Episode 509 || Best Books of the Year with Hunter Mclendon
This week on From the Front Porch, Annie and Hunter (@shelfbyshelf) discuss their top 10 favorite books of 2024.
To purchase the books mentioned in this episode, stop by The Bookshelf in Thomasville, visit our website (search “Episode 509”) or download and shop on The Bookshelf’s official app:
Annie's Midyear Favorites:
1. James by Percival Everett
2. Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar
3. Long Island Compromise by Taffy Brodesser-Akner
4. Even After Everything by Stephanie Duncan Smith
5. Real Americans by Rachel Khong
6. Same As It Ever Was by Claire Lombardo
7. Sandwich by Catherine Newman
8. Headshot by Rita Bullwinkel
9. Summer Romance by Annabel Monaghan
10. Grief Is for People by Sloane Crosley
Hunter's Midyear Favorites:
1. James by Percival Everett
2. All Fours by Miranda July
3. We Were The Universe by Kimberly King Parsons
4. In Tongues by Thomas Grattan
5. Colored Television by Danzy Senna
6. State of Paradise by Laura Van der Berg
7. Headshot by Rita Bullwinkel
8. Ways and Means by Daniel Lefferts
9. Henry Henry by Allen Bratton
10. Housemates by Emma Copley Eisenberg
Annie's Favorite Books of 2024
1. James by Percival Everett
2. Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout
3. Even After Everything by Stephanie Duncan Smith
4. The Barn by Wright Thompson
5. The Wedding People by Alison Espach
6. Clear by Carys Davies
7. Headshot by Rita Bullwinkel
8. Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar
9. Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe
10. Grief Is for People by Sloane Crosley
Hunter's Favorite Books of 2024
1. James by Percival Everett
2. All Fours by Miranda July
3. We Were The Universe by Kimberly King Parsons
4. Small Rain by Garth Greenwell
5. Colored Television by Danzy Senna
6. Rejection by Tony Tulathimutte
7. Hombrecito by Santiago Jose Sanchez
8. Headshot by Rita Bullwinkel
9. In Tongues by Thomas Grattan
10. Orbital by Samantha Harvey / Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout
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.
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 Playworld by Adam Ross. Hunter is reading The Antidote by Karen Russell.
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]
“Here it is, the paradox of all paradoxes, the cosmic catch: The more you love, the more is on the line.”
- Stephanie Duncan Smith, Even After Everything
[as music fades out] I’m Annie Jones, owner of The Bookshelf, an independent bookstore in beautiful downtown Thomasville, Georgia, and this week, I’m joined by my friend Hunter Mclendon to talk about our favorite books of 2024. If you love hearing from Hunter, you might consider joining From the Front Porch on Patreon in 2025. There, Hunter and I will be sharing our monthly recaps of our conquering of the first modern novel, Don Quixote. Episodes will air on the last Friday of each month, which means you’ve got plenty of time still to join, or to cajole friends and family into joining us, too. (I actually think Shop Mom and Shop Dad will both be following along in 2025!) To join Patreon, just visit patreon.com/fromthefrontporch. Three different tiers are available, but the $5 a month tier will give you access to our Conquer a Classic episodes. We hope you’ll join us there! Now, back to the task at hand. Hi, Hunter.
Hunter Mclendon [00:01:44] Hello.
Annie Jones [00:01:45] So back in July, Hunter and I discussed our favorite books of the year so far. So you can go back; you can listen to episode 486 for our full conversation. But now here we are end of the year to see how our midyear picks held up and just our overall selections for 2024 and what our reading life looked like this year. So, Hunter, as we close out 2024, how do you feel about the state of your reading life?
Hunter Mclendon [00:02:12] Well, I do have to say it's really funny because the two books I have loved the most this year don't actually come out until next year.
Annie Jones [00:02:22] Well, good. Maybe that's a sign of things to come.
Hunter Mclendon [00:02:25] Yeah.
Annie Jones [00:02:25] Maybe that means 2025 will be our year.
Hunter Mclendon [00:02:28] Actually it will be because-- look, okay, I'm just going to say it. One of my favorite reads this year has been Annies’s book. I keep saying it, but it's so genuine. Everyone's sick of me talking about it, but I'm like, no, no, it's so good. That and then the Katie Kitamura's Audition are probably going to be like...
Annie Jones [00:02:44] Okay, you have been raving about that. I have not been in a mental state-- we'll get to this, I'm sure. I've not been in a state where I can really read anything and that is the truth. I have barely finished a book this month. Yeah. I don't even think I have finished a book this month. It's been a situation. But you keep posting about Audition and I'm pretty sure-- I don't know if I have a physical ARC. I might, but I definitely have like the e-galley on my Kindle and so I am moving that one up my list because you keep talking about it.
Hunter Mclendon [00:03:12] It is a very me book, but also it's actually funny because I read that one and you and I we read A Separation by her.
Annie Jones [00:03:21] Which I liked.
Hunter Mclendon [00:03:24] And so every time I've read her since then I like to think of you. If I think of you and I'm reading a book, I'll typically like it more.
Annie Jones [00:03:33] Well, it's true that the books that you read like if you buddy read or if you read it for a purpose, I will always associate you with those books, whether it's something big like Lonesome Dove or something like A Separation, which we did read for this podcast years upon years ago. So I really am excited about that book. I will just give some insight. This year has had a lot of ups and downs like personally. Professionally highs, like writing a book, maybe for you moving to Philly. But then lows moments of grief, hard things. And so it's just been a real-- I mean all of them. Jordan and I say this at the end of every year; every year is a mixed bag. But today what I decided to do was I did not look at my top 10 list from July. I didn't look at it. I just sat down and I was like, okay, I'm going to make off the top of my head. I'm going to write down the 10 books that I think were my favorites this year or the best this year. And I could not list 10.
