Bonus Episode || From the Front Porch Live with Kerry Winfrey & R. Eric Thomas
This week on From the Front Porch, we have a special treat for you: a recording of our live show from our summer Reader Retreat this past weekend! In this episode, Annie, Hunter, and Ashley are joined by extra-special guests and authors Kerry Winfrey and R. Eric Thomas to do a snake draft of their favorite romcom tropes. Silliness and hilarity ensues. Enjoy!
To purchase books mentioned in this episode, visit our website:
Preorder Kerry Winfrey’s new book, Faking Christmas. (Releases September 26)
Preorder R. Eric Thomas’ new book, Congratulations, The Best is Over! (Releases August 8)
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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.
We’re so grateful for you, and we look forward to meeting back here next week.
Our Executive Producers are...Ashley Ferrell, Cammy Tidwell, Chanta Combs, Chantalle C, Kate O’Connell, Kristin May, Laurie Johnson, Linda Lee Drozt, Martha, Nicole Marsee, Stacy Laue, Stephanie Dean, Susan Hulings, and Wendi Jenkins.
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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.
[00:00:27] I'm Annie Jones, owner of the Bookshelf, an independent bookstore in beautiful downtown Thomasville, Georgia. And this week, I'm talking romance tropes with three very special guests. And we're doing it live. We got Hunter McLendon of Shelf by Shelf. And we have guest authors, Eric Thomas and Kerry Winfrey. So everybody, hi. This is a new format for us. Normally, I am joined by one maybe two guests if I'm lucky. But tonight there are a variety of voices. So I wanted to think about what we could talk about. And I'm so grateful to Caroline, our marketing manager, because I needed a topic that we could all talk about. And you've already during Reader Retreat weekend are authors Kerry and Eric have done readings for us. I subscribe to both your newsletters. I feel like you're both pop culture aficionados. That's accurate.
Eric Thomas [00:01:23] Yeah.
Kerry Winfrey [00:01:25] That's accurate.
Eric Thomas [00:01:25] Yeah, absolutely.
Annie Jones [00:01:26] So I thought something around romcoms. And then Caroline thought, what about a draft? A fantasy draft? So we are doing a fantasy draft of our favorite romantic comedy tropes. Now, if you're like anyone in my life, you don't know what any of those words mean. Basically, I feel like, Kerry, you are a romantic comedy writer, and I was just hoping you could give just a general understanding of what a trope is. Can you explain that for our listeners today?
Kerry Winfrey [00:01:59] Yes. A trope is something that kind of shows up in a lot of romcoms. Like a big one is the meet cute where in so many romcoms the characters one of them spills juice on the other one and they fall in love. Or like forced proximity, where they go to a hotel and there's only one bed and they have to share it.
Annie Jones [00:02:21] One of my personal favorite.
Kerry Winfrey [00:02:25] Mine too. Yeah.
Annie Jones [00:02:25] So tonight we have made a list. And, look, this was very research heavy. Okay. We have a list of 20 romantic tropes and the four of us are going to draft, I think five each. Did I do that math right? We'll find out.
Ashley [00:02:42] Yeah, that's right.
Annie Jones [00:02:44] Okay. Great. Sure, I did. So the key will be once one of us takes the trope, the other can't have it. So there is a spirit-- and I did this on purpose. Really kind of-- what is the word? Competition.
Eric Thomas [00:02:57] Yeah!
Annie Jones [00:03:00] There's the spirit of competition this evening because at the end you all will cheer loudest for the person who you think those tropes are the best. To welcome the element of fun; don't you think?
Eric Thomas [00:03:13] Yeah, it does. It offers an opportunity for us to bribe the audience. [Laughter].
Hunter [00:03:16] I'm not very competitive, so it's okay if you vote for me. [Laughter].
Eric Thomas [00:03:23] I'm just saying if you give me your Vemnos you will have a surprise tomorrow [Laughter].
Annie Jones [00:03:30] Tonight we have a long list of tropes. We also decided that to determine who goes first tonight, it will be whose birthday is next. So Ashley is our moderator for the evening. She is going to take copious notes and make sure we do this right. Right?
