Episode 381 || Best Books of the Year (So Far)

We’re already halfway through 2022! In this episode of From the Front Porch, Annie and Hunter share their favorite books of the year so far.

The books mentioned in this episode can be purchased from The Bookshelf:

Annie’s Top Five:

Hunter’s Top Five:

Other Books Mentioned:

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 Also a Poet by Ada Calhoun. Hunter is reading Greenland by David Santos Donaldson.

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] "You have to surrender. That's when you have to say, 'Lord, I might not get it the way I want it, but I know there's something out there for me. And it may look different than my little mind might have imagined it, but it doesn't mean I won't have glory. It may not be the exact kind, but it doesn't mean my life won't hold favor.'" Margaret Wilkerson Sexton, On the Rooftop.  

[00:00:47] I'm Annie Jones, owner of The Bookshelf, an independent bookstore in beautiful downtown Thomasville, Georgia. And this week, I'm joined by my friend and frequent co-host Hunter McLendon to talk about our reading years so far. But before we get started, barring catastrophe, by the time you hear this, we will have a new website and a new point of sale system. And I promise you, there are years of research, work and effort we have put into this change for the store. We hope you will be patient with us as we work out the kinks in our new system and in our new site. And as you kind of play around with the site for the first time, I hope you'll provide us with your feedback. We would love to know. Do you think it's helpful? Do you think the search engine is better than the other one? I hope it is. We hope it is. We have some fun perks for customers who are purchasing from us over the next couple weeks who are kind of testing the website for us. So to kind of get a full view of what we're looking for and what perks we're offering to customers who are testing the functionality of the site, you can just follow us on Instagram @Bookshelftville or make sure you're subscribed to our bookstore newsletter. You can sign up for that at Bookshelfthomasville.com. Or just visit the new website Bookshelfhomasville.com and shop around. And in the notes of your order, let us know what you think about the site. You may be rewarded for your feedback. So thank you so much. We are thrilled with these fun and exciting changes and we hope you guys will be excited too. Hunter, hi. Hello.  

Hunter [00:02:10] Hi. Hello.  

Annie Jones [00:02:11] I really wanted us to sing. Oh, we're halfway there... I refuse to sing it.  

Hunter [00:02:15] Oh, my gosh. [Music] Do you know that song is in that movie, A View from the Top with Gwyneth Paltrow?  

Annie Jones [00:02:30] Yes.  

Hunter [00:02:30] And every time I think of that song, I think, of course, of all the movies, that's the one I think.   

Annie Jones [00:02:36] That's the one that you think of. Yeah, we're halfway there. We're over halfway through the year, actually. And so it's time to check in and see what our reading years are looking like. So far, we have kept our top five secret from one another. So we're going to talk about our top five books of the year so far. We're going to talk most anticipated. I sent you a really adorable Instagram template that I saw on Instagram. It's designed by Sarah @thehireader.  And it is this great template about your reading year so far. And so I'm going to kind of work through those questions with you because I'm just dying to see where we have overlap, where you have read things that maybe I need to read or vice versa. So first of all, can you just give me a sense before we dive into the questions of how are you feeling in July of 2022 about your reading life? Where are you at emotionally as a reader?  

Hunter [00:03:31] You know what? It's been kind of tricky because I'm doing this reading project on the side where I read all the national book long listers. And I actually just finished the 1950s books, which is very exciting.  

Annie Jones [00:03:45] That's a big goal. Check it off. 

Hunter [00:03:49] So because of that, it's been really interesting to-- I'm not sure if it's just that like by comparison I can relate so much more to some of the newer releases, but it's made me excited again about books.  I've just been reading really different things I feel like than I typically read. And so it's just been very good and very exciting so far.  

Annie Jones [00:04:11] That's so lovely to hear. I have not noticed, but now that you mention it, so you're not reviewing publicly the National Book Award longlist books that you're reading.  

Hunter [00:04:19] No.  

Annie Jones [00:04:19] That's preserved for your newsletter, right?  

Hunter [00:04:20] Yes.  

Annie Jones [00:04:21] Okay. Has that project affected your front list reading life? Like, has it slowed down your reading of front list titles?  

Hunter [00:04:29] Yes. It's so funny, actually, because I feel like I have read so many books this year that, like, I don't actually know. I'll actually say no because I think that I am-- and I'm also listening to a lot of audiobooks for new releases. And so I think that's helping to balance it out.  

Annie Jones [00:04:45] Audiobooks have completely increased and helped my reading game this year for sure, and I think it's obviously helped my quantities increase if we're keeping track of that. But it's also just been fun. I have found myself even lately, drawn more to audiobooks than podcasts. I mean, I feel like I'm betraying my own media when I say that. But I feel like I need the rhythm of an audiobook rather than a podcast occasionally. And so I do think audiobooks have changed my reading life. I also looked back and I've had a really good reading year. I think if I were to give my reading year a star rating, it would be a solid 3.8 or 4.  

Hunter [00:05:26]  Okay.  

Annie Jones [00:05:27] Because I've read some really good five star reads, but it's not as many as you would think. Like, it was quite easy for me to come up with my top five of the year. And I also have a couple of books that I read already for Fall that are going to be five star books. But my five star books, I think, are going to total maybe a dozen. And that's great. That's wonderful. Five star reads are books that I want to remember for the next five years. So it's interesting that when I look back, I'm like, oh yeah, I really like that book, but it's around a 4 star rating or a 3.75 rating. And so I think if I were to average them all out, if I were to do some statistical analysis, it would be like, oh, 2022 is a 3.8 or a 4 star reading year. But my reading rhythm is better. I've had fewer slumps. I've been excited about what to read next. And I think audiobooks are helping that because I think even when I finish a print book, I'm still reading an audiobook, so my rhythm isn't messed with at all.  