[00:04:35] And I texted you in a panic because I was like, wait, am I just misremembering? I feel like there were good books this year. I had a lot of five-star reads, but I'm not going to put-- all due respect to Ina, I'm not going to put Ina Garten's memoir in my top 10 of the year. Which again, no shade, you listener can totally do that. But when Hunter and I do this episode, we're both thinking about our favorites. And I think we're also asking ourselves, what's the most memorable, what's the best, most well-written like? And so I love Ina Garten's memoir was five stars for me, but top 10 of the year feels a little extreme. So, anyway, I texted Hunter and how many could you come up with?
Hunter Mclendon [00:05:20] I think that I immediately was like this is the four books I loved. And then I was like, wait, what else can I read?
Annie Jones [00:05:25] Yeah, because I think that for me there's a top three very clearly. No questions asked. I didn't have to think about it. And then anything below that was a little bit I don't know. And I read some-- I don't want to be shady about it. There were some really good books this year, but I don't know if it's my current state of my brain or I think it's also okay to say that some reading years and some publishing years are better for certain readers than others. And the current trends may not be for me. Maybe what it is. I don't know. So shall I recap my top 10 from July just very briefly?
Hunter Mclendon [00:06:02] Yes.
Annie Jones [00:06:03] Top 10 for July. Back then, I'm going to go backwards. So my number 10 was Grief Is for People by Sloane Crosley. My number nine was Summer Romance by Annabele Monaghan. Eight was Headshot by Rita Bullwinkel. Seven was Sandwiched by Catherine Newman. Six, Same as It Ever Was by Claire Lombardo. Five, Real Americans by Rachel Khong. Four, Even After Everything by Stephanie Duncan Smith. Three, Long Island Compromise by Taffy Brodesser-Akner. Two, Martyr by Kaveh Akbar. And one was James by Percival Everett. I looked at that list and I would be so curious. I should have done this. I should have looked back at like 2023 or 2022, because I feel like frequently my list doesn't change drastically from mid-year to end of year. I think my list changed pretty drastically. It'll be interesting to see, but I think my list changed quite a bit. I looked at that list and there was clearly some recency bias, like books that I had just finished that I was like, my gosh, this is so good. And now that I'm a few months removed, I'm like, that book was good, but for me my criteria is, is this book memorable? When we fast forward to 2025, what book am I going to associate with 2024? What book was the best written? What book held and captivated my attention? What book will I still remember details about? And for a lot of those that I just named, I did not remember a ton of details even here just a few months later. So what was your top 10 in July?
Hunter Mclendon [00:07:41] Housemates by Emma Copley Eisenberg, Henry Henry, Ways and Means, Headshot, State of Paradise, Colored Television, In tongues, We Were the Universe, All Fours, and James.
Annie Jones [00:07:56] Is your list different?
Hunter Mclendon [00:07:58] There is some big differences, but also there are some things that I'm like I did not realize that it was going to be exactly-- some things are the same.
Annie Jones [00:08:05] Okay, so let's start with our number 10. So my number 10 is still Grief Is for People by Sloane Crosley. So I thought about this a lot because as I said, it was pretty easy for me to come up with my top, I don't know, three or four. But it was a little harder to slot out the rest of the list. But when it comes down to it, Grief Is for People, which I read at the very, very beginning of this year; it's one of the first books I read in 2024, it's a book about friendship and the grief that happens when you lose a friend. And a lot of grief books I love-- I don't know what it says about me that I love and appreciate books about grief. But most of the books I've read about grief deal with the loss of a spouse or a significant other. And so to read a book that was devoted to the loss of a friend, actually felt really new and original even though we all will experience that at some point in our lives. And so I was grateful for Sloane Crosley's voice. I also like that she didn't shy away from some of the harder parts of her relationship with her friend Russell. The book is really about her losing him to suicide. And so I think it's a tender book. It's a short little book. But I do think I will remember their friendship and remember her grief. And it's probably, I suspect, a book I might return to when I experienced my own losses. And so I'm going to stick with that one at number 10.
Hunter Mclendon [00:09:35] I'm cheating a little bit because I couldn't decide between two books for number 10. It's between Orbital by Samantha Harvey, which actually just won the Booker. And I actually loved this one. Some people hated it apparently, they thought it felt like a Wikipedia entry about space. I don't know if you remember whenever I interviewed Lauren Groff for Matrix, but I asked her what kind of book would you want to write that's just like totally different than what you read before. And she mentioned like a space horror novel type thing. And Orbital isn't like a horror type book, but it does feel like if Lauren Groff wrote about space. That's what it feels like to me. Just great synopsis. Also a little bit like Julie Armfield's Wives Under the Sea type language. Like that type of language but for space. Very beautiful. It kind of feels like that. It's like if Lauren Groff wrote Gravity into a novel type feeling, I guess. So that's my pitch for that one. And then the other option, my alternate, is Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout.
Annie Jones [00:10:41] Okay. Yes.
Hunter Mclendon [00:10:42] Yeah. I thought this is so good. And it's so tough because they're often very different books. But tell me everything is like a culmination of every Elizabeth Strout universe.
Annie Jones [00:10:53] Yeah. It's like our Marvel universe.
Hunter Mclendon [00:10:55] Truly. Yes. And it's funny because I was like it could have been such a disaster.
Annie Jones [00:11:03] It could have been so gimmicky. Even when I first heard Olive Kitteridge and Lucy Barton meet and I'm like, great. I had a moment where I was a little eye rolly about it. And we'll talk more about this one because it's on my list later down the road. But I love this book.