Ashley [00:03:44] Yes.
Annie Jones [00:03:47] This is our first time to do this. So this will be fun. We've had to explain fantasy drafts a lot today, but I think this is going to be a good time. So when are y'all birthdays? Who's next? I'm February.
Kerry Winfrey [00:03:59] I'm May.
Annie Jones [00:04:00] You've already had it.
Kerry Winfrey [00:04:02] Yeah.
Annie Jones [00:04:03] Oh no.
Kerry Winfrey [00:04:03] I know. I'm at a disadvantage right away.
Annie Jones [00:04:07] Okay. When's yours?
Eric Thomas [00:04:09] April.
Hunter [00:04:10] August. [Laughter].
Annie Jones [00:04:15] Okay. This does feel a little unfair. I'm sorry because it has to go Hunter, Annie-- and then you're April?
Eric Thomas [00:04:22] Yes.
Annie Jones [00:04:22] Okay, then Eric. Kerry, I'm sorry..
Kerry Winfrey [00:04:24] If someone takes my first pick, I will get mad. [Laughter].
Annie Jones [00:04:29] Okay. So we're going to talk our way through these tropes. We're going to identify where they are in pop culture, in literature, in movies. Anyway, Hunter, what's your first trope.
Hunter [00:04:42] I'm going to choose friends to lovers.
Ashley [00:04:48] You had it as your favorite.
Annie Jones [00:04:49] Used it as an example.
Hunter [00:04:50] The thing is I love friends to lovers because I'm constantly trying to have an affair. It hasn't happened yet. [Laughter] You guys know I love this [inaudible] My Best Friend's Wedding, they're friends and she wants them to be lovers. I want them to be lovers. That's the romance I want to have. And I feel like so many of these other great-- I don't know, like if your friends, you get to know each other, you're all yourselves. And I feel like a lot of these-- I don't know enough good examples because I'm bad at this. But I do feel like My Fest friend's Wedding is what comes to mind because they were friends and they're like, Imma get married at 28. And then they try to get married. I know this ends the way that we think it does, but I'm still going to count it. Does that count?
Annie Jones [00:05:35] That counts. That's fine. I'm just mad because that was my first choice.
Eric Thomas [00:05:40] I would also say that the point of My Best Friend's wedding is about friends to lovers with Rupert Everett at the end. That it's all sweet. It's like there won't be sex, but there will be dancing. [Laughter]. Which is what I say to all my friends.
Hunter [00:05:56] They keep adding to my point that I should win this part.
Annie Jones [00:06:01] It's okay [inaudible]. Great and I think that is a favorite movie of yours.
Eric Thomas [00:06:04] Yes.
Annie Jones [00:06:05] It's in your bio. All right. That's fine. You know what? I am going to pick forced proximity because I just literally wrote here, "Oh, no, there's only one bed; what shall we do?" [Laughter] I think have a very specific memory of this. I referenced it in my e-mail to y'all. I hope you didn't think I was a giant weirdo. Remember Who's the Boss? You guys remember Tony Danza? And so as a kid, I remember really loving the show Who's the Boss, and there is an episode-- and I looked for it and found it on YouTube. It's not quite as scandalous as I remember as a child. As a child, I just remember thinking, because it was this will they, won't they? And now I'm like, oh no, is it problematic because she's his boss? [Laughter]. Anyway Angela is his boss. Tony is her house husband. They're not married. Anyway, and they go away to camp to pick up their kids and they're stuck in one hotel room and it's twin beds. But then, oh dear, her bed gets rained on. And I just have this very distinct memory of thinking, "Wow that's what tension looks like." That's what romance looks for me. Which is not what romance is at all. But that would be one of my favorite trips. I'm picking forced proximity, and literally the only example I have here is Who's the Boss. Wait, and The Flatshare.
Hunter [00:07:32] That's a good one. I forgot we're doing TV shows, but I also thought about Jim and Pam.
Annie Jones [00:07:34] Oh, yeah. [Crosstalk]. Okay. So that was mine.
Eric Thomas [00:07:42] Another great example for proximity is Out of Sight. They get locked in the trunk.
