Episode 484 || July New Release Rundown
This week on From the Front Porch, it’s another New Release Rundown! Annie, Erin, and Olivia are sharing the July releases they’re excited about to help you build your TBR. When you purchase or preorder any of the books they talk about, enter the code NEWRELEASEPLEASE at checkout for 10% off your order!
To purchase the books mentioned in this episode, stop by The Bookshelf in Thomasville, visit our website (type “Episode 484” into the search bar and tap enter to find the books mentioned in this episode), or shop on The Bookshelf’s official app:
Annie's books:
Long Island Compromise by Taffy Brodesser-Akner (7/9)
Tell It To Me Singing by Tita Ramirez (7/9)
Slow Dance by Rainbow Rowell (7/30)
Olivia's books:
The God of the Woods by Liz Moore (7/2)
All This & More by Peng Shepherd (7/9)
Things Don’t Break on Their Own by Sarah Easter Collins (7/16)
Erin's books:
Humor Me by Cat Shook (7/9)
Lenny Marks Gets Away With Murder by Kerryn Mayne (7/9)
We Burn Daylight by Bret Anthony Johnston (7/30)
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 Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty. Olivia is reading All This & More by Peng Shepherd. Erin is listening to Husbands & Lovers by Beatriz Williams.
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]
“I think that every family is its own Bible story. Every family has its own mythology.” - Taffy Brodesser-Akner, Long Island Compromise
[as music fades out] I’m Annie Jones, owner of The Bookshelf, an independent bookstore in beautiful downtown Thomasville, Georgia. Today I’m joined by Bookshelf operations manager Olivia and online sales manager Erin to give you a rundown of our favorite new books releasing in July.
[00:00:41] Today, I'm joined by bookshelf operations manager Olivia and online sales manager Erin, to give you a rundown of our favorite new books releasing in July. Before we get started, if you are a new or newish listener, you might not realize that From the Front Porch is a production of The Bookshelf, a small, independently owned bookstore in rural South Georgia. By listening to this show and recommending it to friends, you are helping keep our indie bookstore in business. And if you like what you hear, one way you can financially support The Bookshelf is through Patreon.
[00:01:13] In 2024, we've been conquering the classic American novel Lonesome Dove together with monthly recap episodes. For $5 a month, you can access those conversations as well as our porch visits, which are monthly live zoom Q&As where we talk about everything from pop culture to nail polish to what books you should take on your next vacation. We also have a fun bonus podcast episode coming up in July, where Kylla and I are going to talk about Jaws. I think it's going to be a great time. So, to learn more about our Patreon tiers and benefits, just visit Patreon.com/fromthefrontporch. I'd love for you to join us there. Now, back to the show. Hey everybody, it's July 4th. Happy July 4th.
Olivia [00:01:57] USA! USA!
Annie Jones [00:01:58] Fireworks. Corn. Hot dogs.
Erin [00:02:04] Why is corn the second thing you name? That's so weird.
Annie Jones [00:02:08] Corn on the cob.
Olivia [00:02:08] That's a good point. I'm actually shocked that corn came in before hotdogs for you.
Erin [00:02:13] That's okay.
Annie Jones [00:02:15] I'm so sorry. I blanked. Corn on the cob. Hot dogs. Fireworks. It's 4th of July! And you know what 4th of July means to me? Summer's over. That's what it means to me. It means we're done. 4th of July means that's as much summer as I can take. I can't handle...
Erin [00:02:35] Oh, I see. You're done with summer.
Annie Jones [00:02:37] I'm done with that. That's what that means. Mentally I'm done.
Olivia [00:02:41] When I first started at The Bookshelf, that waited till August.
Annie Jones [00:02:44] No, I know.
Erin [00:02:45] It's moved up now.
Annie Jones [00:02:47] Look, August is the worst. We all know this. But we could skip August, I think everybody be fine. But it's July 4th to me. I'm not saying school should go back in session. I advocate Labor Day for that. But what I am saying is, when you live in the deep, deep, deep South (and we do) when you're just stuck down here so deep, after July 4th, it's pretty unbearable. Because, yes, August is awful, but July 4th is fun. And then after July 4th, there's no more holidays.
Erin [00:03:26] Nothing to look forward to.
Annie Jones [00:03:28] That's right. Nothing until Labor Day. So, there's a long stretch of no holidays. I mean, it's not like I'm partying all the time, but no parties. Nothing to celebrate in the heat. And so, Olivia, you are correct. I don't like August, but it feels like July 4th is kind of the beginning of the end of my love affair with Summer.
Erin [00:03:52] Well, only this year you get to really escape the USA in July.
Annie Jones [00:03:56] That's true, I really can't. I should stop complaining. I sound like a whiny American baby.
Erin [00:04:00] No. I'm also going on vacation in July, so I'm looking forward to that.
Annie Jones [00:04:05] But yeah, it is true.
Olivia [00:04:07] And maybe this is a good strategy for you.
Annie Jones [00:04:09] Yes, yes, I think that's true. I've been talking a lot. I've been talking to, business coach, creative coach Emily about like, how can you take breaks? And I'm like, you know-- nobody panic, but, like, podcast break.
Olivia [00:04:23] You can leave the country.
Annie Jones [00:04:24] Yeah, you can flee.
Erin [00:04:25] You can actually just go.
Annie Jones [00:04:28] Flee the jurisdiction. I used to work at the Florida Bar, and my boss used to say at 5:00 every day-- it was like a law. Legal journalism is what we were practicing. But every day he would say, "Let's flee the jurisdiction." Every 5 p.m.
Erin [00:04:44] That's a legal joke if I've ever heard one.
Annie Jones [00:04:46] That was so funny.
