Annie Jones [00:02:07] Are you excited about June books? How are you feeling about summer reading?
Olivia [00:02:11] I am. I won't lie to you. I think I'm more excited for July and August, but there's still some really good books coming out in June.
Annie Jones [00:02:18] I think June is quietly good. I think there are some real -- what is the music term? Bangers. I think there are some real bangers coming out on July and August.
Olivia [00:02:26] What do the kids say these days? On fleek.
Annie Jones [00:02:37] So there are some real bangers coming out in July and August. But I think these are some nice -- I don't know, just less showy titles, maybe. Does that make sense?
Olivia [00:02:45] Yeah. That's a perfect way to describe it. I was going to say July and August I just know there's a lot of big name authors coming out with a bunch. But there's actually some good name authors coming out this month too.
Annie Jones [00:02:56] Well, I'm excited to talk about it. Don't forget, listeners, as Olivia and I chat about these titles, if you purchase or preorder any of the books we talk about today, you can enter 'New Release, Please' at checkout at Bookshelfthomasville.com for 10 percent off your order. So again, you can just go to Bookshelfthomasville.com Click or Tap Podcast, then Shop from the Front Porch and you'll be able to see today's titles at check out, enter 'New Release Please' for 10 percent off. Soon we're going to have a new website and those instructions are going to be different. And I need to make sure I remember when that date is. We are in the process behind the scenes of doing some changes that I don't think will affect the customer too much. I hope it'll enhance the customer experience. But one of those things is a new website and if Olivia and I sound tired, that's why.
Olivia [00:03:47] I'd like to be clear. I am excited about June releases. I feel like I maybe started with a little bit of a let down. These are great books.
Annie Jones [00:03:56] Look, here's what I think it really is. End of this month -- am I right about this? You have a big work trip and vacation.
Olivia [00:04:06] Yeah.
Annie Jones [00:04:06] Plus, we're changing our website and point of sale system. Maybe you're just ready for July for personal reasons. Maybe you're projecting. I'm going to put on my literary therapy hat and tell you, you're projecting.
Olivia [00:04:24] Oh, that's great therapy.
Annie Jones [00:04:27] I really am excited too. But I do think there are bigger name authors I think in my list's case, anyway, coming out later this summer. I do have several debuts. I think we're going to talk about some authors that I'm excited about their work, but maybe other readers haven't read them or aren't as familiar with them. So I'll start and we can go back and forth because I think we have the same number today.
Olivia [00:04:48] Yeah.
Annie Jones [00:04:48] Okay. So my first one is the book that I led the episode with, the quote that I chose. It was from Cult Classic. This is a book by Sloane Crosley that comes out on June 7th. I love Sloane Crosley. I thought maybe I had read her entire catalog, but I think I'm missing a couple of her earlier works. But she has written essays and fiction, which I think is really difficult to do, actually. I feel like you kind of pick one of those things and you stay in that lane, but she's done both, I think, successfully. So I've read I Was Told There'd Be Cake, which is a great title. Look Alive Out There, another great title. Those are both essay collections. And then her fiction book, The Clasp, which was kind of this -- thriller is definitely the wrong word, but it was kind of this slight mystery suspense - literary suspense, maybe. Anyway, Cult Classic to me is most like The Clasp. This is the book I'm reading right now. It is, I want to say, a romantic science fiction book. I don't know. I'm reading it right now. I think this could potentially be an Olivia and Annie kind of crossover title. So in the book, our main character, Lola, she lives in New York. She's out to dinner one night and she runs into an ex-boyfriend. Whenever they talk to each other, she kind of reminisces a little bit. Then the next night she's grabbing cigarets or something, and she runs into another ex-boyfriend and she's like, this is starting to get weird. And then I think she has a third encounter with an ex and she is kind of weirded out.
[00:06:25] And then her friend confesses to her and takes her to this old synagogue. But when they walk into the synagogue, it's been completely transformed. And essentially it's kind of this cult. Question mark. She thinks it's a cult that is responsible for helping people get closure on their love lives. And so she has been their test case. The reason I say it's weird, it's science fictiony in a way that I'm still trying to wrap my brain around how it works. But basically there is some kind of field or data that enables these people to figure out who your exes are and to, like, place them in the right moment. And of course, they want to make money off of it ultimately. But she's their test case. And so right now I'm at the part where she's trying to decide she wants to continue being their test case. It is weird and fascinating, but Sloane Crosley writes in a very funny way. That line I know it was a weird line to start the episode with, but that line about you're either in a cult or you're creative director made me laugh out loud so hard. I just think she's quietly snarky and funny and I really like her, so I trust her to take me on this ride. Also, this is what I sometimes do if I'm in the middle of a book and I'm like, how do I feel about this? I'll check and see if this a start review in Kirkus or Publishers Weekly? And if it is, I'm going to keep going, and it's both. So it was starred in Kirkus and Publishers Weekly. I trust her as a writer. I really like what I've read so far. I'm just very curious where it's going to take me because it's a hard book to categorize. And when you're a bookseller, I think you constantly read thinking, who can I sell this to? How can I sell this? And it's a little harder to elevate a pitch than maybe other books that I typically read. So I'm looking forward to this. I can't wait to report back on what I think, but it is Cult Classic by Sloane Crosley out on June 7th.
Olivia [00:08:19] I do that same thing with Kirkus and Publishers Weekly.
Annie Jones [00:08:22] It's just is helpful to know.
Olivia [00:08:24] This will give me the reassurance that, like, I should keep going.
Annie Jones [00:08:27] Yes, because not always should you.
Olivia [00:08:31] Yes. I recently put one down.
Annie Jones [00:08:33] Yeah. Sometimes you can't. There's just too much to read to do that.
