Episode 495 || Off the Shelf with Annie and Ashley: Autumn
This week on From the Front Porch, it's an episode of Off the Shelf with Annie & Ashley! Annie is joined by friend, cousin, and former colleague, Ashley Sherlock, to chat about what they’re reading – but also what they’re watching, listening to, and buying.
To purchase the books mentioned in this episode, stop by The Bookshelf in Thomasville, visit our website (search “Episode 495” to find the books mentioned in this episode), or download and shop on The Bookshelf’s official app:
Annie is reading:
Intermezzo by Sally Rooney (out 9/24)
The X-Files: Perihelion by Claudia Gray
The Night We Lost Him by Laura Dave
Ashley is reading:
The Match by Sarah Adams
I’ll Have What He’s Having by Adib Khorram
The God of the Woods by Liz Moore
Annie is watching:
Mean Girls
X-Files
Emily in Paris
The Perfect Couple
Gilmore Girls
Trap
Ashley is watching:
Emily in Paris
Gilmore Girls
Palm Springs
Plus One
Once Upon a Mattress
Six
Annie is listening to:
Max Richter
Working, “How to Be Both Critic and Creator”
Key Life, “Has Magic Ever Been Ruined In Your Journey”
Ashley is listening to:
“Without You” by Lana Del Ray
Annie is buying:
“Life Is Pain” sweatshirt
Fall essential oils
Trader Joe’s pumpkin haul
Ashley is buying:
Bear Snacks
Fall sweater from Cider
Shark bracelet from Fahlo
Perfect bars
Shelby Van Pelt, author of Remarkably Bright Creatures, is coming to Thomasville, GA! The Bookshelf has joined the Thomas County Library to celebrate their One Book Thomas County program. For 10 years, the Thomas County Library has hosted South Georgia’s first (and only!) One Book program, where our entire community reads the same book together and celebrates that book with literary events.
The 2024 One Book Thomas County pick is Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt. Our celebration of this beloved book will culminate in a visit from Shelby Van Pelt at the Thomasville Center for the Arts on Thursday, October 3. Tickets are just $10 and can be found in-store at The Bookshelf or online at onebookthomascounty.org.
Visit onebookthomascounty.org for more details about this year’s event. We hope to see you there!
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 The Night We Lost Him by Laura Dave. Ashley is listening to Honeybee by Dawn O'Porter (unavailable to order).
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]
“You believe there is something? She asks. “I try to, yeah, Ivan answers. Some kind of order in the universe, at least. I do feel that sometimes. Listening to certain music, or looking at art. Even playing chess, although that might sound weird. It’s like the order is so deep, and it’s so beautiful, I feel like there must be something underneath it all. And at other times, I think it’s just chaos, and there’s nothing.” ― Sally Rooney, Intermezzo
[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 chatting about autumnal “off the shelf” topics with my cousin Ashley Sherlock. This month, The Bookshelf has joined the Thomas County Library to celebrate our area One Book program. For 10 years, the Thomas County Library has hosted South Georgia’s first (and only!) One Book program, where our entire community reads the same book together and celebrates that book with a variety of literary events.
This year, we’re reading Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby van Pelt, and our celebration of this beloved book will culminate in a visit from the author at the Thomasville Center for the Arts on Thursday, October 3. Tickets are just $10 and can be found in-store at The Bookshelf or online at www.onebookthomascounty.org. You have plenty of time to get tickets and to read Remarkably Bright Creatures along with us! Grab your copy at The Bookshelf, the library, or read along with us from far away by snagging a copy at your own local indie. Visit onebookthomascounty.org for more details about this year’s event; we hope to see you there! Now, back to the show. Hi Ashley!
Ashley [00:02:14] Hello. Happy fall.
Annie Jones [00:02:15] Welcome back. Happy fall, y'all. Hey, does it really feel like fall where you are? It might.
Ashley [00:02:23] It does in the mornings. Like I went for a walk this morning, I had to wear long sleeves and pants. But now it feels normal outside. Now we're recording in the afternoon. It feels like the afternoon.
Annie Jones [00:02:35] Yeah, I do think my friends who live around your latitude, they do get fall. But it is mostly a morning occurrence, at least until October. And then it becomes a day long.
Ashley [00:02:48] I'm so excited. Happy? Yes. Prepared? How does one prepare for fall? I don't know. I have sweatpants and hoodies.
Annie Jones [00:02:56] Okay.
Ashley [00:02:59] I have things in my head that I want to do, like picking apples and going to a pumpkin patch with pumpkins that are not rotten.
Annie Jones [00:03:07] Yeah, that's ideal. I know. I bought pumpkins at Trader Joe's this week only for the interior, because you can't put those puppies outside right now. You cannot do it.
Ashley [00:03:17] Nope.
Annie Jones [00:03:19] You're a self-proclaimed summer, girlie.
Ashley [00:03:22] Indeed.
Annie Jones [00:03:23] Has this changed now that you've moved to North Carolina? Are you a fall person or are you just, no, I enjoy fall, but I'm still always and forever a summer person.
Ashley [00:03:34] So I appreciate the things that come with each season. I do believe I am forever a summer girl at heart, but I am really excited about fall in particular in North Carolina, just because I've literally never experienced fall before. We went to Boston that one time and we experienced fall then, but that was a weekend. So I'm actually welcoming fall with an open heart and open arms and I'm very excited about it. Annie Jones [00:04:04] I think you're going to get the full fall experience and I'm very genuinely happy for you because fall is my favorite. So I think you're in for a real treat.
Ashley [00:04:15] I hope so.
Annie Jones [00:04:15] You will get to experience not just on a weekend. As I said, I think on Instagram or somewhere recently, we have fall here, but it comes much later and by the time we get fall, everybody else is ready for Christmas. Like they've moved on. And so in the deep South, which I would guess is where I am versus where you are; in the deep South, you just have to imagine fall. You just have to create it yourself. You have to bring the pumpkins inside. You have to light the fall candle. You have to bump down the air. I haven't gotten it yet in the mail, but I bought some fall leaf Garland, which I don't normally do. But I did light up leaves around my kitchen last year and that brought me so much joy that I was like, why not buy some more fall leaves for my mantel? I think it's like the nester who is always like, don't bring in too much fake fall. And with all due respect, sometimes you got to.
Ashley [00:05:16] Sometimes fake fall is all you have.
Annie Jones [00:05:18] Sometimes that's all you got.
Ashley [00:05:19] Vanessa lives in North Carolina. She gets fall.
