Episode 417 || March Madness with Annie & Jordan
This week on From the Front Porch, it’s all about books and basketball! Annie is joined by her husband and friend, Jordan, to set different books head to head and debate their merits in this beloved yearly tradition.
To purchase the books mentioned in this episode, visit our website:
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
The Confessions of Frannie Langton by Sara Collins
Book of Goose by Yiyun Lee
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
Funny You Should Ask by Elissa Sussman
Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan
You Are My Sunshine by Sean Dietrich
The Crane Wife by CJ Hauser
New Girl in Little Cove by Damhnait Monaghan
A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World by C.A. Fletcher
Liturgies for Hope by Audrey Elledge and Elizabeth Moore
A Curious Faith by Lore Ferguson Wilbert
The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd
The Appeal by Janice Hallett
Book Lovers by Emily Henry
The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean
This week, Annie is reading Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano. Jordan is reading Shakespeare in a Divided America by James Shapiro (currently unavailable to order).
From the Front Porch is a weekly podcast production of The Bookshelf, an independent bookstore in South Georgia. You can follow The Bookshelf’s daily happenings on Instagram at @bookshelftville, and all the books from today’s episode can be purchased online through our store website, www.bookshelfthomasville.com.
A full transcript of today’s episode can be found below.
Special thanks to Dylan and his team at Studio D Podcast Production for sound and editing and for our theme music, which sets the perfect warm and friendly tone for our Thursday conversations.
Thank you to this week’s sponsor, the 102nd Annual Rose Show and Festival in Thomasville, Georgia. Come visit us for the weekend of April 28th-29th and experience the flowers, fun, food, and shopping in Beautiful Thomasville. Plan your visit at ThomasvilleGa.com.
Thank you to this week’s sponsor, the 102nd Annual Rose Show and Festival in Thomasville, Georgia. Come visit us for the weekend of April 28th-29th and experience the flowers, fun, food, and shopping in Beautiful Thomasville. Plan your visit at ThomasvilleGa.com.
If you liked what you heard in today’s episode, tell us by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. 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...Cammy Tidwell, Chanta Combs, Chantalle C, Donna Hetchler, Kate O’Connell, Kristin May, Laurie Johnson, Linda Lee Drozt, Martha, Nicole Marsee, Stacy Laue, Stephanie Dean, Susan Hulings, and Wendi Jenkins.
Transcript:
[squeaky porch swing] Welcome to From the Front Porch, a conversational podcast about books, small business, and life in the South. [music plays out]
“I like the way he notices things. A noticer is a person who can never be entirely self-absorbed,”
― Annabel Monaghan, Nora Goes Off Script
[as music fades out]
I’m Annie Jones, owner of The Bookshelf, an independent bookstore in beautiful downtown Thomasville, Georgia, and this week, it’s March Madness, baby. This week, we also announced our upcoming Reader Retreat dates for June, and we’d love for you to join us. Right now, dates have been announced to our Patreon supporters and newsletter subscribers. To make sure you know that latest about our spring and summer events, head over to the show notes to subscribe to our weekly newsletters, or visit patreon.com/fromthefrontporch to support From the Front Porch and The Bookshelf on Patreon. You’ll get first access to events like Reader Retreat, plus get exclusive content like our monthly Conquer a Classic episodes.
Annie Jones [00:01:57] Hi, Jordan.
Jordan [00:01:58] Hi. How's it going?
Annie Jones [00:02:00] Welcome back.
Jordan [00:02:01] I'm glad to be back.
Annie Jones [00:02:02] Every time we record this March Madness episode, I feel like we're doing it at odd hours. Do you remember we've done it at like 10:00 at night?
Jordan [00:02:10] Yes.
Annie Jones [00:02:11] Now we're doing this on a Saturday morning.
Jordan [00:02:13] Yes.
Annie Jones [00:02:13] Which is bizarre, but it is because of your schedule.
Jordan [00:02:16] It is because of my schedule. I'm the problem actually this time.
Annie Jones [00:02:19] I'm the problem. It's me. That's okay, because you're really doing us a favor. So, thank you for coming and doing the March Madness episode. It's really a favorite of listeners, did you know that?.
Jordan [00:02:28] I did know that because at Reader Retreat people come up to me and say that they loved the March Madness episodes.
Annie Jones [00:02:33] You don't think they're just sucking up because you're there.
Jordan [00:02:36] That's possible, but I think they really do enjoy it. Sometimes they even come up with like little quotes. They're like, "Oh, I loved when you said the vanishing half." They remember things.
Annie Jones [00:02:46] Okay. Well, if you are a new listener, Annie and Jordan Jones-- I'm talking about us in the third person now-- we love March Madness.
Jordan [00:02:56] Yes.
Annie Jones [00:02:57] I've loved March Madness my whole life. My dad is a big basketball fan.
Jordan [00:03:02] Didn't I introduced you to this?
Annie Jones [00:03:05] Every year I introduced Jordan to March Madness in college, but I grew up doing it. I did brackets with my dad, with my brother-- my whole family does March Madness brackets. So, when I went to college when I met Jordan, we started doing brackets together. Jordan had never done one until that moment. You brought it up.
Jordan [00:03:24] That's right.
Annie Jones [00:03:25] I introduced it to him and it's a pride of my life.
Jordan [00:03:28] Yeah.
Annie Jones [00:03:29] So, we started doing brackets. Jordan also introduced a betting element that was something I had not done previously where the loser had to eat only vegetables.
Jordan [00:03:40] Yes, it was a very strong punishment. At first it was the loser gets punished by having to eat only vegetables and fruit and drink only water for two days. And then we eventually narrowed it to one day. And then after watching Annie go through that for about six years, seeing the writing on the wall, seeing that it was going to eventually happen to me, I said, "Hey, why don't we do a reward instead?" And she was all too happy to do that. So, we've agreed and now it's a reward.
Annie Jones [00:04:08] It is a reward. Did you ever have to eat vegetables?
Jordan [00:04:12] No.
Annie Jones [00:04:13] Oh, that's infuriating.
Jordan [00:04:14] Because I saw the writing on the wall, I knew it can't go on forever.
Annie Jones [00:04:19] But since then, I have won $50.
Jordan [00:04:22] Yeah. Well, now up to $100.
Annie Jones [00:04:24] Oh, I forgot that.
Jordan [00:04:25] You know we're rich. [Inaudible] $100. I'm just kidding. That was a joke.
Annie Jones [00:04:30] Jordan wants to make sure you know. So, we love March Madness. We love this time of year. Jordan also works for the Florida legislature. And so, every other year, March Madness takes on a whole new meaning with Jordan's work.
Jordan [00:04:45] It's mad. Doubly mad.
Annie Jones [00:04:46] And so, that's why we have to kind of record these at odd times of the day. But we like to hang the brackets in our home. We keep track. Now the Bookshelf staff fills out brackets, which is also very fun and delightful. I don't even think I've told you. Olivia obviously filled hers out as she always does based on famous alumni, which always cracks me up. She literally pits famous people against each other. Who did Virginia play? Give me an example.
