Episode 468 || What Would Susie Read?
This week on From the Front Porch, Annie is chatting with her mom, Susie, about books for readers with PG-13 tastes. You get 10% off the Susie-approved reads mentioned in this episode when you use code SHOPMOMSELECTS at checkout online and in-store!
To purchase the books mentioned in this episode, stop by The Bookshelf in Thomasville, visit our website (type “Episode 468” into the search bar and tap enter to find the books mentioned in this episode), or download and shop on The Bookshelf’s official app:
Same Time Next Summer by Annabel Monaghan
Fragile Designs by Colleen Coble
Midnight at the Christmas Bookshop by Jenny Colgan
Bright Lights, Big Christmas by Mary Kay Andrews
Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink
The Last Verse by Caroline Frost (releases 3/5)
Notes from the Porch by Thomas Christopher Greene
The Great Divide by Cristina Henriquez (releases 3/5)
Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle (release 3/19)
Thank you to this week’s sponsor, the 103rd Annual Rose Show and Festival here in Thomasville, Georgia. Held in historic Downtown Thomasville, the Rose Show & Festival is sponsored by the City of Thomasville and has been a southwest Georgia tradition since 1922. Enjoy rose and flower shows, live music, an artisan market, an antique car show, a parade and fantastic shopping and dining in Downtown Thomasville. This year’s 103rd annual event is April 26-27. Plan your visit at thomasvillega.com.
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 Reading Genesis by Marilynne Robinson. Susie is reading The Wonderful World of James Herriot by James Herriot.
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...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.
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]
“Life is just a lot of everyday adventures.” ― Carol Ryrie Brink, Caddie Woodlawn
[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 back talking to my mom about books for readers with PG-13 tastes. Before we get started, a thank you to everyone who’s been leaving reviews for From the Front Porch. iTunes reviews and ratings are how new listeners can best find out about From the Front Porch and — as a result — find out about our indie bookstore, too.
Here’s a recent review from ESnow:
My favorite! Easily my favorite podcast. The banter is great, book reviews cover a wide range of genres, and Annie is a delight. My favorite episodes are the monthly reading recaps and when Susie is a guest. Thanks for all the great content!
Thank you so much! If you haven’t left a review, 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. Your reviews help us spread the word about not only our podcast, but about our small brick-and-mortar business, too.
Annie Jones [00:01:35] Hi, mom!
Susie [00:01:35] Hi, Annie Sue.
Annie Jones [00:01:37] Welcome back.
Susie [00:01:38] Good to be here.
Annie Jones [00:01:39] It's been a few months. Yes. If you are a new listener of From the Front Porch, or maybe it's been a minute since you've tuned in, mom appears on the show every few months to talk about her favorite books for PG or PG 13 readers. Mom likes redemptive stories, whether they are fiction or nonfiction. And so we've done this several times. I wanted to let people know that if they want to listen to past episodes, they could listen to episode 398, episode 416, episode 433, and episode 447. So links to all of those episodes are in the show notes if you just want to go back and listen to Susie books.
Susie [00:02:18] That sounds fun.
Annie Jones [00:02:20] It does sound fun. Okay, mom, you were last on the show in October.
Susie [00:02:24] Yes.
Annie Jones [00:02:24] So you should have a lot of books today.
Susie [00:02:27] I do have a lot of books. I've been like a reading maniac.
Annie Jones [00:02:31] A reading machine.
Susie [00:02:32] Yeah.
Annie Jones [00:02:33] And you've read a wide range of genres. We're going to talk about some page numbers. Man, you've really devoured quite a few books. So what's your first book?
Susie [00:02:42] Well, I thought it was funny because when I was on in October, I was reading a Christmas book, Kerry Winfrey's Faking Christmas. So then in November, I picked up a summer book.
Annie Jones [00:02:51] Sure. Welcome to life as a bookseller.
Susie [00:02:54] Because I met Annabel Monaghan.
Annie Jones [00:02:56] Yes.
Susie [00:02:57] And so I bought the book at your live podcast. When we met, I bought the book Same Time Next Summer.
Annie Jones [00:03:04] Yep.
Susie [00:03:05] And so I read that in November. It was really cute. It was fun, I loved it, it was a delightful read and I think it is the perfect beach read. I enjoyed it in November, but I do think it would be a very fun read for coming up spring break, trips and--
Annie Jones [00:03:29] It's a romcom kind of, I guess perhaps obviously, but I actually think it's just a really lovely tribute to Summer and to be the beach.
Susie [00:03:38] Yes, community.
[00:03:41] I think when she came and was on the live podcast, maybe we talked about this a little bit too, but some of the guests are some of the, some of the people in the audience, some of the listeners, they had come because they had read this book in their book club.
Susie [00:03:53] Yeah.
Annie Jones [00:03:54] And they were from Tallahassee and maybe a couple of surrounding areas, but I think mostly Tallahassee. And those women could not get over how accurate of a representation it was because they grew up going to Saint George Island or going to the coast. And so it really is an homage to beach life, I think, and to beach houses and how the beach makes us feel. If you grew up going to the beach in the summer. There was one lady there who I just remember very distinctly, she was just like, oh, I grew up as a teenager going every weekend. And so this book brought back all of those summer nostalgia feelings.
Susie [00:04:31] So I loved it. It was very good and it was really fun.
Annie Jones [00:04:34] Did you read Annabelle's first book, Nora Goes Off Script?
Susie [00:04:37] I think I did.
Annie Jones [00:04:39] Oh, man, that was one of my favorites.
Susie [00:04:40] That was so good.
Annie Jones [00:04:41] And then I just read-- and actually Kyndall on staff read my ARC, but I could give it to you too. But I just read her new one that comes out.
Susie [00:04:49] She's got a new one?
[00:04:49] Yeah, she's got a new one coming out in June and it is so cool. It might be better than Nora. I can't decide. And I loved Nora Goes Off Script. But this new one, I'm trying to think of the name of it. Gosh, her latest is so, so good. Summer Romance. That's what it's called. Summer Romance. So another great book to read during the summer. It comes out in June, so it'd be a good, like you said, beach book, spring break book, but it is just really enjoyable. I thought the characters were really great. And if you liked Nora Goes Off Script, I think you'll be very pleased with Summer Romance.
Susie [00:05:25] Well, I can't wait.
Annie Jones [00:05:27] Yeah. You'll really like it.
Susie [00:05:28] She was a delight.
Annie Jones [00:05:29] She was a delight.
Susie [00:05:31] I love getting to meet authors when they come for your live podcast.
Annie Jones [00:05:36] I'll also say this, Kerry Winfrey is the same way. And Eric Thomas has been this way too. Really people who have come to reader retreats, particularly authors, I hope they have such a pleasant experience. I hope they have such a great time that they feel like one of us from afar. And so every so often, like Kerry Winfrey or Annabel Monaghan or even Eric Thomas will comment on our Instagram and they're just really supportive of the store.
Susie [00:06:00] I love that.
[00:06:00] And Annabel, she's a long distance cheerleader of the Bookshelf.
