Episode 517 || Off the Shelf with Annie & Ashley: Winter
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 517”), or download and shop on The Bookshelf’s official app:
Annie is reading:
Tilt by Emma Pattee (releases March 25th)
The Favorites by Layne Fargo
Ashley is reading:
The Women by Kristin Hannah
Playworld by Adam Ross
Bark by Lorrie Moore
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 I've Got Questions by Erin H. Moon. Ashley is reading The Magic of Knowing What You Want by Tracey Gee.
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...Beth, Stephanie Dean, Linda Lee Drozt, Ashley Ferrell, Wendi Jenkins, Martha, Nicole Marsee, Gene Queens, Cammy Tidwell, Jammie Treadwell, 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] “A flower delivery truck with the back open, bouquets spilling out into the street. I walk right over them. Tulips and roses and little white sprigs of baby’s breath.... Nobody needs flowers at the end of the world.” ― Emma Pattee, Tilt
[as music fades out]
[00:00:45] I'm Annie Jones, owner of The Bookshelf, an independent bookstore in beautiful downtown Thomasville, Georgia. And this week I'm chatting about wintry “off the shelf” topics with my cousin, Ashley Sherlock. 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 our show and recommending it to your friends, you're helping to keep our indie bookstore in business. And if you like what you hear, one way you can financially support us is through Patreon. Last year, we read the classic American novel Lonesome Dove with over 1000 Patreon supporters, and in January, we kicked off our 2025 reading of Don Quixote. For $5 a month, you can access our monthly Conquer a Classic recaps, as well as our Porch Visits, monthly live Q&As where we talk about everything from pop culture to nail polish, to what books you should take on your next vacation. To learn more about our other Patreon tiers and benefits, just visit Patreon.com/fromthefrontporch. Now back to the show. Welcome back Ashley!
Ashley [00:01:56] Thank you so much.
Annie Jones [00:01:57] Long time no talk. Except we talk, just not on air.
Ashley [00:02:03] On air I can't look at you when you're doing the intro because it's like laughing in church. Even though I've seen you do it before, it makes me laugh a little bit every time.
Annie Jones [00:02:12] I hide my face. I don't look at myself when I do that. I move it off screen. I always feel sorry for people who have to watch me do it, and at the same time I'm like I'm not recording this separately.
Ashley [00:02:29] That's valid.
Annie Jones [00:02:31] That's too much additional work. So you all will have to suffer through it just like I do. I'm also always cognizant of my hands. I put my hands behind my back because I don't want to make noise. Anyway, we're back. If you are a new listener in the new Year, welcome. Our Off the Shelf series is a recurring episode series where, yes, we talk about books, but we also talk about articles, TV shows, pop culture and how we're handling life in a given season. So this week we are talking about surviving winter. And the reason we do these episodes is, yes, Ashley is my cousin. She's my friend. She is also a former Bookshelf staffer. Now many moons ago.
Ashley [00:03:13] So many moons ago.
Annie Jones [00:03:15] Yeah.
Ashley [00:03:15] How many moons do we think?
Annie Jones [00:03:17] Years.
Ashley [00:03:19] Years. It's hard to believe.
Annie Jones [00:03:20] Yeah.
Ashley [00:03:22] Sometimes it feels like I never left.
Annie Jones [00:03:24] I was about to say she'll still show up from time to time. She'll show up at Reader Retreats and...
Ashley [00:03:30] Behind the register once a year.
Annie Jones [00:03:32] Yeah and family decorating weekend.
Ashley [00:03:36] There we go. And market.
Annie Jones [00:03:37] That's right. And market. Ashley, before we get into our reading, watching, listening, tell me, how are you surviving your North Carolina winter? I will not call this your first because it's really not. You moved. Interestingly, your life decisions led you to move in the dead of winter a year ago. So how are you handling your second winter in North Carolina?
Ashley [00:04:00] Much better than the first. First winter it was 17 degrees the day I got here and I slipped on ice. Didn't fall, and I didn't go all the way to the ground, but it wasn't great. Everything was dead. But now it's snowed. Like three times I've seen the snow and I have learned how to dress properly. And I'm happy, feeling good. Which is weird for Ashley in the winter.
Annie Jones [00:04:25] I think the key is dressing appropriately. And I also think the shock has worn off. Like you're not shocked anymore. You experienced it last year, so you kind of knew what to prepare for this year. I think last year it was just a shock to the system.
Ashley [00:04:43] Totally. And the shock this year was snow. One time I was away from my apartment and it started snowing while I was gone. So I was going to have to drive in the snow. And so I had to text people and be like, is this okay? Can I do this? Because I had always said I refuse to drive in the snow. Fortunately, it was just a light dusting and I made it safely. But that was new.
Annie Jones [00:05:09] I posted about snow to Instagram because it snowed here for the first time. I'm glad you are getting magical snow where you are. I am sorry you missed that because it was historic. I was trying to explain to someone-- I think people either loved my enthusiasm or were a little put off by it. And I was trying to explain like we got a light dusting in 2018 and then prior to that it was 1989 and I was three years old. And when I tell you my father, at 73 years old, went sledding on a boogie board in his neighborhood, that's because we don't see this. We don't get this. This is not usual.