Jordan [00:05:11] This year.?
Annie Jones [00:05:12] Yes. They lost.
Jordan [00:05:14] They lost.
Annie Jones [00:05:15] Well, Virginia--
Jordan [00:05:17] Furman.
Annie Jones [00:05:18] Furman. Yeah. I don't remember who Furman's famous alumni was, but Tina Fey was a University of Virginia grad. So, Olivia had Virginia moving on.
Jordan [00:05:28] Because of Tina Fey.
Annie Jones [00:05:28] Yes, that's right.
Jordan [00:05:30] One of my favorite anecdotes about Olivia is when Annie introduced her staff to the March Madness process and showed Olivia the bracket. Olivia said, "Now, this doesn't seem fair that the number one seed gets to play the number 16 seed. That doesn't seem fair." So, Annie had to then kind of explain.
Annie Jones [00:05:48] I think you explained it as well.
Jordan [00:05:50] Oh, maybe I did. Right.
Annie Jones [00:05:50] I think we both did. She brought it up again this year and she was like, I know I'm never going to win that argument with Jordan, but I still don't think it's fair. Olivia cares very deeply about things that are fare. But it is very funny. So, that's how Olivia filled out her bracket. Erin this year took a really interesting approach where she looked up Pantone colors. Do you know what a Pantone color is?
Jordan [00:06:14] No, I do not know what that is.
Annie Jones [00:06:14] Okay, so Pantone colors-- there's like colors of the year. And so, Pantone announces every year what the color of the year is. I don't really know how to explain. You're going to see this color in fashion, but also in home decor.
Jordan [00:06:33] You told me this. Yeah. Been noticing the colors.
Annie Jones [00:06:34] Yes. It's the color of the year that experts predict is going to be the biggest color.
Jordan [00:06:41] There are color experts.
Speaker 2 [00:06:42] Yes, of course, there are.
Jordan [00:06:44] I love it.
Annie Jones [00:06:48] You laughing reminds me of Anne Hathaway and Meryl Streep in Devil Wears Prada. She explains to her you bought this at TJ Max, but let me assure you a color expert chose this Auburn sweatshirt you have.
Jordan [00:06:59] Right.
Annie Jones [00:07:00] Anyway, so Erin looked up Pantone colors, and I'm not sure-- I'll have to get her to explain how she decided which Pantone color had the greater value. But that is how she determined and it got her. I think she picked Houston and so it got her. It'll be fascinating to see if it works.
Jordan [00:07:18] Did she go full throttle? Like, if you the 16C had a better color, did she pick the 16C?
Annie Jones [00:07:22] I'm pretty sure. I don't know.
Jordan [00:07:24] But she picked Fairleigh Dickinson.
Annie Jones [00:07:25] Yeah, well, that's what's very funny about Bookshelf brackets, is maybe in a bracket pool with more expertise, fewer people might predict, for example, Furman or Fairleigh Dickinson. But in the Bookshelf brackets, it's entirely possible that someone picked that. So, it's very fun.
Jordan [00:07:44] That is funny.
Annie Jones [00:07:45] Caroline True fellow Enneagram five, she had never filled out a bracket before, but she took it on with aplomb. And I'm pretty sure she did a bunch of research because I heard her telling Erin about 512 upsets.
Jordan [00:07:57] Nice. Yes.
Annie Jones [00:07:58] That brought me a lot of joy. I don't remember, last year Keila did hers based on some kind of Hunger Games mentality. But you know who's always the real one to watch.
Jordan [00:08:08] Who's that?
Annie Jones [00:08:10] It's Nancy.
Jordan [00:08:11] Oh, Nancy. Yeah.
Annie Jones [00:08:12] Nancy knows what she's talking about.
Jordan [00:08:13] Yeah. Nancy is always the one to watch in any situation.
Annie Jones [00:08:16] But Nancy is an expert. Nancy is always the one to beat. So, anyway, we have a lot of fun. But what we like to do on the March Madness episode of From the Front Porch is we take our top 16, I believe, bestselling fiction titles from the previous year. So, Olivia pulls all this data for us. Oh my gosh, Olivia's like that guy who does the election stuff. Steve Kornacki. You know who I'm talking about? With his whiteboard and all his data. That's Olivia. Wait till I tell her.
Jordan [00:08:51] Yes, that's good.
Annie Jones [00:08:52] Oh, my gosh. Anyway, she's our Steve Kornacki. That's good. And she pulls all this data. It brings her a lot of joy because then she takes all 16 and she seeds them. She's the expert who seeds these. And the pairings are almost impossible for us to debate. But Jordan is here to listen to me talk about these 16 books.
Annie Jones [00:09:14] Olivia has pitted them against one another until we get-- I don't even know the winner. I don't really know because it's not our top selling book necessarily, but it's the book that we think would beat all the others in a game of March Madness. Yeah, that's how we did this.
Jordan [00:09:35] It's good and I'm really impressed. Shout out to Olivia because some of these pairings are fantastic.
Annie Jones [00:09:39] Every year I look at the lists and I wonder how she's going to do it. And every year I think I know why she pits them against each other. It's very fun. Okay, so are you ready?
Jordan [00:09:48] I'm ready.
Annie Jones [00:09:49] All right. So, the first pairing, the first matchup, I think would be like a 116 or a 215. For example, it's where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens because of course [crosstalk]. And, of course, somehow it is still at the end of our year. Olivia sits down the staff and she has all these charts and graphs and she breaks down our bestsellers. And we were shocked that Where the Crawdads Sing is still in our bestsellers list. And I think it is because the movie came out last year, first of all. And then Delia Owens is originally from Thomasville, so I just don't think that book is ever going to not be a bestseller for us. But, anyway, we've got Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens pitted Against Confessions of Frannie Langton by Sara Collins. Now, I think you're familiar with crawdads. Am I right about that?
Jordan [00:10:40] I am familiar.
Annie Jones [00:10:40] You saw the movie.
Jordan [00:10:42] I did.
Annie Jones [00:10:42] You had not read the book. Jordan literally gasped in the theater. It was a delight.
Jordan [00:10:46] I did. I was seeing it for the first time. I was seeing it unfold. I was not predicting that.
Annie Jones [00:10:50] He did not see that twist coming.
Jordan [00:10:51] Yeah.
Annie Jones [00:10:52] He was very excited. So, let me tell you about Frannie Langton, which is a book that I read as a backlist title. That means it's been out for a while. I loved it. I thought it was excellent historical fiction, which I do not often read historical fiction. I'm not often maybe naturally drawn to that genre. Anyway, this book takes place, I believe, in the early 1800s. It might possibly also be the late 1700s. But Frannie lives in London, and she's been accused of killing her employer and his wife. She works for kind of this eccentric renowned scientist who kind of stretches ethics and stretches the boundaries of ethics. And so, what we are getting is Frannie's perspective to try to figure out, can we trust her, and did she really murder them or has she been falsely accused?