Annie Jones [00:05:23] She gets all. The rest of us have to create it. I drove by a mailbox that was covered in fake fall leaves, beautiful fake fall leaves. And I'm sure somebody from Massachusetts or Maine or Tennessee or North Carolina might roll their eyes at that. But down here, I was like, no, you go, girl. You drape your mailbox in fake fall leaves, because that's the most fall I'm going to see until November 15th, so I understand.
Ashley [00:05:47] Exactly. You're just doing what you got to do.
Annie Jones [00:05:52] The pool is closed.
Ashley [00:05:54] Yeah. I was just going to say, the pool closed on September 6th, and it came as a surprise to me and also a bit of a disappointment. But literally September 7th, I walked outside and then I was like, I don't actually want to get in the pool because it is cold.
Annie Jones [00:06:09] It is funny to me that-- I think I saw that on your Instagram. That feels deeply Floridian to be like, wait, what? There are days where the pool closes? But it is kind of a bummer because I imagine it's a nice place to sit outside. Did you sit outside by the pool?
Ashley [00:06:27] Yeah, I would lay by the pool. And now you can't even go out there. The whole thing is closed. This is a very foreign concept to me. It's only open from what's the May holiday? Memorial Day to the Labor Day. That feels like a very short time.
Annie Jones [00:06:44] Welcome to the places that got seasons. You're used to everlasting summer where it's summer year round where we are.
Ashley [00:06:51] I'll be fine. At least there are things to look forward to.
Annie Jones [00:06:55] I think you'll like fall. Look, you survived winter and I think you'll like fall more.
Ashley [00:06:59] Listen, if I can move up here in 17 degrees, I think I can do anything.
Annie Jones [00:07:06] I do the pictures for every month and they get delivered to my house and we keep them in a bowl on our coffee table. And I was looking through them the other day, which I understand that I'm preaching to the choir here because you two have experienced a lot this year. But I was flipping through those pictures and I was like, WTH was this year? When I saw pictures of us moving you in? I was like, that was this year? It might feel to you differently, but to me that feels like five years ago. I kid you not. I feel like you've lived in North Carolina half a decade.
Ashley [00:07:39] No, you're right. There's a trend on TikTok that was happening for a time where it's the same person videoing themselves, but it's August to them talking to Jan them. And Jan them is just like mouth agape, completely dumbfounded by all of the things that have happened to the August version of them. And that is so relatable.
Annie Jones [00:08:03] Yes. I feel like you have experienced a lot of life change in eight months, nine months.
Ashley [00:08:10] Thank you for noticing.
Annie Jones [00:08:12] I have endured a bit of upheaval as well. And I was like what a year? I just cannot. When I look at those pictures in January, it reminds me of the office where Jim looks at a younger picture of himself and he's like, "Young Jim, I have so much to tell you."
Ashley [00:08:33] Much to tell you.
Annie Jones [00:08:34] I cannot. All right, so here we are. You're experiencing real fall. I am experiencing fake fall. I've got a pumpkin candle going right now. What are we reading this fall? Should I go first? Should you go first?
Ashley [00:08:51] You can go first. Kick us off.
Annie Jones [00:08:53] Okay. I want to start by talking about the Sally Rooney book. Can you remind me, are you a Rooney head? Did I just make that up? What do we call that?
Ashley [00:09:04] You did. No one has ever said that non word.
Annie Jones [00:09:09] You're a Rooney head, what's up?
Ashley [00:09:11] I'm Rooney Head. What's up my Rooney heads? I like Sally Rooney. This book is on my list. Maybe I will read it next.
Annie Jones [00:09:21] Okay. Here's what I want to say because I think this will go up a week before its release. I want to tell everyone who's nervous, Intermezzo is genuinely, really good. I think it is a great fall read. It's it feels like a bit of a chonker in like a good way. I like a little bit of a longer book in the fall. I feel ready for it. I feel like I can hunker down with it. Intermezzo is about two brothers, Peter and Ivan. Peter is potentially the more typical eldest son stereotype. He's a lawyer, has a traditional job. And then his younger brother, Ivan, is a chess prodigy. A chess genius. The cover did make this seem like this was going to be a heavy chess book. And that's not what this is, which I should have known. Sally Rooney wasn't going to go Queen's Gambit on us or something. But it is a book about brotherly love and grief. And it is told sort of from Peter's perspective, back and forth to Ivan's perspective. It took me a minute to get into this, but this is what I'm here to say: stick with it, everybody. I think you will love it. It is not my favorite of hers.
[00:10:43] My favorite of hers is still Beautiful World Where Are You? But she continues to be a master storyteller, plays beautifully with references and language. I feel smarter after I finish the Sally Rooney book. I just feel like she incorporates so many thoughtful philosophies and truths and interesting things. And so that is not missing from this. There is real depth of character here with the two brothers. I really liked it. I do want to talk about it. So when you do finish it, I do need to know so that we can discuss. Because I just finished it this morning before recording and I was like, I'm going to have to talk to somebody about this. And so far, no one I know has finished it because quite out yet.
Ashley [00:11:25] It's not out yet. The title made me think that it would be musical, but that is not the case.
Annie Jones [00:11:33] No, it's not. There are some references like one of the female characters in the book works in arts programing. So like, there are some references. But no, it's not about music. It's not about chess. I What does intermezzo mean in music? I'm not a musicologist. You're not a musicologist, so let's guess.
Ashley [00:11:59] No. Metzo I think is how you pronounce it. Everybody I feel like is going to be not happy with me for guessing about this, but I feel like it means middle. Like mezzo soprano means you're not like a-- or maybe is that high soprano? I don't know. It just means middle to me.
Annie Jones [00:12:17] So that's what it means to me as well. And I have really struggled with the pronunciation of this book because I assumed it was Intermezzo with like the T sound. And no one is pronouncing the book that way on the Internet. And so I'm like, I don't know. Nevertheless, I think the book is more about being in the middle.
Ashley [00:12:36] Okay.
Annie Jones [00:12:37] Meaning you have just experienced grief, you're trying to move forward, but you don't know what that looks like. You're in the messy middle of life. And that is what this book reminds me of. You're in the middle of some messy relationships. So really chess does not play as big a role as I thought. Music does not play a big role. It's really a character driven book about the two brothers. So I will also say if you were a plot driven reader, I don't know what you're doing reading Sally Rooney anyway. I just doubt she's for you. But if you like Sally Rooney-- somebody said that they thought this was a departure for her. I don't think it is a departure for her. It's not dealing so much with romantic relationships as it is dealing with brotherly ones, but it feels in the same vein as her other work to me. So if you like her, I think you'll like this.
Ashley [00:13:33] I can't wait to. I'm probably going to listen to it. So I'll definitely let you know how the narrator pronounces it.