Annie Jones [00:07:45] Oh, it's also great.
Eric Thomas [00:07:47] It's not romcom, but it's like no one has ever had more sexual tension like George Clooney and Jennifer Lopez. I mean, everything's a romcom if you laugh a little bit, you know? That's what I thought. Okay, let's see. I am picking the speech. What is it? The big speech.
Annie Jones [00:08:08] The speech of monologue.
Eric Thomas [00:08:11] The speech of monologue. So My Best Friends Wedding has a great one. Choose me. Make me make you happy. And then, of course, the ending speech. Notting Hill. Just the girl staring at the boy. [Crosstalk]. Julia Roberts is the queen of [crosstalk]. So in Seattle when Tom Hanks is talking about his wife. And Meg Ryan is [crosstalk]. I'm sorry me screaming into the podcast. I keep forgetting that we are doing this. And then also Rita Wilson talking about the movie. That's all great speeches. And then, of course, the greatest speech, I think, is Angela Bassett ripping out the clothes in the closet when [inaudible]. Again, not technically a romcom but a little bit funny. [Laughter]. Not at that moment, but it has it's moment. So I'm picking the speech.
Annie Jones [00:09:04] Great. How are you feeling?
Kerry Winfrey [00:09:05] Some of my favorites have been chosen. I'm going to soldier on. Okay. I'm going to pick the meet cute, which there are so many good ones. Like While You Were Sleeping, the meet cute with the guy she doesn't end up with is she saves him on the tracks, which I feel like it's really good. But my favorite is Moonstruck which Nicolas Cage yelling, "I lost my hand" which I think is cute.
Annie Jones [00:09:40] Which I like. Yeah.
Kerry Winfrey [00:09:42] I think that is Nicolas Cage at his hottest.
Annie Jones [00:09:44] Yes.
Female [00:09:44] Speed [Inaudible].
Annie Jones [00:09:44] I was going to say Speed. Yeah.
Eric Thomas [00:09:51] Speed. Oh, yeah.
Annie Jones [00:09:52] Okay. Hunter, what you got?
Hunter [00:09:55] Oh, no, I don't--
Annie Jones [00:10:01] There's a lot of good ones left.
Hunter [00:10:03] I know, but that's the problem [inaudible]. Okay, I'm going to say the essential best friend. Oh, that's so fun. So many of them are are homeless. [Laughter] [Inaudible] I think my favorite of such a best friend is the one that's in that weird movie. It's got the funny Australian girl picture perfect.
Eric Thomas [00:10:34] Rebel Wilson.
Hunter [00:10:35] Rebel Wilson.
Annie Jones [00:10:35] Oh, Isn't It Romantic?
Hunter [00:10:37] Isn't It Romantic.
Annie Jones [00:10:38] Yes.
Hunter [00:10:38] And it's really funny because whenever he was just like going in and out of hall of fame he's like a sexy gay, and he's like a normal or cool gay whatever. I love it. They're like, they're not going to [inaudible] but Best Friend's Wedding [crosstalk]. The obvious choice. I wouldn't consider [inaudible] an essential best friend.
Annie Jones [00:11:01] Of Jim?
Hunter [00:11:01] Yeah. I didn't know if he's Michael's [inaudible]. Oh, he's Michael's best friend. Oh, my goodness. I love Michael and Jim.
Annie Jones [00:11:16] You like the problematic couples. Who is the-- she's iconic as the Best Friend's.
Female [00:11:19] Judy Greer.
Hunter [00:11:23] I love Judy Greer.
Annie Jones [00:11:24] She's Penny in The Wedding Planner.
Eric Thomas [00:11:27] Yeah, she's incredible.
Annie Jones [00:11:27] Yes.
Hunter [00:11:28] Judy Greer could be me in anything. I think we are best friends. I would date her and marry her.
Annie Jones [00:11:35] Would you have an affair with her?
Hunter [00:11:39] Yes. [Laughter].
Eric Thomas [00:11:39] I just want to say, Rosie in Sleepless is truly amazing. And then Kerry Fisher in When Harry Met Sally or Andrew and Bruno Barbie.