Ashley [00:05:54] And it's different. We've all seen snow before, but it's different when it's where you live. You have a boogie board. That was one of my favorite parts was all of the Florida State posts, all these college kids just sliding around on boogie boards and whatever else they could find as a sled, because who has a sled in Florida?
Annie Jones [00:06:14] That's what I loved seeing out of Pensacola and Destin, where those boardwalks that go down to the beach and then they were covered in snow, so people were like sledding down them. It was so novel and weird, and the enthusiasm I had was the same enthusiasm I saw on everyone because it was Florida and South Georgia, like the deep, deep South. I think we got snow and Birmingham didn't. And if you live in Birmingham, you see snow-- like Jordan is from Birmingham originally and he said something about, oh man, I loved snow days as a kid. And I was like how many did you get? And he was like probably a handful. And he described them to me. And I said that really does sound magical. And he was like how many did you get?
Ashley [00:07:02] What?
Annie Jones [00:07:04] I was like, what? Zero.
Ashley [00:07:04] Zero. Exactly zero.
Annie Jones [00:07:06] Zero snow days. Now any day we got off from school due to weather, it was because the fear of God was in us and a hurricane was headed our way. Like no we did not get off. So my point is I'm sure people might think, "Silly, Ashley, you can drive in the snow." No.
Ashley [00:07:23] No, I can't.
Annie Jones [00:07:24] The city of Thomasville had a curfew for two days. And maybe that feels patriarchal to you, but it was because they did not trust, nor should they, any one of us on the icy-- it was genuinely very icy. And Thomasville is a small town and is not equipped- doesn't have enough personnel to rescue a bunch of dumb Southerners who insist on driving in the ice. Like Jordan was scraping snow off the windshield of his car with a coffee cup.
Ashley [00:07:55] Because you don't have a scraper.
Annie Jones [00:07:59] No, we don't. And so, anyway, it was novel and fun. I am sorry you missed it, even though I'm so glad you're getting it where you live. Because there was something about, even for me, seeing my mom's pictures of my childhood house covered in snow it was shocking.
Ashley [00:08:16] It was. I still have to try to not be sad that I wasn't there. I did because my mom's pictures were of our backyard with the orange trees and citrus trees with snow on them. I think the citrus is still okay, which is why I'm happy about it. But that has never happened before. And I am a little sad that I have moved to North Carolina and then it snowed in Florida.
Annie Jones [00:08:41] The timing is odd.
Ashley [00:08:44] It's okay.
Annie Jones [00:08:45] That's right. And we've gotten to live vicariously through you because it snowed. You and Chet, my brother, your cousin who lives in Chattanooga, I think you and he were sending snow pictures at the same time. So, listen, we're all jealous at one point or another. I'm sure we were like, aw, they got snow. Or that's how I feel. I love snow. Somebody asked me, they were like, was this your first snow? And it's such a weird question to answer because, yes, but also I've been to Chicago and Boston and New York all in the wintry offseason. And so I've seen snow. Probably when the two of us went to New York was some of the most active snow I've ever seen, if that makes sense. It was actually snowing. Whereas, one time I went to Colorado and snow was on the ground, but I don't remember it snowing while I was there. So anyway, but yes, locally, sure. I think this definitely counts as my first full-fledged [crosstalk].
Ashley [00:09:40] Your first snow at your house.
Annie Jones [00:09:42] Yes, that stuck for more than three hours, which is typically which has been what it's been. So I do think that's one way to survive winter. It's getting to enjoy for us the novelty of snow. I'm sure there are listeners who are like, yeah, we're over it. And to be fair, Jordan and I went to church on Sunday and we even talked to some of our family and they were over it. Like five days, four days later they were like, okay, we're done. And I do like being married to Jordan Jones because we both were like, but we loved it. And I like that we are similar in that way. But my dad who had been boogie boarding, sledding two days prior, he looked at me and he was like, "I didn't like shoveling snow out of my deck." Because, of course, he lives in Florida. Why would he want to do that? So I do think the novelty wore off as the days progressed, but we really loved it at our house. Okay, let's talk about some of the things we are reading. I only brought one, so I'm going to let you kick us off because I think you have more than I do this time.
Ashley [00:10:48] Okay, wow, can I--
Annie Jones [00:10:50] I know.
Ashley [00:10:50] I feel like I deserve an award or something [crosstalk] but I will preface this by saying, listeners, you, we all know that I'm just here to talk about what I am reading, not necessarily what I recommend people read, because I don't read enough for that. I just read enough to tell you that I am reading things.
Annie Jones [00:11:10] Yeah. This is what you are currently invested in.
Ashley [00:11:12] Having said that, I actually do recommend this one. The Women by Kristin Hannah. We already talked about this at Market, and I know a lot of people have already read it themselves. But please let me tell you when the words historical fiction are involved, I am not. But I loved this book so much. I cried three times by chapter six, and I wanted to throw my phone across the room because I listened to the audiobook by the end of it. And I finished this book, I think, on my way to Market at the beginning of this month, and I haven't stopped thinking about it or talking about it since.
