Episode 506 || Staff's Favorite Books of 2024
This week on From the Front Porch, The Bookshelf staff share their favorite books of 2024!
To purchase the books mentioned in this episode, stop by The Bookshelf in Thomasville, visit our website (search “Episode 506” to find the books mentioned in this episode), or download and shop on The Bookshelf’s official app:
Olivia's Favorite:
Somewhere Beyond the Sea by TJ Klune
Erin's Favorite:
We Burn Daylight by Bret Anthony Johnston
Keila's Favorite:
All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker
Caroline's Favorite:
Ghostroots by ‘Pemi Aguda
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, Tiktok, and Facebook, 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.
Thank you to this week’s sponsor, Thomasville, Georgia. There is something truly special about the holiday season in Downtown Thomasville. The twinkling lights, beautifully decorated store windows, and holiday events all add to the festive feeling of the season.
Let us be your shopping and dining destination this holiday season, so spend Christmas in Thomasville with us. Activities are held every weekend leading up to Christmas, including this year’s 38th Annual Victorian Christmas on December 12 and 13. Learn more by visiting thomasvillega.com or call 229-228-7977.
Special thanks to Dylan and his team at Studio D Podcast Production for sound and editing and for our theme music, which sets the perfect warm and friendly tone for our Thursday conversations.
This week, Annie is reading Cherished Belonging by Gregory Boyle.
If you liked what you heard in today’s episode, tell us by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. You can also support us on Patreon, where you can access bonus content, monthly live Porch Visits with Annie, our monthly live Patreon Book Club with Bookshelf staffers, Conquer a Classic episodes with Hunter, and more. 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...Jennifer Bannerton, Stephanie Dean, Linda Lee Drozt, Ashley Ferrell, Susan Hulings, Wendi Jenkins, Martha, Nicole Marsee, Gene Queens, Cammy Tidwell, and Amanda Whigham.
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]
“At ten years old he realized that people were born whole, and that the bad things peeled layers from the person you once were, thinning compassion and empathy and the ability to construct a future. At thirteen he knew those layers could sometimes be rebuilt when people loved you. When you loved.” ― Chris Whitaker, All the Colors of the Dark
[as music fades out] I’m Annie Jones, owner of The Bookshelf, an independent bookstore in beautiful downtown Thomasville, Georgia, and as is tradition as we close out the year, I wanted you to hear directly from The Bookshelf’s staff members about their favorite books of 2024.
[00:01:16] Before we begin today's episode, I did want to remind you and let you know that Annie's Five-Star Books will be continuing on Instagram for 2025. If you're new here, for $50 a year, you can become a part of my bookish community online. Through my private Instagram account you'll get access to my book reviews and monthly Instagram story Q&A, where I share about my reading plan for the month, the books I start, but maybe never finish, etc. This comes to about-- let's see, $50 a year, 100-ish reviews. I'm not a huge math person, but I want to say it's like $0.50 a review if you're doing the math. If you follow me personally on Instagram, you've seen my reviews for years, so you kind of know what to expect. And of course, From the Front Porch listeners will always have access to these free monthly reading recap episodes.
[00:02:06] The private Instagram is just a way for the last couple of years that I've been able to be more detailed with my reviews, and Five-Star Book Club members can also choose if they want any of my five star reads mailed to them each month from The Bookshelf. We have a lot of fun over there. And even though I considered making some changes in 2025, I decided 2025 isn't the year to be making a ton of change because there's a book coming out and all that stuff. So we're going to keep things on Instagram. It's a really fun way for me to connect with readers, and it's also a great landing spot for reviews. So if you'd like to join us there, you can find out more information https://anniebjoneswrites.com/fivestar-book-club. (There’s also a link in the shownotes, so you don't have to type all that) And again I'd love to see you over there in 2025.