Susie [00:06:05] She was delightful-- and actually all of them. It's been a real treat to go to your live podcast. So I highly recommend that to anybody that can.
Annie Jones [00:06:14] I was about to say those tickets are probably on sale now unless we sold out. If you're listening to this episode and a live podcast sounds fun to you, there may be tickets left because it's soon. It's coming up March 23rd, I think is our live podcast.
Susie [00:06:30] Did you save your mother a seat?
Annie Jones [00:06:32] I will make sure we save you and Lisa or you and dad. Yeah, I'll make sure we save your seats. We're doing it at the Thomasville on Stage and Company this time, so it'll feel like a theater.
Susie [00:06:43] Wow, oh my goodness.
Annie Jones [00:06:44] And they're going to put our names on the marquee.
Susie [00:06:46] Oh my goodness. I can't wait. That's adorable.
Annie Jones [00:06:49] I think that's going to be so cute. Okay. What's next?
Susie [00:06:51] Okay so my next turned out to be my Shelf Subscription for January.
Annie Jones [00:06:58] Which is always kind of hard.
Susie [00:07:01] January is so hard but not this time.
Annie Jones [00:07:03] Okay, good.
Susie [00:07:04] This time was super easy. So I read the book called Fragile Designs by Colleen Coble, and loved it. Now here's the scoop. One of the reasons I loved it is because totally PG.
Annie Jones [00:07:19] Right. Which really sets your mind at ease because I think you and Nancy both feel pressure.
Susie [00:07:24] Because if I'm going to say it's PG, PG 13, I want to be able to really feel comfortable with other people trusting that, and it's hard. That is hard. So this time for it not to be hard, it was a super treat. Plus the fact that I actually really loved it. I've never read a book by her before.
Annie Jones [00:07:46] I haven't either.
Susie [00:07:47] And it was a mystery. There was a murder.
Annie Jones [00:07:51] Oh, that's kind of outside the box for you.
Susie [00:07:53] Yeah, because I was thinking, how do I say PG and murder? But it's true, it was totally PG book and really had a lot of mystery and whodunit.
Annie Jones [00:08:05] Okay.
Susie [00:08:05] And this possible Faberge egg that was discovered.
Annie Jones [00:08:13] That's fun.
Susie [00:08:13] So this book is out now. And people have already received it, so I can talk about it a little bit.
Annie Jones [00:08:17] No spoilers. Yeah. You can talk about it.
Susie [00:08:19] So, it's about a girl whose police officer husband is murdered, and she is kind of on her own raising their child. And another reason I love this is set in the South, in South Carolina. So her grandmother says, why don't you come on over to Buford, and why don't you come on over and you can take this home that I'm living in, and maybe we can make it into a bed and breakfast, and it would give you a life. So she comes back to her grandmother's, goes through the attic and discovers this egg. And she loves antiques and stuff.
Annie Jones [00:08:58] So she immediately kind of sees...
Susie [00:09:01] And so she knows, this could be something, incredible. So she enlists the help of her grandmother's next door neighbor, who happens to be a detective.
Annie Jones [00:09:13] A young, handsome detective?
[00:09:15] Of course, I would expect no less.
Susie [00:09:19] So she gets his help, and he doesn't like her very much at first, because I think, if I recall, she dated his brother or something like that. So he doesn't really love her so much, but she knows she's got a real, like, help me figure this out. What am I going to do? This thing could be worth lots of money. And so different dangerous things begin to happen. And the egg she has to-- it really does turn out to be one, but it's a Russian egg. And so this Russian mafia-- it was good.
Annie Jones [00:09:55] Fun. Really different for you.
Susie [00:09:58] It was very different for me. And so I was relieved that it was a PG, but also I really liked it and.
Annie Jones [00:10:06] It was a good time here.
Susie [00:10:07] I can't wait to hear if other people liked it too.
Annie Jones [00:10:09] Yeah, that's really great. Okay, so Colleen Coble, Fragile Designs.
Susie [00:10:12] Yes.
Annie Jones [00:10:13] I do just want to say that I have a nine-year-old goddaughter, Shirley, and a couple of years ago she put on her Christmas wish list to her parents a Faberge egg. And we all died laughing. We think it's because she had seen Anastasia or something like that. And so she just was like a Faberge egg, please.
Susie [00:10:30] Yeah, I'll just take one. Is one all she wanted?
Annie Jones [00:10:33] Yeah, just one. Okay. So that's so far a romcom, a mystery. Now, what you got?
Susie [00:10:40] Okay, well, we're moving into December which honestly it's crazy that I get anything read in December.
Annie Jones [00:10:47] Amen.
Susie [00:10:47] Because it's just too much. But I actually read two Christmas books.
Annie Jones [00:10:51] Okay.
Susie [00:10:52] So I read Midnight at the Christmas Bookshop by Jenny Colgan.
Annie Jones [00:10:57] Oh, you've read her before?
Susie [00:10:58] And last Christmas, I think it was, I read Christmas at the books-- whatever the first one was.
Annie Jones [00:11:07] Well, you don't have it with you? I was going to say--
Susie [00:11:09] That's the one I don't have with me today.
Annie Jones [00:11:09] Because she has written so many books that I do think you would probably like her.
Susie [00:11:14] I loved both books
Annie Jones [00:11:15] You read the Christmas Bookshop.
Susie [00:11:17] The Christmas Bookshop. And this one is Midnight at the Christmas Bookshop.
Annie Jones [00:11:21] Okay. Was it just as good?
Susie [00:11:22] Yes, it was really cute. Cute covers.
Susie [00:11:26] Fun Christmas books.
Annie Jones [00:11:27] Are her books set in Scotland? Am I making that up?
Susie [00:11:29] England.
Annie Jones [00:11:30] Okay. All right.
Susie [00:11:30] I think England. Anyway, so that's also fun. If you're reading it, you can put a little accent in there if you want to. But it's fun.
Annie Jones [00:11:40] Or listen to the audiobook. They'll do the accents work for you.
Susie [00:11:41] That would be really great. And so after that, then I read Mary Kay Andrew's new book for Christmas called Bright Lights, Big Christmas. And that also was very entertaining.
Annie Jones [00:11:55] You like her too.
Susie [00:11:56] Yeah, I haven't read a ton, but I've always liked whatever I've read by her.
Annie Jones [00:12:00] I will also put her in the category of delightful authors. She came of pre-pandemic I guess and did a lunch with us upstairs at the Bookshelf back went upstairs we could use for events. And it wasn't just a shipping facility.
Susie [00:12:13] Those were the days.
Annie Jones [00:12:16] But she was really fun.
Susie [00:12:20] Well, that makes me so happy. Yeah, because I have read a few. She writes some summer books. So I really like her a lot. And this one was great. I would highly recommend it at Christmas time-- both of those books for December.
Annie Jones [00:12:30] So some good Christmas reads. So that brings us to January 2024.
Susie [00:12:38] I guess it was in the fall you announced your Conquer a Classic--
Annie Jones [00:12:42] Yes, we did.