Annie Jones [00:13:37] Yeah, let me know. And that'll be great because you'll get the full Irish experience.
Ashley [00:13:42] I know. I'm excited and ready for it to come out. But you get books before everybody else. I no longer have that privilege. So the books that I will be talking about are my summertime stragglers.
Annie Jones [00:13:59] All right. What's your first one?
Ashley [00:14:00] First one is The Match by Sarah Adams. It's a romcom. Have you heard of it?
Annie Jones [00:14:06] I like Sarah Adams. I've heard of it, but I've not read it.
Ashley [00:14:08] Okay. I had a good time. The main character, I don't think she's supposed to give Lorelai Gilmore vibes, but she has a strained relationship with her mother. And her parents are very rich, but she does not live a very monetarily rich life on purpose to distance herself from her parents. But it's a cute little romcom. The main character, she works with service dogs, which I love. And she has a service dog herself, but then she meets a client, the father of a 10 year old daughter who is also in the market for a service dog. The two of them bond and it's honestly very cute. I thoroughly enjoyed it. That's The Match by Sarah Adams.
Annie Jones [00:14:57] Did you listen or read the physical copy?
Ashley [00:15:00] Listened. I'm very into listening right now.
Annie Jones [00:15:03] Well, I'm glad. And that makes sense, right? Because you work from home. You're in your apartment. You got to fill that space with noise somehow.
Ashley [00:15:10] Exactly.
Annie Jones [00:15:13] And I don't know about you, but I go back and forth between audiobooks. Like if I am listening to a lot of audiobooks, I'm probably not listening to a ton of podcasts. And if I'm listening to a lot of podcasts, I've probably experienced an audiobook slump. I think that's primarily because I can't work and listen at the same time unless it is some kind of mindless task like designing or something. But if it is typing, forget about it. I cannot type up notes while also listening to an audiobook. I will just type out the text of the audiobook.
Ashley [00:15:48] I know. I can work while listening because it's just me. I have to have somebody else's voice besides my own in my head. So I do tend to work while I'm listening to an audiobook, but I'll just rewind if I need to.
Annie Jones [00:16:03] Yeah. No, I think you're probably better suited for it. Your day to day is probably better suited for an audiobook.
Ashley [00:16:09] Yeah, definitely.
Annie Jones [00:16:10] Okay. My next book is one that I just got yesterday and I just had to talk about it here because I'm--
Ashley [00:16:15] Did you read it already?
Annie Jones [00:16:17] No, I did not.
Ashley [00:16:18] Okay. I was going to be like, are you kidding me? Get out of here.
Annie Jones [00:16:23] No, there is too much going on right now. I finished Intermezzo this morning. But yesterday I was at a bookshelf event and I was getting ready to leave and Kyndall said, "Annie, I forgot to tell you. We got in this book and only one copy of this X-Files book." And I was like, Kyndall, I ordered that. I ordered it back when I did an adult catalog buying session for, I guess, fall or maybe summer. And I only ordered one copy because I knew no one would read an X-Files book but me. But Kyndall had forgotten to tell me and that book was delayed, I think, a couple of times. So anyway, I brought home yesterday a book that's literally called The X Files Perihelion. I don't really know how to pronounce it. Who's to say? I don't know. Perihelion. It's by Claudia Gray. And my understanding is that this is published fanfiction.
[00:17:21] This is picking up where the series left off. Jordan I got really into X-Files last year, but we're rewatching it this fall because it has a slight spooky element to it and so were rewatching it. It's been very autumnal feeling. And I brought home this book and I was so excited. I was like, Jordan, guess what I brought home? And I showed it to him and he got so excited, he gasped and choked. And then he said, wait, are you going to read it out loud to me?
Ashley [00:17:53] Oh, my goodness.
Annie Jones [00:17:54] And I said, "No, I am not going to read it out loud to you. You can get your own copy. I am taking this to the back with me and I'm going to read this book." I'm so excited because it is about Scully and Mulder when they're older. It really does pick up where the series ends, but supposedly it is about-- well, this sounds gruesome, but this series of murderers that is happening to pregnant women in the D.C. area. So that does sound gruesome. The X-Files are a little gruesome, but I am excited about this. I don't know if anyone else is an X-Files fan out there. Don't know if anyone else is interested in published fanfiction. But let me tell you, I had a really fun time last year with fanfiction. And then it's almost like eating too much chocolate cake or something. There really is such a thing as too much. And so we finished X-Files. That phase of my life passed. But I'm dipping my toe back in with what I hope will be a very fun autumnal read in the X-Files. Perihelion by Claudia Gray.
Ashley [00:19:01] Okay. Two things. Number one, is fan fiction having its moment presently?
Annie Jones [00:19:08] I definitely think we are seeing an uptick in the professional publication of fan fiction.
Ashley [00:19:16] I just think that's so interesting. I guess most people maybe have written off fan fiction, but I feel like I've heard a lot about it in the past couple of months.
Annie Jones [00:19:28] I think it's because people have moved. I feel like fan fiction back in the day was happening on like forums and maybe it still is. Please, if you're a fan fiction writer-- I don't read a ton of fan fiction all the time, so I'm not an expert. But back in the day, I feel like it was on these threads and these word document looking web pages. Even when I went hunting for X-Files fan fiction last year, I honestly felt like I was going on the dark web or something. It felt so weird. But now I feel like people are self-publishing books through amazon and things like that. And then I think publishers are finding the most popular ones and bringing them [crosstalk].
Ashley [00:20:10] It's just become more accessible, I guess. Secondly, I always knew you could handle a little bit more than me, but I feel like I'm surprised to know that you like gruesome things.
Annie Jones [00:20:27] Never forget rewinding and showing Morgan the bloodiest parts of Jaws over and over again.
Ashley [00:20:33] I forgot about that. Oh, My goodness! You twisted little sister. It's just this whole other part of you that I forgot about.
Annie Jones [00:20:44] Yeah.
Ashley [00:20:46] Because you tone it down for me.
Annie Jones [00:20:48] Yes. I protect you as best I can. But especially there is something about this time of year. And I think I said this on Patreon. Which you totally should do this because you actually could do some fun fall stuff, but every October I pick a Monday to be my fall day of fun.
Ashley [00:21:06] Okay, that's fun.
