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- [00:02]
Annie Jones
Your message amplified. Ready to share your message with the world?
- [00:06]
Erin
Start your podcast journey with Podbean.
- [00:08]
Olivia
Podbean. Podbean. Podbean.
- [00:10]
Annie Jones
Podbean. The AI powered all in one podcast platform.
- [00:14]
Olivia
Thousands of businesses and enterprises trust Podbean to launch their podcasts.
- [00:18]
Annie Jones
Launch your podcast on podbean today.
- [00:20]
Erin
My school uses Podbean.
- [00:22]
Olivia
My church, too.
- [00:23]
Annie Jones
I love it. I really do. Welcome to from the Front Porch, a conversational podcast about books, small business, and life in the South. I suspect that to have made it so far, to have survived in an ocean so wild, she must be strong. This woman, Charlotte McConaughey. Wild, dark shore I'm Annie Jones, owner of the Bookshelf, an independent bookstore in beautiful downtown Thomasville, Georgia. And today I'm joined by Bookshelf operations manager Olivia and online sales manager Erin to give you a rundown of our favorite new books releasing in March. 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 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 a thousand Patreon supporters. And this year we kicked off our 2025 reading of Don Quixote. For $5 a month, you can access our monthly Conquer a Classic recaps in conjunction with Hunter at Shelf by Shelf, as well as our monthly porch visits, which are live Q and A's 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 Patreon tiers and benefits, you can go to patreon.com from the front porch. Now back to the show. Hi, guys.
- [02:20]
Olivia
Hello.
- [02:21]
Erin
Hi there.
- [02:23]
Annie Jones
Welcome back. We're just breezing through the year. It's already time to talk about March books.
- [02:28]
Erin
Yeah.
- [02:29]
Olivia
I can't believe it.
- [02:31]
Erin
Yeah. Yeah, I'm excited. I do feel like these are some of the books I read in my. I think I read about 15 books in January and these are some of the ones that I read. And. And now, guys, I'm in a slump, so let's thought some prayers for that.
- [02:48]
Annie Jones
So fun while it lasted. That's okay. That's how I was too. Like at the start of February, like the end of January, early February, I was like, man, I am reading five star books left and Right. And then I haven't. I haven't finished a book in, I don't know, two weeks, which is a long time in book selling life. That's a long time to not have finished a book. So we're entering, I think, what publishers call, like, spring reading. But I feel like it's still tail end of some wintry books. So if you're new to this episode series, we're each going to talk about three books. We'll tell you the release dates. They all come out sometime in March. I'll kick us off. My first book, I'm gonna talk about. Actually, two of the three books I'm talking about are historical fiction, which feels like a real.
- [03:33]
Olivia
Yeah.
- [03:33]
Annie Jones
Thank you, Erin. Feels like a real departure for me. So the first one I had to highlight is one good thing. This is by Georgia Hunter. It released this week. Georgia Hunter wrote We Were the Lucky Ones, which was a Thomas county one book selection a few years ago. And I loved it. And listen. And that book looks just like any other historical fiction book like Caroline has talked about recently in a Facebook live where it had, like, the back of a woman facing away. Yeah. And it's set during World War II. But Georgia Hunter really based We Were the Lucky Ones on her own personal family story. And I think she's done a similar thing with one good thing, which really this week. So in 1941, we meet Lily and Esti. They have been best friends since they met at university. And when Esti's son is born, they become even closer. And this book is all set. We Were the Lucky Ones was set across a variety of countries, again, because she based it on her pretty large family's history. But this one is mostly set in Italy. I almost wonder if you like stories like My brilliant friend, you might like this. So they're basically coming to terms with Mussolini's racial laws that have deemed Lily and Esti descendants of an inferior Jewish race. But they continue living their lives until Germany invades northern Italy and they find themselves living in occupied territory. So Esti is the older kind of more confident friend, and she convinces Lily that they need to flee. And here's where I get intrigued. They flee to a convent in Florence where they pose as nuns, and they begin forging false papers for the underground. So listen, I just read. Guys, I just read this fantastic New Yorker article about these nuns secrets.