Annie Jones [00:11:47] It's a great conversation starter. I think we've talked about it on the podcast a little bit before. It's not something I would have normally picked up either, but Nancy read it and loved it. Really though I think it was my parents, mom in particular, who was like Annie you have to read this. And then one of our customers-- I don't think Kathy [sp] listens, but Kathy hi, if you're here. It was one of those books in store that customers wanted to talk about. And one of the things I liked about it was a lot of the women who wanted to talk about it were women who were alive during the Vietnam War and who had distinct memories, and it was good to sit at their feet and listen to them, and hear how the book made an impact on them. I talked to my parents about stuff that I'd never talk to them about. So, yeah, I loved it for that reason. So much stuff happens in that book. So many twists and turns.
Ashley [00:12:41] So many things, but good ones.
Annie Jones [00:12:45] Was this your first Kristin Hannah or have you read her before?
Ashley [00:12:49] I believe this was my first.
Annie Jones [00:12:51] It was my first too, which is probably unpopular amongst readers because she's got some big fans at The Bookshelf. But this was my first Kristin Hannah experience and I liked it.
Ashley [00:13:01] Same.
Annie Jones [00:13:02] Was the audiobook good?
Ashley [00:13:05] It was. I can't remember who did it, but it was really good.
Annie Jones [00:13:09] Okay. I do have one that I did not write down, but I will tell you about it because I read it months ago but it's a great winter book. So I read The Favorites by Layne Fargo. I read this months ago as an ARC, and the reason I read it was because-- I don't know if you remember this about me, but in, I believe, 2018, during the Winter Olympics, I became obsessed with two ice dancers from Canada. Scott Moore and Tessa Virtue. Virtue and Moore. And they did an ice dance that actually I probably will watch as soon as we're off this call. They did this ice dance to Moulin Rouge, like to a Moulin Rouge medley. I'm telling you; it's still lives in my brain. There's a part of my brain where that video resides. And I went on a deep dive and really so did the rest of the internet. This was like peak fun internet. I don't think that exists really so much anymore, to be honest.
Ashley [00:14:04] Probably not.
Annie Jones [00:14:05] But back in that time I was on Twitter and it was fun to see this fandom and to see that Canadians loved them. I wasn't the only one. There was fanfiction written about them, which I did not indulge in, but definitely could have at any given point. And, anyway, The Favorites released earlier this month. It was my January Shelf Subscription. It released in January and I wasn't going to pick it for my Shelf Subscription because I almost felt like it was too fun to be an Annie Shelf Subscription. A lot of my Shelf Subscriptions are sad or dark, but let me tell you something, this is like Taylor Jenkins Reid. I really think it's like Carrie Soto, but there's an oral history element that I think will remind folks of Daisy Jones, but it's about two ice dancers and they wind up competing together. So it's a lot about the sport of ice dancing. I did not realize when I was reading it, and this shows my ignorance, but Mallory [sp] at The Bookshelf was like, oh my gosh, it's a retelling of Wuthering Heights.
[00:15:12] And I was like, oh, is it? I just thought it was Ice dancers. I just thought it was an homage to those Canadian ice dancers. I loved it. I don't know if the audiobook would be good, but because of the oral history element, I think it could be. And if you're looking for one more wintry book to round out your winter, I adored The Favorites. And I will say I'm pleased I stuck with it as a Shelf Subscription because I have heard back from folks who were like this is just what I needed in January. Like, this was super fun. It was just what I needed to kick off winter reading. So if you're in the market for like a book that will hold your attention quickly and that you'll fly through, I think you'll like it. There's a romantic element to it, but I liked it for more than just the romance.
Ashley [00:15:56] I love that. I can't believe I never got into those ice dancers like you did.
Annie Jones [00:16:00] I know. It seems right up your alley.
Ashley [00:16:02] I know it doesn't make any sense. I think I was young and immature.
Annie Jones [00:16:07] You can go watch them at any time. You just Google them. They're fun.
Ashley [00:16:11] Yeah, that'll probably be my newest obsession. Okay. Next book Playworld by Adam Ross.
Annie Jones [00:16:18] Okay. What'd you think?
Ashley [00:16:20] Okay. Also, I did listen to this on audio, which is pretty much all I'm doing these days. I like it. It's a good story. I need it to be about 15% shorter, at least. Because to be honest with you, I'm still listening to this audiobook and it feels like I have been for as long as January has been.
Annie Jones [00:16:45] Well, you have because it's an over 500 page book. I started reading this book in October or early November and did not finish it until January.
Ashley [00:16:56] Yeah.
Annie Jones [00:16:56] And I liked it a lot. I think he sticks the landing, which really helps. But it is a big book and it covers a lot of territory, even though it's set over the course of a year. I am intrigued-- when I was reading it, I was like, I wonder if I could read this faster if I listened to the audiobook in my downtime. I did both. Reading the physical book and I couldn't do the audiobook of this one. I'm whispering because the author narrates it.
Ashley [00:17:26] Which I normally like that.
Annie Jones [00:17:29] I like it in a memoir. I don't know if I've ever encountered that in fiction. I'm probably missing one, but I thought that was an interesting choice.
Ashley [00:17:38] That bothers me less than how forever it has gone on. There's a section I guess like three quarters of the way through that I don't think I need and I'm 90% done with it at this point. Okay.
Annie Jones [00:17:56] I do think he's doing something. This is what I'll say. He's doing something. I liked it. Is it meandering? Yes.
Ashley [00:18:06] Yeah.
Annie Jones [00:18:06] Is it meandering? Yes. Could some of the chapters have been chopped out?
Ashley [00:18:12] Yeah.