Hunter Mclendon [00:11:21] Yeah, it's so funny too because you hand sold me My Name is Lucy Barton, which ended up being in my top 10 the year it came out. And so, yes, that was like a very, like, I don't know. I was like oh.
Annie Jones [00:11:34] Okay. Well, you cheated on your number 10. My number nine is Margo's Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe. This is one of the most memorable books I read this year. It is not going to be for everyone. I listened to it and I thought the audiobook was fantastic. It's narrated by Elle Fanning. This is quirky. It's so very quirky about Margo. Margo gets pregnant unexpectedly with her professor's baby. It's very, very messy. And then in order to support life as a single mom, because shock to no one, the professor is a little bit sketch, she winds up creating an Only Fans account. And what unfolds is explicit. I would like to be very clear. It is explicit, but it is a funny, heartbreaking, gut wrenching look at motherhood, at money, at family trauma and dysfunction and sex. And I loved it. I don't think on paper this book is for me at all, but I had Erin at The Bookshelf rave about it, and then I had a really good friend reach out and say, "Annie, I think this is going to be my favorite book of the year." And I was like, okay.
[00:12:57] So I downloaded it from Libro.fm. And partly because of the audiobook experience, I think, I felt like I was with these people for a really long time. Like we were just hanging out together and I kept hearing Margot's story. And there's a couple of quirky-- amusing air quotes. There's a couple of quirky books I read this year that just utterly fell flat for me. Like three stars or fewer. And so to have one that totally worked and that felt original, explicit, but not gross, like just kind of eye opening look at women's bodies and what we use our bodies for. I don't know. I thought it was really great. I really, really liked this book a lot. And it is a book because of how original and weird and quirky it is, it's a book I think I will remember for a long time. So Margo's Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe.
Hunter Mclendon [00:13:51] Should I get this?
Annie Jones [00:13:52] I am a little surprised you haven't read it yet. Now, it is not maybe as literary as some other books you've read this year, but it is really well written. I think you will love her messy, messy family. I think you will love her messy family.
Hunter Mclendon [00:14:08] Okay. All right. So my number nine, which was placed higher originally was In tongues by Thomas Grattan. This is about this gay kid who becomes a dog walker for these rich people and these rich men. And he also lives with these lesbians. It deals a lot with like with faith and queerness and belonging and also the feeling of being so outside of your elements, which really felt perhaps moving from the south up here. But it's a queer coming of age story that-- I love coming of age stories, but sometimes they can just feel a little bit by the number and this one did not feel that way. And I really liked it. And I think that the writing was really strong. I thought the characters were all really interesting and very lively. And it's just one of those that stuck with me, especially the moments where he's like talking about his dad and his dad's faith. I just thought those just seared into my mind. So In Tongues by Thomas Scrattan.
Annie Jones [00:15:29] Would I like that?
Hunter Mclendon [00:15:30] I think so. Yeah.
Annie Jones [00:15:32] I like [inaudible]. My ears perk up-- I don't know what it says about me when people are like a book about faith and doubt. And I've made a last minute substitution, because I bet you do this too. When I looked at my reading list from this year, I didn't include books I read last year but published this year.
Hunter Mclendon [00:15:57] Wait a minute.
Annie Jones [00:15:58] So I have two books that I really, really loved, but I didn't include them because they published this year, but I read them last year.
Hunter Mclendon [00:16:11] My gosh. It's fine.
Annie Jones [00:16:13] My number eight is Martyr by Kaveh Akbar, which was a lot higher in July. I read it at the beginning of the year. This is a book I stand by. I think it is one of the most well written books I read this year. It is really, really beautiful, very literary. So our main character is Cyrus. And Cyrus kind of leads the reader on this meandering journey where he's dealing with sobriety and trying to also navigate the loss of his mother in a plane crash. The reason I say I was learning along with the book is the plane crash is based on a real historical event. And so Kaveh Akbar is a poet, and I actually think he's a Florida State grad or maybe a member of the faculty or something. Anyway, so he has FSU connection. But you can totally tell-- you and I have talked about this many times in the past-- when a writer is a poet first.
[00:17:12] And so I think he brings that sensibility to the book. Like I said, it's probably the most literary book I read this year. And literary fiction is something I've struggled with in a post-pandemic landscape. It just is. I don't know. I don't know if 2020 broke my brain or what, but some of the more award winning lit like the Booker finalists, those aren't hitting with me. Maybe they did in 2019 or 2018, but this one did. I really liked this book a lot and I think it's worth trying if maybe you're like me. And literary fiction hasn't worked as well for you as it once did. So that is Martyr by Kaveh Akbar.
Hunter Mclendon [00:17:49] The friendship in that book I loved.
Annie Jones [00:17:53] Yes, Cyrus. You're rooting for him. He is complicated and doesn't make maybe every decision that you would make, but you're rooting for him. You want to know what happens to him.
Hunter Mclendon [00:18:05] So my number eight is the last book that you hand told me before I moved, which was Headshot by Rita Bullwinkel.
Annie Jones [00:18:11] It's so good.
Hunter Mclendon [00:18:12] It is so good. And I feel like even though it made the Booker longlist, I still feel like it's kind of been under the radar for like a wider readership.
Annie Jones [00:18:22] No one talks about it. I don't understand it.
Hunter Mclendon [00:18:24] No. To me, and you can say if you agree, [inaudible] we talked about it before, but it feels to me like if Julia Armfield wrote a Megan Abbott book.
Annie Jones [00:18:39] Okay. I could see that because there's definitely some Megan Abbott there.
Hunter Mclendon [00:18:47] Yeah, I think girl relationship type dynamics are there, but the body [inaudible] from Our Wives Under the Sea is in that play. But I loved this book. I thought it is so well written. I loved the structure of it. I'm obsessed with beautiful sentences and girlhood. Like well written girlhood, give it to me.