Jordan [00:11:42] Is it a reliable narrator?
Annie Jones [00:11:43] We don't know.
Jordan [00:11:44] We don't know.
Annie Jones [00:11:46] And Frannie also then not only reflects on her time with this scientist and his wife and kind of the things that she was asked to do as their employer. But she also looks back on her time of enslavement on a Jamaican plantation. So, you really get a wide range. You kind of get that Jamaican setting. You get the London kind of dark Georgian-England setting. I really loved how it kind of goes back and forth, and you're captured by Frannie's story, her attention to detail. She's a great storyteller. So, I think the reason I actually think this is genius how Olivia pitted this against one another because it's these women who've been accused of a crime, and you're trying to figure out if you believe in them or not. And so, I'm sure that's why Olivia pitted them against one another.
Jordan [00:12:33] I've got a question. Did you find the movie adaptation of Where the Crawdads Sing to be more ambiguous or less ambiguous than the book?
Annie Jones [00:12:43] Well, I'm trying to remember.
Jordan [00:12:44] I thought my recollection of the movie is that it did not leave much to the imagination in terms of what had happened.
Annie Jones [00:12:52] Oh, the book does not really leave much to the imagination either. I mean, it does perhaps a more subtle job of explaining those things. But you know what has happened.
Jordan [00:13:03] So, the movie was an accurate.
Annie Jones [00:13:05] My feelings about Crawdads are not always aligned with everyone else's opinions about Crawdads. I think that it is a good book and I think it was a good adaptation of that book.
Jordan [00:13:20] Okay. All right. Sounds good.
Annie Jones [00:13:22] All right. So, what do you think?
Jordan [00:13:23] I don't know, because I know your feelings about Crawdads. You might see this as being an over seeded book.
Annie Jones [00:13:31] A perdu, you might say.
Jordan [00:13:33] A perdu. Although, that was crazy. But there were some over seeded teams.
Annie Jones [00:13:39] There always are.
Jordan [00:13:40] There are always over seeded teams on the bracket and under seeded teams. So, I think you would see this as maybe a real three seed masquerading as a one seed.
Annie Jones [00:13:49] Or a 215 where the 15 is capable. I mean, we've seen that the last couple years.
Jordan [00:13:55] Yeah. Is it going to be a closed game?
Annie Jones [00:13:59] Yes, I think it's a close game. I also think Crawdads is an example of a team who's already had their chance, so there's a part of me that's, like, it's not your year. You've already won the championship before.
Jordan [00:14:16] Yeah. And that's one of the ways you see fairness.
Annie Jones [00:14:18] Yes.
Jordan [00:14:19] Olivia sees it in terms of that's not fair. There's no equity. The teams aren't comparable. It's not fair. You see, like, hey, you've already had your chance or you've already done your thing. Let someone else do it.
Annie Jones [00:14:31] I think that's why, yes. I think that's part of the reason people did not like on Instagram the other night that I talked about my hatred for Duke. I'm not going to explain, whatever. I grew up an FSU fan, I think naturally was not a huge fan of Duke. But also, there is something I think I was raised very much in a household that valued underdogs and Duke is rarely an underdog. I acknowledge their excellent. I acknowledge their coaching is excellent, especially Coach K. I acknowledge all of that, but I naturally have a bias against number ones. I think I just do. And so, I think I naturally have a bias against Crawdads in honor of this sneaky 15 seed that might overtake them.
Jordan [00:15:19] Yes, you love it when there's a really good upset.
Annie Jones [00:15:21] Yeah, I do.
Jordan [00:15:22] Okay, so what do you think?
Annie Jones [00:15:24] No, I already said what I think. But you really need to be-- because you're the more neutral part.
Jordan [00:15:35] You have a15 that's capable of pulling an upset. Is this one capable?
Annie Jones [00:15:39] Yeah. It gets great reviews. It's not just me who liked it. It got great reviews. It's been turned in recently. So, speaking of movie adaptations, Frannie Langton has just become a TV show in Britain so my parents can watch it on Britbox. We can't, but they can.
Jordan [00:15:53] I'm going to advance it partly on that basis. British TV
Annie Jones [00:15:55] Yeah. Jordan has a soft spot.
Jordan [00:15:59] No, but I think that this is a team that's capable of coming in and keeping close and everybody watching in the last 2 minutes, the game reset pops up and everybody's frantic. And then Where the Crawdads Sing gets a little bit uptight. And then all of a sudden, the ball looks like it has Vaseline on it. And people [crosstalk].
Annie Jones [00:16:19] Yeah, they just faltered at the end. They could not...
Jordan [00:16:22] They were in their heads.
Annie Jones [00:16:23] Yeah.
Jordan [00:16:23] And the other teams are playing with house money; they're out there, they got nothing to lose. They're just dancing pretty happy to be there. And so, I'm going to advance Confessions of Frannie Langton on that basis.
Annie Jones [00:16:35] Okay. I think that's an upset, but I think it's a deserved upset.
Jordan [00:16:39] And some people are going to be mad. Some people are going to say that's not right. March Madness is not the fairest way to cause the best team to win, it is the best way to cause a fun tournament to happen.
Annie Jones [00:16:53] That's beautiful. Put that on a T-shirt.
Jordan [00:16:54] Yes. [Inaudible].
Annie Jones [00:16:58] It's just so good. Okay. Second pairing. Are you ready?
Jordan [00:17:01] Yes.
Annie Jones [00:17:02] Book of Goose. This is by you. Ian Lee Verses Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus. This pairing makes me mad. Olivia This is probably in in basketball in March Madness terms. I think this is an eight nine matchup. It could be higher because I think both of these books are so wonderful.
Jordan [00:17:22] You don't want one of these to not be able to advance; is that fair?
Annie Jones [00:17:23] That's right. That's right. Because these are two of my favorite books of 2022. Have you heard of either of these? Do you have any idea about either of these before I explain them to you?
Jordan [00:17:32] No. I know what chemistry is because I took a class called Chemistry and Society.
Annie Jones [00:17:38] So did I.
Jordan [00:17:39] The chemistry class for non-science.