Annie Jones [00:04:48] Guys, let's flee the jurisdiction in August. I do think this strategy, we're going to see how it works, because maybe then I'll come back and I'll be like, this is nothing. I had a great time. Blink and it's Labor Day. Anyway. Also, this is a tangent but somebody did tell me for them their August is September. And Olivia that sometimes sounds like what you hint to because September is supposed to be fall. And it's not here.
Olivia [00:05:17] That is when I get frustrated.
Annie Jones [00:05:19] Yes, I think August is mine September is yours and my friend would agree with you.
Olivia [00:05:27] Erin, what month do you get grumpiest.
Annie Jones [00:05:29] When do you want to leave?
Erin [00:05:32] And I don't know it's hard because when you have kids, your life revolves around the school schedule. And so, for me I'm loving summer and I don't want it to end. I'm always sad when it's time to have the-- I do like routines, but our kids start back August the 5th and I'm just like, I'm not ready. I'm never ready for that. I'm not ready for it. It's too hot. So maybe August is also mine. I don't know, I like the routine of them being in school, but I don't because it means our summer freedom is done. And it's just too hot, it doesn't feel like fall with pencils and backpacks yet. It just feels like why are we doing this in the dead of summer? And I'm sure everyone else feels that way too at school.
Annie Jones [00:06:15] Yeah. Heat stroke during recess just doesn't make sense to me.
Erin [00:06:17] Yeah, exactly. It's, like, too hot to even go outside.
Annie Jones [00:06:23] Let's be real about it. It feels like a health hazard. I did see that one of the climate change guys was like, hey, heat is just as bad as a snowstorm or a hurricane. And I was like, this is what I've been saying for years. That we're expected to continue on with our lives, and really, we should be inside with the blinds closed. Yeah.
Olivia [00:06:49] I think we've hit record high levels for like several months in a row now. It's really not great.
Annie Jones [00:06:57] June is not supposed to be this hot.
Erin [00:06:59] Our electrical bill was about two times as much as it normally is. And we were like, oh, no.
Annie Jones [00:07:05] Yeah. Because you have to have it bumped down. I don't know. We won't discuss AC settings here, but you have to have it bumped down to survive. Anyway, happy 4th of July.
Erin [00:07:15] Yay! Corn.
Annie Jones [00:07:19] Corn. As we go through our July new releases, just please keep in mind that Erin has made browsing our book selections for the podcast so easy. You can go to Bookshelfthomasville.com and type episode 484-- gosh, there's a lot of these episodes-- into the search bar, and you'll see all of today's books listed ready for you to preorder or purchase. You can then use the code NEWRELEASEPLEASE at checkout for 10% off your order of today's titles. I'm also going to put a plug here, because I don't think I've done this on the podcast yet. But we do every week a live sale on Tuesdays at 1 p.m. eastern, called New Release Tuesdays, and they are on Instagram, Facebook, and the app?
Erin [00:08:02] Yeah. And the website. You can watch them on our website, too.
Annie Jones [00:08:07] And our website. So, if you just want to hear our staff banter back and forth about two of their favorite books each week, you should tune in to that. So, if you like these podcast episodes, you will probably enjoy those Instagram, Facebook, App lives that we do. So, check them out. That's every Tuesday at 1 p.m. eastern. I just feel like we haven't talked about that here enough. All right. Are you guys ready?
Erin [00:08:33] Totally.
Olivia [00:08:34] Ready.
Annie Jones [00:08:35] All right. My first book is Long Island Compromise. This release is next week on July 9th. I've been talking about this book for a really long time, so I will not belabor the point too much. But Taffy Brodesser-akner wrote Fleishman Is in Trouble, which is a book I ultimately came to love. I struggled with it upon first reading, didn't really get past the first 50 or so pages, then returned to it with a different frame of mind. And what do you know? Absolutely loved it. And so, sometimes it's just about right place, right time. Long Island Compromise was a book I was really curious about. It clocks in at about 500 plus pages. And so, when you're a bookseller, I think you're constantly looking at page count, wondering, do I have time for this? And I read this in preparation for our Summer Literary First Look, and I am so glad I did. It's going to be one of my favorite books of the year, I think.
[00:09:26] The premise is pretty fun and interesting. I say fun, it's about a kidnaping. Is that fun? But the Fletcher family is this Jewish family living on Long Island. Their dad, the patriarch of the family, Carl, has inherited a Styrofoam business from his father, so he does quite well for himself. And one day Carl is kidnaped from his home. And one week later returns bruised, battered. His family has been absolutely distraught over the course of a week trying to deal with ransom and wondering who took him. And then Carl is dropped off back at home, looks terrible, clearly traumatized. And I think I've said this on a previous podcast episode, but Carl's mother kind of takes him by the shoulders, this Jewish matriarch, takes her middle-aged son, her adult some by the shoulders and she says, "This happened in your body. It didn't happen to you." And essentially then what unfolds is, of course, this happened to more than just Carl's body. It happened to him, and it happened to his whole family.
[00:10:37] And so, what unfolds is what happens to the Fletcher children in the aftermath of their dad's kidnaping and how it affected each of them. So, Nathan is the eldest son. He is highly anxious, a rule follower, highly organized, has worked in his job, married the right girl, kind of eldest sibling vibes. Beamer is the middle son. He is a screenwriter. Lives in LA. Lots of sexual proclivities, preferences that Taffy Brodesser-akner does give us in detail. So, I do want readers to know that the first few chapters deal a lot with beamers, relationships with sex workers and things like that. He is clearly also dealing with his own fallout from his dad's, kidnaping. And then Jenny is the youngest daughter. She is constantly working against her family's wealth and, works for, I believe, a union organization because she's trying to distance herself from her family in the only ways that she knows how. Through it all, there is Carl's wife, Ruth.