[00:03:02] Now as we eek closer to the end of the year, or as my friend says, as we limp closer to the end of the year, I wanted to ask our staff for their list of their favorite books of 2024. Later this month, you'll hear me and Hunter discuss our favorite books in detail. We always do our top 10 of the year, and that tradition will continue later this month. But today and this week, I wanted you to hear directly from some of our bookshelf staffers and team members. Their favorites reflect a wide range of genres and a look and a glimpse at their own personal tastes. I hope hearing their voices is a reminder of how much work and how many people go into helping our small business exist in the world. The reason you get to hear my voice every week is because there are team members behind the scenes working diligently and constantly on the store and in the store. The Bookshelf is The Bookshelf because of their hard work, ingenuity and creativity, and I'm glad to know them. And in this week's episode, you get to know them a little bit better, too.
[00:04:08] Of course, by the end of today's episode, big fans of The Bookshelf might know, wait a minute, this isn't everybody. Not every Bookshelf staffer is featured today. It is the most wonderfully chaotic time of the year and beautiful downtown Thomasville, Georgia, and where bookstore staffers are rarely required to participate in the podcast because they have a lot of other things going on. They have a lot of things keeping them busy. So our floor and bookselling staff in particular Kyndall, Nancy and Mallory, they are exceptionally thoughtful readers and you can find their favorite 2024 reads on Instagram throughout this month. Just make sure you're following The Bookshelf @bookshelftville. But you won't hear their voices on today's show. Okay. First up is a recognizable voice. Our operations manager, Olivia. Olivia has been with The Bookshelf for six years now, running our in-store floor operations. She manages our bookselling team, functions as our children's book buyer. And you hear her monthly on From the Front Porch. So without further ado, here is Olivia.
Olivia [00:05:15] Hello, my name is Olivia Schieffer and I'm the operations manager here at The Bookshelf. My number one book of 2024 was Somewhere Beyond the Sea by TJ Klune. This came out September 10th of this year, but I read it back in May because I have one of the most wonderful Macmillan reps there is. Shout out to Lisa, who gets me all of TJ Klune's ARCs that are being printed and as early as possible. She's absolutely amazing. I generally have three criteria that I judge books by to determine their star rating, how much I love them. Number one is, did this book further my love of reading? Number two is, did I want to share it with others upon finishing? Was this a book that I wanted other people to read so that I could talk to them about it? And number three was, how long did I think about this book after I finished it? TJ, for me, generally hits all three of these criteria, almost every single book. He's absolutely incredible in his writing. He's definitely not for everyone. He's a quirky fantasy person. But I think when you find a TJ Klune reader, you have found a friend. I generally equate TJ Klune with Taylor Swift.
[00:06:35] Hear me out there. Their fan bases to me are extremely similar. The Swifties are these people who are so inclusive. They are so excited for you to join in alongside them. They are so welcoming. I was a Swiftie when I was younger in high school, and then I dropped off for a while and then I came back in the past couple of years with Folklore, with Midnights, with the Eras tour. And what I found was this community that was just happy to have you; that didn't care when you started loving Taylor; how many songs you've memorized; what your favorite song is; what your favorite album is. They just cared that you were there, that you showed up, that you were living in the moment with them and that you were happy. I've never felt safer in a crowd of 20,000 people than I did at the Eras tour. It was incredible. And I feel the same way about TJ Klun fan base. He creates this community over acceptance and love and compassion. And though he might not have as many fans on his side as Taylor Swift. When you find a TJ Klune fan, you found a good person. You found someone that you can easily relate to. And I have found that through all of his books.
[00:07:57] Somewhere Beyond the Sea made my number one not just because it hit the three criteria, because I liked the writing and the story. It made my number one because of the community it gave me and the experience that I had reading it. I had the privilege of sharing this ARC with two different people. So after I finished it, which I read it very slowly because I was savoring every second of it, I passed it on to my bookseller friend Jill up in Ohio, and she had seen that I left my marks on it. I, like Annie, tear pages; I bend corners; I make sure I mark any moment that I loved, any quote that I loved. I just want to look at the spine of that book and see how loved it was in that moment. And so when Jill got it, she decided she was also going to put her mark on the book, which I loved. So, Jill, also bent some pages, she annotated some side lines and she noted the same places that I loved as well. And then she sent it back. So then I got to see what Jill loved about this book, maybe different places that I didn't notice or different things that I didn't catch.