Olivia [00:08:37] Yeah. Okay. My first book out June 7th is called Fibbed. This is a middle grade graphic novel by Elizabeth Agyemang. I looked that up and I tried my best, everyone.
Annie Jones [00:08:50] Good job.
Olivia [00:08:52] So this little girl, I can't remember where she lives in America. Somewhere in suburbia. But she gets in trouble at school because everyone believes she made up the story about how this family sort of squirrels stole her teachers to pay, and everyone thinks she just stole it and she's making up this fib. And so her parents are like, we're going to send you to Ghana with the rest of our family. You're going to spend the summer there and you're going to try to, like, pull yourself together a little bit before you get back here.
Annie Jones [00:09:22] Okay.
Olivia [00:09:22] And so she goes and at first, you know, there's like a bit of culture shock and everything. She starts to go to school with her cousin, which actually the culture aspect was really interesting to watch play out and everything. But then she meets this spider because they also have a lot of stories that they tell. And this spider in their culture is this trickster who loves, like, not only tricking people, but loves telling a good story. And so this spider really meets her right where she needs to be.
Annie Jones [00:09:53] Yeah.
Olivia [00:09:53] And they end up getting the spiders magic back to it. And it was a really fun adventure with, like, African folktales weaved throughout it. Like, there's a second one of an elephant and a crab.
Annie Jones [00:10:08] Okay. That's fun.
Olivia [00:10:10] But it was really great and the illustrations were beautiful.
Annie Jones [00:10:13] Oh, that sounds really good and like a fun read.
Olivia [00:10:16] Yeah. It felt like, if you like the storytelling of Legend of Auntie Po and the location, the locale and like the whole environment of stars are scattered, this is a perfect blend.
Annie Jones [00:10:29] Okay. I think it sounds good. It sounds like a good summer story too. Like you're spending the summer recovering from mistakes you made at school.
Olivia [00:10:40] Yeah.
Annie Jones [00:10:40] I like it. Okay. My next one is So Happy For You. This is by Celia Laskey. So her debut novel was Under the Rainbow, which released to a lot of buzz. And it's a book that I wish I read, but I haven't read it. However, I'm very curious about this because I kept seeing Hunter Post about it and I was like, I naively thought, interesting. So glad she's got a new book coming out that looks a little bit like, I don't know, a romance, romcom. Like I was just looking at the cover. Then I read about it because Hunter had read it and it sounds so interesting. So it looks like it could potentially be a thriller suspense. I'm not sure. So the main character is Robin. Robin and Ellie have been best friends forever since their childhoods. When Robin came out to L.A., she was really supportive and kind, and so they've just continued this really lovely friendship. Then Ellie gets engaged and she's getting married and she asks Robin to be her maid of honor. And Robin is super hesitant because, I believe, she's a lesbian. She is an academic. She just doesn't really want to have anything to do with -- she's kind of cynical. That's what I'll say. She's cynical about kind of the heteronormative ideas of marriage and weddings, like the whole industrial complex of weddings. But she is a researcher at heart, and so she decides to kind of enhance some of her academic work. She'll become the maid of honor in the wedding. And she'll also kind of be a good friend, but also be a good researcher, is what it sounds like. So the problem is weird things start to happen, sinister things start to happen. Maybe more sinister than usual.
Olivia [00:12:31] Than usual.
Annie Jones [00:12:32] I just feel that wedding planning can be a little sinister. So anyway, but this is what I love. The opening sentence of this book is, "If you want to know the story of how my best friend and I ended up trying to kill each other, I should probably start with the night she asked me to be her maid of honor." That's a good opening line, right? That's a good opening line. So it just sounds like I had the wrong idea of this book. So I wanted to help readers in case they too, maybe just saw the cover and thought they knew what it was about. It just sounds like it's going to be a little more suspenseful. I read in a couple of reviews the word campy, so it just sounds like a good time. I would pair it, I think, with a book I also read that's coming out later this month called The Bridesmaids Union. That book releases on June 14th. I really liked that book a lot and it just sounds like it'd be a great pairing with So Happy For You by Celia Laskey, which is out on June seven.
Olivia [00:13:30] I don't like myself for saying this, but I don't think I will ever understand the word campy.
Annie Jones [00:13:36] I just hope it helps. How would I describe it? Remember The Met?
Olivia [00:13:46] Yes. And that's exactly why I'm confused. That was not, I guess, the presentation.
Annie Jones [00:13:56] The Met gala does not really explain it. Okay. It's better for me to tell you someone who I think represents camp.
Olivia [00:14:03] Okay.
Annie Jones [00:14:06] Dino Cher [Sp].
Olivia [00:14:10] I know who Dino Cher is.
Annie Jones [00:14:13] I couldn't tell by your face which part of that you're processing.
Olivia [00:14:16] That's fair. The campy part. I know Cher is like the dazzly, gaudy.
Annie Jones [00:14:23] Yes, but like a little bit out there, but like content to be out there. A little bit weird, but content to be weird a little bit gaudy, campy. This is harder than you'd think.
Olivia [00:14:37] Now I don't feel so bad. It's like for a while I did not understand the term gaslighting. I do know. But that one was weird for me to grasp. I don't know why. It was when the fancy chicks song came out.
Annie Jones [00:14:52] They're just the chicks now. They changed their name.
Olivia [00:14:58] Right.
Annie Jones [00:15:00] Let me tell you, camp, I would have thought I could easily describe, but you can't. It's easier to describe than it is to define. What an interesting conundrum. Hmm. I'm going to have to think about that. Because I feel like in my mind like when I read that this book was campy, I was like, oh, yeah, that totally makes sense. Like Cher. I'm going to have to think about that. Okay. So sorry. Go ahead. What's your next one?
Olivia [00:15:30] Listener, you can help me too, if you'd like.