Hunter [00:06:22] So this is going to sound so weird and maybe this is just me in my head, but I'm convinced that even years are my better years for reading.  

Annie Jones [00:06:29] Oh, now, interesting. I'm going to have to keep track of that now.  

Hunter [00:06:32] Yeah.  I know that because-- well that's not going to... because 2015 was actually a good reading year. Because [Inaudible] periods and a little light were out. But barring that, I typically think-- yeah.  

Annie Jones [00:06:44] Okay. I'm going to have to start paying attention to that. I just feel like when I look back at this year in reading, when I sat down to answer these questions, I thought, oh, this has been a really lovely year, not maybe groundbreaking for me personally, but good. I feel like I'm reading good things.  

Hunter [00:07:00] Yeah.  

Annie Jones [00:07:01] I don't know, it's a nice feeling. So we're going to start with these questions that @thehireader presents in her Instagram template. I will also-- if you're listening to this, I'm going to post to our Instagram stories the template so you can share and make sure you tag Bookshelftville and thehireader so you can give thehireader credit and also let us know what your reading year has looked like so far. So, Hunter, what was the first five star read you read this year and when did you read it?  

Hunter [00:07:26] The Swimmers by Julia Otsuka, which I read on New Year's.   

Annie Jones [00:07:32] Hunter, I forgot. I read that book in 2021 and now I'm realizing my top five is all wrong. Oh, no. Excuse me.  

Hunter [00:07:44] I knew it.   

Annie Jones [00:07:47] It's because I read it in 2021. Dang it!  

Hunter [00:07:50] Do you know there was an answer to another one of these that I read the book last November, but it's a book for 2022. And then I was like, oh, that should be my answer.  

Annie Jones [00:08:02] Hunter, dang it! Okay. And when did you read The Swimmer's? Early January you said?  

Hunter [00:08:06] January 1st. Yeah.  

Annie Jones [00:08:07] Oh, January 1st. Okay. And that was immediately a five start. Maybe that set the tone for your reading.  

Hunter [00:08:12] I think so. Yeah.  

Annie Jones [00:08:12] So I looked back and my first five star rating of the year is a book we're going to talk about a lot today or I'm going to talk a lot about today. And it's The Crane Wife by C.J. Hauser.  

Hunter [00:08:20] Oh, yes. Yes.  

Annie Jones [00:08:24]  I reviewed it on January 18th. So that makes me think I probably read it around January 10th. And I distinctly remember-- this is one of the ways I know a book is truly five stars for me is six months later I remember where I was when I was reading it. I was curled up on the couch. Jordan was working late. I was cozied up. Could not stop reading it to eat dinner. Read it while I microwaved myself some leftovers, came back to the couch and read it while I ate dinner. And I just adore that book so much. And I immediately thought, well, if this is what the rest of the year hold. But I also thought this will be in my top 10 of the year. And the fact that I felt that on January 18th is pretty, pretty, cool.  

Hunter [00:09:02] Yeah. Oh, that's so good.  

Annie Jones [00:09:04] Okay. What has been your favorite so far this year?  

Hunter [00:09:08] Oh, probably the Crane Wife by C.J Hauser.  

Annie Jones [00:09:12] Oh, okay. What essays were your favorite or what did you love about it?  

Hunter [00:09:16] The thing I loved the most about it was the way that she writes about it-- I've talked a lot about this idea of shifting and recalibrating your identity for people you're with. Like, that's something that I write a lot about. And so as I was reading it, I was like, oh, my gosh, this is something that resonates so deeply.  And it's one of those things where it's kind of hard to say what-- I think that I love when she brings in old films or when she brings in like-- I don't know, I loved every single one. I honestly did.  

Annie Jones [00:09:47] Truly, I kept waiting for there to be a dud. I know that sounds terrible, but in an essay collection or story collection, it feels like there's always one that falls a little bit flat, or that just doesn't resonate with me personally. But every single essay I finished. And I was like, how did you do that? And it also made me mad. I was like, oh, crap.  

Hunter [00:10:07] I know.  

Annie Jones [00:10:08] I want to be able to write like this.  

Hunter [00:10:12] To me, if you get a little bit jealous, you know it's good.  

Annie Jones [00:10:14] Yes, I do. I totally got jealous. So the essay about the Philadelphia story is great.  And then there's an essay about a robotic]s competition that she attends that I absolutely loved the direction she took it.  And there's an essay about a house that she inhabits and kind of why she is trying to find home and what home looks like to her. I don't know. I feel like I could name so many that I loved.  

Hunter [00:10:43] There's this essay where she talks about about her mom kind of lying about this story, about this gravesite.  

Annie Jones [00:10:52] Yes. Yes. About her family. Yeah.  

Hunter [00:10:55] Yes. And that one to me was so hilarious. And then I was like crying at the end.  

Annie Jones [00:11:00] That's the thing. I don't know how she did it. In one essay you would start reading it and you'd be laughing or underlining or just feeling really scene. And then by the end, there's an essay about her dad. By the end, I was crying and I was like, okay. Well, I just... I said this on our episode about Pilgrim at Tinker Creek. Any time I finish, you're right, jealousy is a good way to know if it's five stars. But if I finish a book and just want to hug it, like, I just want to hold it and I don't want to let it go. And that's how I felt about the Crane wife.  

Hunter [00:11:29] Yeah. So good. What was your favorite read of the year?  