[00:09:08] And then I got to share it with a customer who we have shared a love of books together for a long time. And then I think it was this past year that I realized that she was also a huge TJ Klune fan with me. And so she got to take the book home. And I encouraged her. I was like do whatever you want with this book. I just would love to have it back when you are done. And she did. She gave it back. It is all marked up. She left a note in it just like Jill did. And it's one of my favorite things. Now I get to treasure this art forever, flipping through it from time to time and seeing the places that they loved and the moments that they noticed. And it's just one of my favorite things that has happened this past year. And TJ Klune has always been the author that can bring me these moments. He writes books at a very timely manner. When you needed a book about love and compassion, there he is with House in the Cerulean Sea. When you needed a book about grief, there he is with Under the Whispering Door. When you needed to escape, here's the rereleases of the Wolfsong series.
[00:10:15] And then right when you didn't think you needed anything, here's Somewhere Beyond the Sea. A book about political turmoil taking over human rights and love winning all. It was so beautiful. And I am forever grateful for the community of friends and readers that I have gained through sharing TJ Klun's work. I don't have a specific passage to note for you because there's so many little moments that won't be caught in a quote but will be caught when you're reading it. That is Somewhere Beyond the Sea by TJ Klune. You do need to read House in the Cerulean Sea before. I highly recommend this series. It is just so great. It is so wonderful. And he is a great human being. So you will love it.
Annie Jones [00:11:04] Next is Erin. Erin is our online sales manager and another recognizable Bookshelf voice. Long distance customers love Erin, and so do we. She handles each and every customer service issue, manages our store website and online sales- which is a big part of our business. Interacts with our growing list of loyal long distance customers and helps market and monitor our Shelf Subscription program. In fact, next week you'll be hearing more from Erin as she and I discuss upcoming changes to the Shelf Subscription program and things customers can look forward to in 2025. Because we have been really busy actually behind the scenes talking about 2025. But that is neither here nor there. That's not what today is about. So here is Erin discussing her favorite book of this year.
Erin [00:11:55] I'm Erin Fielding. I'm the online sales manager here at The Bookshelf. And my favorite book of 2024 may come as a surprise to some of you. A lot of you listen to me on the podcast and hear me talk about a lot of books. But as I went back over my 2024 reading list, I had a few criteria, which was, do I remember what happened in this book? Do I remember the characters? Do I remember how the book made me feel? And how quickly was I able to read it? Meaning did it grab me? Did I want to continue reading it? And I read a lot of fantastic books in 2024 really, but as I look back over my list, this book stood out. And I also think it's a bit of a hidden gem. Not a lot of people have read it and so I wanted to bring it back up. So I won't leave you hanging. My favorite book of 2024 was We Burn Daylight by Bret Anthony Johnston. It released at the end of July 2024. But because of the magic of ARCs, I was able to read it in June 2024. I loved this book right off the bat because of the Romeo and Juliet comparison. The author himself has said that it's a slight retelling of the Romeo and Juliet story even in the names of the characters.
[00:13:09] The boy's name is Roy. The girl's name is Jay. And they meet in a small Texas town because Jay has traveled there with her mom from California because her mom has followed a sort of cult leader/ false prophet, and now they are living on this compound in Texas. And if this sounds familiar, yes, it's sort of meant to echo what happened in the Waco with David Koresh. The boy, Roy, is the son of the local sheriff. And the town, of course, and the sheriff is trying to make sure that this cult is not hurting anyone inside and is also not arming themselves to hurt people outside. So you can see that their families are at odds, which, of course, is that Romeo and Juliet storyline. What I loved about this book is the love story between Roy and Jay. It's so innocent. They're teenagers and it's so sweet. It's really their first love. And just the lengths that Roy will go to try to see Jay or impress her, it's so sweet. I loved the relationships between Roy and his dad the sheriff.