Annie Jones [00:15:32] Yeah, write us what is the definition of camp.
Olivia [00:15:36] Help Olivia. Okay. My next book, I finished it this weekend. It was really fun. Another middle grade novel. This is Charlie Thorne and The Curse of Cleopatra by Stuart Gibbs out on June 6th. This was awesome. This was about Charlie Thorne, who very much reminds me of like a female Artemus Fowl. She's very smart, she's very sneaky. She likes to get herself into trouble and then out of trouble with her own skills. She has a brother who is in the FBI and is currently chasing her down. Which was a really fun aspect of the book. And this book was about she resonates with Cleopatra because she was also a very intelligent female leader and who was kind of alienated by her people and her time. And so Charlie learns about this hidden treasure that Cleopatra has. I have not looked up how true this, but it all sounded very realistic. Also the setting of Egypt was super fun. I've only read like one other books in Egypt, so this was like I might start to look for more. That was such a great setting. But I did finish this and realized it was the third in a series just so we are all clear. But it did not read like the third in a series. It was only because I was like, oh, this should be a series. This is so good. And then I realized that it is a series. So you can pick up this book without needing to read the first two. I probably will go back to read the first two because I just enjoyed this book so much. But Stuart Gibbs is the author of Spy School.
Annie Jones [00:17:18] Okay, that's what I was going to ask you. I was like, that name sounds familiar. I also like when series are standalone, especially for kids because it can be hard to find if you're at the library. I just think about all the kids go to library this summer. And if the library doesn't have the number three and you can't go on to number four, that's a bummer. And so I do like these books where the series titles are kind of standalone titles.
Olivia [00:17:41] And Spy School is the same way. Will read the series. Will read Spy School. Will did tell me that like each book and this one included, Charlie Thorne, has some sort of stem component to it. So like you are learning while on this adventure with the main character, but it never feels like they're forcing knowledge on you.
Annie Jones [00:18:08] Okay.
Olivia [00:18:09] It was really good.
Annie Jones [00:18:10] Oh, that's great. I also love that it's got a kid recommendation, like a kids stamp of approval. Okay. My next one is Boys and Oil. The subtitle is Growing Up Gay in a Fractured Land. This is by Taylor Brorby. It's out on June 7 This is a memoir written by a young gay environmentalist. I have this arc at home partly because it sounded really good and partly because Kate recommended it. So former bookseller Kate, who's now manager at Bookmarks in North Carolina. Kate and I have a lot of overlap in terms of taste, and so I really trust her and she really likes this book. Taylor Broby grew up in rural North Dakota. And sometimes when I think about what it's like to live in rural Georgia, I think, well, there are other places even more rural than this.
Olivia [00:19:01] Believe it or not.
Annie Jones [00:19:02] Can you imagine rural North Dakota? I would think North Dakota on its own is probably pretty rural, much less -- I don't know. Can you name an online customer from North Dakota? I think it's one of our missing state.
Olivia [00:19:16] No, surely we have somebody.
Annie Jones [00:19:19] I don't know. I mean, I have to go back through our online orders and see. But the point is not a lot of people live in North Dakota. Is what I'm trying to say. And so he groos up there and comes out to his friends and family, and that does not go well. And he experiences some pretty harrowing things. It sounds like growing up gay in rural North Dakota. However, he also immediately begins to take stock of the landscape around him. And North Dakota is beautiful. And even just some excerpts of this book I read, the way he writes about nature and about his home just sounds really beautiful and complicated. So he has since grown up and become an environmentalist. He protested at -- oh my gosh, I should have written it down. The oil? Pipeline? Anyway, and so he protested there. And so he writes a lot about the hardships he's seen inflicted on the land in order to benefit the lives of people. And so he kind of contrast that with his own growing up stories. So it sounds really interesting, really good. Like I said, it has Kate's approval and recommendation. I'm very curious about it. It is Boys and Oil, a memoir Growing Up Gay in a Fractured Land by Taylor Brorby, out on June 7th.
Olivia [00:20:38] I think Bismarck is in North Dakota.
Annie Jones [00:20:42] Wait a minute. Oh, no, that's the capital, right?
Olivia [00:20:44] I needed to be able to name like one city in North Dakota just for my own well being. I already had to ask what camp is today so...
Annie Jones [00:20:53] Yeah. Bismarck is the capital of North Dakota.
Olivia [00:20:56] I think so because Lincoln is the capital of South Dakota.
Annie Jones [00:20:59] No, Nebraska.
Olivia [00:21:00] Lincoln. Nebraska. you're right. Wait, what's South Dakota then?
Annie Jones [00:21:05] Oh, no.
Olivia [00:21:06] Kansas is Topeka.
Annie Jones [00:21:08] I'm going to look it up. Are you ready?
Olivia [00:21:10] No, I'm not ready. South Dakota -- oh, I don't think I'm going to be able to get it.
Annie Jones [00:21:18] I would not have, which is really bothersome to me. It sounds like I need to get some work done this summer. I know it's going to sound familiar, though. Go ahead and tell me.
Annie Jones [00:21:28] Pierre.
Olivia [00:21:30] Yes. Because then Michigan is Lansing. I don't know why those two always correlated in my head.
Annie Jones [00:21:42] Yeah, it is. I need to go back and study my capitals.
Olivia [00:21:46] I used to be really good at that.
Annie Jones [00:21:48] You know who's good at that? Jordan Jones.
Olivia [00:21:51] Oh, he would be.
Annie Jones [00:21:53] He knows all the presidents in order.
Olivia [00:21:57] I already know there is a song to go with it.
Annie Jones [00:22:01] Yeah. All right. North Dakota --
Olivia [00:22:06] Well, as I was telling you the other day, I think picture books go through up and down years and this is an up year for it. I think this may be -- I'm sorry, Rhino Suit -- my all time favorite picture book of this year. I'm not going to say of all time.