Annie Jones [00:11:49] I was going to say Bruno Barbie is also a great [crosstalk] But some of the scenes with them, like at the batting cages. Those were good.
Eric Thomas [00:11:56] Oh, truly. Wagon wheel.
Annie Jones [00:11:56] Yeah, the wagon wheel. They say I went so many rounds on this wagon wheel. It goes go back and forth. I can see you had to be there. My next one I'm going to pick, this is actually one of my favorite tropes in romcom books, is famous person falls in love with a normal person. [Laughter].
Kerry Winfrey [00:12:15] You picked the best one.
Annie Jones [00:12:18] [Inaudible] don't we think all deep down just on the right seat on the plane, don't we just think that someone would look over and be like, oh they're adorable. I feel like Chris Evans really got to know me, he'd be like, she's charming.
Hunter [00:12:42] It's so funny you say that because I was thinking earlier, I was like, what would be a situation where I would be next to a famous person and we would fall in love. And I thought about it and I was like, wouldn't it be so funny if I were on a podcast and I was sitting next to a famous person. [Laughter]. [crosstalk]
Annie Jones [00:13:12] That's one of my favorite tropes. It shows out in one of my favorite books in recent memory, Nora Goes Off Script. Funny You Should Ask, which was literally based on a famous person maybe kind of falling in love with a normal. I loved Waiting for Tom Hanks. The Bodyguard. In my dreams I just think of Seth Meyers ever had me on his show as an independent book seller, he would be like, wow, you're so fun.
Kerry Winfrey [00:13:45] I love that that's your celebrity. Your celebrity is Seth Meyers.
Annie Jones [00:13:48] It feels attainable.
Hunter [00:13:52] [Inaudible].
Eric Thomas [00:13:52] I was going to say [inaudible].
Annie Jones [00:13:55] Okay. I mean, dark. But yeah.
Hunter [00:13:57] If it does not end with tears, what's the point?
Eric Thomas [00:14:02] The American President is also a really great example of that.
Annie Jones [00:14:05] So good. Yeah.
Eric Thomas [00:14:06] And my mother used to always call it the president's girlfriend. She's like, "Is The President's Girlfriend on?" And I'm like, "You mean the American President?" she's like, "No, the president's girlfriend." I was like, "All right, sure." It is about [inaudible].
Kerry Winfrey [00:14:16] It's a great movie.
Female [00:14:19] Love Actually.
Eric Thomas [00:14:23] And Love Actually. True. And The America's Sweethearts. Another Julia Roberts [inaudible]. Okay. I'm going to choose love triangle. [Laughter] Oh, man. We're just plotting my life's book right now, right? Yeah. So Bill Pullman I think is the king of love triangle because he's in Sleepless in Seattle. And here's the problem. So Bill Pullman's faults in Sleepless in Seattle are that he has allergies.
Annie Jones [00:15:00] He has allergies.
Eric Thomas [00:15:01] And that is the worst thing. [Inaudible]. And he doesn't really care about about wedding China. But he's kind of not really in that triangle because it's like a trapezoid. I don't know. It's obtuse. I don't know. [Inaudible] But then he was also the winner of While You Were Sleeping. That triangle. Incredible.
Annie Jones [00:15:27] Also ranged.
Eric Thomas [00:15:28] Truly
Annie Jones [00:15:29] To go from nerdy, sneezing into his hankie, counting wedding China, and then to going to denim jacket wearing [inaudible].
Kerry Winfrey [00:15:37] Reversible denim jacket [inaudible].
Eric Thomas [00:15:43] I got to say, the costuming in the movie is incredible because everything-- I wrote an article on this one-- everything that [inaudible] wears in that movie, it's pajamas. In a movie about sleeping. Watch it again. Every scene you're like, "That's pajamas." It's complicated. I think Preacher's Wife has got triangle.
Annie Jones [00:16:03] With the angel.
Eric Thomas [00:16:04] With the angel there's some chemistry there.
Annie Jones [00:16:08] I remember rooting for the angel.