[00:14:29] And I also love the relationship between Jay and her mom. She's done a lot of things to take care of her mom, and it's evident that they love each other. What I really loved is the small town setting. I loved that it was propulsive. I literally did not want to put it down. I wanted to keep reading. I couldn't look away from what you thought would be the ending given the Romeo and Juliet comparison. And I also love that it included sort of modern things like a transcript of a hypothetical podcast that happened in the future. So you're getting information from the future about what happened in the past. And to me, that's also a great storytelling way to tell a story. So if you haven't read this book, I would encourage you to pick it up. Again, you will not be disappointed. And Brett Anthony Johnston's writing is gorgeous. So that is my favorite book of 2024.
Annie Jones [00:15:23] Now you get to hear from Keila. If you are a Patreon supporter, you've heard Keila's voice on the podcast on bonus episodes and you've seen her on some of our Zoom book club events. Keila is our shipping and packaging and Shelf Subscription coordinator. She actually began working at the shop years ago as a bookseller-- well, really as a customer back in high school. But now if you're an online customer, you are the recipient of Keila's hard work. Every order placed is a package that Keila puts together. Those handwritten notes that appear in your order. Keila writes those. She also helps run our Shelf Subscription program and makes sure all of those packages get out in a timely manner each month. So now you get to hear a little bit about Keila's reading tastes.
Keila [00:16:09] Hi, I'm Keila. I'm the packaging and shipping coordinator here at The Bookshelf. And my favorite book this year was All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker. It was an amazing book. I read it because Olivia and Annie and Erin they all three loved the book. And I had to read it too, because it just sounded so interesting. I listened to it and I really loved the pacing of it. It's about these two kids who are separated for a time because of a kidnaping and their fight to find one another. I liked it because it wasn't you just see them as kids; you see them grow up and go into adulthood. And I feel like in a lot of murder mystery stories, you don't see that part. You just see the kidnaping, the murder and then the resolution. And you don't really get a resolution until the end of this book. And it was just amazing the way he writes his characters and their character arc throughout the book. And I can't stop thinking about them. I feel like they are part of my life and that I knew them. And I love when an author can write people like that. It was great. And that's why it's one of my favorites of the year.
Annie Jones [00:17:36] I do feel like we're ending with a special treat for you because you rarely get to hear Caroline's voice on the podcast. And that's simply because Caroline is working constantly behind the scenes. All those cute Instagram posts, that's Caroline. Did you get a response to your DM? Also Caroline. Those events we throw seemingly seamlessly, Caroline masterminded those. Caroline is our marketing and events manager and I am so glad you get to hear a little bit about her reading tastes today because she has impeccable tastes and I just think it's a joy that you finally get to hear from her because she is so busy working behind the scenes that we don't often get to feature her on From the Front Porch. And so, without further ado, here's Caroline talking about her favorite read of 2024.
Caroline [00:18:24] I'm Caroline Wicks [sp], the marketing and events manager at The Bookshelf. My favorite book I read this year was Ghostroots by Pemi Aguda. A dark mysterious, rich collection of speculative short stories that came out in May. Each story is set in a mythical Lagos, Nigeria, and follows characters haunted by many different kinds of ghosts. In the opening story, a young woman inexplicably begins to resemble her cruel, late grandmother, much to her mother's horror. In another story, a house takes on a volatile life of its own, reflecting the troubles of its past inhabitants. Ultimately, though, Ghostroots ponders a very human question: what do we do with the pain past generations passed on to us? Aguda invites us into the darkness, but not without the candle of grounded, well-drawn characters with whom it's easy to empathize. I loved this collection of original, well-written short stories and I hope you will, too.