Annie Jones [00:22:22] Yes, but beating out Rhino Suit is a big deal.
Olivia [00:22:25] I know, but I am not a crier. And this one, it's not a cry book.
Annie Jones [00:22:30] Okay.
Olivia [00:22:31] So this is called Poopsie Gets Lost. And it's by Hannah E. Harris. Stick with me. Poopsie is this little, fluffy white cat with a big pink bow on its neck. And she lives a very lush life. Like fed right on time, fluffy beds everywhere. And then you have this instigator of a narrator in the picture book, and the narrator pushes Poopsie to go outdoors. And then the narrator pushes Poopsie to go out past the yard. And then she gets lost in the jungle. And Poopsie has to figure out how to defend themselves against an actual tiger and crocodiles. And Poopsie at one point grabs the vine to swing on it, realizes it's a snake. Like a very Tarzan type moment.
Annie Jones [00:23:27] Okay.
Olivia [00:23:29] But Poopsie throughout all this, instead of getting scared and like going into Poopsie self -- I'm assuming Poopsie is a girl -- Poopsie stands up for herself and she gets mad and then she like takes action.
Annie Jones [00:23:45] Okay. I was [Inaudible].
Olivia [00:23:47] With her bow tied across her forehead going back to the house going back to the house just angrily storming up. It's so good.
Annie Jones [00:23:58] I take it the illustrations are very funny and well done.
Olivia [00:24:01] Illustrations are amazing.
Annie Jones [00:24:04] I personally just love how you say Poopsie. And I feel like this sounds like a good storytime book.
Olivia [00:24:11] Oh, it's going to be an excellent storytime book.
Annie Jones [00:24:13] Okay. Yeah, it sounds fun.
Olivia [00:24:15] Oh, it's so good.
Annie Jones [00:24:17] Okay. My next one is Last Summer on State Street. This is by Toya Wolfe. Hurray! I am here with this book because it's going to fill the Brit Bennette-shaped hole in your heart. I have one whenever Brit Bennette does not have a book. I have a Brit Bennete-shaped hole in my heart and I think this will fill it. So I read this book a couple of months ago, weeks ago, hard to say. But it's set in the summer of 1999 in one Chicago neighborhood. The neighborhood actually that Toya Wolfe grew up in. So she's very familiar with this area. And you can tell the way she writes about the neighborhood. But the neighborhood is undergoing a lot of transformations potentially down the road, some gentrification. So they're tearing down the neighborhood and the homes, the apartment buildings in which the main character and her friends live. So you kind of watch throughout the book as these families see the apartment buildings coming down and they know like there's it's going to be next. So there's kind of this sense of, I don't know, sense of foreboding. But at the same time, you have these four girls who are right at that like 11 year olds age. It's a group of four of them. And you can see that their friendships are also starting to be on shaky ground. And I hadn't thought about this until I was writing the notes for today. And I was like, oh, my gosh. Like, as those buildings are starting to fall, some of those friendships are starting to fall as well.
[00:25:40] And I think even if you grew up in rural North Dakota or rural South Georgia or Tallahassee, Florida, and you didn't grow up in the inner city of Chicago, I still think you would find some of this story really familiar, because I think all of us at 11, 12, 13, our friendships start to change a little bit, particularly female friendships. I think this can happen to anybody, but I found that part of the book really familiar. And then you can also see these young girls trying to figure out who they are, who they can trust and is home what they've always pictured it as or is home a little bit more complicated than they thought? Fifi, Felicia I believe is her name, but throughout the book she's called Fifi. So she is kind of the main character. And we also get to see her as an adult looking back on her adolescence. That's the lens through which the story is told. And her narration or her storytelling reminded me a little bit of Miriam in Revival Season. There is just a lot to unpack here about family dynamics and home siblings. There's a really interesting relationship that she has with her brother that reminds me of the relationship in Jesse's Transcendent Kingdom. Anyway, there's a lot to really appreciate and like about this book, also a plug that it is about 200 pages. It's pretty short. And I love that it takes place over one summer. And as I've said before, I hate reading cold weather books when it's miserable hot. And this book is set in the steamy summer of Chicago. And I felt like, oh, yes, this is something I can read about and enjoy during my own steamy summer. So it's called Last Summer on State Street by Toya Wolfe. Got a really fantastic cover too. It's out on June 7th.
Olivia [00:27:29] That sounds good.
Annie Jones [00:27:30] It was really good.
Olivia [00:27:31] Are the main characters the kids?
Annie Jones [00:27:34] Yes.
Olivia [00:27:35] Oh, interesting.
Annie Jones [00:27:36] Yes. The main characters are the kids. And which reminds me of, oh my gosh, I read a book you just reminded me because it's very Brit Bennett to me. But there's that book, What the Fireflies Knew.
Olivia [00:27:47] I was just thinking about that. Was like, there's a lot of adult books coming out that follow the children.
Annie Jones [00:27:52] Yes. Kids. Yeah. And Fifi who's I believe she's narrating -- I'm trying to remember back. But anyway, she is looking back on it as an adult, which I also really liked that. So it's definitely told through the eyes of these kids. But she's also reflecting back on when did this friendship go wrong? When did my mom start acting differently? When did my brother start acting differently? You can tell she's a grown up trying to figure it out. I really liked it when I read it and the more time that passes, the even more I like it because it's a short book. And I finish and thought that was good. And like, the more that I move beyond it, I think, no, I think that was actually really, really, good. Like, there's so much to kind of unpack and think about after the fact.