Annie Jones [00:19:14] Yes, that's exactly how I feel. Which is why Headshot is my number seven. Yeah. So I love the structure of this one because it is essentially connected short stories, but it's a novel. I think it's totally original. Each of the stories is focused on a different pairing of these girls over a weekend boxing tournament. And, again, I love a book that makes me do a deep dive and think. And weirdly boxing is something that came up in another book I read pretty recently. Wrestling comes up in Margo's Got Money Troubles. So it was just one of those weird themes, weird subjects that kept coming up in books I read and then pop culture I consumed this year, which I thought was pretty wild. But it most reminded me of a book called Sam by Allegra Goodman, which I want to say was a shelf subscription for me last year maybe. And that book was a book about girlhood.
[00:20:17] It followed a young woman from her childhood into adulthood. And she was a rock climber. And so I felt like I learned all about rock climbing. And this instead was all about girls and girlhood and girls’ bodies and athleticism and sport, which I love. And, again, a sport I really could not have cared one lick about prior to reading this book. And the format really worked for me. The connected short stories, the format and the structure and it wasn't very long. So I felt like she knew exactly how to tell these stories without maybe indulging too much. So I really liked this one, and it is one that I truly do not understand not seeing more places. I don't get it. I really don't. I thought it was great.
Hunter Mclendon [00:21:00] My number seven is Hombrecito by Santiago Jose Sanchez. I saw they had an event here in Philly right when after the book came out. It's a coming of age story that's basically a novel in stories about this young kid who is growing up and their family is of immigrants that coming up to America, all these things are going on but it's like this intersection of that and elements of queer coming of age story everything. Well written. I'm trying to get what to compare it to, but nothing's coming to mind. But it's one of those books that feels really accessible. Okay. In some ways, the friendships that this character develops reminded me of the friendship of Boris and Theo in the Goldfinch.
Annie Jones [00:21:59] Okay. All right.
Hunter Mclendon [00:22:01] And so that type of dynamic is kind of what play throughout in this book and I really like that. And I loved the way they wrote about the relationship between the kid and their mom. The character is nonbinary, but I enjoyed this evolution of the character into that discovery throughout the book. And I like that the first part of the book is told in third person. And then the character comes to the full realization of who they are, it switches to a first person.
Annie Jones [00:22:32] That's cool.
Hunter Mclendon [00:22:33] Yeah.
Annie Jones [00:22:33] It's really creative and thoughtful.
Hunter Mclendon [00:22:35] So, yes, I really liked that one. I thought it was really good. Hombrecito by Santiago Jose Sanchez.
Annie Jones [00:22:40] Okay. My number six is a book that I read last year, but it was this year release. It was a shelf subscription pitch, and it is Clear by Carys Davies. So this book is excellent. It is another book that I do not know why I have not seen it more places. It reminded me a little bit of burial rights, which is a backlist title I loved years ago. So John is a Scottish minister and he has been given the responsibility to clear the last remaining inhabitants off of this remote island. So there's one man living on this island off the coast of Scotland. His name is Ivar. I think that's how you pronounce it. I did not listen to this, so I'm guessing. And he has been living alone on the island for decades with only the island itself to keep him company. And so John reaches the island with this mission as a-- I think this is fascinating. It's based on real historical events where the Scottish Government had to clear off these islands. So anyway, again, a book in which I learned something and learned about an aspect of history or an aspect of life that I didn't know previously about.
[00:23:50] So John lands on the island, no spoilers, but he immediately injures himself and the next thing you know, Ivar has to nurse him back to health. And this is the first human Ivar has seen in decades. And they can't speak the same language because Ivar has been living on this remote island. And so they begin to communicate as best they can and they develop this really tight bond that you, the reader, are trying to decide, is this a platonic friendship? Is it going to become romantic in some way? The writing is beautiful. The story feels epic, but also quite small. It's quite insulated. It would be great winter reading because of the remote Scottish island setting. I really love this book and again it's a book I just didn't see anywhere this year. Which on the one hand I loved because it makes me feel like I discovered something and on the other hand I'm like, but more people should be reading it. And so I'm so glad I remembered that I did read this book albeit last year, but it is a this year release. I believe I sent it out as maybe my March or April shelf subscription selection. So that is Clear by Carys Davies.
Hunter Mclendon [00:25:00] Do you think I'd like that?
Annie Jones [00:25:01] Yes, I do think you would like it. And you'll fly through it.
Hunter Mclendon [00:25:05] Okay. My number six, I do not like to pronounce [inaudible] but it's Rejection by Tony Tulathimutte. It's a very long name, but it is a National Book Award longlist. It's a collection of linked stories. It's written as fiction on the cover, but somebody described it as the first incel novel.
Annie Jones [00:25:33] Okay. Interesting.
Hunter Mclendon [00:25:35] Let me tell you, did you ever read that cat person short story?
Annie Jones [00:25:43] Who wrote it?
Hunter Mclendon [00:25:46] I can't remember. But it's about the girl who works in the movie theater this like creepy guy like...
Annie Jones [00:25:51] Wait. Yes, I did. Online. I did read it.
Hunter Mclendon [00:25:54] Yes. Okay. It was like a viral short story. Yeah.
Annie Jones [00:25:56] Yes, I did read it. I was like, wait, why is it familiar? Yes, it made its rounds on the Internet.
Hunter Mclendon [00:26:02] Yes. So this to me felt very in conversation with that story but from the other side. Because these are all people who are truly like incels of varying sorts. And it is so uncomfortable. And it's so funny too because the first one I think is a straight guy, but then the second one is like a woman, and the third one is a gay guy. And let me tell you something. This is a very explicit book. There's a scene where a guy is writing this fantasy story about what he wants. And it's uncomfortable, but it is also so funny. And I laughed out loud. I don't know if it's for you.