Annie Jones [00:11:32] Okay. So now I think it's got to be either I still think The Crane Wife, but if I'm trying to diversify my selections, I'm going to go with the Swimmers by Julie Otsuka or Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus. And Lessons in Chemistry is a book-- and this may be an unpopular opinion and that's totally fine, I feel like that cover is a disservice to what is inside. I think it helps it sell. Like I think we have a lot of readers who are buying it because the cover is kind of reminiscent of Where'd You Go, Bernadette or something like that. But I think that book is dealing with some pretty deep and interesting issues and the characters are really, really, well formulated. It's a great crossover book between plot driven and character driven fiction. Elizabeth Zot I think is a very memorable protagonist who will stick with me for a while. And so I would say Lessons in Chemistry or The Swimmers are going to be up there as my favorites so far.  

Hunter [00:12:27] Should I read Lessons in Chemistry?  

Annie Jones [00:12:28] Okay. I thought you might ask that. It is not a typical Hunter book, but I do think you would be entertained by it. I do think you would be entertained by it. Like, it's not maybe your typical literary fiction, but I do think it is well written. I don't know. This is going to be weird. And these aren't comps. So I want to be clear, these aren't comps but somehow the vibes of The Dutch House and The Guncle rolled into one where it's like this cross between commercial and literary.  

Hunter [00:13:00] Yeah, yeah. I see it.  Okay. Side note. So I'm currently reading Hurricane Girl.  

Annie Jones [00:13:09] Oh, that. I can't wait to talk about it.  

Hunter [00:13:12] Okay, so you read it?  

Annie Jones [00:13:13] Oh, yes, I read.  

Hunter [00:13:14]  Okay. I'm really enjoying it.  I don't know how I haven't finished because I'm obsessed. You said that it was a Hunter book.  

Annie Jones [00:13:23] Yes, it totally is. I think I did say it.  

Hunter [00:13:26] Yeah. And I was like, oh, my gosh. When I finish, I'll be curious to see like where it lands on my ranking because I'm like-- yeah.  

Annie Jones [00:13:35] Yes. Oh, I read it. I think I said that on the podcast that it's a Hunter book. I'm so glad you're reading it. It's on my list elsewhere. We'll get to talk about it, I think.  

Hunter [00:13:42] Good. 

Annie Jones [00:13:42] Okay. Well, yeah, I'll go ahead and start. So my most surprising book is Hurricane Girl by Marcy Dermansky. So I don't want to spoil anything for you, but I sat-- I just have vivid memories. Like, I sat in my great chair, read it in one sitting. I thought it was so completely bonkers. I finished it and thought, that is one of the weirdest things I've read in a while. Not the weirdest thing I've read ever, but just one of the weirdest things I've read in a while. And yet I thought it was inventive and interesting. It played with a couple of different genres in a unique way. I could not put it down. And then Jordan came in the house and I finished the book and I said, "Okay, we're not leaving here until I tell you this entire plot." We're not leaving the living room until I tell you about this book I just read because it was such a wild, weird ride and I loved it. And not all weird books work for me. I know that I can be a somewhat conventional reader with fairly conventional tastes, but I love weird books done well. And I think this one is.  

Hunter [00:14:51] Oh, okay. I'm excited to finish now.   

Annie Jones [00:14:54] Yes. I can't wait to talk about it. Okay. What's your most surprising book of the year?  

Hunter [00:14:58]  I'm surprised even as I'm about to say. It was actually Trust by Hernan Diaz. 

Annie Jones [00:15:03] Okay. That was a Lucy favorite. Tell me if I should read it.  

Hunter [00:15:06] I think if you I know that you like Fates and Furies, and I think we can say you love it, right?  

Annie Jones [00:15:11] Yes, I do.  

Hunter [00:15:12] So I think that trust takes a lot of the things that Fates and Furies is doing. And they feel like they're books that are in conversation with each other.  

Annie Jones [00:15:24] Okay.  

Hunter [00:15:25] And I did not expect that. And also how Fates and Furies there's two perspectives or whatever. And then you also read Trust Exercise. And the only cop is that it's like that this book has four different shifts.  

Annie Jones [00:15:41] Okay.  

Hunter [00:15:42] That's the only reason why I'm coping it with Trust Exercise. Because I do know that was like one that was much more--  

Annie Jones [00:15:46] That one that was hard for me.  

Hunter [00:15:47] Yeah, but I was so surprised by this one because I did not think it was going to be like a page turner for me. I did not expect this book is about money. It starts in like the 1920s or something like that. It sounds to be old and it talks a lot about the stock market and all these things. And I was like, oh, I have no interest in this. But that's the thing. It's brilliant because it's gorgeously written. I mean, it's stunning. It's a great audio book, too.  

Annie Jones [00:16:17] Oh, that's what that was going to be my next question. Could I download it and enjoy it?  

Hunter [00:16:20] Yes. And it's one of those things where by the end I was like-- I think that the first section, you're like, okay, I like this. And the second section you're like, okay, this is interesting. And I think by the time you reach the third section, you're like, oh, this is  it.  It was very surprising to me because I ended up really, really, liking it a lot.  

Annie Jones [00:16:41] Okay. I knew this would happen. I knew when we got together, I would be like, okay, now I've got to make my TBR list. What has been your least favorite book of the year so far? This is dangerous territory. I always feel a little bit bad about this, but...  

Hunter [00:16:55]  I love how typically we're like, no, let's not, you know... I'm going to actually say two. The first one is a book called Night Shift by Kiare Ladner. It's one of those books that should be right up my territory. It's like about this possibly queer lesbian tension between these two girls who are working these night shifts. But it turns into one of those, like, crazy lesbian tropes where one's bad and evil a little bit. And I was kind of like put off by that. And also it wasn't memorable. And when a book is like what a book should be for me as a reader, and then it's like...  