Susie [00:12:44] And I thought, well, what are you picking this year? And you picked--
Annie Jones [00:12:49] Lonesome Dove.
Susie [00:12:51] Lonesome Dove. And I went Lonesome Dove? Well, that sounds like something I might read because that story, I'm one of eight children, so a special thing for me and my daddy was Westerns. I loved John Wayne. I got to go to the outdoor theater and watch John Wayne movies. And on Saturday nights, while after I'd gotten ready for church, that means the pink, spongy rollers were in my hair, my shoes were polished, my Sunday school lesson was out, I got to sit in daddy's lap and watch Gunsmoke.
Annie Jones [00:13:22] Okay.
Susie [00:13:23] So that was my date night with dad. Even though the house was full of other people, it was our thing. Westerns. So when I heard this, I didn't know how big this was, but I thought Lonesome Dove? Okay.
Annie Jones [00:13:35] Well, maybe you are riding high from 2023 when you completed Little Women, so maybe you were trying to fill the Little Women shaped hole in your heart.
Susie [00:13:44] I just thought I could do this again. Even though that wasn't your Conquer a Classic, it was to me.
Annie Jones [00:13:49] Well, and it was a read along, which Conquer a Classic essentially is a read along.
Susie [00:13:53] Yeah. Well, except I cheated.
Annie Jones [00:13:54] Well, we're going to talk about this. So you picked up Lonesome Dove...
Susie [00:13:58] I picked up Lonesome Dove.
Annie Jones [00:13:59] Which is how many pages?
Susie [00:14:01] Eight hundred and fifty eight. I want to make that's clear in there.
Annie Jones [00:14:03] She didn't even have to look at her book. She had it memorized.
Susie [00:14:07] Okay, people should know I'm not a fast reader. I'm a very imaginative reader. So I've got this theater, this movie, this theatrical thing going up in my head with most books. And so I looked at this and I went, what have I done?
Annie Jones [00:14:23] You can be a little self-deprecating about your reading. I would argue you're an avid reader. We're about to talk about the books you read in January. It's quite a few.
Susie [00:14:33] Oh, yes.
Annie Jones [00:14:33] So it's not like you're the world's slowest reader.
Susie [00:14:37] No, but some of it was pressure for sure.
Annie Jones [00:14:45] Well, I'll ask you, other than Little Women and the Bible, is this the biggest book you've read?
[00:14:49] Yes.
[00:14:50] Okay. That's great. That's fun.
Susie [00:14:52] And so did I mention 858 pages?
[00:14:54] Yeah.
[00:14:55] Okay, so here's the scoop. I got all the little cute paperwork for it.
Annie Jones [00:14:59] Thank you. We work hard on that.
Susie [00:15:01] That's a lovely little checklist.
Annie Jones [00:15:03] Yeah.
Susie [00:15:04] And I started into it and I went, well, this isn't McLintock. This isn't how the West was one. This is different. And so I started it, and I thought, who was playing this part? I had to get my people and I totally picked Sam Elliott.
Annie Jones [00:15:25] I love Sam Elliott. Okay, wait. I do have to tell funny story about my friend Courtney. She just texted me other day because she and her husband were watching-- I think they were watching Roadhouse. And she texted-- I hope she's not going to kill me for saying this. She texted me and my friend and she said, "Guys, I'm watching Roadhouse," which is like an 80s movie. And she said, "Quite frankly, Sam Elliott can get it." It's so funny. I think to be fair, to out myself as well, I texted back and I was like, "I think Sam Elliott now can get it. I think he's still a handsome man."
Susie [00:15:57] Yes.
Annie Jones [00:15:57] Okay, so you picture Tim Elliott. I do want to ask, had you seen Lonesome Dove before reading this?
Susie [00:16:04] No, I had not. But I had to Google them.
Annie Jones [00:16:06] Which is scary to do, by the way, because you don't want to spoil it for yourself.
Susie [00:16:10] I was in the middle. I wanted to see who played who because I was getting into this and I'm like, this is Sam Elliott, but who is this? Who is Colt?
Annie Jones [00:16:20] Let me tell you, I have not looked any of this up.
Susie [00:16:22] Okay.
Annie Jones [00:16:23] I think you can share here. And if you don't want to know who was cast in the 1980s or 1990s (who wants some dumb mini series) I guess you can skip ahead. But I have refrained from looking this up. But listeners have informed me-- Who were you picturing Sam Elliott as, just out of curiosity?
Susie [00:16:40] Gus.
Annie Jones [00:16:42] The chatty one that.
Susie [00:16:43] Yes.
Annie Jones [00:16:43] Okay, I don't know who I was picturing as who, but I did know in my head, (I guess, much like you had Sam Elliott) I was picturing Tommy Lee Jones somewhere. And so then-- yes, the look on your face. So then people messaged me because they were like, Annie, you're not going to believe this. So o do know that he played a role. But you know who else I thought about? I thought about Tom Selleck.
Susie [00:17:02] I did too.
Annie Jones [00:17:03] And I liked Tom Selleck.
Susie [00:17:04] I love Tom Selleck and he's done a lot of those down under Western type of [crosstalk]
Annie Jones [00:17:09] Yeah, I think he could have been Jake Spooner. Is he a handsome character.
[00:17:15] Don't tell me anything because mom has already finished this book. I'm over here in the trenches, reading it, one section at a time as God intended, and mom has already read the whole thing.
Susie [00:17:28] I couldn't help.
Annie Jones [00:17:30] I know. You're not alone. I even had somebody on Patreon be like, can't you just make the short? Can't you just do this every six months? Please, do you know me? I was like, no, we've already planned this. Thank you so much.
Susie [00:17:44] And besides that, here's two reasons. One reason is I get afraid that if I start something and then I get distracted with other Shelf Subscriptions or other things I want to read that will I come back to? Well, first of all, I fell in love with it.
Annie Jones [00:17:59] You fell in love with it. And correct me if I'm wrong, but you were reading it in the winter, which is when we read Little Women.
Susie [00:18:05] Yes.
Annie Jones [00:18:05] And I think you and I both have slower winters than spring, summer, fall. So now you probably felt like, well, now I have the time.
Susie [00:18:12] That's what I did.
Annie Jones [00:18:13] Why can't I go ahead?
Susie [00:18:14] The days are short. The nights are long. But I read this, I just couldn't hardly put it down. And I kept going through my checklist going, oh, I love a good checklist.
Annie Jones [00:18:28] I know. Should you laminate this? It's so pretty.
Susie [00:18:31] I know. Look at it. It's so pretty. All the different color exes. And so I just got carried-- look at me, I did January. Look at me, oh, my word I did February. And I then I got into it so much I couldn't stop. I just couldn't stop. So I know we can't talk about it very much. I loved it. But the language and stuff, it just was cracking me up. And you know how I wrote you a text. And can I tell everybody what you gave me for finishing it?
Annie Jones [00:19:02] I gave mom a prize.