Annie Jones [00:17:40] It was not great. Okay, so the first book is Book of Goose. This is by Yiyun Li. She is an author. She's written several other books. But this particular book was about Fabienne and Agnes. They're two young French girls living in the French countryside post, I believe, World War two. Agnes is looking back on her life. So, it's an adult narrator Looking back on her childhood. She's doing that because she just received word that Fabienne has died, and Fabienne was her childhood best friend. The book takes some interesting turns because we get to see those children kind of growing up in this bucolic kind of atmosphere. But then Fabienne is one of those kids-- and you know exactly the kind. There's a character in Babysitters Club that is just like this, where she's kind of obsessed with dark things and they tell stories to each other and kind of creep each other out. And Fabienne has the idea that she'll tell the stories if Agnes will write them down. Agnes is kind of the better student. So, Agnes winds up writing them down. They both have written it together, but really, it's a lot of Fabienne's kind of creativity and genius. But Fabienne tells Agnes, "We're going to publish this, and you say you're the writer." They're kids, and they wind up publishing this book, but only Agnes gets credit. And Agnes because she has become now this kind of genius child author, this kind of wunderkind, gets taken to Paris where she kind of gets to promote the book. She ultimately is taken to a boarding school in England. And all the time she's apart from Fabienne. You can tell how manipulative and how healthy their friendship really is. I loved it. It's fascinating. It's beautifully written. We did a from the Front Porch Book Club around it. It was one of my shelf subscription picks. I adore it. Second, we have Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus which was a debut novel. So, this was her first book and it went-- well, how do we say it? It sold like hotcakes. It went like gangbusters. It was so popular. I adore this book. It is very different in tonality from Book of Goose. You might even see the cover of Lessons in Chemistry and think, "Oh, that book looks so fun." The book cover kind of looks like, Where'd You Go Bernadette, if you remember that.
Jordan [00:19:57] Yes.
Annie Jones [00:19:57] And I hate the cover because the book is actually full of depth. It's about a scientist named Elizabeth Zott. She's a scientist in the sixties, maybe seventies. And because she is a woman, she is sexually harassed. She winds up quitting her job as a scientist or being fired from that job. And she's kind of down on her luck until a person is like, "You would be great on TV," and they hire her to be almost like a Julia Child. She has a TV show on like a PBS type of thing, but she writes or she talks about food in a scientific way. So, she’s a brilliant scientist. The other thing I love about this book is all the side characters. Elizabeth Zott unknowingly falls in love. We see her raise a really quirky little girl. She has a dog called 630, which is part of the charm of Elizabeth Zott. She's very exacting. She winds up naming her dog that because there was a misunderstanding about what time she was going to be home-- 6:30. Well, that became the dog's name. It's just Elizabeth Zott will live in my memory for a really long time. She's one of my favorite protagonists of the last 10 years. And I think that book is so much more deep and interesting than the cover really gives it credit for. But at the same time, it's also these characters you really love. So, they're very different to me in tone. One feels darker in nature, one feels lighter. But they're these female protagonists that are really strong and vibrant, and the books have a lot of depth to them. So, what do you think?
Jordan [00:21:41] Yeah, this does sound like a very close match up. It sounds like Lessons in Chemistry is the team that you think is strait-laced. Maybe it's an Ivy League team that comes in, gets a high seed for an Ivy League team, but they're really fun and colorful underneath. I think I'm going to advance Book of Goose, partly because I have a cousin who was, like, what Fabienne sounds like is as a child at Emma Torrance.
Annie Jones [00:22:16] Wow, you just named her for everybody.
Jordan [00:22:19] I think she would like to be named. But she was kind of like that in terms of being interested in mysteries and in a little bit of [crosstalk].
Annie Jones [00:22:29] Yeah, kids are. Kids often are.
Jordan [00:22:31] Very curious and fun in that way.
Annie Jones [00:22:32] Okay, so you have a personal attachment.
Jordan [00:22:34] I do have a personal attachment. And also, that period of time is interesting to me.
Annie Jones [00:22:38] Okay. Well, yeah, agreed.
Jordan [00:22:41] So, I'm going to advance. I love shows or books that focus on two people and one of them is kind of the brains or the creativity, but the other one is the public face. And to see the envy that brews in the person who doesn't get that fame that he wants or that she wants. I think that's interesting.
Annie Jones [00:23:10] It is interesting that matchup breaks my heart. I think it's going to break a lot of readers hearts because I actually think in the general public more people liked lessons in chemistry than Book of Goose, because Book of Goose is kind of weird.
Jordan [00:23:24] Yeah.
Annie Jones [00:23:25] And I love a weird book.
Jordan [00:23:27] You do love a weird book.
Annie Jones [00:23:28] Yeah, I love a weird book.
Jordan [00:23:30] You'd read it in one sitting. Did you read this in one sitting?
Annie Jones [00:23:32] I might have. I loved it so much. But not every reader is that way. I think this would have been one that would be hard on the masses. Like somebody is yelling in their car right now, "No, Lessons in Chemistry."
Jordan [00:23:44] March Madness is heartbreaking.
Annie Jones [00:23:46] It is. Okay. So far, we've got Confessions of Frannie Langton and Book of Goosed by Yiyun Li. We got to move quickly now. Funny You Should Ask Is by Elissa Sussman. Verses Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan. Olivia has pitted these two romcoms against each other. They were two of our bestselling books last year. Funny You Should Ask was a paperback original by Elissa Sussman. It was about Chani and Gabe. And basically, Chani is this kind of entertainment reporter who is assigned to interview movie star Gabe for a profile. It wound up being this really unusual profile. And 10 years later, Chani and Gabe are forced kind of back together to recreate this click baity article that did so well. So, the reason I liked this book so much, I really like the trope of movie star falls in love with normal person. We saw it in the movie Notting Hill, where Hugh Grant is the normal and Julia Roberts is the movie star. We see it a lot in these romcoms, and I love this trope. I think it's so fun to imagine what it would be like if a movie star fell in love with a normal person. The other thing that is fun about this book is Elissa Sussman based her fictional book on a real life Chris Evans interview that was done for GQ magazine years ago, where basically it sounded like a romcom because the interviewer interviewed Chris Evans and then wound up joining him on the red carpet, wound up going over to his house. And there was all this speculation, like, did they date? Did they not? Anyway, so this is where this fictional book came from. Nora Goes Off Script, one of my favorite books of 2022. It came out in hardback; it's a debut novel by Annabelle Monaghan. And much like Funny You Should Ask, it is a movie star falls in love with normal kind of. So, Nora is our main character. She's a writer of often Hallmark kind of films, but she wrote a film about a screenplay, about her divorce from her husband, and it wound up becoming not a Hallmark movie, but really an excellent almost indie film or something. And because of how she wrote about her home and certain aspects of her home, the movie is filmed at her house. And so, who shows up but this very handsome movie star. And there's some chemistry there. But Nora also has two kids. The book has these two really precocious-- I think they're the least annoying kids I've ever seen in an adult novel. I really fell in love with the kids, which is rare because sometimes precocious kids in books are too smart for their own good, especially when they're side characters. When they're main characters, I feel like I can deal with them. Anyway, they're delightful children. And Nora and Leo wind up maybe falling in love. And I found it to be so charming that this is a book that I read-- and this is bizarre for me, but I think I read it three times last year. I loved it so much. I just loved the people.
Jordan [00:26:57] Why did you say maybe falling in love? We don't know at the end.
Annie Jones [00:27:01] We do know.
Jordan [00:27:02] Oh, okay. You're just trying not to spoil it.
Annie Jones [00:27:03] I was just trying not to spoil it.