[00:11:50] And I think what is so fascinating about this book, there are so many good things about this book, but, Carl, to whom this event actually happens, we get very little of Carl. We get almost nothing about Carl. What we get is the three children and then a lot about their mom, Ruth. And all of these characters, I'm pleased to say when typing up the notes for this episode, I didn't have to look up any of their names. I remember them all. This is rare when you read a lot of books. I feel like I don't typically really remember character names, but I remember these people. I cared deeply about these people. And the book is such a well-told story about a very complicated family and this awful, traumatic event that changed the course of all of their lives. I loved it.
[00:12:36] And then-- this isn't a spoiler-- there's a fantastic author's note at the end about Taffy Brodesser-Akner reading about or having a family friend who experienced this. Meaning the patriarch of their family was kidnaped and went missing. And so, she reached out to the family and was like, can I craft my story around this event, but fictionalize it and fictionalize the family? She was very clear. She was, like, this family has nothing to do with these characters that I've just depicted. But the premise came from real life, which I thought was I just thought was super interesting. So, this is a beautiful book about the Fletcher family. Long Island Compromise by Taffy Brodesser-Akner. Releases next week on July 9th.
Olivia [00:13:20] This is the summer of people gone missing books.
Erin [00:13:26] Yeah. We've talked about this. It was like another kidnaping? Oh, no.
Annie Jones [00:13:29] Yeah, I've read many myself.
Olivia [00:13:31] I've read a lot too.
Erin [00:13:32] Yeah. me too.
Annie Jones [00:13:34] I've liked them all.
Olivia [00:13:36] They're really good.
Annie Jones [00:13:37] They're good. They're doing great.
Olivia [00:13:39] It really puts people in a survivalist mode.
Annie Jones [00:13:43] Yeah.
Olivia [00:13:44] Which is very fascinating. And I hope I never go into that.
Annie Jones [00:13:49] Hope this reading isn't preparing you.
Erin [00:13:51] Yeah.
Olivia [00:13:53] Apocalypse, fine. Kidnaping? I'd rather not.
Annie Jones [00:13:58] No, thank you.
Olivia [00:14:01] My next book out this past Tuesday is the God of the Woods by Liz Moore. It's so good. Annie's silently cheering. This was actually the perfect Venn diagram of Annie and my reading. It had a suspense moment throughout the entire book, really, but it also had these great literary aspects that dug into the characters, which could have not been my thing, but it was my thing because Liz Moore did it. And so, every page was just so well done. So, it's set in August of 1975 at a summer camp, and a camper Barbara Van Laar has gone missing. And Barbara isn't just like a typical camper. She is from the Van Laar family, who owns the camp. And so, she's like a high end. Like, everyone kind of revolves around her in a way where they cater to her. She knows the camp director. She's able to break any rule that she wants, and she knows this. You can tell by her attitude and the way she acts. But Barbara has just gone missing. The family owns the camp. And the third part that's happening is that Barbara's older brother had gone missing 16 years before all of this has happened. And so, now this family is experiencing it for a second time.
Erin [00:15:33] No. Poor family. My goodness.
Annie Jones [00:15:41] Erin, just calmly- no. Absolutely not.
Erin [00:15:43] Not okay.
Olivia [00:15:46] Not okay. So, you get this. It's a whole timeline. The way she did it. I don't know. Did you read the physical copy of it?
Annie Jones [00:15:55] Physical copy. Yay!
Olivia [00:15:57] I read it on my Kindle reader. And so, it would have the year because there's like a set of years that you go through, because you're going to follow several characters and basically how they got to this moment in time with Barbara being missing. How everything ties in to her brother gone missing before, and where their lives kind of took them and ended up. But it has the year at the top. And then it flashes back between the years. And in mine, the years were bolded what year you were in.
Annie Jones [00:16:28] That's right. Mine too.
Olivia [00:16:29] Okay. I actually really liked that because I felt like I was able to put me into the timeline that I needed to be in.
Annie Jones [00:16:37] I will just say, the whole design of this book from cover to chapter, it is a package. Some book designer read this book and did a really good job because I also noticed that. And it really did help you keep track of what year you were in.
Olivia [00:16:57] Yes. Especially part of the flashback is Barbara's mother and basically what she experienced through her life, how she met her husband, her love for her first child, what was going on between her and Barbara before Barbara went to summer camp. And that piece was so fascinating because her mother had such a sad life for so many reasons. But then there was this cop throughout it, and the cop was new to the force, dealing with her own family things. But she was just this unbiased look into the whole situation, which is what you needed because every other character is tied into Barbara's life in some way. It was so well done. It. There was so many moving parts, but it never felt like too much.
Annie Jones [00:17:45] It never felt confusing even though-- you're right-- there's a lot going on.
Olivia [00:17:50] There's so much happening. And, again, there are so many pages. But I didn't feel like any of it needed to be cut or edited at all. It was all worth it.
Annie Jones [00:18:00] Did you like that the detective was actually good at her job.
Olivia [00:18:04] Yes, I loved it.
Annie Jones [00:18:07] Ever since you mentioned at one point, you were like, "I just don't like books where the detective isn't good at their job." And that is such a trope in a lot of suspense books. Or where somebody-- I think the way you word it. It's not that they're bad at their jobs, but they go rogue. I felt like she was a good cop, like really a good detective. She was a fascinating character.
Olivia [00:18:34] Yes. And had people around her who actually listened to her too, which I think was really important because she was new to the force. This was, I think, her first really big assignment, but she was the only one who didn't have prior history with this family and people were actually listening to her, which was really important. It was so well done. It was five-stars for me. It was excellent. I hope everyone reads it.