Annie Jones [00:18:13] Probably. Yeah. But I'm impressed by your commitment. I've said this before. First of all, I'm in an audiobook slump myself. I've not finished one audiobook this month. I don't even know if I've attempted one. And then secondly, if an audiobook is longer than eight hours, I almost automatically discount it. I can't. I don't know what that says about my attention span, but I think when I looked it up on Libro it was like 15 hours long.
Ashley [00:18:39] Yeah, it's a lot. I loved the first part and am I looking forward to the stuck landing.
Annie Jones [00:18:46] Yeah, I think you'd like the New York of it all and the child actor stuff.
Ashley [00:18:50] Yes, for sure. I would have liked more of that, less of whatever that war story was. Unless that makes me sound terrible, then don't pay attention to me at all.
Annie Jones [00:19:01] I forgot about that. It was about his dad, I think. Getting some more insight into his dad. Do you remember Clare Gibson, the author who came to read or treat?
Ashley [00:19:12] Yeah.
Annie Jones [00:19:12] So she loves this book and she said she felt like it was a must read for mothers with sons.
Ashley [00:19:20] Okay.
Annie Jones [00:19:22] I thought it was interesting.
Ashley [00:19:23] Very Interesting. I hope I find out why pretty soon.
Annie Jones [00:19:29] Yeah. Okay, my last reading recommendation is one that is not out yet and I know people are going to groan about this, but I have to talk about it because I finished it today and it's fresh on my mind and so you're going to get my genuine excitement; whereas, in a few weeks it's going to be old news. I finished the book Tilt by Emma Pattee. I hope I'm pronouncing that correctly. It's P-a-t-t-e-e. This book does not release until March 25th. So, again, everybody bear with me.
Ashley [00:19:57] Yikes. Patience.
Annie Jones [00:19:58] It's like the opposite. So Playworld is over 500 pages. It's kind of meandering, even though it only takes place through the course of a year. It's a little bit epic feeling, like big coming of age. Tilt is 225 pages. I read it in physical format. It feels quite short and it's set over the course of one day. It's a woman named Annie who is nine months pregnant, and she's buying a crib at Ikea in Portland, Oregon, when an earthquake strikes. And it's like a catastrophic like the earthquake that they've all been waiting for but not preparing for maybe like they should have. I think in the author's note she even calls it the Cascadian Quake or something? So it's like this monster earthquake. That's how the book opens. And her husband is across town, and so she is trying to get to her husband, nine months pregnant, trapped in an Ikea, trying to get to him while also being very, very pregnant. I ate this up. I loved it. It reminded me of The Road. It reminded me of maybe even something like Station Eleven. It was harrowing. A survival story. I absolutely loved it. Like right at this moment I'm like, oh, that'll be my top 10 of the year for sure.
Ashley [00:21:28] Wow.
Annie Jones [00:21:29] For what that's worth, I am so impressed with what she conveyed in such a short little book. I loved it. Loved it. I can't wait for everyone to read it.
Ashley [00:21:40] Okay, Station Eleven is high praise, but tell me why when you said trapped in an Ikea my first thought was that one episode of Arthur where he's locked in the library. Is that accurate? Like, is that appropriate or no?
Annie Jones [00:21:57] I feel like that seems more fun. When I told Bookshelf staff about this, I think Erin and Caroline both said verbatim, "Well, we've all been there." Meaning like trapped in an Ikea.
Ashley [00:22:09] Lost in an Ikea?
Annie Jones [00:22:10] Yeah. Where you can't get out of an Ikea. And I just remember taking you to an Ikea for the first time and the look on your face of just pure awe but also overwhelm. And can you imagine trying to navigate the aisles-- there's this great depiction. She's borrowed maternity clothes, and so she's wearing a purple maternity romper, and she talks about her feet squishing out of her Birkenstocks.
Ashley [00:22:37] Oh, my.
Annie Jones [00:22:39] She's very pregnant and trying to navigate Ikea and she finds the crib she wants and then has to go to the warehouse portion to pull it out. Anyway, so much of the descriptions are going to stick with me for a long time because even though I've never endured a catastrophic event to that level, I think a lot of us can imagine. Well, first of all, I think a lot of us are in the middle of living or imagining catastrophic climate events. And then I also think like Erin and Caroline pointed out, all of us have been stuck in an Ikea and it does not feel great. It's not quite Arthur in the library.
Ashley [00:23:19] Dark comp of Arthur locked in the library.
Annie Jones [00:23:23] So, anyway, that's Tilt by Emma Pattee. It comes out March 25th. So you'll have to wait, but I think it'll be worth it.
Ashley [00:23:30] Okay. Last one for me is Bark by Lorrie Moore, which I've been seeing go around as another collection of short stories. Again, back to what I said before we started doing this, I'm just here for participation to let you know that I have read. There were some memorable short stories. NPR called it half of a good book.
Annie Jones [00:23:59] Interesting. Also, shade. NPR. My gosh!
Ashley [00:24:03] But I think that's accurate. Very short, short, short stories. Finished it in a plane ride.
Annie Jones [00:24:10] I like that, though.
Ashley [00:24:11] I got it because the cover has a Dachshund on it and that is it. And I've heard of Lorrie Moore, but this is my first Lorrie Moore.