Annie Jones [00:17:38] Then it falls flat. It's even more disappointing. It's that high expectations Jordan Jones is always talking about. He's always talking about lower those expectations. And sometimes I don't want to.  

Hunter [00:17:46] Well, because the thing is, listen, I had high expectations for several of these other books and they like--  

Annie Jones [00:17:50] And they met them.  

Hunter [00:17:51] Yeah. The second book -- and this is a very polarizing, this is a hot one. But my most disappointing read which I read it in November, but it's a  2022 book is To Paradise by Hanya Yanagihara.  

Annie Jones [00:18:05] Oh, okay. You saved me from that. And so I have not read that.  

Hunter [00:18:11]  I will say this, I stand by what I said. I stand by my criticisms of that book. I thought it was very flawed.  I mean, obviously, I'm a huge fan of hers. But  my friend Bernie, he read it because he was like, well, if you have such strong opinions about it, I want to know. And he actually had a very great kind of case to try to like argue out some of the points. And so I've softened a little bit, but not enough to not say that it was still a little bit of disappointment for me as well.  

Annie Jones [00:18:43] And it may again go back to the disappointment factor. Like, you really were looking forward to it. It's one of those that was highly anticipated and then felt a little bit flat. And so that disappointment makes it even feel like a larger letdown.  

Hunter [00:18:55] Yes, I agree.  

Annie Jones [00:18:56] Okay. So I also have two.  

Hunter [00:18:58] Okay. 

Annie Jones [00:18:59] One of mine is a backlist title, which I hope is okay because I really don't have a lot of front list titles that have been super disappointing to me. I think that's because I've been pretty careful about what I read. Not careful like precious, but meaning if I'm 50 pages in and don't like it, I don't continue on. So one is a backlist title, and that's under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer. Jordan and I listened to that book. I really was looking forward to it. I was looking forward to the TV adaptation. I have not really enjoyed either. I thought the book was interesting. It was a mixture of true crime and then Mormon church history. And I know because we heard from some, I know some Mormon listeners feel a certain way about it. And I think that's totally fair and valid. I know we all kind of get protective of our belief systems and our faith systems, but that book did not resonate with me the way I wanted it to. And I really love journalistic nonfiction, and I think listening to that one may have deterred my appreciation of it. Like, I think the audiobook was actually a hindrance rather than a help, which is always kind of a bummer for a reader and for an author, I would think. And then a front list title that I found disappointing, although I shouldn't have found it disappointing, I should have known. But I did what you do and I went in a little bit blind. And I think if I had not gone in blind, I would have known. But it was a book called The Life Style by Taylor Hahn. And I should have understood, but I am 36 and naive and I did not know that The Lifestyle was about the swinger lifestyle.  

Hunter [00:20:30] Ooh!  

Annie Jones [00:20:37] And it was a retelling of Jane Austen's Emma, but with swingers.  I've got to tell you, I just don't know that Jane Austen would have approved, and I did not get it.  

Hunter [00:20:54] Listen, that does sound like a book that I could possibly enjoy.  

Annie Jones [00:20:58] It was messy. You love messy.  

Hunter [00:21:00] I do love messy. I was going to say it sounds very messy, which I would enjoy. I thought you were going to be like, oh, I was expecting something thoughtful and then it was like a self-help type book.   

Annie Jones [00:21:12] No. The main character, I will say, the author did a good job of bringing in elements of it. Like, the main character really did feel like a modern day Emma where she was just making horrible decisions over and over again. But I just couldn't understand why you would try the swinger lifestyle with a group of your already friends. It just felt like a risky move.  

Hunter [00:21:37] I mean, but isn't that how people are like.  

Annie Jones [00:21:40] I think that's how people do it, but I don't personally understand that. I have a very limited experience. I think pineapples play a part, and I think they do.  And then the Netflix show, You, I think there's a little bit of swinger vibe. That's about all I know. That's the extent of my knowledge in this book though that now that I just read and couldn't put down, even though I really wanted to. 

Hunter [00:22:02] I will say that is the funniest because I have friends who love pineapples.  

Annie Jones [00:22:08] Ashley loves pineapples.  

Hunter [00:22:11] Yes, that's right. Yeah. It is so funny because a while back she was talking about like getting an apartment or something. And I like was like looking at stuff and I thought, oh, she likes pineapples. And I almost got her-- and I was like, No, no, no. I cannot do this to her.  

Annie Jones [00:22:26] A pineapple door knocker. Don't do it. Don't do it, everybody. Okay. What is next on your TBR list?  

Hunter [00:22:35] Oh, I don't know that. Hold on. It's All Down Darkness Wide by Sean Hewitt. There was like a queer coming of age memoir by a poet, and that's all I really know. But it has a really great cover. It's from Penguin Press.  And so I was like, well, that's got to be good.  As was stated earlier, I never know anything about books before.  

Annie Jones [00:22:58] Right. You know, there's a book coming out. I just went through a fall catalog for HarperCollins today. And so it wasn't on my official list, but I'll mention it now because of the book you just mentioned. The book is Heretic by Jeanna Kadlec. And the reason I thought it was an anti Hunter crossover is because the author is a former evangelical who was married to a pastor son and then realized she was queer and I think may now be married to a woman. I'm not sure. Have you seen this?  

Hunter [00:23:25] She follows me on Instagram.  