Annie Jones [00:21:08] All it means is I go to either the library or Barnes and Noble. And I pick out a fall book of my choosing-- or fall books. At the library, I brought home, I think, three. So I go to the library or I go to a bigger bookstore that is not my own and I bake pumpkin bread or pumpkin muffins. And I watch a movie and go to Trader Joe's and get a fall snack. It's just a day where it just feels like I'm enjoying fall. And one of the things I do every October, November is I listen to the podcast Crime Junkie. I do not listen to that podcast any other time of year. It is just at this time of year I'll pick a few episodes. We can talk about the problem of true crime some other time, but I do enjoy that this time of year, and I don't know what that says about me. I'm not saying I like it, but I am saying I do it.
Ashley [00:22:10] Okay, that's super fun. I'm writing down fall day of fun because I have to do that.
Annie Jones [00:22:15] Yeah, and you'll be able to do things that I can't do. I've kind of crafted the best fall day I can, but you could potentially go to a pumpkin patch or something.
Ashley [00:22:28] Yeah, I got options.
Annie Jones [00:22:33] Wait, save one of your due to fall fun days and let one be when Caroline and I come up there.
Ashley [00:22:40] I'm doing lots of fall fun. I already have some ideas for the two of you.
Annie Jones [00:22:46] Are you going to make me an itinerary like Cheer Her On? Because I'm having FOMO from Cheer Her On.
Ashley [00:22:50] I can.
Annie Jones [00:22:53] I would love that.
Ashley [00:22:53] Okay, here's what I'm going to do for myself. But I also have some specific things in mind for when you come up here. I literally just wrote down, create a menu, because there's a thing on the Internet where you can create like a dopamine menu and it's just like a list of the things that make you happy.
Annie Jones [00:23:08] Yes, I've seen this.
Ashley [00:23:11] And that way you're never left wondering, what can I do? So I'm going to create a fall menu. So when I have some time or a day or something, I can be like, okay, I can hit this, this and this, and then that'll be my fall day fun.
Annie Jones [00:23:24] Yes, do it. Put it on your fridge. I did a fall bucket list one year and I think I did a summer one and it was so fun.
Ashley [00:23:30] Okay, I'm going to do it. I can't do it right after this, but I really want to do.
Annie Jones [00:23:35] Next week.
Ashley [00:23:36] Next week.
Annie Jones [00:23:38] Okay. What else are you reading?
Ashley [00:23:39] Okay, my next book is I'll Have What He's Having by by Adib Khorram. You should not read this book.
Annie Jones [00:23:50] It's too steamy, isn't it?
Ashley [00:23:53] Yes. Anybody who is subscribed to the Susie's Shelf Subscription should stay far away from this book.
Annie Jones [00:24:01] Because I loved the title of this, I saw it in the catalog and then I knew from the publisher that it was too steamy for Annie B. Jones.
Ashley [00:24:13] Way too much of that for Annie B. Jones. Honestly, a little too much for me. But dang it, if these characters aren't so lovable. It's a substitute teacher who just had a big heartbreak or he's also heartbreak prone. And then a hot sommelier-- is that how you say it?
Annie Jones [00:24:33] Yeah.
Ashley [00:24:34] And the substitute teacher shows up at the restaurant where the sommelier works. And the sommelier thinks he's a food critic. And so she's super nice to him, super flirty. And it's an identity mix up in the beginning. And then they're both just looking for something casual, but then we get a whole book out of it. And that is so much fun. If you could get past the steamy parts of which there are a lot, let me be very clear, it's a very fun, very cute end of summer read.
Annie Jones [00:25:12] I love the setup. I love the premise. It sounds very fun. Okay. I am listening to an audiobook that I really do think you will like. The book is called The Night We Lost Him. This is by Laura Dave. It comes out later this month. Laura Dave has written several books that I have enjoyed. 800 grapes I want to say was by her. But lately she has been moving slightly more into the thriller direction. I wouldn't call them full blown thrillers. Well, I'll just tell you. First of all, this book is narrated by (I cannot believe) Julia Whalen. Why can't I come up with her name? Julia Whalen, who as Jordan Jones says, "Oh, her again?"
Ashley [00:25:58] She's everywhere. She narrates everything.
Annie Jones [00:26:01] She narrates so many audiobooks. But you know what? Here's the thing about Julia Whalen. She can occasionally be too performative for me. And yet, if I see that she's narrating, I'm more inclined to read the book because it's a known entity. I know what she sounds like. That's not risky to me. You know what you're getting into. So I'll just tell you the very basic premise of this, which is this man owns a lot of property and beautiful land on the coast of California. He's a little bit older, I'm guessing in his 60s, maybe early 70s, and he's reflecting on his life and his adult children and what he kind of has created and what he might be able to pass on to them. He works in hotels and real estate, things like that. Anyway, and he's reminiscing about it. This is the opening chapter of the book. And next thing you know, he has gone over the cliff of his property and you don't know if he has jumped, if he was pushed, or if he fell.
Ashley [00:27:06] Okay.
Annie Jones [00:27:06] And what unfolds is then his adult daughter teaming up with her half-brother to kind of figure out-- like her half-brother is certain something nefarious and wrong happened to their dad. And so they're kind of unpacking a bunch of family secrets and family history to figure out was this an accident or was their father murdered? And it is great. I'm 80% through it. Fantastic Audiobook. Has held my attention in a season. This fall tends to be pretty busy for me. And so any time I can listen to a book where I'm like I actually care, I actually care about these people. And I know you like audiobooks. I think you should try that one.
Ashley [00:27:48] Yeah, I've seen that one on Libro fm. I'll download it after this. Side note, I learned in I believe this was in the book The Language of Fanaticism that we like stuff like that, probably like true crime or thriller novels. And we also are drawn to car accidents and if we see a fire or something we can't stop looking at it because that's our brain trying to determine if it is a threat to us. Our brain doesn't know and I just think that's fascinating.
Annie Jones [00:28:17] It's super interesting. Our brains are wild.
Ashley [00:28:21] So wild. My last book I think it's a good spring into fall because it's about a summer camp where it takes place at a summer camp, but it's still a mystery. And that's The God of the Woods by Liz Moore, who wrote Long Bright River. Did you read this?
Annie Jones [00:28:39] Yes. Freaking love it. Five stars.
Ashley [00:28:42] Okay. I actually haven't finished it yet, but I'm reading it for book club and it feels a lot. I also read Long Bright River. Why does that feel like a tongue twister? But I read that whenever that came out and feels like 12 years ago. It's long, but it feels just intricate as well just like long bright river. And I got to know what happens to these kids that went missing at their summer camp. What is going on?
Annie Jones [00:29:12] Look, this is why I never went to summer camp. Don't do it, guys.
Ashley [00:29:16] You made your own summer camps. So you could kidnap all the children yourself.