Annie Jones [00:24:23] Where did you find it? Did you get it at an airport?
Ashley [00:24:26] No. It's still on audiobook, baby. The audio book cover does not have a Dachshund on it, but the real one does.
Annie Jones [00:24:33] That's hilarious. Okay. Because I was like, yeah, you bought it to display in your house. Now I know you downloaded the audiobook.
Ashley [00:24:39] No. And I totally would display it, but then people would ask me about it and then I would have to say the words.
Annie Jones [00:24:45] It's half of a good book.
Ashley [00:24:46] It's half of a good book. That's what I'm going to say.
Annie Jones [00:24:49] Well, I'm pleased that you've had such luck with audiobooks in this season. I have not. I don't know what to attribute that to. I'm having decent success with-- January is hard. My brain is coming off the busiest time of year and so I try to be gentle with myself in January. So I've had decent success with physical books, but I don't think I've read a e-book, and I don't think I've read a single audiobook. All physical books in January.
Ashley [00:25:20] Good for you. I've learned I'm not good at physical books. I'm very likely to fall asleep.
Annie Jones [00:25:26] Yeah. I think it's life stage and learning all those things. Okay. What are we watching?
Ashley [00:25:35] Okay. You want me to go first?
Annie Jones [00:25:37] Yeah, you go first.
Ashley [00:25:38] We have one overlap that I know about, but I will talk about No Good Deed. I forgot where it's playing, maybe Netflix?
Annie Jones [00:25:45] It's Netflix. I've not watched this, but it's no Netflix.
Ashley [00:25:47] It's with Lisa Kudrow and Ray Romano. That's his name, right?
Annie Jones [00:25:51] Yeah.
Ashley [00:25:53] I'm not going to be like, oh, it's so good, but it's different because it's two very funny people in very not funny scenarios.
Annie Jones [00:26:05] Yes.
Ashley [00:26:05] So it was kind of nice to see them do this different type of thing. Also, just like a super weird story. Some people on the internet said it was predictable, but maybe it is. But I thought I was hooked and I've been through the whole series in like a weekend.
Annie Jones [00:26:24] Wow. Okay. Because I hadn't seen a ton about this one. I saw it come to Netflix, but it's one of those that I just didn't hear a ton of buzz about. I never know if it's because maybe the show isn't good, or if it's just because there are so many shows releasing at any given time that there's no telling what's good and what's not anymore.
Ashley [00:26:44] Sure. It's not Severance, but if you need something to watch, I don't think you'll waste your time.
Annie Jones [00:26:52] Have you started Severance season two?
Ashley [00:26:54] I've seen the first episode.
Annie Jones [00:26:56] Okay. I've put off watching that. Jordan literally asks every night, like, are you ready to do Severance Season two? And I'm like, first of all, did you watch a refresher? Season one finished forever ago.
Ashley [00:27:08] It finished forever. I just let Apple play the recap for me at the beginning of episode one.
Annie Jones [00:27:18] Okay. And was that enough?
Ashley [00:27:19] Yeah.
Annie Jones [00:27:20] Okay. This wasn't all my list, but I do just want to ask, did you watch Netflix Man on the Inside with Ted Danson.
Ashley [00:27:27] No. I didn't want to.
Annie Jones [00:27:28] Okay. We loved that. We loved it.
Ashley [00:27:32] My parents loved it.
Annie Jones [00:27:33] Your parents loved it. I think my parents loved it. Just delightful. Absolutely delightful. We had a great time.
Ashley [00:27:40] Is it funny?
Annie Jones [00:27:41] Yes, it is very funny.
Ashley [00:27:43] Okay, good.
Annie Jones [00:27:44] I do want to say, because I just talked about Tilt, we also did just start this brand new show. I think by the time this episode comes out, there will be more episodes available. But we just started this Hulu show called Paradise, and it's starring Sterling K Brown as a Secret Service agent and James Marsden as the president. And it is so good. It's by the guy who did Parenthood and This Is Us and Crazy, Stupid Love. And this feels like a departure for him in a great way. We're hooked. We're absolutely hooked. I do not want to spoil a thing, but there's a little bit of a post-apocalyptic element to it. And basically the president is found murdered and they have to figure out what happened.
Ashley [00:28:34] How much post-apocalyptic/current apocalyptic is too much?
Annie Jones [00:28:41] I don't know why these things are working for me right now, but boy, it's to the point where Jordan texted today and he was like I think an episode just dropped. We're excited. So that's Paradise on Hulu. The other thing we're watching-- did you do Traitors? Have you done Traitors?
Ashley [00:28:58] No.
Annie Jones [00:28:59] I don't know that you have to, but we had some house projects to do the other day, and so we needed something like on in the background-- and I could watch Friends on the background all day, every day, but we put on Traitor season one, which I had already started, and then kind of lost interest. It's a reality show. It's a competition show. But Jordan got super invested and I really did like it. So now we're watching season two. I can't tell if either of us is hooked yet, but Alan Cumming is the host and it's set in the Scottish Highlands.
Ashley [00:29:31] Okay.
Annie Jones [00:29:33] Yeah, it's campy, it's fun. I think Knox McCoy on the Popcast has talked about it some. It's on Peacock. So that is something we're watching with not quite a full attention span. So if you just need like TV on, I think [crosstalk].