Susie [00:19:03] Anybody that's read any of the book, it's so funny. Annie said, "Mom, I have a great gift for you for finishing and for conquering a classic. And I thought it was going to be the Conquer a Classic T-shirt.
Annie Jones [00:19:17] I should have. Well, we haven't designed our [crosstalk] so you'll get one.
Susie [00:19:21] I thought that would be so great. But no, it was a leather carrot-shaped bookmark. So if you haven't, then now you've got to go read it.
Annie Jones [00:19:36] Now you have to at least read the first 25 pages.
Susie [00:19:39] Now you have to go read it because I laughed so hard.
Annie Jones [00:19:43] It was so funny.
Susie [00:19:43] I died laughing. I fell out of the chair. I was laughing so hard. So now I'm using that bookmark currently in my current read and just still die laughing over it.
Annie Jones [00:19:53] Okay, so I do want to go back just briefly, and I'm trying desperately to avoid spoilers, but is Sam Elliott in Lonesome Dove?
Susie [00:20:00] No.
Annie Jones [00:20:01] He's not. That's almost shocking.
Susie [00:20:03] When I looked it up, I was like you-- and then I had to change.
Annie Jones [00:20:07] You had to change mentally, yes.
Susie [00:20:09] But Tommy Lee Jones is.
Annie Jones [00:20:10] Yes.
Susie [00:20:10] But interestingly, he was actually a little young to play this part.
Annie Jones [00:20:14] I know.
Susie [00:20:15] Thanks to Google. And they made him look older.
Annie Jones [00:20:17] Well, that's what I thought was funny is I would never have-- I just said I wish Tommy Lee Jones was in this. That's who I was picturing.
Susie [00:20:25] Well, he was good.
Annie Jones [00:20:26] And then people DM'd me and they were like, "Annie. Haha. You were right." But I still didn't know who he played. And I still am not 100%. I will just say that when you google Lonesome Dove to do some research as I have done, what pops up is a picture of white haired Tommy Lee Jones.
Susie [00:20:43] And he's 40 years old.
Annie Jones [00:20:44] Yes, Tommy Lee Jones didn't have white hair until recently, right? And so I thought, well, that's weird.
Susie [00:20:49] Yes. I do want to put in there too that dad watched the mini series with me.
Annie Jones [00:20:55] Is it four episodes?
Susie [00:20:56] I think it's four.
Annie Jones [00:20:58] Because I'll also put in a plug. I don't know if you would like it or not. I don't know what kind of language they use, but I listen to a lot of podcasts through a podcast network called The Ringer Network, and they have all kinds of different podcast shows, and one is called The Watch. And I don't listen to The Watch regularly, but they recap TV shows and things like that. But apparently The watch did a reread and rewatch of Lonesome Dove and recapped the mini series, and so I'm going to listen to it after I finish the book, and if I like it, I'll tell you. Because they do sometimes on this show use a lot of language. And so you might not enjoy it as much, but I'm gonna listen to it to see if I think you would like it because it might be a fun treat.
Susie [00:21:38] I had googled enough to find out who was who. So in my motion picture that was going on in my head, I switched [inaudible]. Although I've watched the mini series. So I watched the mini series after and I had never seen it before, which is weird.
Annie Jones [00:21:53] That is weird.
Susie [00:21:54] How did I miss this western? Anyway, so dad watched it with me. I'm just going to say well done.
Annie Jones [00:22:02] Okay. I'm excited.
Susie [00:22:03] Well done mini series.
Annie Jones [00:22:04] Because Hunter and I reward ourselves. We read Count of Monte Cristo. And then he and Tyler came over and watched Count of Monte Cristo. And so we have still not rewarded ourselves. What did we read last year? There is a mini series of Bleak House, but I'll be honest, I have not felt the need.
Susie [00:22:24] You may need another kind of party.
Annie Jones [00:22:26] Yeah. I have not felt the need, but I am very excited to watch the [crosstalk] adaptation.
Susie [00:22:33] I'm going to tell you, oftentimes people will say nothing's as good as the book. Well, it can't last 858 pages even in four installments. Well done.
Annie Jones [00:22:41] Okay. I'm excited.
Susie [00:22:43] I loved it.
Annie Jones [00:22:44] All right. I do want to ask because I felt like you were going to address this. I'm very proud of you for finishing it in six weeks instead of-- I think we are going to take about ten months. We're going to do it through October. And I told people this on Patreon, I use you as an example. I was like, if you want to go ahead and read through-- when Hunter and I picked Lonesome Dove, we had several Patreon supporters who were like, you guys are going to want to read this faster. And I would like to say I respect that. I also have said this on our Patreon episodes, I have begun treating reading slowly almost like a spiritual practice because so much of my reading life is binging. You know I'm the opposite of you. I am a very fast reader, and so it actually is beneficial to me to slow down. And unlike so far-- knock on wood. But so far, unlike Bleak House, I have no trouble re-immersing myself in Gus' and Call's story.
Susie [00:23:45] You can put this down.
Annie Jones [00:23:46] Yes.
Susie [00:23:47] And I, to be honest, was a little afraid of that. Will I come back to it? But you could. I can and you're doing it.
Annie Jones [00:23:54] And that's what I thought too. Again, read however you want. Finish it in six weeks. I have one of my friends had done a buddy read of this over a summer. And so you could do it over summer. Hunter and I, this is just what we do. Mom read 858 pages in four weeks. But I'm going obviously-- I mean, we've already decided and I'm going to keep reading this at the pace decided upon. And I don't hate it that way. It does not feel hard to me to put it down.
Susie [00:24:30] You have so many other things to read
Annie Jones [00:24:32] So many other things to read.
Susie [00:24:35] And I really don't except for keeping up with my Shelf Subscription, which can be difficult.
Annie Jones [00:24:40] Yes. I think it's hard.
Susie [00:24:42] Turned out to be hard this month. Yeah. But, anyway, mostly I just knew, well, here I am. Yeah, I can do this.
Annie Jones [00:24:48] Well and you did do it. I don't know how you felt, but maybe this is coming off of Bleak House. Bleak House constantly felt like a chore. It felt like work. And that's okay. I can work. That's fine. This has felt like a treat.
Susie [00:25:02] I didn't want it to end.
Annie Jones [00:25:03] I have had a great time.
Susie [00:25:05] How weird. I didn't want it to end.
Annie Jones [00:25:07] Yeah.
Susie [00:25:07] I was like, is there more? And there actually is.
Annie Jones [00:25:10] Yes, there is.
Susie [00:25:11] This is number two and it's three part series.
Annie Jones [00:25:14] But he started with this one.
[00:25:16] Oh really? So it was a prequel.
[00:25:18] Yes. That's right. So he wrote this one first. I learned this in my research last month. He wrote this one first, but it is technically, I think, book two in the series. And I would think unless I'm just totally burned out in October, I think I will read other Larry McMurtry books. I like his writing. I think he's funny.
Susie [00:25:37] Funny, yes.