Annie Jones [00:29:22] Yeah, I created my own. Don't worry. I did not actually kidnap children. Okay, that's fun. Those are eclectic book choices to kind of take us as we transfer fully into fall. Now let's talk what are we watching? I've already mentioned I'm rewatching the X-Files in the evenings with Jordan before bed. I find those creepy shows, man, before bed so comforting. And then, of course, embarking upon a rewatch of Gilmore Girls. Doing this annually. Started first few episodes earlier this week. I was waiting for the perfect moment and I bought some pumpkins at Trader Joe's and hit play and it was delightful. And then Jordan and I've been rewatching-- although let me be very clear, I must only half pay attention to Emily in Paris because after we got back from Paris, I told Jordan, "Hey, should we watch this show? It's set in Paris." I knew the new season was coming out this fall. And it is as if I am seeing it for the first time. I don't know if I only have pay attention or if it's just one of those shows that is just dumb. And so you are barely paying attention. But we're having a blast. We're loving Emily in Paris. Honestly, I find it more enjoyable this time around. I don't know why, but I am invested. Although, also not. I'm just invested enough. I don't need to binge it. We just watch a few episodes here or there.
Ashley [00:30:51] That makes sense. Emily in Paris is just always there. It's not quite Gilmore Girls, but it still has a purpose because I've been doing the same exact thing.
Annie Jones [00:31:01] Have you Really?
Ashley [00:31:02] Literally, yeah. When I was sick, especially, I was watching Emily in Paris the newest season, but only not paying attention. I couldn't tell you a single thing that happened.
Annie Jones [00:31:12] Right. I'm not sure I could either.
Ashley [00:31:15] But I had a good time.
Annie Jones [00:31:18] Okay, so those are the things that I'm rewatching. The new recommendation that I have for you is The Perfect Couple, but it doesn't feel autumnal to me. I don't know why it did not release earlier this summer, but it's on Netflix. It's a mini-series based on an Ellen Hildebrand novel that I read earlier this year and I loved it. But it stars I think she's one of the most beautiful women I've ever laid eyes on. Megan Fahy or how you pronounce your name. She's on the Bold Type. She's from White Lotus.
Ashley [00:31:48] Who is she in White Lotus?
Annie Jones [00:31:51] A girl. She's a blondish woman with freckles.
Ashley [00:31:57] It's me!
Annie Jones [00:32:00] Yes. You two are one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen. She dates the guy from White Lotus as well.
Ashley [00:32:06] I got nothing, but I trust you.
Annie Jones [00:32:08] You know who I'm talking about. This is going to drive me nuts.
Ashley [00:32:12] I'm looking it up.
Annie Jones [00:32:13] Anyway, basically, there's this wedding on Nantucket. Did you find her?
Ashley [00:32:26] I found a picture I didn't like. Hold on. I don't think I share the same feelings.
Annie Jones [00:32:33] What, you don't think Meghan Fahy is beautiful?
Ashley [00:32:39] I mean, she is one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen. Probably not--
Annie Jones [00:32:46] This? Don't look at her Wikipedia page. I don't know who did that to her.
Ashley [00:32:52] I can't see that.
Annie Jones [00:32:54] I don't know where you are.
Ashley [00:32:55] I'm just on Google images. Is that her IMDb?
Annie Jones [00:33:00] Yeah, the IMDb or the [crosstalk].
Ashley [00:33:02] That's a great picture. I just think, yeah, she's pretty.
Annie Jones [00:33:08] I think she's very pretty. She's like my friends say about Blake Lively. Once she's on screen, you just have to look at her. You can't really help it.
Ashley [00:33:20] Interesting.
Annie Jones [00:33:22] So, anyway, I'm really rooting for her. I like her a lot. She's in the show. But basically, there's a wedding happening on Nantucket, this big bougee house and family led by Nicole Kidman and Liev Schreiber. At one point, Jordan literally shuddered his shoulders and he said, "I'm just afraid Nicole Kidman would come at me with a shoe."
Ashley [00:33:45] Valid.
Annie Jones [00:33:47] And I was like that's so true. Anyway, they're the mother and father. The day of the wedding, the maid of honor turns up dead on the shore. And so now we have to know what happened. The book is great. I thought the show was fun, a little cringe at times, but overall, a really good time and a great binge.
Ashley [00:34:13] Okay.
Annie Jones [00:34:17] What are you watching?
Ashley [00:34:19] I forgot to pay attention. So while I was sick--
Annie Jones [00:34:24] Being friends with an ADHD person is the most humbling thing that will ever happen to you.
Ashley [00:34:30] Well, it's not that I don't want to. I'm just trying to think of what I'm going to say next. I pay attention if I'm having an actual conversation, but now I have to, like, think about what to [crosstalk]. Because other people are going to hear it.
Annie Jones [00:34:44] Okay. What are you watching?
Ashley [00:34:48] But all of that to say that I don't have a long list of stuff that I would be watching because I'm sick and you'd think that I would have watched a bunch of stuff, but I didn't. I rewatched Palm Springs, which I love that movie, but it's not a full movie. And then I watched Plus One upon your recommendation. Good movie.
Annie Jones [00:35:07] Did you like it?
Ashley [00:35:07] Yeah. I probably wouldn't watch it again, but it is a good sick movie.
Annie Jones [00:35:12] That's how I felt. It's a great, sick movie.
Ashley [00:35:15] The things that I did kind of want to talk about are the Broadway shows that I watched.
Annie Jones [00:35:21] Yes, that feels right. Tell us about them.
Ashley [00:35:23] Particularly Once Upon a Mattress and Six. If you are ever in New York, go see Six because by the time you get there, Once Upon a Mattress will probably be done. But both of them were so much fun. I sat in the orchestra for Six and tried to make eye contact with every single cast member because they were so good at what they were doing. That is an hour and a half long show with no intermission because it's the same six people. They don't take a break. They're all on stage the whole time, which I thought was nuts. But it's the story of Henry the Eighth and his wives. And they're basically competing to see who had it the worst. And it's very funny. But also at the end, it's very sweet and meaningful.
Annie Jones [00:36:10] I love it. Those were close seats.
Ashley [00:36:15] They were. I think we were a few rows back.
Annie Jones [00:36:21] Wow, that's close.
Ashley [00:36:23] We did make eye contact sometimes. And it was lovely.
Annie Jones [00:36:28] How fun. And then Once Upon a Mattress is your beloved Sutton Foster.