Annie Jones [00:26:52] I'm sorry. My face. Sometimes I wish this was a video podcast, but it shouldn't be for both of our sakes. But my face just then was like, yeah, no, this is not for me. Although, it does sound-- remember The Fortune Smiles collection by Adam Johnson? That's what it reminds me of.
Hunter Mclendon [00:27:07] I think honestly what I should do is I should just tell you which stories to read.
Annie Jones [00:27:13] Yeah.
Hunter Mclendon [00:27:15] Because there's some that I think you'd love, but there's the third story where I just know you will skip it. I'm like, no, no. But if you love the cringe inducing stuff, if you love to be uncomfortable, if you want to get into the mindspace of these crazy people, you're just like what is going on with you? This book is for you. So I highly recommend.
Annie Jones [00:27:36] Okay. Super interesting. Listen, I'm always fascinated by in particular--and I know you are. You're Internet famous for it. But the reasons behind why a book is a National Book Award longlist or finalist. And so how interesting and how of a time that that book was on this year's list. Okay. My number five I read last summer; it did not release until this summer. And it is just a great time. And I absolutely loved it. It is The Wedding People by Alison Espach. She wrote Notes on a Sudden Disappearance, which I really liked. This is totally different from that, and the cover definitely gives it like summer beach read vibes. And yes, sure it is. But basically our main character shows up at this Bougee hotel on the coast, the New England coast I think in or around Newport, Rhode Island.
[00:28:38] And she shows up at this hotel and she's there. You, the reader, assume she's there for a getaway weekend all by herself, treating herself. And then you immediately realize she has suffered some loss in her life and she's actually there to kill herself. And so that is why she's there. That she has booked out this hotel; this is where she wants to end her life. And instead, she realizes that the whole hotel, with the exception of her room, has been booked out by a wedding party. And what unfolds is the most ridiculous, most silly, most lovely, most life affirming book about this woman who kind of befriends this bride and infiltrates this wedding party while all the while like looking at her watch going but really I have to kill myself, though.
Hunter Mclendon [00:29:37] Yeah.
Annie Jones [00:29:38] I cried. I laughed. I underlined things. I thought it was so good. And so is it fun, beachy? Yeah, it is. But is the premise just so interesting and different? I loved this book. I absolutely loved this book. It would make a great book club selection. Fantastic. I loved this.
Hunter Mclendon [00:30:01] All right. Okay, so I read her first book The Adults.
Annie Jones [00:30:04] Okay. I have not read that.
Hunter Mclendon [00:30:06] And I really liked it. It's been a year since I read it, but I really liked it. But then and I remember you reading [inaudible] and I ended up not getting it, but I wanted to. But I bought this book for my birthday and haven't read it, but now I'm like, my gosh.
Annie Jones [00:30:18] Hunter, I do think you're in for a treat. And I'm trying to think of The Bookshelf because I've canceled this one a lot. And it was a shelf subscription pick. I think this is one where most people-- I'm not going to say all because then inevitably I'll get an email of someone who's like, actually, I hated this. But most people who I have hand sold this to really loved it and came back and talked to me about it. And that's how you know, good. For me it is very different, but it's like Lessons in Chemistry where I felt like the cover made Lessons in Chemistry feel like it was this cute, chic lit kind of book. Which there's nothing wrong with those kinds of books. But to me, that's not what Lessons in Chemistry was. And I really do like the cover of Wedding People. I think the art is great, but you get a lot more than you bargained for, I think, out of the Wedding People. And so I did not include it on my list in July. And that is simply because I read it so long ago. But it is a 2024 release and so I wanted to include it on the list now.
Hunter Mclendon [00:31:26] Honestly, I'm very excited for this. Okay. I don't know if you've read this one. My number five pick which is on my last list is Colored Television by Dannzy Senna.
Annie Jones [00:31:37] I did read it. I liked it a lot.
Hunter Mclendon [00:31:38] Okay. I was in a reading slump when I picked it up. And you know how this is. You get to reading something, the book that pulls you out.
Annie Jones [00:31:50] The book that saved you.
Hunter Mclendon [00:31:52] Yeah. I think this was the first I think [inaudible] the first book I read in Philly. I will say her book New People is still my favorite book of hers. That's to me like her best one. But I just love Colored Television. I thought it's about this woman who has been working on this magnum opus of hers that turns out it's probably crap. And so she is wanting success, decides to see what the television writing world is all about and finds herself into some drama. I thought it was such a great combination of bit smart and page turning story. And also she's married to Percival Everett.
Annie Jones [00:32:42] Somebody told me that when we discussed this, I think I put this on one of my Literary First Looks for summer or whenever it released. And somebody at the lunch told me that in person. And I was stunned. I was like, of course, so much talent in one home. Who could ever imagine? So I read this book and really liked it. There's a whole category of books that are-- how would you describe it? They're like about art and jealousy. I think about Yellowface. I think about The Other Black Girl. And, to me, I really liked Yellowface, but I think this is the best of this genre. Because it's dealing with like what happens when this thing you've created and you've spent years on doesn't go anywhere. And in the book, her partner is like this free spirited artist. And so they have to house sit in order to afford living in L.A. And I think in the book his name is Lenny, so I pictured Lenny Kravitz the whole time. And I thought it was so smart. It was such a smart book. And if you like those books where it's dealing with art and creation and jealousy, I think this is the best of the genre, really.
Hunter Mclendon [00:34:03] I agree.