Annie Jones [00:23:28] Oh, okay. How exciting. So, anyway, I read the description of this book and how she kind of came out of evangelical Christianity and the trajectory she's taken since then. And so it sounded like a kind of almost like an anti Hunter book, but it also sounded like Priest Daddy or something like that would be really, really, good. So that's neither here nor there. That was bonus content. Next on my TBR front list is the new Riley Sager, which I know that's not really your thing, but I just love... I read those every summer. It's like a tradition for me at this point. And to be honest with you, the description of this one has not been my favorite. But I just can't not read it.  

Hunter [00:24:08]  I loved Final Girls.  

Annie Jones [00:24:11] Yeah. Final Girls. Yeah, I think that still is my favorite of his, I think.  

Hunter [00:24:16]  I love that one. I like his covers. Yeah, they're fun.  But after that second one with the blue cover, it was kind of like fine.  

Annie Jones [00:24:25] Was that the one about camp?  

Hunter [00:24:27] Yes.  

Annie Jones [00:24:28] Okay. I liked Final Girls the best. I liked the one about camp, the one last year I did not particularly enjoy. But Jordan and I had a fun time listening to it on audiobook. We listened to it together. But it's just kind of my tradition to read it in July frequently while we're traveling or something. So I'm going to do that. But I also wanted to ask you this. The other question or the other book on my TBR is Sula by Toni Morrison, which is obviously a back list title. This is going to sound weird. Is that a good plane book? I'm about to travel and I want to take it with me, but I know it could need a lot of attention. And on a plane, I like something-- pun intended-- that I can fly through.  

Hunter [00:25:09] Yeah.  I don't know if that's the best one of hers for a plane.  

Annie Jones [00:25:14] Okay. Is there another one of hers that could be plane appropriate?  

Hunter [00:25:18] I think God Help the Child or Song of Solomon. They're both a little bit more because The Bluest Eye  is easy to read, but it's really heavy.  Not that the other two aren't heavy, but I just find them to be a little bit lighter subject matter wise.  

Annie Jones [00:25:35] Yes. Sule just weirdly-- I know this is going to sound strange because we're talking about Toni Morrison, but it weirdly sounded a little bit commercial to me. I was like, oh, this is interesting. And so I was like, maybe I can take it on a plane, but I don't know.  

Hunter [00:25:46] Well, that's the thing. That's the thing. It's so interesting because it has a very commercial like set up.  

Annie Jones [00:25:55] Yes.  

Hunter [00:25:56] But I think that what she does with it is so interesting and different. But I am excited for you to read that because that was the first of hers I ever read.  

Annie Jones [00:26:03] Okay. All right. Well, at some point I'm going to read that. But as far as front list title goes, the next one on my TBR is The House Across the Lake by Riley Sager. Okay. Now, what is your most anticipated release? This was hard to narrow it down.  

Hunter [00:26:16] At first I was going to say The New Autism Aspect, but then I realized it just came out.  

Annie Jones [00:26:20] It did.  

Hunter [00:26:20] Lapvona. It's so funny. I've only read My Year of Rest and Relaxation, which you got me for a birthday, my 25th birthday. 

Annie Jones [00:26:30] Did I write in it?  

Hunter [00:26:31] No, I don't think you did. What's up with that?  

Annie Jones [00:26:33] Well, I need to do that. My whole family always writes in the books they give. Sorry.  

Hunter [00:26:36] Yeah, it's okay. It was one of favorite books of the year. Anyway, so I was going say that. But because that's already out, I decided to go with a collection of short stories called Bliss Montage by Ling Ma the author of Severance.  

Annie Jones [00:26:52] Oh, okay. Ooh, look at that cover.  

Hunter [00:26:55] I know. Sorry to the people who can't see it, but it's a very beautiful, very like striking cover of  oranges in Saran wrap or something. So that is one that I read the first story and was like, uh-oh, this is going to be good.   

Annie Jones [00:27:09] Oh, I love that. I love when it happens. My most anticipated and I've got some others that I've already read, but I wanted to pick a book that I haven't read yet that I'm looking forward to. So for me, that is Flight by Lynn Steger Strong.  

Hunter [00:27:23] Oh, yeah. Oh, I loved her book Want.  

Annie Jones [00:27:25] Yes. Okay. So I have not read her before, but I've read of her. And I knew you liked her a lot. And then I read the premise of Flight and I was like, this sounds like an Annie book. So it's set at Christmas time. It's like three siblings are celebrating Christmas together for the first time since their mother's death. I think there's some arguments over maybe who inherited what. And then there's also, I think, just some tension and sadness from the first holiday season without a loved one and celebrating differently. They're all gathering at their brother's upper upper state New York place, like his homestead instead of down in Florida with their mom. And it just sounds, gah! Sounds dysfunctional families, wintery, like maybe more intense version of The Family Stone.  I just emailed my rep today and was like, please, please. I think I wrote pretty please, will you please send this to me. I know we have to fight for the ARCs that we want, and I really want that one.  

Hunter [00:28:27] Yeah.  

Annie Jones [00:28:28] Those are the questions from Sarah @thehireader, her little Instagram story template. Now, shall we do our top five? Were you able to narrow down to five?  

Hunter [00:28:40] Yeah, but I just have to say, there's a book that it's not in my top five yet because I'm not sure because I'm reading it right now. But I do want to go ahead and say it.  

Annie Jones [00:28:51] Okay. Do that, because I've got two. I've got two that I want on my top five, but I just don't know where they're going to land and they're not out yet. So tell me yours then I'll tell you mine.  