Eric Thomas [00:16:09] Truly. Also, I got to say, Denzel and Courtney B. Vance have incredible chemistry [inaudible]. I don't know what's going on there. And then Kermit Jenny and Miss Piggy is the [inaudible] movie. The great scene, the roller skating across Central Park. You gave Jenny the huggies? Have [inaudible] thing ever been more heartbreaking and true? Anyway, I think love triangle.
Hunter [00:16:33] I have a question. So there's two things I think are love triangle. So surely the Kerry Bradshaw, Aidan, Mr. Big thing is a love triangle, right?
Annie Jones [00:16:42] Yeah. I mean, she just dates so many people.
Hunter [00:16:45] I kn ow that those are the big ones. Like you either want money or you want, like--
Annie Jones [00:16:50] Tables. He built tables, right.
Hunter [00:16:51] Yeah. I love a good table. But then also there's this movie called Connie and Carla. It's like a spin [inaudible] but the one who wrote and starred in My Big Fat Greek Wedding.
Eric Thomas [00:17:06] Nia Vardalos.
Annie Jones [00:17:07] Yes.
Hunter [00:17:08] So her and Toni Collette are running away from these criminals, and they dress as drag queens. And this guy starts fall with Nia Vordala, but then he is having feelings for her while she's in drag. So he thinks he's a part of a love triangle. That's really complicated.
Annie Jones [00:17:33] That's really Interesting. [inaudible].
Kerry Winfrey [00:17:38] All right. I am going to go with wedding gone wrong because I feel like weddings are already so dramatic, and there's a lot of chances for mishaps in romance. And my favorite example is The Wedding Singer, because so many requests go wrong. And like Adam Sandler's wedding goes wrong, and then he also ruined someone else's wedding by singing love stinks. [Laughter]. Also, While You Were Sleeping is kind of a wedding gone wrong. That wedding does not work out. My Best Friend's Wedding, many things go wrong.
Annie Jones [00:18:13] Okay. Do you guys have feelings about Forces of Nature with Ben Affleck?
Eric Thomas [00:18:19] Yeah.
Hunter [00:18:19] Yes.
Annie Jones [00:18:20] That is a great movie. I don't think anyone likes it but me. But, man, I own that movie on DVD just so I can watch it whenever I want. [Inaudible]. What is the woman's name? She narrates Hello, Beautiful. She was on E.R.
Eric Thomas [00:18:36] Julianna margulies [sp]. No
Annie Jones [00:18:37] No, the other one. Bobbed hair.
Eric Thomas [00:18:39] Maura Tierny?
Annie Jones [00:18:45] Yes, she is in it as Ben Affleck's poor fiancee waiting for him in Savannah. And there's like forces of nature and he's hanging out with Sandra Bullock and they're kind of maybe falling in love. Okay. Are you next?
Eric Thomas [00:18:59] Yes.
Annie Jones [00:18:59] Okay. Wait. Ashley, can you tell us what we picked?
Ashley [00:19:02] Sure. Okay. So Hunter has picked friends to lovers and eccentric best friend. Annie has picked forced proximity and famous and the normal. Eric has picked-- I didn't know you're going to need this. Speech monologue and love triangle. Kerry has picked meet cute and wedding gone wrong.
Annie Jones [00:19:30] Okay. That's where.
Hunter [00:19:31] Okay. I will choose fake relationships.
Annie Jones [00:19:37] Dang it.
Hunter [00:19:37] There's that romcom and there's two men. It's either the Charm Offensive or it's Boyfriend Material. Maybe it's both of those. I thought those were super cute.
Annie Jones [00:19:49] I think it's Boyfriend Material.
Annie Jones [00:19:51] Boyfriend Material. Okay. I love that because he's British. [Laughter].
Hunter [00:19:57] I really like him. I'm like, "Hello there. How are you? Do you think we're friends together?" Also, one of my favorite romcoms is Dumb Girls. [Laughter]. And at some point they're like, "Well, we're in it together for the money." And let me tell you something. I saw that shower scene in Gone Girl, and I would have a relationship with Ben Affleck. I would help him him through rehab. I saw stories, want to know how to do it. So I had faith that I could make that work.
Annie Jones [00:20:39] Okay, fine.