- [05:27]
Erin
I know it's Annie's favorite things all wrapped up.
- [05:32]
Annie Jones
It's so specific. But that was immediately. I trust Georgia Hunter, first of all. But I am intrigued by this almost, yeah, kind of thriller esque element where now these two best friends also become people who are helping people flee. And so anyway, I have not read this one yet. I didn't get an advanced copy of this one. But if you like historical fiction, I hope that you will try Georgia Hunter because I think it's a testament to her that I, who am not typically drawn to those stories as a reader really do. I really do love and trust her work. I think she does a ton of research. We Were the Lucky Ones also became a TV show on Hulu, which I've not watched yet, but it stars Joey King, I think. So anyway, We Were the Lucky Ones is already out. It's her backlist title, One Good Thing by Georgia Hunter, released this week. So that's her latest.
- [06:24]
Olivia
There are so many stories coming out about World War II and none of them are ever going to be boring.
- [06:28]
Annie Jones
No, that's.
- [06:30]
Erin
That's true.
- [06:31]
Annie Jones
Do you think maybe that's the pro of living in the 2000s is that one day there will be books about this and someone like you will say, oh my gosh, one thing about those 2000s is there was never a boring story written about that time.
- [06:45]
Olivia
There was never a boring day in that year.
- [06:48]
Annie Jones
Wasn't that comforting?
- [06:49]
Olivia
Maybe like January 1st.
- [06:52]
Annie Jones
Wasn't that comforting?
- [06:53]
Erin
The one thing about unprecedented times is it does create great fiction later.
- [06:57]
Olivia
That's right.
- [06:58]
Annie Jones
Fiction will be too stressed to read about.
- [07:00]
Olivia
But yeah, yeah, yeah, one day. Okay, well, I will say my three books, for better or worse, really describe my reading tastes. Just keep that in mind as I go through these. And I'm so sorry. My first one is a middle grade novel, although I think it would skew kind of younger, like a little bit in. In between that chapter book, middle grade level of reading. It's called the City of Lost Cats by Tanya Lloyd Kai, and it's out March 4, so out this week. I'm very excited about this one. It is so cute. Mostly because there's like a lot of cats in it and the cats get their own point of view, which brings a definite element of humor to the story because cats are just so territorial.
- [07:44]
Annie Jones
They are hilarious. You can easily picture them as character. Like, whereas dogs, many dogs are like the same. They're friendly, they're. You know what I mean?
- [07:54]
Olivia
Yeah. Cats are brooding their. They're angry, but then they're happy. But then they're excited, but then they hate you and they love you and they need you. At the same time. There's so much There. There's so much emotions to play off of. As an author, I don't know how more cats are written about. Okay, so this is about a little girl named Fiona. And this world is very. To me, it's very Roald Dahl esque where everything is exaggerated, which is. It's just a fun world to be in, in my opinion. But Fiona lives with her aunt. Her aunt is also dating this guy who Fiona is not a fan of. He just does not care about her. And her aunt, trying to impress this man also is kind of neglecting her a little bit. But she signed Fiona up for ballet camp this summer, but she didn't realize that Fiona hates ballet and does not want to go to that camp. So Fiona pretends to run away one day, be the, like the night before ballet camp. And she. She finds this one street that has all of these abandoned, like, old houses. I picture like. Like Broad Street, Thomasville, like, old houses, these historic, beautiful homes. And she goes into one and it is filled to the brim with cats. And Fiona feeling akin to these cats is just like, well, let me help you. Let me provide safety, water, food, whatever you need. I'll give you the love you need. These cats are very confused to why Fiona is there. And then the house is about to get taken down by these builders who have been assigned to take down this house by Fiona's aunt's boyfriend. And so it turns into a whole big thing. It was so delightfully fun. There's also two parakeets who accidentally end up in the house. And you get their point of view as well, because their lives are in danger 24 7.