Ashley [00:29:46] Next, I haven't finished it, but the SNL documentary on Peacock. I know you've watched it.
Annie Jones [00:29:54] Do you love it?
Ashley [00:29:54] I love it so much. I cried in the first episode and I also didn't know it was a series.
Annie Jones [00:29:59] It's so good. I want everybody to watch it and don't get disappointed because there's only four. I was so disappointed after I watched the fourth one because I was waiting for the new one to start and I was like, what? Any and all SNL 50th anniversary content I'm devouring it.
Ashley [00:30:16] Rightfully so.
Annie Jones [00:30:17] Did you see the mash up Questlove did?
Ashley [00:30:22] I don't think so. Where was that?
Annie Jones [00:30:23] Okay. I posted to Instagram, but I think you were in New York. You've got to go look for it. It's a mash up of all these SNL performances. It's stunning. All these SNL musical performances. It's so good. So go look for that on Instagram. But the documentary is so fun. Jordan and I loved it.
Ashley [00:30:43] We all know give me anything behind the scenes with people that we know who they are. It was so nice. Is this some spoiler to say that former cast members watched their auditions?
Annie Jones [00:31:00] No. The first episode is all about the audition process.
Ashley [00:31:04] Okay. It's just nice to know that we can all look back and see things that we would have done differently- even Amy Poehler
Annie Jones [00:31:14] Yes. I have so many thoughts. Jordan and I had such an interesting conversation after that particular episode about who looked ashamed or who wouldn't watch theirs. We thought it was lovely that Stephen Colbert-- we liked Stephen Colbert but we loved that he was one of the only people who watched it and he said, "Good for him." I think that was almost his exact words. He was like, good for him. I'm really proud of him. That was pretty good. And Jordan made the comment, he was like-- because we agreed. It was super refreshing to watch some of these big time celebrities be really humbled and self-deprecating. But there was also something lovely. I think we were just talking about looking back on our former self. Of course, we took it to the next level in talking about it, and we were like, oh man, we hope we look back on our past selves with as much grace as Stephen Colbert. He just like kind of look sheepishly at the camera was like, good for him. The Irony was he didn't even get cast.
Ashley [00:32:17] I know.
Annie Jones [00:32:19] Amy Poehler was cast. These other people who were watching their auditions kind of with shielded eyes, they all made it. And we thought it was fascinating that Stephen Colbert, who did not, was like, good for that guy.
Ashley [00:32:31] Good job little buddy.
Annie Jones [00:32:32] Yeah, it was sweet. It was really sweet.
Ashley [00:32:35] So sweet. I'm looking forward to watching the rest of that. But also now that I know it's only four episodes, I don't want it to end.
Annie Jones [00:32:41] Yeah, really take your time. I binged it too fast probably.
Ashley [00:32:45] Okay.
Annie Jones [00:32:46] Okay. Shall we move on to listening to?
Ashley [00:32:49] Let's do it. Okay. I just have two songs. First one is I Will by Allison Krauss and Tony Furtado I believe.
Annie Jones [00:32:58] Is he related to Nelly Furtado?
Ashley [00:32:59] I couldn't tell you. He does the harmony and I don't know if he does instrumental, but I really only want the first minute and a half of the song because it is very beautiful, calm, banjo and other stringed instruments. The whole song is very nice, but that is the intro, the long intro that I super love. And I do actually think you will like it, too.
Annie Jones [00:33:25] Okay, listen, I don't have really anything the here. I've already mentioned I'm kind of on, I don't know, an audio slump. I'm not listening to too much; except I did listen to the Popcast deep dive on the Justin Baldoni Blake Lively debacle. I will not go into a ton of detail here, because I promise by the time this episode comes out, who knows what else could have happened.
Ashley [00:33:48] Right?
Annie Jones [00:33:49] I feel like something is happening with those two literally every time I turn on my phone or look at my Instagram. There is some new tidbit. And honestly all I will say is it makes me dislike them both.
Ashley [00:34:04] At this point I think you're right, but also how interesting of a person can you be to have something new every single day? Do you know what I mean?
Annie Jones [00:34:14] Well, and I'd like to be clear. I would like to not dislike them both. I would like for it to be black and white and for me to be able to be like, oh my gosh, this is horrible. And there are some horrible things that have come out. And then but also here's what I mean, the wordiness of the texts between these two.
Ashley [00:34:34] I'm saying.
Annie Jones [00:34:35] What are we using texting for? I think we need to take a step back. Let's bring back the email. What are we doing? Do not text me how are you doing? No. Listen, Millennials won't like this, but that's a phone call. That's a phone call. That's a Voxer message. That's a Marco Polo. That is not a text. What are we doing? Why are we texting huge swaths of texts? No. What are we doing? I needed those two to have an editor.
Ashley [00:35:06] We have found the one thing Annie B. Jones will not read- it is your text messages.
Annie Jones [00:35:10] Actually, really accurate. I am sure I have real life friends listening to this right now going, this is true. I am terrible at texting. And I have made an effort to try to be better at it, but the texts between Justin and Blake and Blake talking about her friends as dragons, you know what else it makes me? It makes me real sweaty about if your texts ever become public knowledge.
Ashley [00:35:41] I know.
Annie Jones [00:35:42] It's terrifying. It is terrifying. I do not want my texts out in the world.