Annie Jones [00:34:04] Number four for me is a work of nonfiction. What do you know? It is The Barn. This is by Wright Thompson. I read it this fall not really knowing fully what I was getting into, but Wright Thompson he is a sportswriter. And also I knew him because he wrote a book called Pappy Land, which is about the liquor Pappy Van Winkle or something. Anyway, we sold a bajillion copies of Pappy Land one holiday season, and so that's why I remember it. But, anyways, so he's written this new book called The Barn, and it is basically a history of the Mississippi Delta and the murder of Emmett Till. And how the history of the Delta and the history of the land in Mississippi ultimately then creates this culture of violence and racial reckoning hence the murder of this child in the deep South in the 1950s and 60s. And it's a stunning work of nonfiction. It's extremely well researched while also being very accessible, very readable. I purchased a copy and thought I'll probably read this over the course of the next couple months. It's just dense. Make no mistake, it is dense.
[00:35:16] It is a history of the Mississippi Delta and so it felt this is going to feel like school, but in a good way. I like books like that, but they typically take me a long time. But instead I took this book everywhere. I have a very distinct memory of taking a solo reading lunch to Longhorn and I took this book with me. I took this book everywhere I went and had no trouble finishing it within a week or two because the writing is so great. He also has deep ties to that area. He's from Mississippi, he's from the south. And so you can tell that he as a white man is trying to grapple with his role in his personal history and then in the history of this place where he's from, and what do you do when you love a place but also you loathe its history, you loathe what it stands for? It's incredible. I think it should be required reading for every Southerner. I think it should be required reading for high school students in Mississippi. I really, really liked it and I will remember it for a long time. I will think about it in terms of 2024 for a long time. So that is The Barn by Wright Thompson.
Hunter Mclendon [00:36:24] It sounds really good.
Annie Jones [00:36:25] It's really good. I really liked it.
Hunter Mclendon [00:36:28] My number four is Small Rain by Garth Greenwell.
Annie Jones [00:36:33] I still have this and I would really like to read it. I think I'd like it.
Hunter Mclendon [00:36:37] Okay. I definitely think that of his books, this is definitely the one for you. Something I love about all of his books is that he writes so beautifully about the body and the physical experience of living. And in this book, it is about him basically-- the whole book is basically him set in the hospital with some mysterious thing like illness, ailment, something happens to him that they can't place. Which I didn't even know if I would like it because also somebody said that they felt like it was a-- because he does write about because it happened during the pandemic. And a lot of people are like, I don't know. But I didn't really feel that at all. But his sentences are just so beautiful. And he writes with such tenderness about just casual human interaction in a way that I find so, so moving. And I also just think it's so funny because it was the first time I'd really read a book like this that kind of reminded me of what it was like to spend...
[00:37:44] So I was not often that sick as a child, but my mom worked in the hospital when I was younger, and my granny took care of her mom and her sister who both were in the hospital a lot. And so I spent most of my childhood in hospitals with people. And it really kind of captures some of that frustration and that fear and anxiety you have of not really having the answers for things, but also the ways that like, yeah, it seems really clinical, but for some people it has become their home because they're there all the time and it's that weird kind of space that it's like you're uncomfortable but you have to find comfort in your discomfort. And so I think that he does captures all that so well. And also he writes so beautifully about this relationship between the narrator and his husband who can't really [inaudible]. It's very beautiful. Anyway, Small Rain Garth Greenwell. I highly recommend.
Annie Jones [00:38:42] All right. My number three is Even After Everything by Stephanie Duncan Smith. I adore this book. It met me at just the right time, which I'm sure is part of it. But I've also had readers reach out either before reading it or if they're about to read it, ask me questions about it. And so, basically, this is a memoir by Stephanie Smith. She's an editor. She works now, I believe, I want to say for Penguin Random House now. Anyway, she's an editor. And the writing in this book is stunning. It is her personal experience of pregnancy loss and then ultimately becoming pregnant again. And she writes about that and ties it into the liturgical church calendar. So it is a book that is all about both the cycles of a woman's body and also the cycles of the liturgical calendar and how the rhythms of our lives, whether we want them to or not, ebb and flow and go through seasons of grief and seasons of loss and also seasons of celebration and hope. And I remember not only did this book just reach me at just the right time, but it was one of those books that I finished and I was almost mad because I was like I can't believe somebody wrote this. Because it's one of those books where you just read and as a writer you're like I would love to write something like this. And I wasn't the right person for it. Stephanie Duncan Smith was the right person for it. The writing is exquisite.
[00:40:10] And I read a couple of religious books this year that I really, really liked, and that is not always the case. And so when I finished this one, I do think folks who are familiar with the church calendar will probably appreciate this one quite a bit. I do think you could read this one and have no knowledge of the Christian liturgical calendar, no knowledge of the churches, various rhythms, because Stephanie does a good job of introducing you to those things. But certainly it was appealing to me because I am a person of faith and a practicing Christian and the liturgical calendar has brought a lot of stability to my faith life. But I also think if you're a woman-- so somebody reached out to me on Instagram and said, well, what if you're not a mother? And I'm not a mother. I'm not a mom. And yet I felt extremely seen by Stephanie's book. And I would say, honestly, it's just a beautiful book about womanhood. Obviously, she is talking about pregnancy and loss, but it's not just about motherhood. She talks a lot about women's cycles. And it's so interesting that you mentioned the Garth Greenwell book because as a person, I don't love talking about body stuff. I don't like thinking that I have a body.