- [09:42]
Erin
That's dangerous. Yeah.
- [09:43]
Olivia
Yeah. They do also find their home, but Fiona kind of just like saves the day in this house. It was really fun. I think for. For fans of it was Leave it at Last. I think it's Sarah Pennypacker, I want.
- [09:57]
Erin
To say her name was.
- [09:58]
Olivia
I think this is very akin to that writing style where you. There's a deeper meaning if you want to find it there. But it's also just a cute, funny story as well. So that's the City of Lost Cats by Tanya Lloyd. Kai.
- [10:12]
Erin
I love that. And I think the COVID I've seen just has a bunch of, like, cats and they're just hanging on like a rope. With Fiona, it's so fun because who wouldn't want that? Who wouldn't want that? That draws me in for sure. My first book is called Wild Dark shore by Charlotte McConaughey. It's coming out. It came out already this week. And you heard the quote earlier from in the podcast. Listen, I feel like I'm stealing this one. Olivia, you've read this one too, and also loved this one.
- [10:41]
Annie Jones
I'm listening to it right now.
- [10:43]
Erin
Are you good?
- [10:45]
Olivia
It's our Venice.
- [10:47]
Erin
We did it.
- [10:47]
Annie Jones
We found another one. I am. I'm loving it. It's so good.
- [10:51]
Erin
It's. It's so good. So good. And after I posted about it on my personal Instagram, lots of people were like, oh, you should read her other book. It's so good. So now I've got to go back and do that, of course. But this is the first time I've read a book by her and it's already in the running to be one of my favorite books of the year. It's very early in the year I realized that. But Dominic Salt, he's a widower who lives with his three children on this remote island called Shearwater, which is fashioned after, like a real life remote island. It has got a research station and it's got a seed bank which. Did I do a deep dive on seed banks? Yes, I did. After.
- [11:30]
Annie Jones
Who wouldn't want to. It's fascinating.
- [11:32]
Erin
Who wouldn't want. It is fascinating. For those of you, you don't know what a seabank is, just go look it up. It's. It is really fascinating. But they are the only people on this very remote island. And that's one of the things I love about this book, is the writing. You can feel the cold, you can feel the wind. You can feel the wetness of the water all around them. Like they, the author does a very good job of describing this and making you feel like you're right there with them. But they're taking care of this island. And they are, as we meet them, they're in charge of packing and sorting all these seeds to. Because it's. We find out they're about to leave. Like, the water is getting too high. It's sort of a little adjacent to Clifi. Like you can tell there's some climate stuff happening and the water is getting too high. And this is becoming a place that's not safe for these seeds anymore. It's getting too warm. It's not cold enough to really kind of keep these seeds going well. And so they're packing up, they're waiting for the ship to come and get them and you don't. I didn't question at first why they were the only people there. I just thought it was sort of a, like a, you know, solitary Lighthouse keeper sort of vibe. There is a lighthouse in this book. I just feel like, Olivia, we talked a lot about books lately that have lighthouses in them, and that's your vibe.
- [12:51]
Olivia
And lighthouse.
- [12:52]
Annie Jones
I think, Cliff, like, I was just sitting at. My next two books are cli fi. Like, I think it's very much becoming. I mean, it's always been a thing, but, like, I think it is. We're going to see a lot of those this year.
- [13:05]
Erin
Yeah.
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Olivia
And I love.
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Annie Jones
I do, too.