Hunter [00:28:59] So I'm reading this book right now called Greenland by David Santos Donaldson.  And it is about this queer black British writer who is it's him kind of like going through-- if anyone's read a Hell of a Book by Jason Mott, it kind of has that same thing about he's trying to publish this book that's about Ian Forester. It's about Ian Forester and his black lover. And so, like, he's trying to write this book, basically, and the publishers don't want it. And that's because it's not being marketed. Like they want to get it to be for like a more white reader, basically.  

Annie Jones [00:29:41] Okay. That sounds good.  

Hunter [00:29:43] It's very good. And it also, like, kind of does a lot of stuff. It pulls in a lot of stuff from Proust's Remembrance of Things Past and also Angels in America. And it's very smart and very funny. And  I'm loving it, but I'm not done. So I don't know yet if it's like...  

Annie Jones [00:29:57] Right.  

Hunter [00:29:57] Yeah.  

Annie Jones [00:29:58] Oh, okay. That sounds really good. So I have two books that I think will be on my top 10 when you and I reconvene at the end of the year. I think these will be in my top 10. They're not out yet. So I hesitated to put them in my top five. So it's two books. One is On the Rooftop, that is by Margaret Wilkerson Sexton. So I feel like I can't decide if it should be five or six right now, but it comes out in September. It releases on September 6th. I have not read her other books and I need to fix that ASAP because I loved this one so much. So it's about three adult sisters and their mother. They all live in like 1956 San Francisco. And the book is about these three young women and their mother's ambition for them to be almost like the Temptations or something like that. Like a black girl singing group. And so they play at this club in San Francisco. But then the book is also told from all four perspectives, which I loved. And then the book is also about gentrification in San Francisco at that time, and particularly how the mother had moved from the South to San Francisco, thinking that she was going to kind of have this very different looking life. And she did. And yet white people are still infiltrating her home and her place and where she belongs. And so if I loved it, it reminded me a lot of Brit Bennett, a lot of the mothers. So I can't decide if it's five or six. So I wanted to mention that one. And then I also wanted to mention Now is Not the Time to Panic, which is by Kevin Wilson. Fabulous. Comes out in November. I loved it so much. I think you will like it a lot. I have read a couple by him, but interestingly, what is the one where the children catch on fire?  

Hunter [00:31:44] Nothing To See. Is that the one?  

Annie Jones [00:31:45] Yes, nothing to see here. I have not read that one and wish that I had, but I haven't. But I've read The Family Thing and really like that. This is great. It's a book about art and friendship and growing up and I finished it and held it. And so, yeah, I just know that it should be in my top 10.  

Hunter [00:32:02] I'm so excited for [Inaudible]. I'm so excited for that because I loved her book, A Kind of Freedom, which was longlisted for the National Book Award.  It was one of those I still think about all the time. It's so good.  

Annie Jones [00:32:14] Should I read that or The Revisionist?  

Hunter [00:32:16] I would go and read it, A kind of freedom. Maybe we can read The Revisionist  because I haven't read that one even though I own it.  

Annie Jones [00:32:22] Oh, maybe that could be a backlist book club next year. Okay, so are you ready to discuss top five?  

Hunter [00:32:31] Well, okay, but I will say, I just realized that one of mine is not out yet. Is it going to be okay?  

Annie Jones [00:32:36] That's fine. The truth is, now I'm looking at my list and I'm like, I could have easily done 10.  

Hunter [00:32:43] I know. I know.  

Annie Jones [00:32:45] But here we are. And, look, it's a rough draft. This is a rough draft of hopefully what the final list will look like when we get to the end of the year. But this is what it is right now. I think the numbers will change. It'll be interesting to compare. This is what I love. It's data. It's data. We're going to compare the end of the year. Did our numbers change? Whatever. Okay. So start with your number five.  

Hunter [00:33:07] So my number five is Just by Looking at Him by Ryan O'Connell.  

Annie Jones [00:33:11] Is that the one that has you on the cover?  

Hunter [00:33:13] Yes.  

Annie Jones [00:33:16] Hunter, it looks just like you.  

Hunter [00:33:18] It has become a joke throughout Instagram, which I think is so funny.  Every time somebody posts a review, they're like, oh, that's the book with Hunter on the cover. And I'm like, yeah, oh me.  So it's about this gay writer who has cerebral palsy and it affects his relationship between him and his boyfriend and how his life is like. His life looks really glamorous, but there's obviously a lot lurking underneath. But it is so funny, like, so, so funny and so smart. And not subject matter wise, but just, you know, how are Eric Thomas is very funny while also  maintaining his intelligence throughout the entire...  

Annie Jones [00:34:00] Yes.  

Hunter [00:34:00] That's kind of how this feels like. It really is just such great observations about identity and about things that are kind of like-- it deals with addiction a little bit and other things that are just really surprising and unexpected for such a light kind of frothy read. Okay. I don't know. It's a book that you would not think when you get halfway through that would be feel good. But it turns out to be a feel good.  

Annie Jones [00:34:22] Okay. The description sounds great. All jokes aside of you being on the cover, I did read the blurb and thought, oh, this sounds really good.  

Hunter [00:34:29] Yeah. I will also just say to anyone who starts it, the first line it's going to throw you off because it starts a little dirty and then it [Inaudible].   

Annie Jones [00:34:38] Okay. You've opened the door, so now I'm going to walk in.  I almost wondered if the sexual content was like, Fleishman Is in Trouble.  

Hunter [00:34:47] It's very open door. So yeah.  