Jordan [00:27:05] I'm sorry. I was like, "Does it leave it on a cliff hanger." That's like David Twain's worst nightmare.
Annie Jones [00:27:09] Wow! You're really dropping full names.
Jordan [00:27:11] Yeah, I am.
Annie Jones [00:27:14] You know my love for a romcom? I am so curious which romcom you would pick. Which movie would you watch? Which book would you read?
Jordan [00:27:22] I think I would prefer Funny You Should Ask, but I think I'm going to advance Nora Goes Off Script because for you to read a book three times is ridiculous.
Annie Jones [00:27:35] Yeah, I never do that. I really never do that.
Jordan [00:27:37] So, I trust you over my own judgment.
Annie Jones [00:27:41] And, look, Funny You Should Ask was one. It's I think the characters in both of these books I found to be so likable that there were moments last year when I was reading something and I just thought, "But I really don't want to be reading this. I miss my people." One of our customers kind of uses that phrase, "Sometimes I miss those people." I miss those people. And so, I would go back and listen to snippets of Funny You Should Ask, because I listened to that one on audiobook. And, anyway, but I kind of agree with you. I think Nora Goes Off Script should advance. I loved Funny You Should Ask. I'm excited Elissa Sussman and Annabel Monaghan have second books coming out this year and it'll be interesting to see if I love them as much as I loved their first.
Jordan [00:28:22] This is like our 6th seed Creighton that should advance and does advance.
Annie Jones [00:28:26] Okay. All right. So, Nora Goes Off Script moves forward. Next, we have two nonfiction picks. You Are My Sunshine. This is by Southern author Shawn Dietrich versus the Crane Wife by C.J. Hauser. I don't know if she would call herself a Southern writer, but she definitely is an author familiar to us. She went to Florida State University many, many years ago. We had her on the podcast. She had hosted her first book signing, I think, of the book the From Always at the Bookshelf as one of the first events I think I ever did at The Bookshelf in Thomasville. So, we have an attachment. I think Olivia knew that we have an attachment both to Sean Dietrich and to C.J. Hauser. I think that's why these books are pitted against one another.
Jordan [00:29:05] Yes. Olivia is diabolical.
Annie Jones [00:29:07] She is. And she's probably listening to this with a big grin.
Jordan [00:29:11] She's like Hahaha!
Annie Jones [00:29:12] Loving that she did this. So, You Are My Sunshine is Shawn Dietrich's memoir about a really lengthy and adventurous and strenuous bike trip that he and his wife took after kind of receiving some bad news. His wife, Jamie, I think, really pushed them to move beyond that scary news and instead focus on something adventurous and wonderful and exciting. And so, it's kind of all about that period in their lives. So, it's a bit of a travel memoir, almost a road trip memoir where they travel together and they do this bike ride together. And then The Crane Wife is an essay collection. So, I think this is in my top two books I read last year. I think this book is brilliantly written. Every essay is excellent, which is very difficult to say about an essay collection. C.J. Hauser writes about things like a robotics tournament and also the great American classic film, The Philadelphia Story. And all of the essays are brilliant and poignant and personal. And it was one of those books that I finished and was like, crap, I wish I could write like this. Like, that's how I thought after I finished that book. So, we've got Shawn Dietrich with really maybe the hometown advantage like an Auburn being able to play in Birmingham. Yeah. And then we've got the Crane Wife by C.J Hauser.
Jordan [00:30:34] Yeah, I think You Are My Sunshine is the Memphis. This is the team where you love the coach, you love Penny Hardaway, but it doesn't advance. And you're sad that it doesn't advance. I'm going to advance the Crane Wife, but Shawn Dietrich is to me one of the funniest men in the world. He is so funny. We went to an event of his even before he was as well-known as he is now, and he just had me in stitches talking about Coca-Cola, wetting his pants when he was a little kid in school. I mean, he could just tell a story so well.
Annie Jones [00:31:09] And you love that. And I love it too because it's very familiar to us. We have people in our lives who have stories just like that. And the ability to tell these stories just like that..
Jordan [00:31:20] Yes, it's like I've been there. I know what that person smells like. I know those people. He's hilarious.
Annie Jones [00:31:28] You know what I love? So, we talk about Sean Dietrich a lot as the Southern writer and as somebody we really recognize and somebody whose stories we recognize. But Michelle, who is my virtual assistant, she works with The Bookshelf. She lives and was born and raised in Minnesota, then did a stint in Los Angeles. She told me the other day, she said, "I've been listening to You Are My Sunshine on Libro.fm." And she said, "I just love it. I love Sean's voice." It's so soothing and the stories are so funny and fascinating." We might think he's a regional author with regional expectations, and maybe the people of the South love him even more than anybody else, but I think his work really transcends region because Michelle absolutely loves it. And I thought that was fascinating because I didn't know if it was something mostly Southerners enjoyed. And I won't say most of our podcast listeners, but our in-store customers are generally quite Southern. It's why we had such a huge Sean Dietrich turnout a few months ago. But I love that his work is becoming well known beyond the South and Michelle just got a kick out of it and thought it was great.
Jordan [00:32:35] Each person hears it and understands it.
Annie Jones [00:32:39] Yes, regardless of region or something. Yeah. I mean, it breaks my heart. Memphis broke my heart this weekend. But I think it's the crane wife by C.J. Hauser. Next we have New Girl in Little Cove by Damhnait Monaghan versus A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World by Charlie Fletcher. We may have talked about A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World before. I feel like this is a book that has made our best-selling titles a couple of times. I think that is because of Olivia and her bookselling expertise. This is a book she absolutely loves. So, first we got New Girl in Little Cove, which is a book I read and really liked. It's a great kind of paperback title about a woman named Rachel who moves to Newfoundland to take a teaching position there. It's at a Catholic school. It's a deeply Catholic town. And Rachel does not exaggerate her Catholicism-- just kidding, yes, she does. She kind of exaggerates her faith in order to get this job. She's not necessarily the most devout Catholic you've ever met. And then she moves to Newfoundland, this small, tiny, little island, this tiny town, and really falls in love with it. But it is full of hardship and moving to a new place.
Jordan [00:33:49] Is it a fishbowl?
Annie Jones [00:33:50] Yes. And it is a great book if you grew up liking Anne of Green Gables or something like that, because the Newfoundland setting is so rich and so beautiful, but it's also a fish out of water story. And then we have A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World, which is narrated by Griz. Griz is a teenager living in a post-apocalyptic world. In this book, The Apocalypse that happened has resulted in many, many people, like half the population, not being able to have children. And so Griz is one of very few teenagers that we see in the world. And he wakes up one morning alongside his beloved dog, I think Jip and he and Jip wake up and discover that his other beloved dog, Jess, is gone. And so, without even thinking, Grizz and Jip kind of embark on this journey to find Jess. And of course, this the world is one that is partly recognizable to us, but also not fully recognizable to us. And Griz winds up reflecting back on the world his parents have told him about, but he never got to experience. And then he's taking care of his beloved dog while also trying to find his other beloved dog. So, those are the two books.