- [13:07]
Erin
I'm here for it. I'm here for it. So they are there, and this mysterious woman washes ashore. She's battered, she's bruised. They take her in, and they obviously help her to recover from her wounds. And as she's recovering and they're all getting to know her, she's getting to know them. And the. These three children that Dominic has are getting to know her, especially the youngest one named Orly, who's such a great character. And he really clings onto her. He never knew his real mother, and, you know, I think she died, like, shortly after giving birth to him. And so he kind of really clings to Rowan and sees her as this mother figure. And the other two really open up to her as well. She's a good listener. And of course, there's some attraction between her and Dominic, but he's suspicious of her. Why is she here? This is a very remote island. Why did she come here? How did she get here? And she's suspicious of him because there are no other researchers there. And they're supposed to be. There's supposed to be a lot of people there, and they're not there anymore. And she's asking questions, and he's being very vague about what happened to these people. And so that's my favorite part about this book, is that we as readers spend the whole time trying to decide, is Dominic height? Is he a bad guy? Is he hiding something evil that he and his family have done? We can tell there was a murder of some kind involved, but you don't know who it was or what happened until the end. And we're also suspicious of her as, why is she here? Does she have bad intentions showing up at this. At this island? And so we. You do get a bit of back and forth about her life prior to coming there and why she's there. You do get a bit of Dominic's life and about with his wife while she was still alive and how he's dealing with her death. But it's just. It's the perfect pairing to Me. It was like a beautiful nature novel. Plus this thriller aspect where there's murders and there's questions about who's telling the truth, and then there's just a beautiful story about parenthood and Dominic trying to be a good parent without his wife and. And these kids having lived on this island almost all of their lives and not really knowing anything about the outside world, and they're just trying to deal with it in the best way they know how. It's just. It's gorgeous, it's stark, and I just love it. I want everyone to buy it and read it.
- [15:27]
Annie Jones
It's so. I'm loving it so far. And it's a great audiobook, too. Like, there's a full cast.
- [15:31]
Erin
Yes, I think I listened to it and it was really good. I liked it.
- [15:34]
Annie Jones
Yeah. Okay, my next one. Just speaking of, I don't know technically if this will qualify as climate fiction. It is historical fiction, but it's by one of my favorite authors, and I feel like this is. I would say it's a departure for her, but she doesn't really have a lane that she sticks in, so maybe this is just more of who Karen Russell is. So. The Antidote by Karen. Karen Russell releases next week on March 11th. She is the author of Swamplandia and Vampires in the Lemon Grove. I love her. She's. Her books are weird, like, in. In the best ways. Hunter.
- [16:10]
Erin
I'm actually reading this a little bit too, and I'm like, okay, I'm gonna stick with it, but it's a little weird at first.
- [16:15]
Annie Jones
It is weird. And I've not read this one. I'm just. I'm highly anticipating it, just like everybody else. Um, I think Hunter might have read it already. He's a huge Karen Russell fan. It's one of the things he and I connected on when we very first met. So I loved Swamplandia. Love Vampires in the Lemon Grove. This is her latest, and it's been a minute since she's released a book, so it's kind of like a big publishing deal. This is set during the Dust bowl era, which was a fascinating time for, like, Annie Sue Butterworth. Loved reading about the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl.
- [16:49]
Erin
Me too.