Olivia [00:28:36] All right. My next book is another middle grade book. This is Cedarville Shop and the Wheelbarrow Swap by Bridget Crone out on June 14th. This one's really short. Like, it's less than 200 pages, but I do recommend 10 and up. It takes place in Africa after apartheid. But you do get a little bit like she gives you historical information about apartheid and what that meant and how that affected the people at the time. And then you kind of still see the effects of apartheid in this child's life. But this is about a little boy who read about the Canadian -- I forget his name. I want to say it's like Kyle MacDonald, but like there is a whole news article about him and how he started with a single paperclip and he kept trading up until he ended up trading for a house. And so this little boy reads about this story and he's like, I think I can do that. And so he starts with like a little clay cow, and he keeps trading up. And at first the village around him just kind of things like, what is this kid doing? Like, this is Ridiculous. He's not going to get anywhere. Because he does frame it like I'm going to get a house off this.
Annie Jones [00:29:44] Right.
Olivia [00:29:46] But through it he ends up doing like all of these really good deeds. Like one of the swaps is that he gets to choose the goalie for the town soccer team in order to swap for free rides to the nearest city for a week. So he picks this child who has a bad leg, who's always wanted to play soccer, but he can't run, but he can keep a goal. So he was their goalie and like won a bunch of games. And then he gave, like, the rides to this mother who had a sick child and had to get to the hospital daily. And it was just like a really sweet transaction. And then this news reporter comes to town and she writes this article about him that frames him in a not great light and leaves out that his best friend also did it with him. So then it's like a best friend's rift.
Annie Jones [00:30:34] Oh, some tension.
Olivia [00:30:36] And he's right at that same age, that 12-year-old age, where that kind of stuff really matters now. But then another reporter comes to town and does him and the town justice in the whole experiment. But it was really cute. The chapters were short and you just got this really vivid glimpse into his daily life and the townspeople and how everything goes over there. It was really good.
Annie Jones [00:31:00] What an original story. I feel like that doesn't sound like anything else you've ever talked about.
Olivia [00:31:07] No, it was a delightful read. It was very delightful and informative too. Like, at the end because they used a lot of African vocabulary throughout it. Like she even started the book by explaining like the language that they speak and how they add clicks into it. And she gave you like websites where you could go watch these videos explaining like how to do the clicks and what they mean and all that stuff.
Annie Jones [00:31:32] This is the kind of book that should be on summer reading lists if anyone would ever listen.
Olivia [00:31:41] Yeah. This would be an excellent summer reading. It's short and to the point. It's fun because you do get these funny interactions between this kid trying pawn up a little clay cow or like a broken wheelbarrow.
Annie Jones [00:31:56] I certainly was the kind of kid who would read and then would be like, I want to try that. Because you see all these kids reading this book and trying these swaps.
Olivia [00:32:05] Absolutely. How eco friendly?
Annie Jones [00:32:08] Yes. Yes. I don't know. Just sounds like wish this was on a local school summer reading list. Sounds great.
Olivia [00:32:19] Yeah.
Annie Jones [00:32:19] Okay. Next up for me, Nora Goes Off Script. This is by Annabelle Monaghan out on June 7th. I have been talking about this book for months because I found it to be utterly enjoyable. I found it to be so enjoyable and charming that I have already read it twice, which I have never done. Like, I never finish an ARC and keep it and think I'll try that again, but I definitely did. So Anabel Monaghan apparently is the writer of some young adult novels. I was not familiar with that work, but this is her first adult novel. It is a rom-com. However, I've been thinking about why did I like this book so much? Why was I willing to read it twice? And I've even considered picking it up again. And I think it's because the characters are so likable. They are kind of in the same vein as Katherine Heiny characters or Amy Papel characters. And there is that this book is definitely a romance like that. That is what is happening at the center of the book. But you also have a main character, Nora, who is really a compelling protagonist on her own. And I think I would enjoy reading about Nora all by herself, whether or not she had a love interest. And so I think that definitely helps deepen the story and make the story more rich than it might be otherwise. So in the book, Nora is a writer. She writes, a lot of -- they don't ever name this, but they're clearly Hallmark movies. She writes a lot of Hallmark movies and Hallmark scripts, and she has just gotten divorced. Her husband's kind of esque and she has wound up writing the script post-divorce, almost telling the story of her and her ex-husband.
[00:34:00] And the script catches the attention of a more major director. And so it's very different from, like, the hallmark sensibilities that she's used to. And part of one of the real crucial characters of this story is the teahouse that is in her backyard. So they wind up filming at her house. So they film the movie at her house. And, of course, one of the actors is attractive, a little bit brooding perhaps, kind of teases her and and makes fun of her a little bit. Anyway, they of course fall in love or are interested in each other. But at the same time, Nora has two kids who I find really compelling and interesting in the story. They're very funny. They bring a lot of light and levity to the book. And then Nora also has her friends all adjusting to this kind of movie star, essentially hanging out in their town, dating their friend. And so those parts of it were really good. I just loved all the people. This wasn't a dysfunctional romance. This was a romantic comedy between two really likable characters, which I really appreciated. The both of them were really interesting and well-written. So the main characters are Nora, obviously. And then Leo is the male protagonist. Charming and cozy are two words I would use to describe this book. I really liked it. Nora goes off script by Anabel Monaghan out on June 7th.
Olivia [00:35:22] All right. My next one is the new Riley Sager out June 21st. It's called House Across the Lake. I will tell you all, I almost didn't read this one because I thought it sounded like a plot that I had already read before. And then I finished chapter one and I was like, nope, he knows how to write a good book. Really does.
Annie Jones [00:35:44] He really does. Even if you feel ambivalent, he does such a good job of making it compelling.
Olivia [00:35:49] Yeah. And even the main character is not -- I don't want to say unlikable. There are aspects of her choices that I do not enjoy, a.k.a. her drinking. But other than that, I kind of really like her. And he does this every time to where like the story is headed, where you think it's an obvious, like it's this person -- and let it be known, I'm only halfway through this book, but also I'm halfway through this book and I started it last night [crosstalk].