Annie Jones [00:25:38] And this is a fun fact a customer told me so. Larry McMurtry is a famous Texas writer. He passed away a few years ago, but he owned a bookstore and he had a ton of books. And either right before his death or after his death, his bookstore kind of closed. But Chip Gaines bought them all and they used all of those books in their decorations of their hotel.
Susie [00:26:02] Oh, my goodness!
Annie Jones [00:26:04] And I thought that was really fun.
Susie [00:26:06] That was so sweet.
Annie Jones [00:26:06] But he kind of saved those books. I would love for bookstores still to be open, but that can't always happen.
Susie [00:26:14] How nice for someone who respected them enough to save them and then use them.
Annie Jones [00:26:19] A customer told me that, so I haven't fact checked it but I think that it's true.
Susie [00:26:22] I bet it's true.
Annie Jones [00:26:23] I bet it's true too. So, anyway, that's kind of fun.
Susie [00:26:25] I like him even more.
Annie Jones [00:26:26] Yeah, that's a fun fact.
Susie [00:26:27] So that kicked off January.
Annie Jones [00:26:29] That was a big thing to kick off the month.
Susie [00:26:31] So since I read a lot of books--
Annie Jones [00:26:34] You did. I mean we've kind of flip through your October/November because we knew you'd read so many in January.
Susie [00:26:40] And what happens to me when I read a good book, Annie?
Annie Jones [00:26:45] I was about to say you're a little lost.
Susie [00:26:47] What I'm I going to do next. So this fall, dad and I went to Kentucky. And we went to see the Eagles in concert. But we also did some other things. And one of the things we wanted to do was go visit where Wendell Berry's library is.
Annie Jones [00:27:01] Yes.
Susie [00:27:02] So we did, and we bought lots of Wendell Berry books, which we both love and gave some at Christmas. And we love his writing a lot. So in his little store, I picked up Caddy Woodlawn. I've said this before, but Gretchen Rubin really turned me on to the idea of going back and rereading some of your favorite children's books.
Annie Jones [00:27:28] She's an advocate for that.
Susie [00:27:29] And I love that. And so I saw Caddy Woodlawn.
Annie Jones [00:27:34] Had you read it before?
Susie [00:27:35] Yes, as a little girl. And might have even been a book we read. You know how teachers used to read out loud to you after lunch, and you put your head on your desk and listen to your [crosstalk].
Annie Jones [00:27:46] I wish we would do that for grown ups.
Susie [00:27:49] I know. Yes. So, anyway, I grabbed this little paperback and I went, okay, this can be my the ode to Gretchen Rubin for reminding me to read this--
Annie Jones [00:27:57] Kid lit.
Susie [00:27:57] Boxcar Children.
Annie Jones [00:27:58] Oh my gosh, the little girl in front of us at church had her copy of The Boxcar Children in front of us.
[00:28:04] Do you have them in the store?
Susie [00:28:05] Okay, because those were my favorites. Which may be why you often want to go be a little orphan somewhere.
Annie Jones [00:28:11] Yeah. I made Ashley and Caroline and Chet play Boxcar Children with me. Lisa and [crosstalk] .
Susie [00:28:23] So we read Carrie Woodlawn, and it was perfect.
Annie Jones [00:28:25] Was it charming? Did it live up to your childhood expectations?
Susie [00:28:29] Yes. I loved it. And you know what? Old books are slower.
Annie Jones [00:28:34] They are. They totally are. So funny you'd say that.
Susie [00:28:37] I really am in love with old movies now. Going backwards and watching old movies, especially at Christmas. It makes me do it. And now dad and I have this little thing that once a month or twice a month, we're going to find all movies. We watched Funny Girl which was so good, and I've never seen it.
Annie Jones [00:28:54] Funny Girl or Funny Face?
Susie [00:28:56] Funny girl?
Annie Jones [00:28:57] Which one?
Susie [00:28:58] Barbara Streisand.
Annie Jones [00:29:00] Funny Girl. Funny Face is Audrey Hepburn.
Susie [00:29:01] So good. Anyway, so I loved this. It was slow. It was delightful.
Annie Jones [00:29:13] I know I've talked about Shirley, my goddaughter. So she and I are in this book club together, and we just read Ballet Shoes by Nordstrom Bell. She did not like it and I really didn't either. And I was disappointed. And I honestly don't know if I read this as a kid or not.
Susie [00:29:28] I don't remember you reading this as a kid.
Annie Jones [00:29:29] I just know obviously the You've Got Mail reference. And it was my selection. We alternate selections. And Shirley is adopted. And so the main characters are three orphans.
Susie [00:29:41] Yes.
Annie Jones [00:29:41] And so we did have a lot of conversations about that. But mostly what I thought was really interesting is the very first thing I asked Shirley, I said, "Well, what did you think about this book? Because it's the oldest one we've ever read together." We've read like Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Junie B Jones. And she's so fun and pretty smart, I think, because she said "There's just not a lot of action in this." She names the characters from Diary of a Wimpy Kid because she said they're always doing something. And she was like, these girls just go to dance class. And she wasn't wrong, right? And it made me think, now, I love Little Women. I loved it as an eight/nine-year-old. I don't know if a modern 8 or 9 year old would. I'm not sure. Anne of Green Gables, I do think has a lot happening. I do think there are a lot of funny stories in there, but just you saying that Carrie Woodlawn moves a little slower just made me think about Modern Kids Lit, which makes sense.
Susie [00:30:47] This is along the lines of little House on the Prairie sort of books, but I will say that kids should read.
Annie Jones [00:30:55] Yeah. And mix it in.
Susie [00:30:57] And mix it in.
Annie Jones [00:30:58] Yeah. Mix it in.
Susie [00:30:59] Because your imagination comes in and-- Carrie Woodlawn I think she was a real person.
Annie Jones [00:31:07] Let me look at this. It's been a minute since I read this.
Susie [00:31:09] Me too.
Annie Jones [00:31:11] But I liked Carrie Woodlawn as a kid, I remember. I can't tell, but this was published in 1935, which was the same year-- 1936 was the ballet shoes.
Susie [00:31:22] Oh, really? And it's funny because you did not read those books as a child.
Annie Jones [00:31:27] I didn't think I did.
Susie [00:31:27] And I learned about them same way you did and You've Got Mail.
Annie Jones [00:31:33] Fascinating.
Susie [00:31:34] Okay, then I had to get busy because I knew Erin would be calling me in the 1st of February to say, what is your March book? As easy as January was, March was hard.
Annie Jones [00:31:46] March was hard for me too.
Susie [00:31:47] And I read four or five books before I landed on the one I thought this is dedication.
Annie Jones [00:31:56] That's true love for you shelf subscribers.
Susie [00:32:01] But I will say if you're a little bit braver, you really can tolerate a little bit more. That this was a good book. It's called The Last Verse. And now this isn't out yet. Will it come out in March?
Annie Jones [00:32:15] Let me tell you that this podcast episode will also release in March. And so you might be okay. When does that book come out?
Susie [00:32:21] It says March 24th.
Annie Jones [00:32:23] Okay. Well, this podcast episode releases mid-March, so maybe it's out right now.