- [16:50]
Annie Jones
And so I don't know what that says about me, but the adult me is very interested. We are introduced to five different characters in this small Nebraska town. The book opens on Black Sunday, which is when a historic dust storm kind of tears through Nebraska. And this small town called uz. UZ is already not a thriving city, probably already on the cusp of depression. And then it also has kind of a violent history. What's interesting to me about this book, and it does remind me Swamplandia had some. I don't know, I don't even know how I would word it. I struggle sometimes between like magical realism versus fantasy elements versus. But Swamplandia had some unusual elements. And I think the anti. The antidote is going to as well. Because basically there's a prairie witch whose body is where people's memories and secrets are stored. Fascinating. Then there's a farmer who is kind of taking care of the land here in U.S. nebraska. His niece who's a basketball star and she's a witch's apprentice. So I'm already automatically most interested in her. A scarecrow. And if you're sensing a theme. I do. I am like, okay, this is wizard of Oz inspired, right? Like, this is like the. The vibe feels similar to me anyway. Scarecrow. And then a photographer whose time traveling camera threatens to tell what is going to happen to the town. So those are kind of your five characters. And it's supposed to apparently talk a lot about what happens when we forget our histories, which is something that maybe we're talking about right now in our culture. What happens when we share stories from generation to generation, what gets left out. And then it also all is spinning around this climate emergency. And it apparently almost serves as kind of a metaphor for what we could be experiencing soon or now. I'm very curious about this one. I am curious. I've not read it myself, but I am curious if the Oz thing is true. Like, I just feel like as I was reading, I was like, oh, this sounds. Maybe it's wicked on my brain, but. But it's. There are some similarities to me. So I trust Karen Russell. This has received starred reviews from all the places. Publishers Weekly. Kirkus. Like, every review has been stellar. And so I'm curious because I trust her, but this sounds a little bit outside my wheelhouse, but I think I'm gonna give it a go and just see what I think. So that is the Antidote by Karen Russell. It releases next week. I think historical fiction, climate fiction, also literary fiction. So if those are some categories that you typically find yourself drawn towards, you might enjoy this one.
- [19:30]
Erin
I did not even put the Oz. Like, now you're saying it. I'm like, that makes sense, right?
- [19:35]
Annie Jones
I mean, now look.
- [19:36]
Erin
And what a great idea.
- [19:37]
Annie Jones
It could be way off, but it feels like, okay, you've got to SC Crow. You got a witch, you got an orphan. Yeah, I don't know, it just feels like maybe there's something there. We'll see.
- [19:45]
Erin
There's a. There's wind blowing. There's.
- [19:47]
Annie Jones
There's a weather event.
- [19:48]
Erin
Tornadoes of dust. Right?
- [19:50]
Annie Jones
Yeah, we'll see.
- [19:52]
Olivia
Whenever I think of the Dust Bowl, I just think of interstellar, which I know is incorrect, but different kind of dust store.
- [20:01]
Annie Jones
Different kind of dust store, but sure, yeah.
- [20:04]
Olivia
Olivia's version.
- [20:07]
Annie Jones
Olivia's version. Yeah.
- [20:09]
Olivia
I mean, hopefully I'm not the one left on Earth. Hopefully I'm up in space, but. Okay. My next book is also by one of my favorite authors. It's Ally Millington. Her newest one, Once for Yes, this is another middle grade novel. I would say this is probably more 10 and up. And this is out at the end of the month. It's out on March 25th. Allie Millington, you might know, wrote Olivetti, which was a huge seller for us.
- [20:33]
Erin
Yes, yes, yes, One of your favorites.
- [20:36]
Olivia
It was so well done. Allie has like a couple of things that she always does, and one is there's going to be like a familial hardship going on. In this case, there's three daughters. The middle one has just passed away from a. From an accident that you slowly start to learn about. And then there's always some sort of anthropomorphic object happening that has its own chapters, has its own voice. And in this case, it's a building called the Odenburg, an apartment building, a really old one, like the last of its kind on the block, just surrounded by new, shiny buildings. And the Odenburg knows every one of its tenants. They care about all of their tenants, and they've just been sold to a realtor who's about a developer who's about to bring the building down and put in a new one. So the Odenburg is very familiar with this little girl, Pru, who is the youngest in the family. Lena is her next oldest sister, who's the one who passed away. And Pru is obviously struggling, as is the rest of her family, but she feels very alone in her grief and she doesn't really know what to do with it. And so she keeps doing things in honor of Lena's memory. Like her and Lena used to sit in the bathtub. They had this phone, like a wall phone with a cord that they would bring into the bathtub. And the phone didn't work because the building was so old they couldn't call anyone. But it was how the building would listen to them. And they would just put on these little talk shows and slowly, first it was the three sisters. And then the oldest sister got too old for it, and then Lena got too old for it. And now it's. Prue's way of talking to Lena is through this phone, which is just so sweet. But then she finds out that the building is about to be sold, be brought down, built a new one. Every one of the tenants is about to have to find a new home. And for Pru, it's like the sight of all of Lena's memories is about to disappear. And that's not acceptable. That's not okay. And so she figures out a way to kind of talk to the Odenburg, which she thinks is Lena.