Hunter [00:20:40] Fake it till you make it.
Annie Jones [00:20:43] That would be the name of your romcom. All right. I'm going to pick childhood sweetheart. I am not going to pick that solely because it of [inaudible]. And then the couple we all know should have been Joe and Morris. So I'm going to take childhood sweethearts. I wasn't sure I was going to go with that because I feel it is complicated. You don't have to fall in love when you are a kid. It solves a lot of problems. And so I think that's the trope that I'm going to go with. I can't even think of a movie where that's done well. In My Girl?
Eric Thomas [00:21:25] Love and Basketball.
Annie Jones [00:21:28] Love and Basketball. Yes, that's good. [Inaudible]. I don't enjoy Sweet [inaudible].
Hunter [00:21:39] Melanie Lynskey is the only good thing about that movie. [Inaudible]. That's true.
Annie Jones [00:21:45] It is good in that movie. But I don't love that movie. But I do love [inaudible] And I think they actually qualify as either childhood sweethearts or friends-lovers or enemies-lovers. Like all of them. [Inaudible] Well, well done. So that's fine.
Eric Thomas [00:22:02] I'm going to choose enemies to lovers. I love enemies. I love having enemies. [Laughter] I love a few. I love a nemesis. Red White and Royal Blue. [Inaudible]. I was thinking about Happy Place. I don't know. They're not enemies, but just like broken up. That's a different category. Like a subcategory of we broke up, but also... But she's real mad at him for the first two thirds of the book. Proposal. Dark Set, Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn. So good. Pride and Prejudice, obviously. [Inaudible]. There's a lot of feelings happening in that movie.
Annie Jones [00:22:47] Probably why I don't like it. I don't enjoy feelings. I just tend to move them off to the side and get things done, so I'm not interested.
Kerry Winfrey [00:22:55] It's shocking that you love romcoms. [Laughter] Movies and channel about feelings.
Annie Jones [00:23:01] I should talk about that with my therapist. All right, Kerr, what you got?
Kerry Winfrey [00:23:07] All right. I'm going to go with second chance romance. And so one of my favorite genres of romcom is screwball comedies from, like, the thirties and forties. And back then, they kind of all had to be second chance romances because they were all about divorced people. So my favorites are the Cary Grant-Irene Dunne pairing, the Awful Truth, My Favorite Wife. But also then the Philadelphia Story Cary Grant-Katharine Hepburn. I think those are like the blueprint for so many romcoms that we watch today.
Annie Jones [00:23:37] Did you read CJ Hauser's essay about the Philadelphia [inaudible].
Kerry Winfrey [00:23:39] I sure did.
Annie Jones [00:23:40] It's so good.
Eric Thomas [00:23:41] So good.
Kerry Winfrey [00:23:42] It was great. Okay. This is the last final question? I think so.
Eric Thomas [00:23:47] Well, yeah. This sucks. [Inaudible].
Annie Jones [00:23:50] Hunter, I think you're up.
Hunter [00:23:52] Okay. I'm going to go with opposites attract. I only have, one real frame reference because I have bad memory, and I do not prepare for [inaudible]. But I keep thinking about Legally Blonde, which I think is such an unexpected kind of-- because she's like a strong, pink, powerful, bubbly person. And Luke Wilson, the one that doesn't have a broken nose, he's all like serious like a lawyer. [Laughter]. And he's like, "Are you sure that she's innocent?" And she's like, endorphins. It's so funny because I'm married to somebody who is very similar to me in a lot of ways and annoying. And so I would like somebody to [inaudible]. I wouldn't mind like my next marriage I'm I'm like no, I want somebody who's crazy and who's mean, who doesn't what to call this.
Male [00:24:53] Just give this a few more years. [Laughter].
Hunter [00:24:57] I like that tension of like [inaudible].
Annie Jones [00:25:04] We're getting down to the bottom of the barrel.
Kerry Winfrey [00:25:04] Yeah. This is rough.
Annie Jones [00:25:10] All right. I'm going to take one for the team, and I'm going to pick. And you'll better not judge me when it comes down to both. I'm doing this out of generosity. I'm taking catfish.