Erin [00:19:00] Now I can't wait to read it, too. Sounds good.
Annie Jones [00:19:03] It was great.
Olivia [00:19:04] You would really like it, Erin.
Erin [00:19:05] Yeah, I think so.
Olivia [00:19:06] Besides the missing children.
Erin [00:19:08] That is tough. Two of them. Okay. My first book is called Humor Me. Complete turn of events. No one is missing in this book. It is called Humor Me by Cat Shook. It comes out next Tuesday, July the 9th. She wrote If We're Being Honest, which was a great book, one of our favorites from the last few years. I can't remember-- Annie maybe you know. Does Cat herself live in Georgia or she's from Georgia?
Annie Jones [00:19:37] She's from Georgia, and she now lives in New York.
Erin [00:19:39] Okay, that makes sense. And that's really what this book is about. I feel like the last book was set in Georgia. It was very much trenched in the South and its cultures and its people. This one is like the blurb says. It's a love letter to NYC, which is kind of what it is. It's this girl named Pressley Fry. She's from Eulalia, Georgia, which I don't think is a real place. Maybe someone can correct me. If you're listening from Eulalia and it's real, let me know. But she is an underappreciated talent assistant at a late-night talk show, like a Jimmy Fallon or something like that. And she is the person that helps book comics on the show. So, she wants to become the person who finds the next big comic and can sort of work her way up in this behind the scenes at the show. But she's in love with this other guy who works at the show, and they're just pals. They're friends, but she really likes him and she doesn't know if he likes her back. So, she kind of maintains this unaffected, cool vibe with everyone around her.
[00:20:50] But it's really because she doesn't want to get her heartbroken, and she just playing it cool. And we come to find out that her mom passed away about a year ago when this was set, and her mom was a very complicated character. She wasn't really that great of a mom. Pressley was really raised by her grandparents, who she's very close to and she still calls and talks to during this book. But her mom did pass away and so she's dealing with the grief. And one day she runs into this woman who is-- there's some parallel plotlines going on, which is one of them is like during the MeToo movement when all these big guys were being outed at these entertainment companies for not being great guys. So, one of those guys is married to a woman who is actually a longtime friend of Presley's mom from back in Georgia, and she's now living in NYC. She runs into Presley and is like, "Oh my gosh, we should get together. I loved your mom and I'm so sorry about what happened.".
[00:21:49] And Presley is kind of hesitant at first because she doesn't know this lady, she doesn't have a great relationship with her mom. But she decides, okay, maybe having a friendly face in NYC is not that bad. So, they start this friendship. All the while this lady is divorcing her husband because of what he did and how he how he's been outed as a terrible person. So, that's really the plot. It's not a ton of action in this book, but it is a story of just taking Presley from this waiting around for a life to happen to her type of person, to a person who at the end is kind of taking life by the reins and deciding what to do for herself and who she's going to be. And there's a lot of healing that takes place. And it is kind of like a romcom. I mean, there are romcom elements to this. But, to me, the main relationship was between Presley and this woman, Susan, who she meets and how they kind of help each other heal when they're both going through some difficult times. So, it's called Humor Me by Cat Shook. It comes out next week.
Annie Jones [00:22:57] I really liked that one. And I'm with you. I think there is a romantic plotline and some romcom elements. But yeah, it's more of a family story. And all the characters are so complicated. The wife of the kind of gross man, she is really interesting. I really liked it. And I'm so glad because sometimes sophomore novels, they get a bad rap. But I thought, I'm excited to see the rest of Cat Shook's career because I really like what I've read so far.
Erin [00:23:30] Me too. And I like how she keeps blending in this element of the South. Even though this one is not set there, you can tell that there's a lot of roots there. And with her connection with her grandparents who are still there, you still get that element of the South in the book.
Annie Jones [00:23:45] Okay. My next book is called Tell It to Me Singing this is by Tita Ramirez. It comes out next week, on July 9th. I started reading this for Summer Literary First Look. I do suspect-- and I've not listened to it, but I suspect it would make a very fun audiobook listen. This is about a Cuban-American family. A young woman named Monica. Monica is called back home with her close-knit family because her mother has experienced a heart attack and is in the hospital. Maybe she's about to have a heart attack. Anyway, she's in the hospital and she's kind of in and out of consciousness. Monica and her mom are watching this telenovela on TV while they're kind of passing time in the hospital. And the next thing you know, Monica's mother sits up in bed and starts telling Monica things that are going to complicate Monica's life if they're true.
[00:24:54] And so, for example, her mom kind of hints or tells her that the man who was her father is not her actual father. And so, what unfolds, it feels very Jane the Virgin to me. Admittedly, I don't have a ton of experience with telenovelas. I think I read the first couple of chapters. Reading this, I was immediately like, oh, Jane the Virgin. All of these very strong, female characters. A little bit of "I did not get this yet" but I think as the book progresses, there's like a slight magical realism or speculative element, just a little, and then high drama and high jinks. So, one of the things that I read about in reviewing the book was that you need to go into this knowing what a telenovela is, because otherwise you're going to read it and think, this is dumb. This is unrealistic.
[00:25:54] One of the reviewers was like, you really have to understand what a telenovela is so that you can understand how the author is playing with that format. And so, these almost soap opera-esque plot twists, those are intentional. It's not just the author being over-the-top or ridiculous. It's her playing on the importance of telenovelas in Hispanic culture and things like that. I really did like what I had read. I put it down to read something else and have not returned back to it, but I think I could try this one in audiobook format because of the dramatic elements. It just seems like a book that would probably be well-told in audiobook. But I liked what I had read. And I think if you like Jane the Virgin, which I really do, then I think you will like Tell It To Me Singing. The book cover is also gorgeous, if you buy books based on cover design, I think it's a really beautiful book. So, that is Tell It To Me Singing by Tito Ramirez. It releases next week.