Annie Jones [00:34:50] The blurb hints to the open doorness of it all. And so I wondered. Okay, thank you for that. That is helpful. Okay. My number five is The Many Daughters of Afong Moy. by Jamie Ford. Just kidding. This doesn't come out until August. Hunter, I don't know what I'm talking about. I don't know what I'm doing. I made the rules and then broke them in time because there really aren't rules. Okay. So this book comes out in August, but it is historical fiction about the first Chinese immigrant to America. But what I will say is what hooked me is the author's note that Jamie Ford writes in the very beginning, which is that he walked in on his son and like realized his son was playing music from his favorite band from childhood, like the dad's favorite- Jamie Ford's favorite band. And Jamie Ford was like, I've never told my son that that was my favorite band. And it made me think like, what do we pass on? That's not just generational trauma, but also just generational joy. But what do we pass on from one generation to the other? And so a Afong Moy comes to America. But what happens to her daughters and to her family and to her lineage? And what gets passed on? Yes, generational trauma, but generational joy, what gets passed on? I thought the concept was so fascinating and so well done. I did not read Jamie Ford's I think it's called The Hotel at the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. That was not a book that I read, but I do remember it being popular when I first started at The Bookshelf. And so I would suspect that readers of that work will not be disappointed by this one. Would be an excellent book club conversation. I really, really, liked this book. Was stunned that I liked it because it's historical fiction and that's not always my thing. But I really, really, enjoyed this one and I loved the premise. I loved how smart it was so that's The Many Daughters of Afong Moy by Jamie Ford, out in August.  

Hunter [00:36:48] It sounds so good.  

Annie Jones [00:36:49] I think you would like it, actually.   

Hunter [00:36:51] Oh golly! Okay. My next one is not out yet. I think mine either comes out next month or in August, but I don't know if you've read it. It's The Last White man by Mohsin Hamid. That book is very good. It's one of those that you can read in one sitting. It's very fast. It's less than 200 pages.  

Annie Jones [00:37:14] Yeah, it's really short. I loaned it to [Inaudible]. Should I get it back?  

Hunter [00:37:17] I think he'd love it. Do you know the premise? 

Annie Jones [00:37:21] Yes. And I read Exit West, but tell the premise for the listener.  

Hunter [00:37:24] Yeah. So basically, like, this white man basically wakes up one morning to discover that he is no longer white. It does not specify anything other than that his skin is turned brown. And at first he kind of thinks he's alone in this. But then you start to see that this is actually like a thing that's like hitting the nation. It kind of reminds me of Jose Saramago's Blindness in how like it's like this thing that's affecting everyone and the way that people react to it. But this takes a much different approach. But it's so surprisingly funny and so smart. The writing is gorgeous. It's one of those things where, like, when you read it and then when you finish, you get to the end and you're like, oh. It's very good.  

Annie Jones [00:38:13] Okay. I think I gave it to [Inaudible] to consider for shelf subscriptions. I don't know what he's going to decide, but now I'm going to get it back when he's done. Okay. My next one, number four is Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin.  

Hunter [00:38:29] I have the ARC.  

Annie Jones [00:38:30] Oh, you haven't read it yet?  

Hunter [00:38:32] No.  

Annie Jones [00:38:33] I think you'll like it. I think. I'm trying to think if it's a Hunter. Like, if it's one I would hands sell to Hunter back in the day. I think so. I really loved it a lot. And it's weirdly-- again, the premise is not something that-- in fact, it took me a while to pick it up because I thought, I don't care about video games. This is going to be lost on me. But it's really about art. It reminds me a lot of Station 11 because I think it's about art and culture and the role that it plays in not only defining culture, but in defining our friendships and our lives. It's about a lifelong friendship between the two main characters. Yes, video games play a big part, but I just adored it because I thought it was more about art than anything else. The main characters are lovely, but there's also a really wonderful side character named Marcus, who wound up being one of my very favorite characters. I like Gabrielle's Zevin. I think I can trust her. I feel like I've read almost everything she's written, and I've not been disappointed. And this, I think, might actually be her best, most well-written work.  

Hunter [00:39:32] Okay.  

Annie Jones [00:39:32] Yeah, it's great. It's out this month.  

Hunter [00:39:34] Okay, so my number three is one that I discussed earlier, which is Trust by Hernan Diaz. Like I already said,  it's so interesting because like basically the first section-- and I don't think I realized this when I first started because I'm so oblivious when I'm first starting, which is so bad. Like, you should really just pay attention like the whole way through. But I was reading it and I was like, wow. Like the first section is a book within a book called Bonds. And so that's how the first section is. And then the second section is a memoir, and then the third section is something else, and then the fourth section is something else. And so basically it's like the way the structure works. And I will say this too, something I really enjoy when I'm reading-- I think that a lot of people would really like this, if you like literary fiction. But I especially think that if you love reading stuff because you kind of get excited about structure, I think that this is like one of those  such exciting and innovative things. But I will also say that I think it says things that Lauren Groff said in Fates and Furies.  I feel like I have to like tell that because some people were like, this book is saying such new things. I'm like Lauren did it first.  

Annie Jones [00:40:47] Lauren did it first. You will always come to Lauren Groff [Inaudible]. My number three is one I have also already mentioned, so I won't go too much in depth, but it's Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus. Again, loved Elizabeth Zot. Weirdly loved the dog character 630. This has already been optioned for film rights, I think, starring Brie Larson.  

Hunter [00:41:10] Oh.  

Annie Jones [00:41:10] Yeah. I really like this book a lot. I like what it's doing. I think it's smart. I think it's funny, clever, pretty original, honestly. And I can recommend it as a bookseller. It's nice to have a book that I can put in almost anybody's hands, and I think I will enjoy it. I will just say that Erin asked me if this was a PG book because some customers were asking and I was like, yes, absolutely. Like my mom could read this. And then Erin started listening to it on audiobook. And apparently they use the C word like immediately. And I was like, oh, my bad, because I just skipped right over that. Sorry, guys. I just think the essence of it is PG.  