Kerry Winfrey [00:25:18] Thank you.
Annie Jones [00:25:23] Here's why I'm taking it because of You've Got Mail. And I'm taking it as everybody now with their 2023 wins wants to talk about You've Got Mail. And I'm just here to say if somebody wanted to buy me out of business so I could write my book, absolutely. [Laughter] No problem at all. That sounds great to me. I also thought of Roman Holiday. It's a fantastic movie where he doesn't think she's a princess or she doesn't know he's a journalist following princess. So I kind of like a little deception in my romance. I feel like you and I are the same age there.
Hunter [00:25:58] Yeah.
Annie Jones [00:25:58] And so I am going to take the catfish, even though I know that it's wrong.
Eric Thomas [00:26:07] It's a very strong argument.
Annie Jones [00:26:10] All right, Eric.
Eric Thomas [00:26:11] I'm going to go with staying in that same category. I'm going with fish out of water. I love Working Girl, From the Very First Moment, Let the River Run. Carly Simon, [crosstalk].
Annie Jones [00:26:29] We played that in the Bookshelf sometimes and you were like, "What is this?" I'm sorry. It's Melanie Griffith.
Eric Thomas [00:26:36] Yes, it's Melanie Griffith. Oh, my God, she's all that. It's another great fish out of water. And there was one other that I was just-- oh, it was the tip of my tongue. Fish out of water. Fish. I want to know. Yeah. Working girl. Well, literally. [Laughter] You win $10,000. She's literally a fish out of water. It's brilliant. I love a fish out of water story. Just because you immediately root for them. And Legally Blonde is fish out of water.
Annie Jones [00:27:12] Part [inaudible]. Have you ever watched that?
Kerry Winfrey [00:27:15] Yeah.
Annie Jones [00:27:15] The doctor in the small town.
Hunter [00:27:18] Going back to Working Girl, I do have a very quick question. If you've seen Working Girls and you've seen Broadcast News and if you've seen Little Black Book, I feel like that it's like [crosstalk].
Annie Jones [00:27:26] Okay, do you agree with him that Little Black Book is the missing part of that trilogy?
Kerry Winfrey [00:27:32] I feel like Broadcasting News and Little Black Book in the same sentence is [crosstalk].
Hunter [00:27:38] No, it's just weird like quasi-sequel which Holly Hunter is in.
Kerry Winfrey [00:27:45] Okay
Annie Jones [00:27:46] He's trying to convince me that Little Black Blook in the same category as Harrison Ford sucking on drink straws. It's wonderful, but Little Black Book?
Eric Thomas [00:27:53] I also don't think that Broadcast News and Working Girl are in the same universe. [Crosstalk].
Hunter [00:28:00] I think those two together make the Little Black Book baby. [Laughter].
Eric Thomas [00:28:02] I'm curious. And then I'd be like, "I have a question."
Hunter [00:28:09] Okay. You know what, off the air I will try and make a better argument. [Laughter].
Eric Thomas [00:28:14] Yeah, sure. It'll happen off the air. You'll all be convinced. [Laughter].
Annie Jones [00:28:21] All right. You got to take the last one.
Kerry Winfrey [00:28:23] I have the last one. So by default, I choose a scenic setting/vacation. I feel like The Holiday counts for this. Even though it is a Christmas movie, it is a vacation.
Annie Jones [00:28:43] I'm sorry my mom's here. She loves that movie. And every year she's like, Should we watch The Holiday? No. [Crosstalk].
Female [00:28:46] That is so mean.
Eric Thomas [00:28:47] Villain.
Kerry Winfrey [00:28:54] And it is great because sometimes you go on a trip and you fall in love with you July. [Crosstalk].
Annie Jones [00:29:02] It's classicist [inaudible].
Kerry Winfrey [00:29:02] And also napkin head.
Eric Thomas [00:29:08] Would you say that Faking Christmas also fits in this category?
Kerry Winfrey [00:29:11] Perhaps, yes. Although everything is fake. [Laughter].
Annie Jones [00:29:20] I feel like a lot of Emily Henry's books falls in this category.