Ashley [00:35:48] Well, no. And neither one of us are texting anything like that.
Annie Jones [00:35:52] But it still makes you think, doesn't it? Like what [crosstalk].
Ashley [00:35:55] I think about this all the time. We had a preacher-- I don't even remember which preacher it was, but at the church we grew up at, he said that he doesn't text anything to anybody that he wouldn't feel comfortable having read in front of everyone. I don't know why he said that. I don't know why I remember it, but it just stuck with me.
Annie Jones [00:36:17] And, look, I try real hard. What I'm saying is that text about her dragon friends isn't bad. It's just weird. But it makes me think, how many weird things have I texted? I don't know. I thought, oh, dear.
Ashley [00:36:35] Listen, even if anybody ever gets a hold of our text messages, you can just lock me up right now.
Annie Jones [00:36:43] That's what I mean. Like it's dumpster-- I don't know.
Ashley [00:36:45] It's not bad or illegal, just weird.
Annie Jones [00:36:49] I wouldn't want that out in the world. And you know it must be bad, at least for both of their perspectives, that they're willing to basically fillet themselves open. They must both truly believe they each are in the right to keep releasing this stuff that doesn't really make either of them look great.
Ashley [00:37:09] I would love to be a fly on anybody's wall in this situation.
Annie Jones [00:37:15] I would, too. Because somebody probably is in the right.
Ashley [00:37:17] Right. But how do you know?
Annie Jones [00:37:19] Fascinating. So that's really the only thing I've listened to. I thought it was a great explainer. I've been listening to some big picture podcasts about the Oscars, but I'm not super excited about the Oscars this year. We'll see. So that's really all I've been listening to.
Ashley [00:37:30] Last thing I've been listening to is Borderline by Ed Sheeran, and I can't remember if I have said this on this podcast before because I was listening to the song this time last year. But I guess it's like my January song. It's Ed Sheeran doing falsetto, which I didn't really think I needed. But the harmony is good and it's a sweet song.
Annie Jones [00:37:49] You're a sucker for a harmony.
Ashley [00:37:51] I can be the harmony all day, every day.
Annie Jones [00:37:53] Okay, what are we buying? What are you buying.
Ashley [00:37:56] Aside from a plane ticket to New York on a whim-- did I already tell you this? I did, but I'll tell everybody else, too. This was not on my list to talk about, but Left on Tenth, the play which I believe is closing soon. It's so good.
Annie Jones [00:38:12] I think it'll be closed by the time this comes out, but I don't know, maybe it'll revive or something. But you had told me about it and then post about it. And then somebody else I follow, I don't remember if it was Jonathan Merritt or Annie F Down, somebody posted about that. And I was so jealous because I loved that book.
Ashley [00:38:29] Yeah. Me too.
Annie Jones [00:38:30] And so I'm so glad you got to see it, but I was so jealous. I was like, oh, I want to be there.
Ashley [00:38:37] It was, I think, my first straight play on Broadway and my first time openly weeping in this way, even though I already knew everything that happened. It was very beautiful, dare I say, better than the book? Or at least it did great justice to the book.
Annie Jones [00:38:55] Okay. We love to hear that.
Ashley [00:38:56] Anyway, what I'm actually buying is a product from Market that I stole. Those pens that we stopped by and sampled all of. I don't know how to pronounce it. Is it Grabie.
Annie Jones [00:39:09] I think it might be Grabie. I'm with you, I don't know. It's G-r-a-b-i-e.
Ashley [00:39:17] Yeah. $5 to anybody who can figure out who that was, whose voice that was.
Annie Jones [00:39:24] Which voice did you hear?
Ashley [00:39:27] But this pen, this is the only pen that I have used in my 2025 planner.
Annie Jones [00:39:31] Really?
Ashley [00:39:32] Yes.
Annie Jones [00:39:33] I'm so annoyed you got one and I didn't.
Ashley [00:39:35] I should have gotten you one, too.
Annie Jones [00:39:36] That's okay.
Ashley [00:39:38] It's really more like a marker or like a paint pen. It's like a paint pen with a fine tip, but better than a paint pen.
Annie Jones [00:39:45] Does it bleed?
Ashley [00:39:46] Nope. At least not in my planner.
Annie Jones [00:39:50] That's a beautiful sound effect.
Ashley [00:39:51] So, yeah, whatever those pens are called, look at the spelling in the shownotes.
Annie Jones [00:39:56] We're going to stock them I want to say this summer.
Ashley [00:40:00] Okay. Only buy them at The Bookshelf this summer.
Annie Jones [00:40:03] You can buy them online elsewhere. But if you want to wait, The Bookshelf will have them this summer.
Ashley [00:40:07] You should wait.
Annie Jones [00:40:11] We've got a lot of house project. I do think the new year is when I feel most motivated to do stuff in my house. Like this time last year, I was buying organizational tools for my pantry and my bathroom cabinets. I bought some wallpaper, like doing a lot of house stuff. They are hit or miss and I don't know that they're always worth the price, but I have bought a couple of Free People pieces that I really like.
Ashley [00:40:37] Okay.
Annie Jones [00:40:38] One of them is a pair of green and white striped overalls that I really like. They're great for layering right now. For the new year, I bought this long sleeved sequin t-shirt thing where it's long sleeves. The sleeves are sequin, but then it's just a big flowy t-shirt. Free People is not always my style and I don't think it's always worth the price. But there's a couple of things I have bought I have liked recently. So maybe worth checking out. Also, can I give you my newest life hacks that I've been doing for two years? It's not new.