Annie Jones [00:36:22] That's what I was going to say. You've read farther than I realized, which is a good sign.
Olivia [00:36:27] And I know the obvious choice of how this book is going to end is not how it's going to be. And it's really throwing me off because I don't see the other possibilities.
Annie Jones [00:36:38] Yeah.
Olivia [00:36:38] He's going to do it again. And I'm just so happy to have an author where like every time I can go into this thriller knowing like I will never guess.
Annie Jones [00:36:49] That is nice.
Olivia [00:36:49] Yeah.
Annie Jones [00:36:50] That is nice because there are a lot of other writers --
Olivia [00:36:52] He is consistent.
Annie Jones [00:36:54] Yes, that's what I was going to use. I like his consistency.
Olivia [00:36:57] Yeah. He's so good. If you've enjoyed his other stuff, definitely pick this one up. I think it's going to be really good. So far it gives me very much like, what is it? Woman in the Window meets like Great Gatsby location. Where it's like Lake Green and there's five houses on Lake Green. And you meet the main protagonist. I think her name's Casey. Yeah. It's only said like once or twice because you see it from her point of view.
Annie Jones [00:37:23] Right.
Olivia [00:37:24] She's in the house for reasons due to her past. And she watches the people across the street because they live in this big glass box house. And it's like this former model and a tech company startup guy, and she just spies on them and then the wife goes missing.
Annie Jones [00:37:42] See, it sounds good because it sounds Hitchcock to me, like a little bit Alfred Hitchcock movie. I'm curious about this one. I'm going to be reading it. I just feel like I like him enough to try whatever he's willing to give me.
Olivia [00:37:54] Yeah. Oh, exactly. So far, so good. Really good.
Annie Jones [00:37:58] Okay. Good. Next up, Flying Solo by Linda Holmes. This is out on June 14th. So Linda Holmes, I have loved her for a long time. She's one of the hosts of the podcast, Pop Culture Happy Hour, which is in an NPR podcast. She also has been a writer for NPR for a long time. Like, I literally think I've read Linda Holmes since high school. Like, that's how devoted I am to Linda's writing specifically about pop culture. But then she had a book out a few years ago called Evie Drake Starts Over. I had to look up when that book came out. That was out in 2019, which I don't know about you, but 2019 feels like a decade ago. But it wasn't. But it feels like it was. So this is her new one and I have not read this. So we didn't get an ARC of this. So I don't know. But what I wanted to say is that this doesn't sound like -- I don't want to word it this way, but I'm going to -- "just another rom-com". Like I don't want to be derogatory about that genre because clearly I like that genre. But I thought, oh, Linda Holmes, this is probably a love story. But instead it actually sounds like a story with a grown up. Okay, so basically Laurie is the main character and Laurie is turning 40. And she goes to kind of clean out the house of her aunt Dot, who has just died. And aunt Dot was always single.
[00:39:21] And basically while cleaning out her things, Laurie finds this wooden, antique looking duck and there's a letter attached to it that ends "In any way if you're ever desperate, there are always ducks, darling. And then the duck goes missing. And that's when Laurie tries to figure out, did this duck have, like, money in it? Was it of financial value? Like, what is it about this duck? And so she kind of goes on this duck hunt looking for the duck. And on the way kind of discovering things about herself and her aunt. I do think there will probably be a romantic element to this book, but it doesn't sound like that's the main point, which I find pretty refreshing. I've had a couple of podcasts listeners and customers ask before for books with middle aged or older protagonists. And specifically, I had a customer who's single who was like, "I just want to read a book about a person. And it doesn't have to do with their romantic lives at all." I think there again could be a romantic element to this book, but that sounds like it's not at all the point and that, in fact, the point might actually be the relationship she had with her aunt, which I find really lovely. In that way, it reminds me ever so slightly though I haven't read this book yet of One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle. Sounds like it might be in that same vein. I'm very curious. I will be reading this. I like Linda Holmes a lot and I want to support her work. Flying Solo is out on June 14th.
Olivia [00:40:45] All right. My next one is another picture book. This one is by Zadie Smith. I believe this is her first picture book. But maybe don't quote me on that. It's called The Surprise. It comes out June 28. And this is about a little hamster. Oh, no, it's a guinea pig. This is about a little guinea pig who wears this judo suit and no one knows why. And the hamster starts to get kind of made fun of for wearing this judo suit. But throughout all of this, he develops this thick skin. He's just kind of like, I'm going to be who I'm going to be. The whole point of the book is that like being unique is a good thing and being an individual is a strength, not a weakness. But he goes on this adventure with, I believe, this grandmother and granddaughter. It looks really cute.
Annie Jones [00:41:35] That does that. How unexpected for Zadie Smith. That's cool.
Olivia [00:41:40] Yeah, I thought so too.
Annie Jones [00:41:42] Okay, I've got another one. This is called The Catch by Alison Fairbrother. It is out on June 21st. I think we know somebody named Alison Fairbrother. She does watercolors and she's been to the shop before, but this is not her book.
Olivia [00:41:59] She did indeed a T-shirt from last year.
Annie Jones [00:42:01] That's right. Last year. Yeah, the 2021 shirt. So this is called The Catch. Look, it has been a long time, I think, since I read just a straight dysfunctional family book. And I think this is it. I think I'm going to pick this one up. It's a debut. The main character is Ellie. Ellie has a really lovely relationship with her dad. And her dad kind is the glue holding this pretty far reaching extended family together. So it sounds like Ellie has a lot of siblings and half siblings, but the dad is kind of at the center of it all. And then the dad dies. And so Ellie returns home to be with her siblings and some other relatives. And she's there for the reading of his will. And she just knows that her dad is going to leave her his beloved baseball because it has something to do with how they bonded. It's like something special and has meaning for both of them. And instead, when the will is read, the baseball goes to someone else and someone that Ellie doesn't know and she's never heard of. And it's deeply hurtful to her. And she kind of goes on this quest, I guess, to find -- oh, my gosh, maybe all we really want -- I'm sorry I'm just realizing, like, fine love stories, but all we really want are quest stories. Maybe that's really what we're looking for.