Kerry Winfrey [00:29:23] I have some of those and it's fabulous. People We Meet On Vacation.
Annie Jones [00:29:25] [Crosstalk] always somewhere that you want to be like Maine or wherever.
Eric Thomas [00:29:31] Maine or wherever.
Hunter [00:29:31] I still haven't read Emily Henry, But I do know that they are bright colors.
Annie Jones [00:29:36] Yes. Start with Beach Read.
Kerry Winfrey [00:29:39] That my favorite too.
Eric Thomas [00:29:41] Also, Fire Island is another great example.
Annie Jones [00:29:44] Oh, yes.
Kerry Winfrey [00:29:46] Yeah.
Annie Jones [00:29:47] That is supposed to be retelling [Crosstalk].Yeah very fun.
Eric Thomas [00:29:51] Very good.
Annie Jones [00:29:52] Okay, shall we each go through-- does everybody know what theirs are?
Eric Thomas [00:29:56] Yeah.
Kerry Winfrey [00:29:56] No.
Annie Jones [00:29:58] Ashley, do you want to tell? All right, Ashley, tell us Hunter's.
Ashley [00:30:02] Okay. Hunter's choices. His favorite tropes are friends to lovers, eccentric best friends, fake relationships and opposites attract.
Annie Jones [00:30:13] Typical. The person who doesn't prepare get's to win. All right.
Ashley [00:30:23] All right. Annie’s choices. Forced proximity, famous person and a normal, childhood sweethearts, catfish.
Eric Thomas [00:30:29] Are you sure? [Laughter].
Ashley [00:30:36] Eric's favorite tropes speech/monologue, love triangle, enemies to lovers, fish out of water.
Eric Thomas [00:30:49] What? Incredible. [Inaudible].
Ashley [00:30:55] Kerry's choices. Meet cute, wedding gone wrong, second chance romance and scenic setting/vacation romance.
Kerry Winfrey [00:31:01] Impeccable picks.
Annie Jones [00:31:04] All right, if you think Hunter wins the draft, applaud. [Applause]. Okay, Eric's picks. [Applause]. Kerry's picks. [Applause]. [Laughter] And they don't like [inaudible] and I don't like the Holiday.
Kerry Winfrey [00:31:36] Yeah.
Annie Jones [00:31:37] It's fine [crosstalk]. Okay. It was close between Eric and Kerry but I think Eric has the most. [Applause].
[00:32:01] This week, what I'm reading is brought to you by Visit Thomasville. Summer is a wonderful time to see Thomasville, Georgia. If it's time to hit the road for a quick getaway, we are exactly what you're looking for. You can rekindle your spark, explore historical sites, indulge in dining out, shop at amazing independent stores, and finally relax and unwind. There's no better getaway than Thomasville. Whether you live close by or are just passing through, we hope you'll visit beautiful Thomasville, Georgia. It's worth the trip. Plan Your visit at ThomasvilleGA.com. As I am recording this, I am coming down off of the high that is Reader Retreat. Reader Retreats are a production of the Bookshelf. They are one of our signature events that we host. We host them 2 to 3 times a year, depending on the year. And one of the things I love about Reader Retreats is that it is a chance to show long distance customers just how special Thomasville is. And yes, is it hot here in the summer? Sure. But my door is not yet swollen shut. There is time for you to come visit Thomasville when it's not too terribly hot. And the hospitality more than makes up for the humidity. It was a gift to get to introduce newcomers to our wonderful downtown this weekend. And I just have the biggest smile on my face because I got to watch retreaters make same stops that I make. I got to watch them shop at Fuzzy Goat, stop in at Empire Bagel for lunch, visit Self Life, head to Firefly, do all of the things. See all of the things that I love to do and see. So I hope you will plan a trip to Thomasville, Georgia very soon.
[00:33:54] This week I'm reading How Far to the Promised Land by Esau McCaulley.
[00:34:00] Thank you again to our sponsor, Visit Thomasville. You can plan your visit at ThomasvilleGA.com.
Annie Jones: 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…
Executive Producers (Read Their Own Names):
Nicole Marsee
Wendi Jenkins
Laurie Johnson
Susan Hulings
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