[00:41:31] And that was one of the reasons I was interested in Small Rain is because I believe the main character in that book is a poet or something. And he's used to being a person who values mostly what's in his brain and in his head and in his heart. And he rarely has to deal with his body. And this year I've had to deal with my body. I had a mammogram that I had to go back and get second results for. Anyway, if you are a person with a body, whether you are a person who is a mother or not, I think this book would be appealing to you. So I think the writing is beautiful. It's the kind of book I wish I had written. I really, really loved it. And I revisited it this week in preparation for this episode because I was like how high am I going to rank this? And gosh, the writing is stunning. And what I will say part of the reason-- I'm air quotes. Part of the reason Christian books don't always work for me is because they're not always well written. I don't know what to tell you. They're not always well written. And so to have this book that is exquisitely written and then also happens to be about the Christian faith, I just I loved this book. So it's Even After Everything by Stephanie Duncan Smith. It might not appeal to the widest range of readers, but I really liked it.
Hunter Mclendon [00:42:55] Do you think I'd like it?
Annie Jones [00:42:58] I think you would be really appreciative of the writing. I do.
Hunter Mclendon [00:43:02] Okay. I'm thinking of Mother, it's so funny. My number three is We Were the Universe by Kimberly King Parsons.
Annie Jones [00:43:10] Yes. We talked about this in July. That's right.
Hunter Mclendon [00:43:12] Yeah, it was my number three then as well. And it's so funny, this book every time I see it on my shelf it makes me happy. And she actually described it-- and this is one of the few times you and I talk a lot about how we people have got to stop comparing everything to Fleabag. And I agree. But I do think that We Were the Universe she describes it as if Fleabag was a young mom in Texas.
Annie Jones [00:43:36] Okay. All right. I'm sold.
Hunter Mclendon [00:43:38] It really is like that. It's about this young mom who's raising this little girl and who is also still dealing with the grief of losing her sister. And it is so beautifully written. The language actually feels in some ways reminiscent to me of Karen Russell, just in how surprising the descriptions are and the lens in which she's viewing the world. But I also think that she has such a deep understanding of grief in a way that like-- I write a lot about grief for some reason. And I think a lot about how the people I love the memory of them is constantly existing in the same time as my present and I can't really detach-- I'm going to quote myself because [inaudible] I'm writing a book right now and there's a point where I describe this person he's caught my eye like the afterimage of the sun. And I often feel like that's how grief works for me. It's almost like I just can't shake the people from my vision, even as I'm moving through my day. And I think that she has deep understanding of that in a way that it's just very moving and very profound. But also it's very accessible. And there's also some weird stuff [inaudible]. So yeah, but I think it is really great. I loved it. I still love it. Even after all these months, it stuck with me. We Were the Universe by Kimberly King Parsons
Annie Jones [00:45:11] My number two is Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout. I'm an Elizabeth Strout fangirl. I thought this was a really beautiful book about platonic friendship. I love books like this. I think about the backlist title Francis and Bernard. And so the relationship between Bob Burgess and Lucy Barton is really lovely. And then this multigenerational relationship between Lucy Barton and Olive Kitteridge is also really lovely. You talked earlier about maybe it was Garth Greenwell writing with such tenderness. I think Elizabeth Strout treats her characters with such tenderness. You can tell she has an intimate relationship with them. You can tell she spent decades writing about them and writing about this city and this place, this dot on the map in Maine. And I just loved these people so much. And they are flawed and they are complicated and their relationships are fraught and their marriages are fraught. But I love reading about them. I cannot get enough.
[00:46:09] And I went into this book just ever so slightly eye rolly because again I think when I heard like all of your favorite characters combined, I was a little bit like, okay, great. Did Elizabeth Strout write this for the paycheck? Is this gimmicky? No, she just consistently writes good stories and stories about people it feels like I would know. And I don't know if that's because of my small town life and my small town existence, but she writes about neighbors in a way that I think is deeply moving. Gosh, I just love these people. And there was no question in my mind, my number one and two, because by the end of this year, my number one and two I think are the books I'll remember the most. I think I will always associate them with 2024. And my number one book, I read it the first half of the year and then the Elizabeth Strout book I read the back half of the year. And so it feels like they're the perfect encapsulation of my reading year. So that is Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout.
Hunter Mclendon [00:47:18] Gosh, I wish we talked more about because I did like-- so good. Okay. Anyway, so my number two from early this year it's All Fours by Miranda July. I do think you'd like it. It is something that might make you a little uncomfortable, but it's about this this woman who's going through a midlife crisis. Some whiskey brand or something uses one of her poems, a line from one of her poems and she gets like a $20,000 check and she decides she's going to go take a drive across country to do something. And she ends up stopping very close to home in this motel and stays there for two weeks instead. But she lies and everyone thinks that she's still going.
Annie Jones [00:48:03] Okay.
Hunter Mclendon [00:48:04] But it is very quirky. It's very uncomfortable. She's writing a lot about desire. She's like messy boots. But I think it's this great story, captivating, interesting characters. I did not hate any of them. I feel like some people are going to read them and hate them. I just think if there is ever a book that I would say this is like a me book, I feel like this is what this is. It's very on brand for me. It is like sad girl lit elevated to its highest form, I think. And also I love [inaudible] write a lot about marriage. There's a lot about marriage, also about parenthood. And I don't want to give too much away because I want the freshness of the experience. Because you haven't read anything. Yeah, we talked about this. You haven't read anything by her.
Annie Jones [00:49:04] I haven't read anything else by her, but even the description even sounds a little bit like Kristen Arnett.
Hunter Mclendon [00:49:12] Yes.
Annie Jones [00:49:12] Yes. You know what I mean?
Hunter Mclendon [00:49:14] Yeah.
Annie Jones [00:49:15] I've wondered about this one. Look, do I remember what we talked about in July? No, I do not. But if I did, I'm sure I probably asked you on that episode like would I like this? Because this is one I have wondered about and I just haven't made it a priority. But perhaps I will since it stayed at your number two.