- [22:51]
Erin
Aw, so sweet.
- [22:54]
Olivia
And one of it is, like, she'll ask the building a question, a yes or no question, and it's flash the lights once for yes, twice for no, which is where the title comes from.
- [23:06]
Annie Jones
Oh, I see.
- [23:07]
Olivia
Yeah. And she meets this kid across the street who lives, like, at the same level as them so they can, like, see window to window. His name is Lewis, and he's all about helping Prue save the building. And slowly she starts to realize that Lewis might actually know more about Lena than he first let on. And so more. More of Lena's death. The mystery behind it starts to be uncovered with the help of Lewis and saving the building. It was such a beautiful story. I definitely teared up at the end. She just has a way of writing a hard story, but always making it a good ending where you, you know, you don't feel like you're leaving anyone in a bad place. Everyone has made it to where they need to go. That's Once for Yes by Ally Millington. It's so good.
- [23:52]
Annie Jones
That sounds.
- [23:53]
Olivia
If you loved all of that, you're gonna love this as well.
- [23:55]
Erin
That sounds amazing. It sounds sad, but it also sounds really heartwarming and hopeful too.
- [24:01]
Olivia
Yeah, it definitely was sad. I don't think they, like, she didn't harp on Lena's death so much that you were crying throughout the book. Yeah, you know, it was just kind of this thing that was in the background that you knew was there and propelling the plot, but it wasn't brought up constantly, if that makes sense.
- [24:18]
Erin
Well, and I'm sure her trying to save the building is a way of trying to also save Lena's memory, like you said, and do something hopeful for her. Yeah. Sweet. Okay. My next book is called Jane and Dan at the End of the World by Colleen Oakley. It comes out next week, March 11th. This book is just fun. Like, it's just Fun.
- [24:39]
Annie Jones
We need fun.
- [24:41]
Erin
I know. It's so. It was so fun. It was just what I needed. It's about Jane and Dan, obviously. They are about to go out on their. For a date for their 19th wedding anniversary at this very fancy restaurant in California. It's like, on the cliff overlooking the ocean. It's a place where, you know, celebrities and tycoons and, you know, sports figures go, and there's, like an $8 million dessert you can buy there. It's that kind of place, like, very, very fancy. You can't get in. So they're going to go there and celebrate. But Jane is going to ask Dan for a divorce at this dinner because she's bored. I know they've been married for 19 years. She found some texts on his phone, which leads her to think he might be cheating on her. And she just is ready. She's done. She's over it. They have two grown kids. They're, you know, they're. They're ready. She's ready to be done. So they start their meal. And as soon as they start their meal, before they can even really get into, some terrorists with. Armed with guns come barging into this restaurant and take everyone hostage. So these terrorists, they're very sophisticated, but they're looking for one specific person, which is they're waiting for this incredibly rich entrepreneur to come who's supposed to helicopter in and meet his family for a dinner there. So they're looking for him. And you don't know why yet, but you're. As the story unfolds, you come to figure out why this man is so important to these terrorists. And Jane. Jane starts to realize that she's a novelist, she's a writer. She starts to realize that this. What's happening in this restaurant feels a lot like the. Not the plot to her first failed novel. And she starts to be suspicious that someone of these