Ashley [00:36:33] Sutton Foster who can do no wrong. But that show in itself, that's a classic show. But with this cast, this cast was so much fun. Honestly, it was my first time seeing Once Upon a Mattress. I think it would be so fun to play Princess Fred. That seems like a great time. But it was also my first time seeing an actor, one of the performers, mess up on stage. And why was that my favorite part of the show? Michael Urie, who's the male lead, he knocked over a prop and worked it into the dialog to pick it back up. And then everybody laughed and you couldn't hear his next line. And then Sutton Foster was like, "Do you want to ask me that again?" And seeing them recover was so amazing. And it was funny because, like, why couldn't he just leave it on the ground? But they needed that exact prop for the next scene. But even without a flub, it's a great show.
Annie Jones [00:37:35] I think that's a lovely life lesson that the flub for you became the most memorable and best part of the show.
Ashley [00:37:42] Indeed. I agree.
Annie Jones [00:37:45] That sounds wonderful and delightful. I'm so glad you got to go to New York. I would love to go to New York in the fall sometime.
Ashley [00:37:53] It's a direct flight from me. Come visit.
Annie Jones [00:37:56] Yes, I am thrilled for you that it is a direct flight for you. How fun for you. But I really am trying to figure out just speaking of New York and Cheer Her On, I think I need to look at my year as a whole and figure out, okay, if every year Jordan and I get to take some kind of annual vacation, it's obviously not always going to be Europe. But we do take a trip every year. And then where are other pockets in my year that I can fit creative rejuvenation? Because that's what I get when I travel, and particularly when I travel to bigger cities than my own. And so I'm trying to figure out like what would it look like for every fall, kind of just part of my yearly rotation, to be I'm going to New England or I'm going to New York for a change of scenery and to get the fall that we've been talking about. Because like I said, we don't get it here. But how could I visit somewhere where that would be possible to breathe life into the back half of my year?
Ashley [00:39:00] Yeah, that makes a lot of sense for you.
Annie Jones [00:39:04] The only other watch that I do want to mention is the new M. Night Shyamalan movie. That is definitely a summer flick. And yet because it is creepy, scary, I do think it would be very fun for fall. Jordan and I have been watching-- I say Jordan and I. I guess I first discovered M. Night Shyamalan like everybody else with the Sixth Sense, which I'm pretty sure came out when I was either in middle or high school. And then Science was one of my favorite movies. I still love that movie. So we really like M. Night Shyamalan. Some of his movies have been a little middling, but we always go see them. And so we went and saw Trap, which I'm sure you probably saw the preview for because it felt like the previews were everywhere. But Josh Hartnett from my era, from Pearl Harbor, the movie-- not the historical event-- he plays a dad who takes his daughter to a Taylor Swift, Rihanna kind of concert.
Ashley [00:39:59] Yes, I have seen this.
Annie Jones [00:40:01] Yes. And then turns out the concert is a trap set for a serial killer in the area and he is the serial killer. And that's not spoilers. That's all from the trailer. It was great. We had a great time. It's suspenseful. It's clever. A lot of his movies lately in Mike Charlton's movies have not always stuck the landing for me, but I think this one actually did. We really liked it, and I'd watch it again. I'd rent it for the Halloween season. I saw-- I can't even remember the name of it. But we saw earlier this summer the Nicolas Cage creepy killer movie. And that's a no for me. It was too creepy, too scary. This was just suspenseful enough. This is my kind of scary movie. If you like the What Lies Beneath type of scary movie, this would be great for you.
Ashley [00:40:57] I think What Lies Beneath was my first scary movie with you.
Annie Jones [00:41:01] Did I show it to you? Because I love that movie. I love that movie. I want to watch it today.
Ashley [00:41:09] We can watch it when you come visit.
Annie Jones [00:41:12] Yes, let's watch it in your apartment. That will make it even scarier.
Ashley [00:41:15] Because do you remember when we watched it? We watched in your apartment and then we heard a sound because Jordan was gone. We heard a sound and we had to call Chet, your brother, to come over with like a gigantic flashlight and a baseball bat to come save us from nothing.
Annie Jones [00:41:30] I forgot about that. I love our lives. We're so interesting.
Ashley [00:41:35] We should start a podcast.
Annie Jones [00:41:37] We're so fun. Okay. What are you listening to? I was really hoping you were going to come through in this category. What are you listening to? Tell me.
Ashley [00:41:45] Please lower your expectations. I have one thing because all of the books that I said were audiobooks. So I listened to audiobooks, but I've been also listening to Lana del Rey. Which obviously I knew who she was before, but only the hits. And I don't know if this is a hit or not, but there's a song called Without You and I go for a walk and I put on Without You and I listen to that song for the entire walk. And it is so good. I think you would like it. I always think of you. I don't know why, but for some reason the harmony reminds me of your voice a little bit.
Annie Jones [00:42:24] Oh my gosh. Thank you so much. Does she go flat? Because that is really [inaudible].
Ashley [00:42:30] No, everything is on key, in tune. But I don't know why it sounds like a harmony that you would sing.
Annie Jones [00:42:39] Oh, my gosh. Okay. I'm going to listen to it as soon as we're done, because I do count on you to help me with my music. But good news is I'm here to then also help you. Because I have been listening to the artist Max Richter. Somebody posted about him to Instagram, but it's great instrumentals. So for me, this is great working music. It's great writing music. It's great morning music. I really like listening to instrumental music in the morning, so I really wanted to recommend that to you. I thought I wrote down this artist's name that my friend Jennifer told me about. Her son told her about him. But now I don't know, so I'm not going to tell you that one. I'm only going to tell you about Max Richter. And then I've listened to two podcast episodes instead of one off episodes, which I don't normally do. But people post about them or-- I don't know. The first is a Christian adjacent podcast, I suppose, I literally have only listened to one episode. But the podcast is called Key Life, I believe, but the episode is called Has Magic Ever Been Ruined in Your Journey?
[00:43:56] And I want to talk about this because of what you just said happened at Once Upon a Mattress. Because basically this episode it's like a 20 minute. It's not a long podcast episode. This 20 minute podcast episode, this I assume preacher pastor or minister type figure, he tells this story about basically Wynton Marsalis the jazz musician was performing at a jazz club in New York kind of surreptitiously. He had kind of just shown up and the whole jazz club was so excited because this amazing jazz musician had shown up without really telling anyone. And he was playing and this magazine writer was there and he wrote about how the whole room was silent and it was so magical. And they were all witnessing this piece of music history, and then somebody's cell phone went off.