[00:43:21] And so anyway, Ellie goes on this quest to kind of figure out who her dad was, what their relationship really meant, why this other person got the baseball. It just sounds really different, even from a book like The Nest. Like, I think there are a lot of these kind of dysfunctional family stories about somebody dying, a matriarch or a patriarch dying, and then the left behind legacy or where the money goes. Like, I feel like there are a lot of stories like that. I'm thinking of the movie Knives Out or something like that, but this sounds a little bit different where the person who gets the item is maybe not the person who was supposed to get the item and why would that be? Anyway, it just sounds interesting. It's called The Catch by Alison Fairbrother out on June 21st.
Olivia [00:44:04] Okay, I have two adult books left and I'm really excited about both of them. The first one is The Golden Acre. This is by Philip Miller. It comes out June 28th. This really drew me in because it's about an art heist, essentially. And I love a good art heist. I love it so much. And so this is about you follow two different characters. One character, Thomas Tallis, who he is -- it's called an inspector provenance. I don't know. I had never heard that term before. Essentially, he goes and inspects that the painting is an original painting and not forgery. Because this painting, the Golden Acre, is being sold. And so he needs to go and confirm that this is the actual painting, this is the original before they can like exchange money. And so people can hand over money to other people. And then you get this journalist, Shona, and she is there. It's all set in like London, I believe -- oh, no, no, no Scotland, even better.
Annie Jones [00:45:11] Yeah.
Olivia [00:45:12] And Shona starts digging into this artist who recently was found murdered in his house. And so while she is digging into this, they both start to realize that somehow the selling of this painting and this artist's death, who is not the artist of said painting, is related somehow. But you watch them in the entire book like side by side just try to figure this out. So good. Okay. I can't give too much more away without giving away the plot. All I can say is that this book at first seems like a very straight forward art heist mystery. And I am all for that. It was so well-written. And then you get to the end and a twist happens, and then you're just like, no, this book is not like what I've ever read before.
Annie Jones [00:46:01] Okay.
Olivia [00:46:02] It was so well done. I think for people who liked The Goldfinch, not just for the character story, but for the art part of it.
Annie Jones [00:46:10] Yes. Okay.
Olivia [00:46:12] And there is another book. There was like it was Farewell -- Miss Something. Ms.. Farewell. I don't know. I can't remember. But I also read it was about an art heist. It was very, very, good. But if you like that sort of setting and like...
Annie Jones [00:46:25] Maybe Portrait of a Thief that just came out. If people liked that one, that was a good one.
Olivia [00:46:29] Yeah, that would be good. I also just kept thinking like catch me if you can vibes.
Annie Jones [00:46:33] Yeah.
Olivia [00:46:34] Just people trying to one up one another. It was so good. I really, really, enjoyed it.
Annie Jones [00:46:40] I might have to read that. That sounds good. Okay. My last one is a book called The Bartender's Cure. This is by Wesley Straton. It's out on June 28th. And I kind of wonder if this is going to be like Lager Queen of Minnesota or Kitchens of the Great Midwest, but about cocktails. So the Bartenders Cure, it's a debut. And it is about Samantha. Who is I think she's either about to or she is in law school. She's a law student and she lives in San Francisco. But she goes through a breakup and then subsequently perhaps has her own kind of breakdown. Like a mental health episode. And so she winds up deciding to defer, I think, going to law school. And she moves to New York to kind of get a fresh start. She's sleeping on a friend's couch and she finally realizes she needs to get a job. And so she takes one at a local bar and becomes a bartender. And apparently what follows is a really lovely testament to bartending as a profession and also to kind of bar communities.
[00:47:49] Look, I notoriously do not drink. However, I am fascinated by -- this is going to sound as old lady as I guess I am. But I love the show Cheers. And Sam Malone as the bartender. And I just love that atmosphere so much where, like, these people come and they hang out at a place and they love each other and they're so funny together. Yeah, like, what's not to like? Like, I just love it so much. And sometimes I have talked, I think to you, I know to other people about the fact that I don't know what being a bartender must be like. I have no idea. I do not have the skill set for it. However, every so often working at the bookshelf feels like working at a bar because people check out -- check out, it sounds like a library. People come to the cash register to buy a book and then they tell you why they're buying the book. And sometimes it can be really personal and moving and you're just supposed to take that information and it doesn't really go anywhere. There's nowhere for it to go. And I feel like bartenders do that too, right? They take people's information and they protect it. And so I feel a kinship to bartenders in this very distant way. So I'm very curious about this book. I'm going to read it. I've got it. I literally -- it's holding up my computer right now, but it's on my list of books to read this summer because I just think it sounds lovely. There's also at the back of the book cocktails that you can make. That was one of Jordan's quarantine hobbies. And so I feel like I at least know of these cocktails and can actually read and know kind of what's happening, because I've witnessed it in my own home. I don't know. It sounds really, really, lovely. It's called The Bartender's Cure by Wesley Straton out on June 28th.
Olivia [00:49:33] It also sounds like it'd be really fun if you do enjoy a cocktail because I guess it has recipes in it.
Annie Jones [00:49:38] Yes, absolutely.
Olivia [00:49:41] You can make Jordan the cocktail while you read the work.