terrorists has actually read her book and is copying or is taking their ideas from what happened. And so she's scared because she thinks, well, I know what happens in this book, and it's not good. And if that's what they're going to do to us, you know, so. So the whole time, all these hostages are trying to, of course, get themselves free. They're trying to think of any way they can to get out. There's a lot of bickering between Jane and Dan because they're. They're here, but they're still trying to work on this. They're still trying to talk about their marriage and their relationship, even in the midst of all this. And so it, to me, it almost had a campy, has a bad connotation, but it had a fun rom com sort of campy, but almost like a thriller type feel to it because there is this very tense situation with these terrorists, and you don't know how it's going to end. But it kind of reminds me, I haven't seen that movie Fall Guy with Ryan Gosling, but it kind of. It kind of gives me those vibes where there's, you know, there's explosions and there's this and there's that. But in the me in the middle, like, there's parts that will make you laugh out loud because you're like, I cannot believe they're trying to talk about their marriage while someone has a gun trained to their head. You know, some kind of stuff that. And so some of their. Some parts of it are poignant. Jane and Dan think a lot about their relationship. They talk a lot about their kids and how they raise their kids. And so they're having these deep, sort of poignant conversations in the midst of this, like, you know, these. This insane situation where there's police coming in and all that stuff. So there's a good mix. It's not just. It's not a thriller, it's not a rom com. It's something sort of in between. But it's a vibe that I, when I was done, I just thought, that is so much fun. And that was so satisfying. What a fun book. It's got a fun cover. I know it's been hyped up by, like, Annabelle Monahan. She loves this one. She's talked a lot about it. So if that is your vibe, you want something fun. It's not too deep, but it has enough deep moments that it doesn't feel just like fluff. And this is a great book to pick up. It's called Jane and Dan at the End of the World. It comes out next week.
- [28:23]
Annie Jones
Did y'all ever see Game night with Rachel McAdams?
- [28:27]
Erin
And I haven't.
- [28:28]
Annie Jones
Oh, my gosh. So in that move, like, it's a movie where Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams are married and they're having. They have Game Night, like, every week, but they are in their marriage, like, trying to figure out if they want to have kids. And, like, they've maybe struggled a little bit with having children. And so they're in the middle of this kind of marital, you know, trying to have some serious conversations. But they keep hosting Game Night. And then Game Night takes A very nefarious turn. Like they're having like a murder mystery party. But like it kind of becomes real anyway. It is. It is a wild.
- [29:01]
Erin
It feels a lot like that.
- [29:02]
Annie Jones
And that's what this sounds like to me. Game Night is one of our favorite, like, feel good movies where we like, because it's not. It's so rare to find something that's not straight, a thriller, not a rom com, but like something that's just kind of a mixture and kind of funny and so anyway, that's what this sounds like to me.
- [29:18]
Erin
Yeah, it was so good.
- [29:20]
Olivia
Did Jane already tell him that she wanted a divorce before the terrorists came in?
- [29:25]
Erin
No, I think she had just done it before they came in, literally. So he's still in shock, of course.