Jordan [00:34:58] Shades of The Last of Us.
Annie Jones [00:35:00] Yes.
Jordan [00:35:02] I love a well-written post-apocalyptic book.
Annie Jones [00:35:05] You do. And so do I.
Jordan [00:35:06] Especially one that remembers the world that we currently live in, partly because we think everything's always going to advance and get better, and that's just not always true. So, it's interesting to imagine a world in which things are horrible and then they remember back and it kind of helps us realize how good we have it now. That being said, I think the idea of a woman moving to Newfoundland kind of up there near Prince Edward Island to live in a fishbowl and then exaggerate her fate, I think that sounds hilarious.
Annie Jones [00:35:40] It was very fun.
Jordan [00:35:42] I'm going to go with New Girl in Little Cove
Annie Jones [00:35:45] I knew it. And I knew once I uttered the words Catholic that is what you would move forward.
Jordan [00:35:51] I'm open about my biases.
Annie Jones [00:35:53] Okay. Next, we have two religious books. So, the first is Liturgies for Hope by Audrey Elledge and Elizabeth Moore and a Curious Faith by Lore Wilbert. I love both of these books. We have decided at the Bookshelf, when we were looking at our nonfiction bestsellers of 2022, a lot of the list was these religious books, particularly Christian books, we really did decide, and we borrowed Lori Albert's phrase that a lot of the bestselling Christian books that we happen to sell at the Bookshelf deal with curiosity. And they're really for the Curious Christian and hopefully perhaps for the curious non-Christian as well. But we have a Christian bookstore in town right down the street from us. So, it's surprising to us and to our staff that some of our nonfiction bestsellers are often religious in nature. And I think it is because it has to do with which books that really is. I loved these back in the day, but it's not like your Amish fiction. Do you know what I mean? It's really these books that are-- I'm not going to say pushing on the boundaries, but they're trying to untangle the threads.
Jordan [00:37:11] And there's a lot of honesty.
Annie Jones [00:37:13] Yes, you're right. Honesty. That's true.
Jordan [00:37:15] What things are difficult and what am I thinking about and struggling with? And let's talk about those things.
Annie Jones [00:37:20] Yes, let's talk about it. So, the first book, Liturgies for Hope, is a collection of prayers. I do have a bias, actually, toward both of these books because Elizabeth Moore is a friend of mine. We were introduced by my friend Hallie.
Jordan [00:37:34] You have to recuse yourself.
Annie Jones [00:37:35] I know. Well, that's why you're here. Liturgies for hope, I find to be a really comforting book. There's a particular prayer that really touched me last fall. A prayer about not being able to pay your bills.
Jordan [00:37:48] I remember that one.
Annie Jones [00:37:50] Yeah, because at the time the Bookshelf things were just tight and it was scary to me. And so, I loved that Audrey and Elizabeth worked together on this prayer book during the pandemic when they both were transplanted Southerners who live in New York City. And so, they wound up staying in New York City during the pandemic and the loneliness that they kind of felt. And so, they partnered together to write prayers. And they both are poets by nature, I think that's fair to say. And so, their words are really beautiful. Okay, then you have a curious faith, which is a more maybe traditional book, meaning it's not little prayers interspersed or divided up based on subject matter. Instead, it's kind of a forward. Each chapter is about a different aspect of faith and curiosity. And Lore Wilbert's whole premise is that the spiritual life should be one of curiosity and that we serve a God who honors and sees our questions, and that is not a dangerous thing. In fact, it is an admirable thing that we are supposed to ask questions. We're called to ask questions, and those questions often helped shape who we are and who we become. So, I have read both of these books. Interestingly, I've not finished either one because Liturgies for Hope is a collection of prayers that you pick up and put down. And then a Curious Faith is so rich and dense that I think I've read half and I have not finished it because it's just one of those books that you pick up and put down. But I love Lore Wilbert. She's one of my very favorite followers on the Internet, one of the people that truly brings light to my Instagram feed. So, Liturgies for Hope versus a Curious Faith. What are you moving forward?
Jordan [00:39:22] Yeah, those are both interesting to me. I'm going to move forward Liturgies for Hope partly because I appreciate the idea of liturgy and the fact that it puts into words something that maybe we don't know how to express. And usually, it's written from the perspective of people who have experienced those things and they're time tested. And it gives you comfort because you realize I am walking alongside millions of people over the centuries who have felt these same things. We keep feeling the same things when we deal with God people. We are kindred spirits with them. And I like that. So, I'm going to advance Liturgies for Hope.
Annie Jones [00:40:06] Okay. I do love that little book. Next, we have the Cartographers. That's my Peng Shepherd verses The Appeal by Janice Hallett. Both of these are fiction books, maybe more in the mystery suspense genre. So, the Cartographers is about a young woman named Nell. Her father is like a famous cartographer, famous map reader, understander of maps, and Nell works for him until he fires her and she is shocked and hurt. And then he fires her kind of over this map that she really didn't think it was kind of this older map. She didn't think it meant anything. And he fires her over this. And then days later, he's found dead over this map, kind of leaning over this map. I've not read this book, but my understanding is Nell kind of takes it upon herself then to figure out why this map held such importance in her father's eyes. And then she realizes there maybe are some people after her trying to get the map. So, very much an adventure story as well. Then we have The Appeal. This is a book Olivia loved and immediately told me to read it, and so I did. And it is told over email and text, almost entirely over email and text. A theater troupe in the middle of a production begins to collect money for the director’s grandchild who has gotten sick with cancer. And so, they all collect money. And then there's some speculation among the members, is the grandchild really sick? Is this a real appeal or not? And so, the appeal kind of takes on multiple meanings throughout the book. Ultimately, someone in the theater troupe is found dead. And what is left is all this mounds of evidence that these attorneys are sifting through, and that is what we, the reader, have become privy to. So, that's why it's all emails and text. It's because it's evidence that we're sifting through. And occasionally you get the attorneys perspective. So, you're trying to figure out this whodunit, but only armed with certain kinds and amounts of information.
Jordan [00:42:04] Yeah, I think it's fascinating as a lawyer, the fact that we do trust juries to make decisions, but juries don't see all of the evidence. There are some pieces of evidence that we think are too biased or not probative enough about the truth that we don't let the jury see. And so, I think that's an interesting idea. I also think that the appeal is the team that comes into the tournament that's kind of unorthodox. They don't play like a team should play. They're not the traditional team. And they come in and kind of shocked the world and get a big blowout win in the first match. I'm going to advance the Appeal.
Annie Jones [00:42:40] Okay. I think that's completely accurate because you're right. It's kind of a nontraditional epistolary novel where it's just kind of all this correspondence. And I don't think every reader loves that. But I think if you can get beyond the unorthodox nature of it, it's really fun and entertaining.
Jordan [00:42:58] Epistolary.
Annie Jones [00:43:00] Epistolary.