Susie [00:32:28] The Last Verse by Caroline Frost is about a young girl in Texas who father was a singer, but he has died. Her mother has become this Uber fundamentalist, tightly religious woman who has really put a lot of pressure and just a lot of restraints on her daughter. Anyway, so that's kind of the back set of it. And then Elvis Presley dies. And she gets a wild hair and says, I am going to Graceland.
Annie Jones [00:33:05] Okay.
Susie [00:33:05] And so she does. She's fed up. She takes her whatever money she's got. She gets a bus ticket and she goes to Graceland. And then from there, she winds up in Nashville and she is a songwriter. She writes songs, she takes her guitar with her, and she goes to Nashville. You know what we think of Nashville as just some country (Well, I did grow up now) wholesome, Americana, just good old Tennessee. Because it was, well, you know.
Annie Jones [00:33:42] Back in the day.
Susie [00:33:43] And my mother was from nearby in her small town nearby. And so we just thought Nashville was cool and neat and not like Hollywood. Yes it is. In this book it is.
Annie Jones [00:33:56] Well, and now it is.
Susie [00:33:57] It's super cutthroat. It's super hard.
Annie Jones [00:34:00] Especially if you're trying to make it in the music industry.
Susie [00:34:03] And you had nothing but your bus ticket.
Annie Jones [00:34:06] It's a little bit like, I don't know, somebody in Nashville is going to get real mad, but it feels like Los Angeles in the South.
Susie [00:34:13] Well, and you just forget. I mean, I don't know anything about the music industry. I'd have been at the Grand Ole Opry and stuff like that. But this kind of delves into there's really a hard side. And she didn't really go to think she could break in, but she does become a songwriter. It's really got great mystery in it. It's got a murder in it, more murder. It's not PG.
Annie Jones [00:34:44] Okay. I just want to ask, is that the reason you didn't pick it?
Susie [00:34:47] Yes. I just felt like there were scenes and stuff that I didn't feel true to people who are very super sensitive. But I'm going to say that I was into this and liked it enough to finish it. So sometimes that happens to me.
Annie Jones [00:35:01] Yeah.
Susie [00:35:02] I just overlook a few things and just move on.
Annie Jones [00:35:04] And I was going to say you read outside of the PG 13 genre, but for Shelf Subscriptions you are trying to adhere to the guidelines I've set forth.
Susie [00:35:13] Yes.
Annie Jones [00:35:14] You're trying to be true to what we've promised customers. And so that's why you didn't pick this one. But this actually does sound like a book Nancy would love. Nancy also typically reads...
Susie [00:35:24] She probably would like it. It really was good. And so I enjoyed that one very much.
Annie Jones [00:35:30] I normally save my recommendations for the end of the episode, but because of this one's premise, I am just going to say I just finished a book that I think you should take with you if you have time to just read something for fun.
Susie [00:35:41] I'm caught up now.
Annie Jones [00:35:42] Okay, so I just finished an ARC called Colton Gentry's Third Act. And it is about a country music star. Fiction. A country music star who in grief over the loss of a friend and due to inebriation, he spouts off in favor of gun control in front of a live audience of his fans, and they quickly turn on him. And so Country music pulls his songs from the radio because of his political stance. And so he winds up going home to Venice, Kentucky, this small town in Kentucky. And he goes back home, lives with his mom, and winds up like working at a southern restaurant as his third act. And it's a really feel good story of somebody who's down on their luck after the music industry. And there's some flashbacks to see what he was like as a teenager and why he chose country music. But think you'd like it. I finished it and thought mom would like this.
Susie [00:36:45] I think you would like this one because it really does-- you don't have time probably, but I think you would like it because it definitely has some twists. I think what it did for me, because I still think Nashville's beautiful. Of course, I still love Nashville, but I think it reminded me-- gosh, did you ever think about the hard road. Some of the people who have become big stars, what it was like to start out.
Annie Jones [00:37:10] That's why I say--
Susie [00:37:13] She had absolutely nothing. She wasn't really planning on doing that. She wound up being a nanny. And then she met different young men who probably took some advantage of her talent and stuff. And then she really was robbed of one of her songs.
Annie Jones [00:37:31] I see. Well, that's why I say I was teasing, but also not. That's why Nashville reminds me of the LA of the South. Because in Los Angeles, that is a town built around an industry. And so Nashville is more or less built around an industry. And you have a lot of people who come to Nashville just like they go to LA or go to New York to try to make it. And so that's why it reminds me a little bit of Los Angeles. I mean, it also feels like traffic and infrastructure-wise. Starting to feel like that. But it's it's a town where people go to make their dreams come true. And it's hard.
Susie [00:38:07] And it's very hard. And I think that was-- even though this obviously is fiction, it really was a reminder of, oh my goodness, it's just like any kind of big star football, any sports star movie, not many make it.
Annie Jones [00:38:21] That's right. It's a super tiny percentage.
Susie [00:38:23] We think that a lot do, but really it's a very small percentage. So I really did like that book. I recommend it for anybody who can handle a little bit more graphic things than some of the other ones.
Annie Jones [00:38:37] Okay.
Susie [00:38:39] Then I thought this was going to be-- you know what, I don't ever want to come on here and go meh.
Annie Jones [00:38:44] Well, you know what? We don't want you to come on and say ew. But what I frequently say-- because I know how you felt about this book. But what I will say is, and frequently it's true, books are subjective.
Susie [00:38:59] Right.
Annie Jones [00:39:00] So just because I don't like something doesn't mean another reader won't like it. So I might say good for somebody else wasn't for me. And that is always fair. Not every book is going to be for all of us.
Susie [00:39:11] That's right. As a matter of fact, first of all, I thought, this is too thin.
Annie Jones [00:39:14] Well, tell me the name of it.
Susie [00:39:15] Notes From the Porch. If anybody knows anything about me, I live on my porch.
Annie Jones [00:39:21] That that is why the podcast name is From the Front Porch.
Susie [00:39:24] And we did all of our family counseling, all of our talking was on the porch swing.
Annie Jones [00:39:30] Yes.
Susie [00:39:31] So I do a lot of my reading on my porch swing.
Annie Jones [00:39:34] And I saw this book because I knew you were struggling with a March selection. So I found this. It is a thin little book in contrast to Lonesome Dove.
Susie [00:39:42] We mentioned 850 pages.
Annie Jones [00:39:44] How many pages is this? It looks so short.
Susie [00:39:48] It was 130.
Annie Jones [00:39:48] Okay. It's a short little book, so mom was already worried about too thin. She wants people to get their money's worth. And I told her, I said, "That's long enough to be a Shelf Subscription."
Susie [00:39:59] Well, and it says in smaller print, "Tiny true stories to make you feel better about the world." And it was written by a man who is president of a small university, and a writer. And so he's basically kind of telling short stories about when he was confined at his home in Vermont during the pandemic. So I really thought there have been so many heartwarming stories from neighborhoods, and I thought that's what this was going to be. And maybe to some people that's partly occasionally what this could be okay. But most of all, it wasn't for me.