Hunter Mclendon [00:49:31] Well, and I will also say I was listening to the audio book of it with Tyler the other day for a long drive and it was not quite as graphic as I remembered it. I think that like, yeah, so maybe that's helpful to like-- one second. I think on the first read the things that stood out to me so much more that I made them bigger than they were because I was like I don't know, this is too much. But when I re-read it I was like the timing was bad.
Annie Jones [00:49:53] And then my number one book to me, for me personally, there was no contest, it is James by Percival Everett. This is, as people probably already know, a retelling reimagining of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, now told from James' perspective. And much like I think the Barn should be required reading, I think this should be paired with Huckleberry Finn and read in high schools. I don't see why not. I think it would be fantastic to compare and contrast the two. I think it would be so fun as an English teacher to embark on that project. But I loved this book. I was blown away. I had not read Huckleberry Finn probably since high school. I'm just going to be upfront. I liked Huckleberry Finn in high school. I really did. Would I like it now? I don't know. But I did like it in high school. And so I love this kind of adventure story in this adventure tale. And I think that's what when people maybe hear about a classic retelling, maybe they're purists and they don't want to mess with the classic. Maybe they just think we don't need one of those. But I would just urge you to reconsider because this is so fun and funny and it really brings to life the humor of the original work, but now kind of turns that humor on its head and is really subversive and interesting. And I love this and I think it's an easy one to handsell. I think I included it in our holiday gift guide because I was like this is a great book. And to me it is the book of the year as far as I'm concerned. So James by Percival Everett is my number one.
Hunter Mclendon [00:51:28] Okay. Well, same. No surprise.
Annie Jones [00:51:32] Is it really for you, too?
Hunter Mclendon [00:51:33] Yeah, it is. Okay. Have you read anything else by him?
Annie Jones [00:51:36] No, I saw the movie. What was the movie that we just...
Hunter Mclendon [00:51:40] American Fiction.
Annie Jones [00:51:41] American Fiction was Jordan's favorite movie last year.
Hunter Mclendon [00:51:44] Yeah.
Annie Jones [00:51:45] So, yeah.
Hunter Mclendon [00:51:45] So I've read like five or six of his books now. And honestly, I Love James. I don't even know if it's his best one, which I think should tell you--
Annie Jones [00:51:57] How good he is.
Hunter Mclendon [00:51:57] How great he is. I think that he's been so under-- I don't know how he's not just gotten like... The Trees was a Booker finalist and then Telephone was a Booker finalist. So I guess in recent years it's kind of got more claim, but I still feel like he's been so overlooked just generally. But I think you'd really like The Trees, too. It's about this [inaudible]. But long story short these white people keep coming up dead and alongside them is what appears to be the body of Emmett Till. And it sounds very dark, but it is also very funny and you wouldn't think it would be.
Annie Jones [00:52:40] I might have to read this because I just read The Barn. And so, like, interesting. Okay.
Hunter Mclendon [00:52:44] Yeah. But James is definitely my number one. I just think Percival Everett one of our best living writers.
Annie Jones [00:52:52] Greatest living. Yeah. That's personally how I feel about Elizabeth Strout. So when I sat down to make today's list, it truly it was like James, Tell Me Everything, and then I was like and then a bunch of other books.
Hunter Mclendon [00:53:10] Yeah.
Annie Jones [00:53:11] And, look, I loved a lot of the book. I mean, all of the books I talked about today. And a lot of the books, when we make a list like this, we tie into personal connections. Like you said, Colored Television was a book that got you out of a reading slump. It was one of the first books you read in Philly. Even After Everything met me at just the right time and is beautifully written. All of the books we've talked about tonight, I stand by. But there is something to me-- and I think I felt this last year. There's always at least like one standout book for me. And so a couple of years ago it was The Swimmers. That was the book that I could not stop talking about. And so James just has been the best book all year long. There's been no contest for me. Anytime somebody asked me, that was the book I named.
Hunter Mclendon [00:53:56] Can I just say, by the way, so you and I both our top two that year 2020 was The Swimmers and The Crane Wife.
Annie Jones [00:54:04] My gosh, both of those are so good.
Hunter Mclendon [00:54:07] Okay. But do you know I'm predicting that next year my top two are going to be Audition and Ordinary Time. I think it's going to be like a parallel to that.
Annie Jones [00:54:19] We'll see. Listen, Hunter is so very biased, but also so very supportive.
Hunter Mclendon [00:54:27] I'm I biased? I don't actually know if I'm biased because I read it with a very critical eye the last time I read it because I was like, no, I'm going to make sure that I'm not biased. And literally I was like, this is so good. I know people are probably sick of me because I feel like I talk about this book more than you do. But I'm like this book is so, so good.
Annie Jones [00:54:44] You should work for the marketing team. You should work for publicity.
Hunter Mclendon [00:54:48] Here we go.
Annie Jones [00:54:49] I'll get you on my team.
Hunter Mclendon [00:54:51] Fair.
Annie Jones [00:54:51] Thank you so much. This is always one of my favorite episodes of the year I love. I think we even texted before recording like it's just a fun way to look back on the year and recap. And it's one of our last episodes of 2024. And in fact this year it might be the last episode of 2024. So happy New Year everyone! May 2025 be peaceful and kind to you and may be filled with really good books. I do think we read some really good books this year and it'll be interesting to see what 2025 holds. So thank you, Hunter.
Hunter Mclendon [00:55:24] Thank you.
Annie Jones [00:55:29] This week I'm reading Playworld by Adam Ross. Hunter, what are you reading?
Hunter Mclendon [00:55:35] I'm reading The Antidote by Karen Russell.
Annie Jones [00:55:36] 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:
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