Jordan [00:43:01] That's a good word.
Annie Jones [00:43:01] Okay, so last match up, and then we've got to go back through and kind of narrow this fully down. Last match up is Book Lovers by Emily Henry versus Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean.
Jordan [00:43:11] I laughed when I saw this.
Annie Jones [00:43:14] Book Lovers is a romcom. Well, it's a romcom that is also very much about sister relationships. So, we have another character named Nora and Libby. They are sisters. Nora leaves New York to come to- I believe it's North Carolina- to visit her sister. And while she's there, she's like this high powered literary agent while she's visiting her sister and trying to figure out kind of what's going on with her sister, Libby. She keeps running into this guy named Charlie, who's like her work nemesis up when she's living in New York. But somehow he's down here and they keep running into each other and maybe they wind up liking each other. Okay. Then Book Eaters-- I honestly think you're going to love this. So, this is a book that Olivia read and loved.
Jordan [00:44:01] This is [Inaudible].
Annie Jones [00:44:02] Okay. In this book, in this world, books are literal food, so you eat them-- or book eaters eat them and they retain then all of that information. So, if you eat a book about maps like, Jordan Jones, you should eat a book about maps because you would know where to go and what to do. Okay. And also, like, for example, spy novels are a peppery snack. Romcoms or romance novels are sweet. And then children for punishment are given musty old dictionaries to eat. But Devin is raised in this world. She's a book eater. She's raised by book eaters. And she is kind of entirely raised on fairy tales. And that's because that is what women are often fed and allowed to read. And men are allowed to read lots of other things. But women are kind of raised on this one diet. And then Devin has a son. And Devin's son is not so much book eater as he is brain eater. And maybe it's a little gross, maybe it's a little suspenseful, maybe it's a little horrific, maybe it's creative and interesting and fun. So, Olivia read this book and absolutely loved it. And every time she hand sells it in the store, you should see her trying to explain to people. "Now, it sounds gross to be a brain eater, but..." Like, she's trying to explain it. But it really does sound fascinating.
Jordan [00:45:25] Yeah, I'm going to have to advance Book Eaters for several reasons. One is when we have someone in our family and we realize, oh, that person has a different palate for food, for belief, for books, for whatever, trying to deal with people who don't have the same taste that we have is interesting. And then I also think the whole part about being raised on fairy tales, we've talked before about British fairy tales versus American fairy tales. And that's a fascinating conversation. But I think Book Eaters is going to win handily--
Annie Jones [00:46:02] I think so, too.
Jordan [00:46:03] In that one.
Annie Jones [00:46:04] Okay. Those were our top 16. Those were our 16 seeds. Now, to the elite eight. And we have Confessions of Frannie Langton verses book of Goose. That's an interesting pairing.
Jordan [00:46:17] It is an interesting pairing. And I've thought about this already. I think Book of Goose is going to advance and be that strange elite team that not many people have, because I think Confessions of Frannie Langton was so happy to beat Where the Crawdads Sing. They're fine with that. They've already popped the champagne. They just sleepwalk into the next round and Book of Goose wins based on that.
Annie Jones [00:46:38] Okay. Then we have Nora Goes Off Script versus the Crane wife.
Jordan [00:46:46] Yes.
Annie Jones [00:46:47] That's an interesting pairing as well. I love when this happens.
Jordan [00:46:50] Yes. This is interesting.
Annie Jones [00:46:55] The Crane Wife is an essay collections. Nora Goes Off Script is the romcom.
Jordan [00:46:59] Yeah. I think the Crane Wife advances here in a very, very, very tight game.
Annie Jones [00:47:04] I agree. It's tight. Yeah. But I do think the Crane Wife is the one that moves forward. Okay, then we have New Girl in Little Cove versus Liturgies for Hope.
Jordan [00:47:16] Yeah. And I'm going to advance New Girl in Little Cove. I think Liturgies for Hope was happy to get that first round win, but probably when it has to play, New Girl in Little Cove probably gets a little bit confused and you know New Girl in Little Cove advances.
Annie Jones [00:47:34] Okay. And then The Appeal versus Book Eaters.
Jordan [00:47:39] Yeah. So, The Appeal is the one that is unorthodox and unorthodoxy can get you out of the first round, but it can't get you to the final game. At the end of the day, you have to be able to practice the fundamentals, to do the time tested things, to be able to dribble, take care of the ball, make your shots, play sound defense. And unorthodoxy is fun and it's cute. Can't get you past that second round. So, it's going to be Book Eaters.
Annie Jones [00:48:09] I love that we live in a world where Book Eaters is orthodox. How great that they're the more traditional story.
Jordan [00:48:15] That's right.
Annie Jones [00:48:15] Okay, so now final four is Book of Goose versus the Crane wife.
Jordan [00:48:23] Yeah.
Annie Jones [00:48:24] And then New Girl in Little Cove, which shockingly has made it this far, versus Book Eaters. What an eclectic final four.
Jordan [00:48:33] It's an eclectic final four.
Annie Jones [00:48:33] I don't think there's many one seeds left.
Jordan [00:48:35] I agree. This is like a few years ago when the final game ended up being number seven and number eight. Kind of weird. I think Book of Goose runs out of gas.
Annie Jones [00:48:44] You do? Wait a minute, what are we talking about-- versus Crane Wife?
Jordan [00:48:47] Yeah, I think the Crane Wife surprisingly is the maybe the sixth seed that ends up in the final game.
Annie Jones [00:48:54] Okay. And I would have Crane Wife seated higher because but I agree that Book of Goose is the higher of the two.
Jordan [00:49:02] I think the Crane Wife is under seeded like. I think it's the sixth seed. I think it's the Creighton of this year.
Annie Jones [00:49:09] Okay.
Jordan [00:49:09] It's kind of like, wow, Creighton could make the final four. And then lo and behold, it does. Or maybe the Penn State of this year. Penn State's number 10 and it could make the final four. I think it's under seeded.
Annie Jones [00:49:23] Okay. So, we've got the Crane Wife. They are advancing to the championship game. And then we have New Girl in Little Cove versus Book Eaters.
Jordan [00:49:32] Yeah. I think this is my favorite game to watch.
Annie Jones [00:49:35] Really?
[00:49:37] Out of all these books we've talked about, these books just really fascinate me. But the Book Eaters is such a fascinating concept to me.
Annie Jones [00:49:46] I think it's such an original premise.
Jordan [00:49:48] It's an original premise. And when I first looked at it, I'm reminded of that passage from Revelation where John is told to eat the book. And when it's in his mouth, it's sweet. And when it's in his stomach, it's bitter. And so, the concept of eating books, I've always kind of thought about that in my mind, like, oh, that's interesting. I may have to actually read the Book Eaters once session is over? So, I'm going to advance the Book Eaters.
Annie Jones [00:50:12] I think that's the one I would advance as well. I think that would be an interesting matchup to watch. They feel completely different. New Girl in Little Cove is kind of this feel good Susie approved story. And my mom Susie's never going to read a book about a brain eating.