Annie Jones [00:40:45] It was not for you.
Susie [00:40:46] I was expecting more. First of all, there was language.
Annie Jones [00:40:50] Which was surprising.
Susie [00:40:51] I'm like, come on. I need true stories to make me feel better about life. Not everybody talks like that. I wanted my tiny true stories to be very heartwarming. Feel almost like it could be on the a little evening news where they try to end on a high note.
Annie Jones [00:41:07] Like the good news first?
Susie [00:41:08] And they drug you through the mud for 25 minutes.
Annie Jones [00:41:10] Yeah.
Susie [00:41:10] So I thought it was going to be a little more like that. It's just little essays. Vignettes. And he is lots of times on his porch.
Annie Jones [00:41:20] All right.
Susie [00:41:22] There's bicycle boy number one. And then some more than Bicycle boy number two. And so there's nothing wrong. But I felt like for me to recommend it as a Shelf Subscription, so maybe I can preface it like that. I didn't feel like that was the one.
Annie Jones [00:41:41] Not Shelf Subscription worthy.
Susie [00:41:44] It wasn't. It just wasn't the heartwarming community what I was expecting from the title.
Annie Jones [00:41:52] Yeah that's fair.
Susie [00:41:53] So it's decent but it wasn't what I was expected. So, moving on. Expiration Dates.
Annie Jones [00:41:59] Okay. Now, this is the new Rebecca Searle. Erin just talked about this on last week's podcast episode or two.
Susie [00:42:06] Okay. Great.
Annie Jones [00:42:06] And she liked it.
Susie [00:42:07] I did too.
Annie Jones [00:42:08] But it's interesting. So you talked to me about this book a little bit, and then somebody I follow on Instagram posted some screenshots of this book, not loving it, which I thought was interesting. So I think this is going to be a book that either hits you like you either love it or you don't.
Susie [00:42:25] You know what? I'm going to say this because I think sometimes you can read so many up from November and December. I read quite a few romcoms, which is not typically--
Annie Jones [00:42:37] That's actually not your thing.
Susie [00:42:38] That's not typically what I read. And I read them because I'd met the authors and I loved them and I loved their books. I really did. So I think a lot of this one was about timing,
Annie Jones [00:42:51] That's true. That happens to me too. Like where a book could have been really good if I just hit it on a different month.
Susie [00:42:56] And I just thought, no, I want to do another one.
Annie Jones [00:43:01] Because you had just read so much in this category.
Susie [00:43:04] Exactly.
Annie Jones [00:43:07] Did you read One Italian Summer? I think that was her previous book.
Susie [00:43:12] Wait a minute. Did I read that one?
Annie Jones [00:43:14] You might. Or did you not? So Erin read that one.
Susie [00:43:18] I read a book about Italy. Remember? It's a beautiful book. You didn't love it, but you gave it to me. It was something about Rome?
Annie Jones [00:43:25] It was the one about the nun.
Susie [00:43:27] Yeah.
Annie Jones [00:43:29] Now, I did think the premise of this was interesting. Because there is a book out that's been super popular, like it's been on the bestsellers forever called The Measure. And it's like you get a slip of paper or something that tells you the day of your death. And you get to choose your mom's face.
Susie [00:43:47] And now I say ew.
Annie Jones [00:43:49] Yeah. You get to decide if you read the piece of paper or not or whatever. So it's a popular book amongst book clubs and things like that because it lends itself to discussion. And Erin was saying that this book is kind of like that, but for love and relationships. Where you get this slip of paper.
Susie [00:44:05] Yeah. Something would happen. She'd get this little note and it would be three months.
Annie Jones [00:44:10] With the guy's name.
Susie [00:44:12] And then she would meet this person, and it would last three months.
Annie Jones [00:44:16] I don't think I'd like that. I think I'd never date, probably.
Susie [00:44:18] And so what's interesting is how it comes back around.
Annie Jones [00:44:24] Did you finish it?
Susie [00:44:27] I'm finishing it, but I'm not quite finished with it.
Annie Jones [00:44:29] I just was curious because I knew you ultimately had decided not to pick this one.
Susie [00:44:33] I really want to be clear to say that I think for me personally, I didn't pick it as a Shelf Subscription because I just felt like I had just read a lot of books like that.
Annie Jones [00:44:42] I understand that.
Susie [00:44:44] And I wanted to be challenged to read something else.
Annie Jones [00:44:46] I was going to say it may just have been like that's almost sound-- and when Erin described it to me, and you talked to me about it, it sounds like a great beach bag book.
Susie [00:44:53] It does. It probably would be another great summary. And so it was hard for me to get into, and I just felt like there would be something for me, better for my Shelf Subscription for March.
Annie Jones [00:45:08] Well, and if you are like me, and I think we are similar, Shelf Subscriptions do feel like the whole point of Shelf Subscription is this is my favorite book I read this month. Well that's pressure. And so you do feel like it needs to be a book that you feel pretty strongly about. And now I will be very honest. Some months are easier than others. March was not an easy month for me now.
Susie [00:45:31] Usually January is terrible.
Annie Jones [00:45:34] December is often bad too, but I wound up the book that I chose for March, which we are well into March now as of this so you can say. But the book that I picked was, Anita Demonte Laughs Last, and it was a book that took me about 70 pages to get into. And so I was worried because it was kind of my only option, really that I based on-- also, we have to base it on what ARCs we get. We're kind of limited. So, anyway, but I wound up picking it because I did really like it. But I was worried at first because there is pressure that it's supposed to be a book Annie loves. It can't just be a book I kind of liked.
Susie [00:46:12] This is why I couldn't pick Notes From the Porch.
Annie Jones [00:46:15] Yeah.
Susie [00:46:16] It was not horrible. It wasn't bad.
Susie [00:46:19] It's just wasn't my favorite book.
Annie Jones [00:46:20] Yeah. Isn't Shelf Subscription material. Okay, so what did you pick?
Susie [00:46:26] Guess what.
Annie Jones [00:46:26] You found one.
Susie [00:46:27] I found one, and it was one of the first ones you gave me. And I was like, Panama Canal?
Annie Jones [00:46:33] Listen, I have recorded fairly recently with Erin, and she talked about this book and she said she was thrilled you picked it as your Shelf Subscription because she read it and loved it. But she started her description by saying, "Who wants to read a book about the Panama Canal?" And I died laughing because I was like, that is exactly what mom said. Mom was like, "I did not want to read a book about the Panama Canal," but you loved it.
Susie [00:46:55] I loved it.
Annie Jones [00:46:56] Oh, what's it called?
Susie [00:46:57] The Great Divide. And let's just say that I love a pretty cover.
Annie Jones [00:47:02] And it is a beautiful cover.
Susie [00:47:05] For the topic, it is so beautiful.
Annie Jones [00:47:09] You're going to want to own on this one.
Susie [00:47:12] I am going to want to own this one. It's just a lovely cover and it's by Cristina Enriquez. I loved it. It's about the building of the Panama Canal, which I going to be honest, I have never thought about in my life. Never.