Annie Jones [00:49:44] Yeah, I could give the recipe to Jordan and be like, I'm reading this. Do you want to make this one?
Olivia [00:49:51] Then it'll feel like you're both doing it.
Annie Jones [00:49:53] Yes, he made me a very good mocktail last night that he kind of tweaked and created. And he called it the spelling bee.
Olivia [00:50:01] That's fun.
Annie Jones [00:50:02] Yes. Because it was raspberry based. And raspberry is the word he misspelled in his spelling bee. And he's never forgotten it.
Olivia [00:50:11] It is hard when you misspelled in the spelling bee.
Annie Jones [00:50:14] Yes. He knew the word. Which I think didn't you? Don't you know the word? Yeah.
Olivia [00:50:18] Yeah. Annie, mine was couch.
Annie Jones [00:50:23] Did you spell like coch?
Olivia [00:50:26] I was not a good speller. No, I spelled it with a W.
Annie Jones [00:50:30] Look, phonetically, you were wrong.
Olivia [00:50:33] I was not a good speller. Still am not a great speller. But now I have a lot of resources than I had back in the fourth grade up on the stage. I had zero resources.
Annie Jones [00:50:43] Oh, that's awful. Never forget.
Olivia [00:50:46] I bet you won a spelling bee or two in your life.
Annie Jones [00:50:49] I did.
Olivia [00:50:52] I knew it. Oh, I also like that you weren't about to rub that in my face. And I really appreciate it.
Annie Jones [00:51:00] Oh, I would never.
Olivia [00:51:05] Okay. Well, my last book is also really good. I actually think this should be in my top 10 just because of how often I've thought about it. Okay, this is The Measure by Nikki Erlick. It's out on June 28th and it is about the world. You follow five or six different people, but essentially the world wakes up one day and everyone 22 and older wakes up with a wooden box outside their front door. And in the box is a string of all different lengths that correlates to how long their life will be. And so from this moment, I mean, everything changes in every single person's life. Even if you've gotten a long string, even if you haven't opened your box, just the option of knowing affects people's daily lives and how they treat other people as well. But she did it in a very interesting way where like one of the persons that you follow is a presidential candidate and -- no, this is not [Inaudible]. He ends up with a long string. And then it's kind of like, but what does the other candidate have? And like, what if he has a short string and we know he's going to die in office. Do we then elect him?
Annie Jones [00:52:22] Right.
Olivia [00:52:23] And then there is a lot of question about like military. Do you put short stringers in like the front lines of the military knowing that like there's a great chance that they could die up there? Or do we keep them as back office and say we're protecting them and not limiting what they're able to do?
Annie Jones [00:52:40] Interesting.
Olivia [00:52:41] And then it goes into like the health insurance world, you get to see like couples interacting one with a long string, one with a short string, and like, what do you do? Like, do you then go get married to that person knowing that they're going to die pretty soon? Do you move forward with your life, with children? Like, there's just so many questions. It is, I will say, definitely a more serious book. I did at one point put it down because I was not in the right headspace for seriousness.
Annie Jones [00:53:09] That's fair.
Olivia [00:53:10] But then I picked it up and I'm so glad that I finished that book because it was just so well done and such a fascinating concept to think about.
Annie Jones [00:53:20] Yeah, it sounds like -- well, just ever so slightly. Did you read that book, The Immortal Lists? Did you ever read that?
Olivia [00:53:25] No, I wanted to.
Annie Jones [00:53:27] It was pretty good. It's been a while since I read it. I don't recall loving it, but the story was thought provoking. Like, I remember thinking, oh, this is an interesting premise because it's where people of magician like predicts how old people are going to be when they die kind of thing. And this friend group kind of collapses in on itself when they all find out they're different ages. And so anyway, I'm simplifying that, but that book definitely made me think it's one of those things that does stick with you after the fact, because it makes you ask questions about like, what would I do? What I want to know? Like, would I even open my wooden box?
Olivia [00:54:00] Would you open your box?
Annie Jones [00:54:01] Yeah. No, I'd burn that thing.
Olivia [00:54:05] But the thing is that the string can't be destroyed.
Annie Jones [00:54:08] Oh, awful.
Olivia [00:54:10] Like, they can't cut the string. Like, it can't be destroyed. And everyone gets it when they turn 22.
Annie Jones [00:54:17] Oh, that's awful.
Olivia [00:54:19] Yeah. But fascinating. It brings social experiment.
Annie Jones [00:54:23] Yes. Okay. Well, I think we proved that Jane has some really great books coming out.
Olivia [00:54:29] I think so. Good job June, you're really coming around.
Annie Jones [00:54:35] Good job. Don't forget, you can use the code. New Release Please at checkout to get 10 percent off all of these books. Just go to Bookshelfthomas.com, Click or tap Podcast, then Shop From the Front Porch to see today's titles.
[00:54:48] This week, I'm listening to Cult Classic by Sloane Crosley. Olivia, what are you reading?
Olivia [00:54:54] I am reading House Across the Lake by Riley Sager.
Annie Jones [00:54:58] From the Front Porch is a weekly podcast production of The Bookshelf, an independent bookstore in Thomasville, Georgia. You can follow the bookshelves daily happenings on Instagram @ Bookshelftville, and all the books from today's episode can be purchased online through our store website:
[00:55:12] Bookshelfthomasville.com.
[00:55:14] A full transcript of today's episode can be found at:
[00:55:17] Fromthefrontporchpodcast.com.
[00:55:19] 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.
[00:55:28] Our executive producers of today's episode are Donna Hetchler, Angie Erickson, Cammy Tidwell. Chantalle C.
Executive Producers ( Read their own names) [00:55:35] Nicole Marsee. Wendi Jenkins. Laurie Johnson. Kate Johnston Tucker.
Annie Jones [00:55:42] 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.
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