Hunter [00:41:52] Yeah. No, but we talked about this because I think it's like this happen when you read Fates and Furies where there would be like these plot.  

Annie Jones [00:42:02] Attention to themes people. It's themes. Remember Jamie Quatro's Fire Sermon.   

Hunter [00:42:09] Oh, yeah.  

Annie Jones [00:42:10] It's themes. Themes it's what I'm paying attention to. Okay. What's your number two?  

Hunter [00:42:15] My next to her was we were talking about, but number two is The Swimmers by Julie Otsuka.  

Annie Jones [00:42:19] That's my number two as well, The Swimmers by Julie Otsuka. It's great. I love when we overlap. I think this book is brilliant. I think the setup is genius. I think you talked about Trust being kind of innovative and original, but I think this where it's almost two parts. Where it's partly about swimmers but partly about dementia and caregiving and grief. And I loved it.  

Hunter [00:42:43] And actually it's funny, I started to notice this new trend. That I first noticed it with How Much of These Hills is Gold? And then I noticed it with Shiner, and then with The Swimmers and then with Trust, which is this like splitting the narrative into four sections. Because, you're right, The swimmers is about two different things, but the way it's done is in these four sections.  And I think that's such an interesting-- I'm curious to know where that structure kind of initially came from. I need to research that.  

Annie Jones [00:43:12] I think when I went back as I read it kind of twice because I led the patreon book club on it and I totally thought it was literally divided into two parts. And then I went back and read it and I was like, oh, it's not. It's not divided into two parts. It's just the craft is so good. It's such good writing. It's such good writing. Irritatingly good. All right. What's your number one?  

Hunter [00:43:38] What's your number one?  

Annie Jones [00:43:39] The Crane Wife.  

Hunter [00:43:40] Okay. Yeah, the same.  

Annie Jones [00:43:43] Oh, it makes me so happy. This is so weird. I know that C.J. Hauser does not belong to The Bookshelf, but I feel so proud of her work. I really do. It has been a joy to watch her writing kind of evolve and change. I like The From-Aways a lot. I stand by my love and appreciation for that backlist title. I loved Family of Origin.  

Hunter [00:44:05] Yes.  

Annie Jones [00:44:05] I think that is a great, great, work of fiction. And the fact that she also has now put together this stunning essay collection that I think is worthy of all the praise, it's really inspiring to me. And it reminds me of why I'm so grateful to get to run a bookstore.  

Hunter [00:44:20] Yeah. I'm so glad that we both love these top two books because I think that, like, I don't think I ever kept a top 10 until the first time I ever saw you keep a top 10.  I'm sure people are probably tired of hearing about my obsession with you over the years. But whenever I saw that you did a top 10 like for the first year I followed you, I was like, I'm doing a top 10 as well. And it's so funny because I think that you've influenced my reading so much over the years and like there was like three or four years in a row where there was maybe one or two book difference.  

Annie Jones [00:44:56] Huge overlap. And I do love you've expanded my reading boundaries a lot. And that's why I was interested in today's conversation because I thought, man, what is Hunter going to recommend that I need to add to my TBR? And then you also know my reading sensibilities. And so you can also tell me, oh, that's all too sexual for you.  

Hunter [00:45:13]  Yeah.  

Annie Jones [00:45:14] Which I also really appreciate. So you help me grow and change, but you also allow me to be true to myself and to my reading tastes. But I love knowing that we have a little bit of overlap here.  

Hunter [00:45:24] Word, dawg.  

Annie Jones [00:45:26] Thank you, Hunter. This was delightful.  

Hunter [00:45:28] Thank you.  

Annie Jones [00:45:29] I hope the rest of your reading is as good as the first half.  

Hunter [00:45:33] Fingers crossed.  

Annie Jones [00:45:35] This week I'm reading Also a Poet by Ada Calhoun. Hunter, what are you reading?  

Hunter [00:45:40] I'm reading The Doloriad by Missouri Williams.  

Annie Jones [00:45:47] From the Front Porch is a weekly podcast production of The Bookshelf, an independent bookstore in Thomasville, Georgia. You can follow the bookshelf’s daily happenings on Instagram @Bookshelftville, and all the books from today's episode can be purchased online through our store website. Bookshelfthomasville.com.  

[00:46:03] A full transcript of today's episode can be found at Fromthefrontporchpodcast.com. 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.  

[00:46:17] Our executive producers of today's episode are Donna Hechler. Angie Erickson. Cammy Tidwell. Chantalle C.  

Executive Producers (Read their own names) [00:46:24] Nicole Marsee. Wendi Jenkins. Laurie Johnson. Kate Johnston Tucker.  

Annie Jones [00:46:30] Thank you all for your support of From the Front Porch. If you'd like to support From the Front Porch, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Your input helps us make the show even better and reach new listeners. All you have to do is open up the podcast app on your phone, look for From the Front Porch. Scroll down until you see 'Write a Review' and tell us what you think.  

[00:46:48] Or, if you're so inclined, you can support us over on Patreon, where we have three levels of support. Front Porch Friends, Book Club Companions and Bookshelf Benefactors. Each level has an amazing number of benefits, like bonus content, access to live events, discounts and giveaways. Just go to Patreon.com/fromthefrontporch. We're so grateful for you, and we look forward to meeting back here next week.  

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a weekly conversational podcast on books, small business, and life in the South