Olivia [00:26:58] Okay. My next book is All This and More by Peng Shepherd. And this is also out next week, July 9th. This is Peng Shepherd's third book, I believe. And I've read all of them at this point. The Book of M, The Cartographers, which was amazing, and I believe my Shelf Subscription at one point, but now I can't remember.
Erin [00:27:19] Yeah, at one point.
Annie Jones [00:27:22] Erin knows.
Olivia [00:27:26] I know I liked it. Did I like it enough to pick it as a shelf sub?
Annie Jones [00:27:28] Right. That's always the question.
Olivia [00:27:32] And now she has this one coming out. It's called All This and More. In the book, All This and More is a reality television show. It's had two seasons and they have been huge hits. There is a single contestant on the show almost like a Bachelor/Bachelorette vibe. But they basically get put in this quantum bubble.
Annie Jones [00:27:58] There's the Olivia twist you were waiting for.
Erin [00:28:00] It's like, well, well, well.
Annie Jones [00:28:01] In case you are like, wait, what? Olivia, the Bachelor, the Bachelorette?
Erin [00:28:05] This was going all these places I was not expecting.
Annie Jones [00:28:08] Quantum physics.
Erin [00:28:09] Yeah, reality TV show.
Olivia [00:28:12] Stay with me. I don't watch reality TV, but if I did, it would be this. So, this quantum bubble lets them basically choose different choices from their past. So, they can choose maybe a different boyfriend that they had and see how that life plays out. A different job opportunity. All different living situations, places and all whatnot. Because the goal is that by the end of the show, this person is going to have their ideal life. So, the first two seasons have been huge hits. The third season, our contestant is Marsh. Marsh's short for her nickname of Marshmallow, which she did not choose. And I have yet to see her reject the nickname. I'm about halfway through.
Annie Jones [00:29:07] It's like, wait, it's like Summer I Turned Pretty. It's like that [inaudible] Remember that?
Erin [00:29:12] No. You got to rename yourself. You got to make it work.
Annie Jones [00:29:16] Re-invent yourself.
Erin [00:29:17] Reinvent yourself.
Olivia [00:29:20] So Marsh is freshly 45, about to be divorced. She has one kid. Her job is not where she wanted it to be because she out of the two of them in the marriage, she put her job goals aside to help raise the kid and let him kind of prosper in his own job. So, Marsh is offered to be the contestant and she's like, yeah, why wouldn't I do this? So, she does. And you start to see her go through the first choices. Do I try to make things work with my soon to be ex-husband or do I go back to my high school boyfriend and make that work? And then-- get ready. And then you get to the end of the first episode of all this and more, and you realize this is a choose your own adventure book.
Annie Jones [00:30:13] Oh, my gosh. I'm going to read that. How fun!
Erin [00:30:21] The joy on your face, Olivia, is palpable.
Olivia [00:30:25] I know? This is exactly how I wanted you guys to react. Great job. Amazing job all around.
Annie Jones [00:30:31] So Fun.
Olivia [00:30:33] Yes!
Erin [00:30:34] Oh, my God.
Olivia [00:30:35] At the end of every episode, Marsh has a decision to make. And she can either continue down this path or change maybe little things, or she can basically choose a whole different path. And you can either go to that different path that gives you the page number, or you can continue reading and just go to the next episode.
Annie Jones [00:30:51] So fun!
Olivia [00:30:56] Yes. I have chosen the path of straight through the book because I feel like first time around, I don't want to miss anything.
Erin [00:31:05] And that still works? You can still just read straight through the book?
Olivia [00:31:07] Yeah. It actually it works so well because there is a thread that goes through it as well that I'm curious as to how it would work if you did your own choices throughout it, because the thread to me is just slowly growing. And so, I would wonder. Like, one of the first choices is you flip towards almost the end of the book. And so, then I'm just like will it have you flip back? Then are you done with the end of book? I mean, I am so curious, but I feel like I'll get the whole picture if I just go straight through. But someone else should read book flipping through and making their own choices.
Erin [00:31:44] We should just assign each staffer a different--
Annie Jones [00:31:47] A different thread.
Olivia [00:31:50] It's so good. It's so fun.
Annie Jones [00:31:51] That's very fun and would take you a little bit back to childhood. I mean, I read those choose your own adventure books for fun.
Erin [00:31:56] Yes.
Olivia [00:31:58] Yeah, but now it's for adults. Playing with someone else life.
Annie Jones [00:32:02] Playing with someone else's life decision.
Erin [00:32:07] That is so fun.
Olivia [00:32:08] So that's All This and More by Peng Shepherd.
Erin [00:32:10] Now I'm curious because I'm always thinking about the audiobooks. I wonder how the audiobook would work. Do they say "Fast forward to this point" in the book maybe?
Olivia [00:32:18] That's what I would think. I don't listen to many audiobooks, but can you select the chapters? I think if you jump to a certain point you jump to episode six or episode four. And then there's chapters within episode four. Because she spends like a day or two in each different scenario.
Annie Jones [00:32:42] Are you reading this electronically?
Olivia [00:32:44] No I have the ARC.
Annie Jones [00:32:47] Okay. That's what I was going to ask. Is it hyperlinked in order for you to-- I'm going to try this. This sounds so fun.
Erin [00:32:55] I know. I'm so excited.
Olivia [00:32:56] It's a lot of fun. Thank you, guys, for playing along on my reality television show.
Erin [00:33:01] How could we have known when you started talking about this book, the joy that we would be feeling right now when we're finished?
Olivia [00:33:07] I know we're all smiling so hard. I wish people could see.