Annie Jones [00:19:29] A thank you to each of our staffers who were able to get in their voice memos today. I feel so lucky to work alongside such a thoughtful and talented group of women. When we hire at The Bookshelf, we don't hire readers. That's not the only criteria. Maybe you've heard me even say that on more business episodes of From the Front Porch. But when we go through applications, obviously we ask about and we are curious about people's reading tastes. And we hope that if you're applying for a job at the bookshelf, you're a reader and perhaps even an avid reader. But we're hiring for work ethic, for determination, stick-to-itiveness, all of these kinds of things. And reading tastes is just part of it. And so it feels really serendipitous and beautiful that all of our staffers read so diversely and so widely and contribute to all of the books you see on our shelves, the books we talk about on From the Front Porch, the books that we feature on Instagram.
[00:20:39] All of that is because of a staff full of people. It's not just the voices you hear here. It's not just my voice. It's the voices of the entire Bookshelf staff. And as we close out the year, I really wanted you to hear from some of them. I say all the time that we're people, not robots. We are readers just like you. And so it was fun to get to hear-- and many of the choices actually were a surprise to me. So it was fun to get to hear all of the different favorite books of 2024. Don't forget that you can follow along on The Bookshelf Instagram to find out more about our favorite titles of 2024. We'd love to hear your favorite titles of the year, and all of today's books can be found on The Bookshelf website, that's Bookshelfthomasville.com. You can just type episode 506 into the search for.
[00:21:33] This week, what I am reading is brought to you by Thomasville, Georgia. There is something truly special about the holiday season in downtown Thomasville. The twinkling lights, beautifully decorated store windows and holiday events all add to the festive feeling of the season. Let us be your shopping and dining destination this holiday season. So spend Christmas in Thomasville with us. Activities are held every weekend leading up to Christmas, including this year's 38th annual Victorian Christmas on December 12th and 13th. Learn more by visiting Thomasvillega.com or call our visitor center (229) 228-7977.
[00:22:20] Victorian Christmas is super special. It's super fun, it's busy, it's chaotic, but in the best kind of way, it really makes you feel like, oh, it's Christmas. It's exactly how I want Christmas shopping to feel, where you feel a little bit of an energy to it. But my very favorite Victorian Christmas activity is our annual reading of the Polar Express. On Thursday, December 12th right before Victorian Christmas, during the quieter parts of Victorian Christmas, we encourage little ones to dress up in their pajamas and come to The Bookshelf where we'll drink hot chocolate and listen to our annual reading of the Polar Express.
[00:23:06] This is one of my favorite things and so the staff graciously allows me to do it. And so I was reading the Polar Express, and I promise I started to get tearful, which is not the vibe because that is that is not what you're supposed to do during the annual reading. But the kids in their Santa hats and their pajamas, there's just nothing sweeter. And everybody walks away with a jingle bell and hot chocolate and a candy cane. And it is just really something special. And although obviously that is a Bookshelf event, I'm here to tell you that that effort and that sense of something special, that sense of magic, every store in downtown is doing something similar. They're doing something similar for their customers. They're doing something similar to make the season feel merry and bright. And so it's not just the Bookshelf doing fun things, it's all kinds of stores. The toy store, the Hare the Hart, the little boutique located down the street from us, Firefly, our friends at Fuzzy Goat. Everybody's doing all kinds of fun and festive things all season long, so I hope you will check out all the different happenings at Thomasvillega.com.
[00:24:15] This week I'm listening to Cherished Belonging by Gregory Boyle. Thank you again to our sponsor Thomasville, Georgia. You can learn more by visiting thomasville.com.
[00:24:33] 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:
A full transcript of today’s episode can be found at:
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 of today’s episode are…
Cammy Tidwell, Linda Lee Drozt, Martha, Stephanie Dean, Ashley Ferrell, Jennifer Bannerton, Gene Queens
Executive Producers (Read Their Own Names): Nicole Marsee, Wendi Jenkins, Susan Hulings
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:
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