Annie Jones [00:47:29] This is exactly what we said, because there's a lot of things in history.
Susie [00:47:34] It's just always been there.
Annie Jones [00:47:35] Yes. And there are history, mystery, you know what I mean? I still think about probably my Roman Empire is Amelia Earhart. I think about Amelia Earhart all the time. Like what happened to her? What happened at Roanoke? Like, I have a lot of questions. But I don't ever think, I wonder how the Panama Canal got built. I admit that is not something I think very often about. Which probably shows, by the way, our American centric.
Susie [00:48:02] It does. I'm just going to confess. I had to get out my math and go, okay, well, what was the big deal?
Annie Jones [00:48:10] It was a big deal. For the global economy.
Susie [00:48:12] See, and then what about the big deal to the people?
Annie Jones [00:48:17] Yes.
Susie [00:48:17] And so this book is fiction, but it's beautiful in its depiction of how this affected different people, how it affected the fishermen trying to make a living, how he felt about Americans coming out to build this. Also, there's a lot to make you think about how Americans go in thinking they're rescuing and saving.
Annie Jones [00:48:42] I was about to say we're the best and we just want to...
Susie [00:48:44] Yes. And so it really made me look at that like, oh, okay. That's what people are talking about when they say that we--
Annie Jones [00:48:50] American exceptionalism. White savior.
Susie [00:48:54] Yes. Because people are thinking, go home and mind your own business. We were happy. That's my village. Now, since my mother was from a close Winchester, but was born in Owl Hollow, which is pronounced Owl Holler, that's the truth.
Annie Jones [00:49:13] Yeah, we learned that the hard way.
Susie [00:49:14] And so I never knew until I was an adult that it was adorable Owl hollow, which was flooded for by the dam for the TVA, Tennessee Valley Authority. So her home place, and I remember being taken as a young teenager before they-- I don't even know if I was a teenager. A kid. Before they flooded it, we went down in there, down in the hollow and could see the old home. And those were people being booted out for progress. And so that kind of brought that back to me, like, oh, okay. We do that here on our own soil. And we do it in other places. It was really wonderful to read about like the fisherman who was totally against it. His young son was thinking hot dog. I got a chance here..
Annie Jones [00:50:06] Right. Because there might be a generational difference to do..
Susie [00:50:10] But then changed his mind. We have the doctors coming in to try to cure-- wasn't malaria. By trying to cure diseases and coming here where all these mosquitoes were so they could try to eradicate that. So it was really just a great book. I couldn't hardly put it down. I really liked all the characters and it was very good. It's definitely fits in with PG, PG 13. And I think people are going to like it.
Annie Jones [00:50:42] You persevered and you found one.
Susie [00:50:44] I did. How many times did it take me? The Last Verse. Expiration Dates. Note From the Porch. This was my fourth one.
Annie Jones [00:50:50] Fourth time's the charm.
Susie [00:50:51] So that's why I read so many books in January and February.
Annie Jones [00:51:00] Well, that was a very lengthy list. And now customers can find all of Shop Mom's selections and reads on our store website. So if you go to Bookshelf thomasville.com and type today's episode number in the search bar, that's episode 468, then you will see all of Shop Mom's selections listed there. And if you purchase a Shop Mom book, you can get 10% off your order by using the code SHOPMOMSELECTS. All one word. And that will get you 10% off your order of all of Shop Mom's picks. I hope you enjoy shopping this way. Thanks, mom. We need to be done, but I do just want to say my other recommendation for you. I'm listening right now to Savannah Guthrie's new book.
Susie [00:51:49] I want that book. I know I'm going to love it. Love the title.
Annie Jones [00:51:52] You are. I am listening to it. And I told Jordan--
Susie [00:51:56] My word of the year is glimmers.
Annie Jones [00:51:58] I think you're going to love this. I read a lot of books by people who are rightly being critical or thoughtful or academic, even maybe about faith or church or religion or God or Jesus or whatever. I have found her book to be such a delightful solace, and I'm listening to it. But I think you'll like the physical book. But I mentioned this on a reading recap episode a couple of weeks ago. One of the things I like about the audiobook is she reads an essay and then she says, "Thirty seconds starting now," and it's silence and she gives you space.
Susie [00:52:36] Are you trying to make me cry?
Annie Jones [00:52:37] I just think it's so lovely. I keep listening to it going, mom is going to love this book.
Susie [00:52:44] Maybe I'll buy the book and listen to it.
Annie Jones [00:52:46] And I have loved it. I mean, I really have, I found it really soothing. So anyway, that's my other recommendation for you. This week, what I am reading is brought to you by the 103rd Annual Rose Show and Festival here in Thomasville, Georgia. Held in historic downtown Thomasville, the Rose Show and Festival is sponsored by the city of Thomasville and has been a Southwest Georgia tradition since 1922. Enjoy rose and flower shows, live music, an artisan market, an antique car show, a parade, and fantastic shopping and dining in downtown Thomasville. This year's 103rd annual event is April 26th and 27th. Plan your visit at Thomasvillega.com. So a lot of people I feel like wonder, well, what exactly is Rose Show? I certainly I had those questions when I first moved to Thomasville, and I will tell you that over the years I have participated in more and more Rose Show events. It's hard to do as a business owner downtown. You wind up kind of working in your business. But I've been able to do a few things over the years, and I'm going to try to highlight each of those over the next few weeks as we talk about Rose Show together. So first of all, there is an opening ceremonies of sorts at the Rose tent. So the rose tent is actually diagonal from The Bookshelf. So we get to start seeing it erected a couple of weeks before the festival. And it always kind of generates the sense of excitement among the staff. We know Rose Show weekend is coming when the tent starts to go up for the roses. And it's literally a flower show. So I'll tell you more about the Rose tent. But every Friday afternoon of Rose Show and Festival, the Thomasville High School Band comes down and their drumline plays, and it is the most delightful, small town, ribbon cutting fun thing. I mean, we will come out of our stores and we're not the only ones. Lots of people on Broad Street come out of their stores and watch, and we all clap and cheer as the rose tent is kind of unveiled and opened for the festival weekend. I love opening and closing ceremonies. I think they're important in events and in life and it is just a lovely opening ceremony. That is Friday afternoon and it kind of lets us, even as a staff know, okay, it's starting. And if you have a chance in our downtown on April 26th, you will get the chance to see that and to participate in that alongside us.
[00:55:18] This week I'm reading Reading Genesis by Marilynne Robinson. Mom, what are you reading?
Susie [00:55:24] I'm reading The Wonderful World of James Herriot. I got it as a Christmas gift. It's a beautiful cover and it's really great. Is such a good book. And if you aren't watching All Creatures Great and Small on PBS, go do it and then write me and tell me how much you love it.
Annie Jones [00:55:42] Thank you again to our sponsor, the 103rd annual Rose Show and Festival here in Thomasville, Georgia.
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:
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
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: patreon.com/fromthefrontporch We’re so grateful for you, and we look forward to meeting back here next week.