[00:33:12] If only we recorded this.
Erin [00:33:15] Yeah, I just want to stop now. I'm like, we're good. Those are great books. You're done. July is going to be awesome. Okay. All right. My second book is called Lenny Marx Gets Away with Murder by Kerryn Mayne. It comes out next Tuesday, July the 9th. It's going to be a big day for new releases. I'm almost thinking about shipping, and I'm just like, oh no. July 9th, here it comes.
Olivia [00:33:39] And I'm always thinking about how full the shelves are going to be, which means how many [inaudible].
[00:33:43] How many returns can we pull.
Erin [00:33:44] So, yeah, this is the behind the scenes, what we're always thinking about. So, Lenny Marks, I will just say she's a delightful protagonist. She is a socially awkward woman who's nearing 30. She lives alone. She works as a teacher at an elementary school. I think this is set in Australia. I know it is set in Australia. But she loves comfort shows like friends. Annie, there you go. She loves the show Friends. And she makes up an imaginary roommate named Monica who gets her out of-- like, if friends say, "Hey, you want to hang out this weekend, Lenny?" She can say, "I'm sorry me and Monica have plans," or whatever.
Annie Jones [00:34:26] Nice. I'm going to start doing that.
Olivia [00:34:27] I should do this.
Erin [00:34:29] I mean, no one will know. No one would ever know. So, anyway, she's that kind of character. She's friendly, she's kind, but she's kind of socially awkward. She just says what she thinking with no filters. And she doesn't like people, but she's kind. You know what I mean? We've all known people like that. So, as the book goes on, we start to kind of realize that Lenny is maybe not the most trustful, trustworthy narrators. She talks about her life, and then she has these flashbacks where even she seems confused by them. And you as a reader are like, whoa, whoa, wait a minute. Why were you in a shed? She has flashbacks of being in a shed, and you're like, okay, something is happening under the surface here that is deeper than what's going on above. So, we realize that she has had a complicated life, like I said, and she was raised by this wonderful foster family. She has friends and neighbors and people that love her and that are always kind of like, you should get out more. You should date. You should go out, do all these things.
[00:35:38] But again, she doesn't want to. So, she's trying to do that. She's trying to go on dates. She's trying to meet people. But even as she does, the ghost of this traumatic past start to pop up in her life for various reasons, and so she has to deal with those. She's never dealt with them. And that's the reason why she's kind of the way she is. So, the latter half of the book you'll realize is coming, is where there's a point where she cannot put it off any longer and she has to deal with this traumatic past. But, again, it is traumatic. There is a terrible thing that happened to her when she was a child. But it's the way that her family and friends sort of swoop around her and help her. She's never alone. It's never sad. It's very even light hearted in a way. I expected a light hearted murder mystery. It's not really that at all. It's a little bit deeper. But I love Linney as a character. I love the people that are surrounding her. They're just rooting for her and they're in her corner. And so, you're also rooting for her as well. I also listened to this. So, the Australian narrator was a bonus. I do love a good Australian accent.
Olivia [00:36:48] Shout out to Australia again.
Olivia [00:36:49] I know. Again.
Annie Jones [00:36:51] Man, Australia. Guys, so many Australian listeners. And they do have spiders, but they're fine.
Erin [00:36:59] Did Caroline let you read the notes from [inaudible] Olivia talking about the...
Olivia [00:37:02] No, she didn't.
Erin [00:37:02] I'll have to ask her.
Olivia [00:37:04] Well, not that she didn't let me.
Erin [00:37:06] Right. Just ask.
Annie Jones [00:37:08] Yeah, you've got to ask her.
Olivia [00:37:11] But we did say that someone said it's not the bugs you have to worry about but the snakes. guess that's better.
Annie Jones [00:37:17] Yeah. That's what somebody said. Well, that is what made me laugh. At least the DMs that came to me or the emails that I received. Nobody in Australia was denying the [crosstalk]. They were really just saying it's fine.
Erin [00:37:30] It's not that bad.
Olivia [00:37:33] If that's not your biggest fear.
Annie Jones [00:37:35] Right. As a Southerner, I get it. We've got bugs here too. Somebody came into my house and they saw a dead wasp on my window. And she was like, "Oh, do you have a wasp problem?" And I was like, "No, I just kept my window open one day."
Erin [00:37:51] Our house is currently infested with flies. We're not gross people. It's just you leave your door open for a second and they move in. They're all there. But, anyway, this is such a great book. I just want people to know maybe don't go into it expecting a light hearted book, but it is. It is light hearted, but there's also hard things. And that's why it's so beautiful. And Lenny Marks is just such a fun character that I would recommend this book to anyone to read.
Annie Jones [00:38:19] Okay. My last book is Slow Dance by Rainbow Rowell. This releases July 30th, and let me tell you how much fun this was. The staff-- by the staff, I mean Olivia and Kendall-- have made fun of me because I have started going to Longhorn Steakhouse for late lunches to read. I don't think Olivia knew where I was going with that.
Olivia [00:38:46] I didn't. I was like, what am I making fun of you for it? Yes, this. This is what I am making fun of you for. That's correct.
Annie Jones [00:38:53] I read God of the Woods in part at Longhorn; and I read Slow Dance in part at Longhorn.
Olivia [00:39:00] While eating a Caesar salad.
Annie Jones [00:39:03] Caesar salad and French fries. Tik Tok says that's a great lunch.
Erin [00:39:09] Yes, you need a Diet Coke.
Annie Jones [00:39:13] I got a regular Coke.
Erin [00:39:14] Okay, your preference?
Annie Jones [00:39:15] Let me tell you, I've just had the best time going to Longhorn and having my late lunches. So, after I did that story time on Friday-- I'm sorry, last month when I did story time.