[00:44:48] And the magazine writer says the line in the article, the magic was ruined. And the people go back to talking, it's not quiet anymore. Like the mood, the spell has been broken. And I think you and I, we go see a lot of artistic performances, we know what that's like. We're like you're all in it together and then it's like the performances are over and the curtains go up and the lights come on and it's like, we're done. The magic is over. The magic is ruined. And so this magazine writer said the magic was ruined. Except Wynton Marsalis starts playing and riffing off of the cell phone music, and he incorporates the cell phone music into his jazz performance. And the story is phenomenal. You've got to go listen this podcast episode, but it's also all about these moments in our lives that ruin the magic. And then at least from a Christian perspective, we believe those moments get redeemed.
Ashley [00:45:50] I'm so into this.
Annie Jones [00:45:53] I do not listen to a lot of pastoral podcasts. That's not my thing. This was awesome. It was so good. We'll put a link in the show notes, but it's called Has Magic Ever Been Ruined in Your Journey?
Ashley [00:46:07] It's so Good.
Annie Jones [00:46:08] And then I listened to the Slate podcast Working. Again, I don't listen to a lot of business podcasts. I don't do. That's not my thing. But I like the author and NPR host Linda Holmes. I followed her for a long time. She wrote the book Evie Drake Starts Over. She's got a new book coming out in February, but she did the Slate podcast. The podcast is called Working, and the episode is called How to Be Both Critic and Creator. And it's like how do you publish and write a book when you critique books and pop culture for a living? And I was like, yes, do tell. Do tell what that might look like. So it's a fantastic interview with Linda Holmes. It's all about her work rhythms and how she both functions as a podcast host and a critic. And then also she is a creative who writes her own books, so loved both of those podcast episodes. And I don't normally listen to like one off episodes of things, but loved it. I thought they were great.
Ashley [00:47:10] Those are great options. I'm glad you did. I'm glad you did listen to these one off episodes.
Annie Jones [00:47:15] I'll send you the links. I think you'll like them.
Ashley [00:47:17] Yes, please.
Annie Jones [00:47:18] Okay. What are you buying?
Ashley [00:47:20] Okay. I actually do have some things for you in this category, obviously. Aside from Broadway tickets, I think you should buy something called Bear Snacks. The brand is called Bear. They're snacks made for children.
Annie Jones [00:47:37] Thanks for knowing me.
Ashley [00:47:38] Listen, they're delicious. Their fruit rolls, okay? And the ingredients are clean. And they come in a box of, I don't know, five or six, but each package comes with two fruit rolls, all natural. But the thing is, in each individual package is like a little playing card type thing. Again, this is for children, but I enjoy it so much. And on one side of the card there's a cute picture of an animal. But on the flip side, there's like a little game you can play. Like a little matching game or, I don't know, like a maze type of situation. You're done in two seconds, but it's just a delicious, healthy snack with a little bit of entertainment on the side.
Annie Jones [00:48:23] Thank you, love it. Will be purchasing. I did my Trader Joe's Basic white girl, Pumpkin Hall and I went and got some pumpkins to put in front of my TV. I really like Trader Joe's, but I don't really often know what I'm doing there. I'm just grabbing stuff. And luckily I had seen on the Internet things. Trader Joe's has a Reddit and I had seen a Reddit thread devoted to the best fall finds at Trader Joe's. And I'll tell you what has worked for me is I bought the apple and cinnamon Greek yogurt.
Ashley [00:49:05] Interesting.
Annie Jones [00:49:06] I've been eating that for breakfast in the morning with some granola on top, and I feel very proud of myself for doing that.
Ashley [00:49:12] I'm also thrilled.
Annie Jones [00:49:14] And then I also bought the pumpkin spice yogurt covered pretzels, which I do really like. I think they're the perfect snack and they're not too pumpkiny because I don't actually love all the pumpkin flavors all the time. But so that was a great little find. And then I haven't tried it yet, but it's butternut squash, mac and cheese. It's in my freezer right now for a quick meal. And apparently it's good comfort food. So we'll see. But I enjoyed my little Trader Joe's run.
Ashley [00:49:50] Trader Joe's for the fall win. Love it. Okay. So this is like my fall-ish purchase. There's a company called Cider. I get ads for them all the time on my social media, which is how I prefer to do my clothes shopping. I want to be told what to get. Full disclosure, I did buy a jumpsuit from them and the pocket already has a hole in it on the first wear. So that's the kind of company that it is, but they have really cute clothes.
Annie Jones [00:50:21] I bought a jumpsuit from there as well and similar things.
Ashley [00:50:27] Now, I bought other stuff from them that are fantastic, but this jumpsuit just has a straight up hole in it and it's also straight up see through. But I bought a really cute sweater, like a little fall sweater that has two flowers on it and I'm very excited to wear it.
Annie Jones [00:50:45] I'm so proud of you for embracing Fall.
Ashley [00:50:48] Thank you. I'm trying so hard.
Annie Jones [00:50:52] Okay. Speaking of fall purchases and being, I guess, yeah, a basic white girl, I bought some fall essential oils. I don't even know who I am.
Ashley [00:51:02] Me either.
Annie Jones [00:51:04] I am decades late and very eye rolly regarding oils. My mother loves essential oils. My aunt, your mother, loves essential oils. They kind of swear by them. I don't know. I think they're fine. But then for Christmas, mom got me a disco ball diffuser, and that did bring me around to essential oils. But I bought some fall scents. And basically I found I saw somebody on Instagram post the different recipes for different things.
Ashley [00:51:37] And [crosstalk] essential oils cocktail.
Annie Jones [00:51:40] Yes, I love it.
Ashley [00:51:44] You're mixing Halloween potions.
Annie Jones [00:51:46] I was going to say I feel like a scientist. I feel like a scientist and I love it. So that is something fall. I've got a pumpkin spice blend going right now actually.
Ashley [00:51:57] What's in it? What are the scents?
Annie Jones [00:51:59] Okay, wait. Christmas spirit, which I thought was funny.
Ashley [00:52:02] Okay.
Annie Jones [00:52:04] Nutmeg, orange and clove.
Ashley [00:52:07] Nice. That sounds amazing. It's like the same thing as a simmer pot but way easier.
Annie Jones [00:52:13] Yes, exactly. Because here's my thing about a simmer pot. I do love the idea of a simmer pot. I have done one before. But then when I'm done, what am I supposed to do with all the pine needles? You know what I mean?
Ashley [00:52:25] You throw it away.
Annie Jones [00:52:26] I know. The pine needles and the cinnamon sticks, it just feels so weird.
Ashley [00:52:30] Yeah. The thing about a simmer pot is I'm not going to do that.
Annie Jones [00:52:36] Yeah. Anyway, essential oils. You heard it here first.