Jordan [00:50:29] Yeah. Can you think about that?
Annie Jones [00:50:32] Wow. Wait till mom hears your impression of her. It's going to go over great.
Jordan [00:50:35] I don't know how it's going to sound, but that's how I think of you, Ms. Susie-- in love.
Annie Jones [00:50:40] Okay, so we're going to move forward Book Eaters, which I do think there is something to be said as much as you were talking about orthodox play versus unorthodox play. I do think there is something about-- especially in this world where so many books are published every year, some might say too many books are published every year. I love that something original and something that you haven't read before moves forward.
Jordan [00:51:04] And high quality, well thought out.
Annie Jones [00:51:06] Olivia loved this book.
Jordan [00:51:08] It's practiced. It is the team that has practiced all of these things.
Annie Jones [00:51:12] Okay, which gives us in the championship game. I think this is pretty unusual. I would need to go back and listen to former March Madness episodes, but this feels like an unusual final matchup. It is The Crane Wife by C.J. Hauser versus Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean.
Jordan [00:51:29] Yeah, I think this is a final game where people say, "Wow, we didn't expect either of these teams here." We've got a sixth seed and maybe a three seed. And I think three seed Book Eaters pulls it out.
Annie Jones [00:51:43] Oh, I disagree. You don't get to decide.
Jordan [00:51:49] So, I think Book Eater is for the win.
Annie Jones [00:51:49] This is the Championship game.
Jordan [00:51:51] The whole time you said that--
Annie Jones [00:51:52] That's because I agreed with you, but now I disagree.
Jordan [00:51:55] Oh, okay. Well, Book Eater's Champ.
Annie Jones [00:51:58] Are you kidding?
Jordan [00:51:59] So a few years back, Auburn and UVA played in the final four game and UVA double dribbled and it wasn't called and Auburn ended up losing. And so, Auburn fans kind of laughingly always wear shirts that say "UVA double dribbled." That's this.
Annie Jones [00:52:17] I cannot believe Book Eaters just beat out the Crane Wife. No way. There are people yelling at us right now.
Jordan [00:52:23] Oh, they're going to be yelling for years. This is why it's March Madness. They're going to be saying "Book Eaters double dribbled," but Book Eater hangs the banner at the end of the day.
Annie Jones [00:52:37] I just knew it was going to be the Crane Wife on top. I cannot believe this.
Jordan [00:52:40] A lot of people think that. Half the stadium thought that when they came in.
Annie Jones [00:52:44] Olivia is going to be thrilled.
Jordan [00:52:46] Olivia deserves to be thrilled.
Annie Jones [00:52:48] Olivia deserves this win.
Jordan [00:52:48] She does a great job. She does.
Annie Jones [00:52:50] Fine.
Jordan [00:52:51] She worked very hard.
Annie Jones [00:52:52] Fine. Book Eater's by Sunyi Dean.
Jordan [00:52:55] I'm going to have to read this book.
Annie Jones [00:52:56] You are.
Jordan [00:52:57] I'm fascinated.
Annie Jones [00:52:58] Okay. Here's what I want. I want you post session to read this book, and I want you to read the Crane Wife.
Jordan [00:53:04] And then come back and say if I'm right?
Annie Jones [00:53:06] Yes. And then I want a follow up episode. Even if the episode is just me and you, not to the public.
Jordan [00:53:13] I think that's a good idea. People do love adventure.
Annie Jones [00:53:15] I want a follow up.
Jordan [00:53:16] Okay. I'll try to grant that. I think I can grant that.
Annie Jones [00:53:19] Okay.
[00:53:26] This week. What I am reading is brought to you by the 102nd Annual Rose Show and Festival here in Thomasville, Georgia. Come visit us for the weekend of April 28th and 29th and experience the flowers, fun, food and shopping in beautiful Thomasville. Plan your visit at ThomasvilleGA.com. I always hesitate to say what my favorite time of year is in Thomasville because obviously Christmas is magical. We talk about that a lot, that it's just a really fun time to visit. But I think spring is just such a beautiful time to visit the South in general before the heat gets too unbearable. And so, that is one of the reasons I do think Road Show and Festival would be such a great time to play tourist in Thomasville. Also, if you are a book lover, and I think if you're listening to this podcast episode, you are, the weekend of Road Show and Festival is also the weekend of Indie Bookstore Day. So, if you come to Thomasville for Road Show and festival, you will also get to enjoy fun and festive things happening at The Bookshelf in downtown. It is just the most fun Stars Hollow time of year where neighbors and friends have come back home for a little bit and they are seeing and greeting one another in our downtown. I just have such vivid memories every year, except for the year it rained. Every year, leaving the Bookshelf to stand on the corner while the marching band comes and plays and opens the rose tent. It's just so much fun and I think Victorian Christmas is really fun, but I think a little bit more crowded and I think just a little bit more, I don't know, traditional or more attended. And so, I actually think the road show is really the best time to come.
Jordan [00:55:06] Wow. That's controversial.
Annie Jones [00:55:08] I know. It's a controversial opinion, which is a controversial thing to say on an ad, but I think it's the truth.
[00:55:14] This week I'm reading Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano. Jordan, what are you reading?
Jordan [00:55:20] I am reading Florida Statutes, various iterations of that, various years and also Shakespeare and a Divided America by James Shapiro. I have one more thing to say.
Annie Jones [00:55:36] Okay.
Jordan [00:55:37] Your guys can edit this out if they don't want to, but I want to make a pitch. If you've never filled out a March Madness bracket, you need to do it. There are three things in my life that are both fun beyond compare and massively humbling. The first one is the game of golf, which no matter how good I get, it's frustrating and humbling and I feel stupid. The second is the Christian faith, which is massively fun and massively humbling. And the third is filling out a March Madness bracket, which no matter how many years I do it, I think, why was I that stupid? And this year is one of those years where I'm massively humbled.
Annie Jones [00:56:19] Thank you so much. He is losing it very badly to everyone we know.
Jordan [00:56:22] Very badly. It's ridiculous.
Annie Jones [00:56:27] Thank you again to our sponsor, The 102nd Annual Road Show and Festival here in Thomasville, Georgia. Plan your upcoming visit at ThomasvilleGA.com
Annie Jones: [00:56:33] 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 at @bookshelftville, and all the books from today’s episode can be purchased online through our store website: bookshelfthomasville.com A full transcript of today’s episode can be found at: fromthefrontporchpodcast.com Special thanks to Studio D Podcast Production for production of From the Front Porch and for our theme music, which sets the perfect warm and friendly tone for our Thursday conversations. Our Executive Producers are…
Donna Hetchler
Cammy Tidwell
Chantalle C
Kate O'Connell
Executive Producers (Read Their Own Names): Nicole Marsee Wendi Jenkins Laurie Johnson
Annie Jones: 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. Or, if you’re so inclined, support us over on Patreon, where we have 3 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.