Olivia [00:39:26] Because it's July 4th.
Annie Jones [00:39:28] It's July 4th. I was like, what am I going to do? I'm hot. I'm sweaty. And I was like, Longhorn has great AC. And so, I went to Longhorn with Slow Dance by Rainbow Rowell, which Keila graciously brought me back the physical, the arc. So, I got to read this as an advanced copy. It is so fun. I love Rainbow Rowell. And it has been years since she's had a new book-- I think particularly a new adult book. She's done a couple. People might recognize her from Eleanor and Park. Attachments was an adult novel. She's written several books, but it has been a long time. I started this one and immediately I just loved it. The main character is Shiloh. Shiloh is in her mid-30s. She's going to a wedding of a high school best friend who she really kind of has lost touch with named Mike. She's going to Mike's wedding in their hometown in Nebraska. Rainbow Rowell most of her books are set in Nebraska. And so, she goes to this wedding and she's just been divorced and she has two young kids.
[00:40:35] And so she dresses up for this wedding. And you, the reader, knows she clearly wants to see somebody at this wedding. And so, she looks around, but she can't see who she's looking for until she finally sees this man named Cary. And turns out Cary, Shiloh and Mike were all best friends in high school. Their high school friendship was so lovingly portrayed and felt very realistic. They're theater, artistic kind of kids and I wouldn't say outcasts, though. They're slightly misfits, but not really because they have each other. They seemed to have a fine high school existence. But their friendship to me was one of the best parts of the book. But Shiloh and Cary obviously-- no spoilers-- potentially had maybe some romantic feelings for each other that they never acted on in high school. And now they are both in their mid-30s. Shiloh is divorced, Cary has been away with the Navy. And they rekindle their friendship.
[00:41:37] And I love this book because much like Erin was talking about Humor Me, this is a book that has romcom elements. There are some funny parts about this book. There are some sweet romantic parts about this book, but I would never classify this book as a romance. This is just a novel that happens to have some romantic elements, and it's really about friendship. It's about where you grew up and staying where you grew up, and then what happens when you leave. What happens when you choose to stay. Shiloh has two kids. Kids in adult books sometimes can be obnoxious, but I think Annabel Monaghan has taught us that they can actually be really lovely, lovely characters. And they are certainly lovely in this book. So, Shiloh's two kids play a really interesting role.
[00:42:28] I finished this book in-- I can always tell a book is good when I am doing things like reading it at lunch or before my shift on Saturday. I got to work early and read it because I wanted to finish it. I just loved it so much. And because it's not a straight romance novel, it's unlike a lot of things I've read recently. It's not a romcom. It's just a really good book I think about. How do the relationships we have in high school make an impact later, or do they? Do they at all? And so, I really liked it. Slow dance by Rainbow Rowell. The title is perfect for the book. I think there's a lot of things at play in that title, but I really loved this one. Out on July 30th.
Olivia [00:43:14] Two quick things. One, I have nothing against you eating alone in Longhorn. I just think it's funny, and I think it's wild that someone would choose to be in public instead of at home because that is not me. Two, I have nothing against Australia. I would love to go, but bugs are my number one biggest fear and I don't want anyone to be offended.
Erin [00:43:36] Don't take it personally.
Annie Jones [00:43:40] I do think people don't quite know when Olivia says she's scared of bugs, I don't think they understand what that looks like. And so, we Olivia, know you and support you and we understand what this means. And I will say this, I love being at home. I'm not married to a chef.
Erin [00:44:04] I was going to say they don't have Caesar salad at home.
Annie Jones [00:44:08] I don't have food that a restaurant prepares for me and brings to me.
Olivia [00:44:13] That is fair.
Erin [00:44:13] You've got bread, you've got Caesar salad, you've got other delicious food that can be given to you.
Annie Jones [00:44:19] They'll refill your drink.
Erin [00:44:21] Then you leave and there's no cleanup. I get it.
Annie Jones [00:44:25] Olivi's face is like [crosstalk].
Olivia [00:44:27] The thought of being out in public voluntarily by myself is enough.
Annie Jones [00:44:34] Yes, I do love a solo outing.
Olivia [00:44:36] Good for you. That shows a very strong person. I'm glad that that's the person leading us [inaudible] bookstore.
Annie Jones [00:44:46] Thanks, guys.
Olivia [00:44:47] My next book, out July 16th, is Things Don't Break on Their Own by Sarah Easter Collins. I picked this up on a whim when I was going to Children's Institute back in June because it was short. It was less than 300 pages. And that, for me, is the perfect travel book. A short, quick thriller. And that was exactly what this was. I didn't expect it to be as well done as it was, which was a really great surprise. And more books should surprise me in that way. [Inaudible]. This was her debut novel, so I had nothing to base off of. This is just like, sure. And the cover of the ARC gave me zero. It just gave me Things Don't Break On Their Own. And so, I was like, I don't know what I'm getting into. So, this is about a girl, Willa, who when she was, I believe 13-- drumroll, please. Nope.
Annie Jones [00:45:50] I'm doing it. I don't know if you can hear me, but I'm doing it.
Olivia [00:45:53] Yeah. Her sister went missing.
Erin [00:45:55] No. Not again.
Annie Jones [00:46:01] Happens so often.
Erin [00:46:01] This is an epidemic, people. A literary epidemic.
Olivia [00:46:05] We really should normalize this. So, Willa's sister went missing when she was about 13, and it has kind of just defined Willa's entire life. They were super close. Their parents had a really troublesome relationship. So, the two of them really bonded together throughout their childhood. So, 25 years later, Willa has been invited to this dinner party from her college roommate, Robin. And Robin's new wife, Kat, because they've kind of rekindled their friendship that they had in college. Because you have those friends in college and then you kind of part ways after, and then occasionally you find them years later. And that was what it was for Robin and Willa.