Ashley [00:41:10] Please.
Annie Jones [00:41:12] Okay, I forget who told me this. I don't know if I saw it at my best friend from childhood's house or my mother in law's first. But, TJ Maxx is where you should be buying your hand soap. Because all of the hand soap has the prettiest bottles and good sense, but they're severely discounted. So it's cheaper than buying your hand soap at Target.
Ashley [00:41:33] I just bought pretty expensive hand soap because it was at somebody's house, and I took a picture of it and it was cheaper to buy like the big old jug of it. And so now I have a big old jug of really good smelling hand soap.
Annie Jones [00:41:47] Well, that way you can at least refill your dispensers, which is probably the more environmentally friendly thing to do. But I really do like the hand soaps that I've bought from target from TJ Maxx. I think I said this on Patreon. I am not a Maxxinista. I don't spend a lot of time at TJ Maxx. It's a little overwhelming to me as a concept.
Ashley [00:42:04] Yes.
Annie Jones [00:42:05] But hand soap is one thing that I do go and get. And the other day I went in and there was a strawberry sweater on the very front, facing me right when I walked in the door. And I think Ashley knows this about me. Anyone who shops with me in real life, that's how I shop. I don't browse. It's do I see something right? The only place I browse, I think, is a bookstore or a stationery store.
Ashley [00:42:29] I don't shop. I can tell you the last time I went to...
Annie Jones [00:42:32] Yeah, you don't shop at all.
Ashley [00:42:34] No.
Annie Jones [00:42:34] Has Greensborough changed that for you?
Ashley [00:42:37] No. I still don't like shopping.
Annie Jones [00:42:39] You've been shopping at Anthropologie.
Ashley [00:42:41] I had a gift card.
Annie Jones [00:42:43] That's why.
Ashley [00:42:43] I had a gift card for Christmas.
Annie Jones [00:42:45] Online shopping is hit or miss. And I'm not a huge shopper, but when I do shop I like-- well, stereotypically, I think how I've described it is I shop like a man. Meaning I have a list. And so like I walked in TJ Maxx, I needed hand soap, a shower curtain liner, and I saw that strawberry sweater and I was like, okay, done. I didn't try it on.
Ashley [00:43:08] Man, it's one thing to go shopping and it is another for me to actually try something on.
Annie Jones [00:43:14] That's like a day. You have to know that's what you're doing that day in my opinion.
Ashley [00:43:18] Yeah.
Annie Jones [00:43:20] I do miss the days when we used to shop as children. Our mothers would take us together, as I recall, and we would go buy a bunch of stuff from Parisian.
Ashley [00:43:29] Parisian.
Annie Jones [00:43:31] Parisian. And we would come home and we would do fashion shows for Aunt Nina.
Ashley [00:43:35] Wait, I remember this.
Annie Jones [00:43:38] Yeah. All the time.
Ashley [00:43:39] I do love a fashion show. Fashion show at lunch?
Annie Jones [00:43:42] Yeah. It's fun.
Ashley [00:43:43] I will say I did walk into a thrift store over the over the weekend. Didn't buy anything because I would prefer to be told what to buy via an ad or a need in my closet. But one step closer. I walked in and I looked around.
Annie Jones [00:43:58] I love a thrift store, particularly for home decor. I really do. But I feel like you have [crosstalk]. No, you don't. But you have way better options up there, I think, than we do down here.
Ashley [00:44:09] Accurate.
Annie Jones [00:44:10] Anything else you buy?
Ashley [00:44:14] I guess I'm doing an object and then a food item on the series. But Purely Elizabeth granola, delicious.
Annie Jones [00:44:24] Like the Queen?
Ashley [00:44:25] Probably has $2 signs next to it. I have no idea if it's affiliated with the Queen. But they have a chocolate one and they also have like a chocolate chip cookie dough type of one, but it's all clean, healthy. I tend to buy the chocolate chip cookie dough one because it's in a bigger bag, but it costs the same amount as the smaller bag.
Annie Jones [00:44:46] Interesting.
Ashley [00:44:47] But it's good to snack on, put some milk over it, whatever it is you do with granola. Delish.
Annie Jones [00:44:56] That does sound good.
Ashley [00:44:57] Yeah.
Annie Jones [00:44:58] Is that all?
Ashley [00:44:58] That's it.
Annie Jones [00:44:59] Well, this has been delightful. I love catching up. Love getting ideas. I'm going to add that song. I'm going to look at that song on Spotify, and maybe I'll buy myself-- well, maybe I'll just wait till we get Grabie pens at The Bookshelf. But I love a new pen. Well, thank you Ashley. Thanks for being on the show and good luck surviving the rest of winter.
Ashley [00:45:19] Much appreciated.
Annie Jones [00:45:24] This week I'm reading I've Got Questions by Erin Moon. Ashley, what are you reading?
Ashley [00:45:30] I'm reading The Magic of Knowing What You Want by Tracey Gee.
[00:45:32] 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, Gene Queens, Beth, Jammie Treadwell…
Executive Producers (Read Their Own Names): Nicole Marsee, Wendi Jenkins
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