Ashley [00:52:42] Step right up. Okay, I have two more things. Next thing, this has nothing to do with anything. But there's another company-- again, I got served an ad for them. I literally place ads for other people. And here I am succumbing to the ads that have been placed for me, whatever. But there's a company called Fahlo, I believe it is the pronunciation, but they sell bracelets and they raise money for endangered species, various types of animals. I bought-- don't leave me alone. Hold on.
Annie Jones [00:53:15] I'm not laughing. I just love that the algorithm knows you so well.
Ashley [00:53:20] Listen, if somebody wanted to steal my identity, they absolutely could. Like, everything is out there. The internet knows me very well. But they sell these bracelets and they raise money for animals. But when you buy a bracelet, it's like you adopt a specific animal. So I bought a bracelet. I'm supporting a hammerhead shark. His name is Swim Shady. I didn't name him. That's the name he came with.
Annie Jones [00:53:46] That's fantastic.
Ashley [00:53:48] And I track him, like, every now and then just to see what he's up to. He's just hanging out off the coast of North Carolina. He's right by me.
Annie Jones [00:53:56] Oh, my gosh. He lives near you.
Ashley [00:53:58] Yeah, he been hanging out these past few days around the outer banks.
Annie Jones [00:54:04] Wait, do they have manatees?
Ashley [00:54:06] Yes. I'm saying they have manatees, turtles, penguins, all kinds of animals.
Annie Jones [00:54:15] That's so fun. Okay.
Ashley [00:54:17] Thank you.
Annie Jones [00:54:19] You're welcome. Okay, well, I just realized let me look up where this is from. But much like you, I got back from my trip and got served an ad for a company called Polychrome Goods. The first thing I saw with them was a crescent lamp.
Ashley [00:54:40] Okay.
Annie Jones [00:54:42] And I thought, oh, very fun. But really, you know that I own too many sweatshirts. You know that I love a sweatshirt. I love a crewneck.
Ashley [00:54:50] Yes.
Annie Jones [00:54:50] But I think the next crewneck I'm going to purchase is coming from Polychrome Goods. And it says life is pain, but then it has a pain au chocolat. Do you know what I mean?
Ashley [00:55:02] Yes. Okay. I support it. I love that.
Annie Jones [00:55:07] I love that sweatshirt so bad. It just says in big letters, life is pain, and then it has the picture of the pastry.
Ashley [00:55:13] That's funny. And you went to France, so it's perfect.
Annie Jones [00:55:16] Exactly. So I think I'm going to buy one. I wanted the royal blue one, but my mom wisely suggested the Garnet one. And then it's got a little [crosstalk] so I can wear it to an FSU game. Double duty.
Ashley [00:55:26] Perfect. Your cost per wear has already gone down.
Annie Jones [00:55:30] Yes, exactly.
Ashley [00:55:32] Okay. Last thing which I wasn't even going to say, but I literally got a delivery like two hours ago. And maybe I have talked about these before, but they're perfect bars. They're protein bars. They're delicious. You and I don't love peanut butter, but they come in peanut butter in chocolate flavors, and they're wonderful.
Annie Jones [00:55:54] Is the peanut butter one good, too?
Ashley [00:55:56] Yeah. I get like a peanut butter chocolate coated one, and then it's peanut butter with chocolate chips as well. Surprisingly delicious and filling and good ingredients. But the thing is, the only reason I'm telling you this is because I ordered online. Normally, I just buy them at the grocery store. But I ordered these online because Perfect, the brand, was having a sale. And so I was like, let me stock up a little bit, which to me stocking up would mean like, I don't know, two or three boxes of each flavor, which that's a lot already.
Annie Jones [00:56:36] How many are in the box?
Ashley [00:56:38] Well, I get the mini version, so they're like two inches and there's maybe like six in a box.
Annie Jones [00:56:46] Wait, is this what you had at Market?
Ashley [00:56:48] Yes. [Crosstalk].
Annie Jones [00:56:50] They're so good.
Ashley [00:56:51] They're so good.
Annie Jones [00:56:52] Okay.
Ashley [00:56:53] But I wanted to stock up like a normal person would stock up on something. But would you like to guess how many boxes I have accidentally ordered of these that are now in my refrigerator? I thought I ordered four boxes total, but maybe I was expecting like six or something.
Annie Jones [00:57:15] Did you did you get 10 boxes?
Ashley [00:57:18] I got 12 boxes of these. I do not know what happened.
Annie Jones [00:57:26] Did you order these in your Covid haze?
Ashley [00:57:28] Yes.
Annie Jones [00:57:30] Oh my gosh. You ordered when you were sick, that's a no no. Don't do that.
Ashley [00:57:34] But the sale was going to be over, so I had to get them. I genuinely do not know how I got 12 boxes of these. I literally thought I was getting four to six.
Annie Jones [00:57:48] I guess I'll be eating perfect bars in [inaudible].
Ashley [00:57:51] No, bring your own. They're expensive.
Annie Jones [00:57:56] Well, this gives me a lot of hope for my fall and yours. I am super pumped for you. I mean, I found a yellow leaf the other day, so I'm feeling good. I think it is upon us. These are some small things you can watch, read, listen, to buy, etc.. Thanks, Ashley. This was super fun.
Ashley [00:58:16] Thanks for having me.
Annie Jones [00:58:20] This week I'm listening to the Night We Lost Him by Laura Dave. Ashley, what are you reading?
Ashley [00:58:27] I'm reading Honey Bee by Dawn O'Porter.
Annie Jones: From the Front Porch is a weekly podcast production of The Bookshelf, an independent bookstore in Thomasville, Georgia. You can follow The Bookshelf’s daily happenings on Instagram at @bookshelftville, and all the books from today’s episode can be purchased online through our store website:
A full transcript of today’s episode can be found at:
Special thanks to Studio D Podcast Production for production of From the Front Porch and for our theme music, which sets the perfect warm and friendly tone for our Thursday conversations.
Our Executive Producers of today’s episode are…
Cammy Tidwell, Linda Lee Drozt, Martha, Stephanie Dean, Ashley Ferrell, Jennifer Bannerton, Gene Queens
Executive Producers (Read Their Own Names): Nicole Marsee, Wendi Jenkins, Susan Hulings
Annie Jones: If you’d like to support From the Front Porch, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Your input helps us make the show even better and reach new listeners. All you have to do is open up the Podcast App on your phone, look for From the Front Porch, scroll down until you see ‘Write a Review’ and tell us what you think. Or, if you’re so inclined, support us over on Patreon, where we have 3 levels of support - Front Porch Friends, Book Club Companions, and Bookshelf Benefactors. Each level has an amazing number of benefits like bonus content, access to live events, discounts, and giveaways. Just go to:
We’re so grateful for you, and we look forward to meeting back here next week.