[00:46:53] They did have a really intense friendship in college, I think, because Willa's missing sister, she needed somebody and Robin was just kind of like, who am I? And used Willa to kind of help her. But they're having this dinner party with Robin, her wife, both of their brothers and their respective spouses. And then Willa and her husband. And the dinner party just does not go as planned. Everything kind of unravels. They thought people would get along. People did not. And a lot of this has to do with Willa and her missing sister throughout the dinner party because it's just one evening. And I think that's why this was so short.
Annie Jones [00:47:39] I love a book that's one-- so it's just set during the dinner.
Olivia [00:47:45] Yeah. There is a small extension. Like two chapters at the end that are past the dinner party, because you do need to get some closure on things. But the majority of the book is just this dinner party. And then you have flashbacks to Willa in college going home to her parents’ house. What happened right after her sister went missing. What happened between her and Robin and basically how they ended up at this dinner and how everything unraveled at this dinner. It was really well done. The relationships between people were so well written that I was like it just felt so real. And it just had a really good suspense arc throughout. So that was Things Don't Break on Their Own by Sarah Esther Collins. July 16th. It's really good.
Erin [00:48:36] What a great, debut. I'm always proud of people that write a really good book just out of the gate. Good job. Okay, my last book. The funny story about this book is that I had another book I was going to talk about today, and for various reasons, decided last night at 8 p.m. that I didn't want to talk about it. And so, I went in search of a new book that was coming out in July. I found this one, and I'm so happy that I did. But, again, I found it last night and I literally have, like you said, not been able to stop reading it since. I read it over breakfast. I read it last night. It stayed up way too late reading this book last night because it's so good so far. It's called We Burn Daylight by Bret Anthony Johnston. It comes out July 30th. It is a retelling of the Romeo and Juliet story, but it's based in Waco with a false prophet doomsday cult backdrop. I know.
Annie Jones [00:49:33] Okay.
Erin [00:49:34] Your face is exactly as I hoped it would be.
Olivia [00:49:39] This podcast is a hit.
Erin [00:49:43] So, the two teenagers are Roy-- Which I think it's funny that they both... There's Roy and there's Jaye. They both have R and J names for Romeo and Juliet. Roy is the teenage son of the local sheriff, and Jaye is the teenage daughter of a woman who has followed this cult leader from California. So, they knew him back in California. And then he got this hare-brained idea that where he needed to be was Waco. And so, her mother ended up following him. And so, she comes along kind of to protect her mom, honestly, but also because she's just like, well, what else am I going to do? I got to go along with her. But she's not on board. She doesn't like the situation. And so, they just happened to meet at a gun show? Of course, they did.
Annie Jones [00:50:32] Yeah.
Erin [00:50:32] And he just likes her immediately. And they're just both kind of these rough and tumble. She's very, like, tomboyish, and he's a little bit more sensitive. His older brother is in Iraq fighting and is in the military. His brother's kind of a strong one and he's like sort of the younger, more a little sensitive brother. And, again, I'm only like 15% of the way into this, but it is so good. The chapters are very short. There's also a podcast element because of course there is. I feel like podcasting and missing people are the two things that we're getting a lot of. But there's a podcast element which is set in the future. So, this book is set maybe, I'm guessing in the '90s. I think in the 90s, maybe early 2000s.
Annie Jones [00:51:19] I'm sorry. May I just ask, is it set around the real Waco cult?
Erin [00:51:23] I think so. Yeah, I think it's set on the real one. So, it's like it's supposed to mimic that, but the names are changed.
Annie Jones [00:51:31] Okay, that was my question.
Erin [00:51:32] So, anyway, there's a podcast element to it, which is every other chapter or so you get like a transcript from this podcast which is talking about what happened. And so, we don't know what happened, but I'm guessing, of course, it's going to end with some sort of standoff between law enforcement and this cult. And so, they're interviewing all these different people that were involved with it. So, you're getting little snippets about what happened every other chapter, then you flashback to when they're meeting, and all these people are leading up to it. The writing is fantastic. This got a Kirkus Star review, if that's the thing that you look for. The title is We Burn Daylight and it's literally from a Romeo and Juliet. Mercutio says, "We burn daylight" in Romeo and Juliet. And so, that's the title of the book. I'm so excited to read this. I'm going to put away every other thing and that I need to do in my life so I can finish this.
Annie Jones [00:52:33] That is always how you know.
Erin [00:52:34] Yeah. No laundry. No dishes, sorry. No children. I'm sorry. It's only reading for the next few days.
Annie Jones [00:52:41] What a fascinating premise that I'm surprised nobody has done. I mean, obviously there's been Romeo and Juliet retellings, but it's pretty clever.
Erin [00:52:49] Yeah, I think so, too.
Annie Jones [00:52:50] Yeah, that's interesting.
Erin [00:52:53] I have a feeling what's going to happen, of course, as we know from Romeo and Juliet, that the son because of his growing love for this girl, is going to do something that violates the law or goes behind his father's back to help the girl. So, we'll see.
Annie Jones [00:53:13] Okay. Those are the books we recommend for July reading. You can find all of those books listed on the store website bookshelfthomasville.com. This is episode 484. You can type that into the search bar and you'll see today's books listed. The code you can use a check out to get 10% off is NEWRELEASEPLEASE. This week I'm reading Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty. Olivia, what are you reading.
Olivia [00:53:41] All This and More by Peng Shepherd.
Annie Jones [00:53:44] Erin, what are you reading?
Erin [00:53:45] I'm listening to Husbands and Lovers by Beatriz Williams.
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, Gene Queens
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