- [29:31]
Annie Jones
Drop that metaphorical bomb. Yeah, before. Okay. My last book is again, a work of climate fiction, but I absolutely loved it. This is the one that I have forgotten and I thought it was so good. It's called Tilt by Emma Patty. P A T T E E. I'm not quite sure how to fully enunciate her name, but Emma Petty, the main character is Annie. Annie is nine months pregnant and she's shopping at IKEA for a baby crib. She knows she was supposed to buy the crib already. She's like, you know, waddling through Ikea and you know, IKEA is stressful when you're not nine months pregnant. And it is very stressful to Annie as she's trying to find this crib. She winds up, of course, making her way to the warehouse portion of IKEA to find said crib. She has kind of a negative interaction with an IKEA employee. And then an earthquake happens. And Annie lives in the Pacific Northwest. There are big climate things happening on the Pacific coast all the time right now. We have watched it and what is fascinating to me is at the end of the book, author Emma Patty talks about the potential for an earthquake of this magnitude, which I really liked. So anyway, the whole book is. It reminded me a lot of the end we start from by Megan Hunter or the Road by Cormac McCarthy. Because what's starts as this kind of domestic story of this young pregnant woman trying to, you know, shop for a crib, instead becomes young pregnant woman, tries to survive to go find her husband across town because he is in a different part of town. It feels like the apocalypse has happened. There's no way to drive, there's no way to get access to her car. And so anyway, she meets all of these various people throughout her journey. To try to meet up with her husband. I was on the edge of my seat. I picked this one up. They, you know, the publisher sent us like five copies of this, which sometimes to me I'm like, oh, you're trying too hard. But in this case, I think they probably just really believe in this book because it did wind up. Yeah, it did wind up being really good. But I picked this one up partly because of its length. It's quite short and she. The what she is able to pack in such a short number of pages is pretty astounding to me. And then it's also a real. It is plot driven in that I think plot driven. Readers are gonna love this book. You're gonna fly through it. And then also there is a character element, not only with Annie herself, but with all the different people she kind of meets the best and the worst in humanity. I was telling Jordan all about it and I do have some thoughts about how Annie was treated at various points in her journey. I'd be curious if her experience would be different in a different part of the country. Anyway, it was fascinating to read again. Also interesting to just tie in maybe the real life climate element and the research that Emma Patty did. Jordan and I are also watching right now this show on Hulu called Paradise and there's some overlap. Anyway, just really fascinating, like post apocalyptic type literature where like this major climate event happens, but what happens to the normal people who are just, you know, she's pregnant, she's, she's ready to have her baby. And while she's traveling you get some flashbacks to her origin story with her husband. So there's a lot. That's why I say it's great for the plot driven reader. But if you're also a character driven reader, there's a lot about that kind of unfolds about Annie and her relationship. I loved it. I thought it was fantastic. Couldn't put it down. It's Tilt by Emma Patty.
- [33:09]
Erin
I think I literally read it over the course of a day, like a little bit at night and I couldn't stop reading in the next day. And I think I even woke up one morning before, before anyone was awake, just so I could finish it because I had to know how it finished it. I think I may even like message you at like 7 o'clock in the morning.
- [33:27]
Annie Jones
I did.
- [33:27]
Erin
I can't believe this book. It's so good.
- [33:29]
Annie Jones
It's so good. I really liked it. I actually think, Olivia, you would like it. It feels like another potential Venn diagram story.
- [33:36]
Olivia
I did Take one of the arcs home. But I. I'm. I'm getting so ahead on my reading that I'm like, I can't backtrack.
- [33:43]
Annie Jones
I know. I know that. Well, I get it. Like, I. Yes, I totally understand.
- [33:47]
Erin
Wait, hold it till the end of the year until we're all in that period where we can kind of read whatever we want.
- [33:52]
Annie Jones
December.
- [33:53]
Erin
You'll still enjoy it.
- [33:54]
Olivia
Yeah, I'll remember.
- [33:56]
Annie Jones
Yeah.
- [33:59]
Olivia
My next book is finally an adult book, but one where trigger warnings abound. Left and right, everyone, so just prepare yourselves. Yeah. If you're getting into this book, don't judge it by its cover, because its cover looks like a cute little mystery, and that is not what this is.
- [34:17]
Erin
I know. I'm shocked that you tell me it has triggers because it does not look like that.
- [34:21]
Olivia
No. In fact, I picked it up thinking, oh, this will be fun, and then was shocked. It's called the Other People by CB Everett, and it's out at the end of the month, March 25th. It's a locked room mystery, but everything happens within a 12 hour period, which was really fun and fast paced. You meet these 10 strangers who wake up in this like, like old dark mansion of a house. No one knows how they got there. And then the dinner bell rings and everyone just slowly makes their way downstairs to the dinner table and they're there. No one knows each other from previous experience. It's like a mother and her young child, an old army captain, a young college student. Just a really random assortment of people. Some not great. Actually, a lot not great. But after the dinner bell rings and they all get down there, they open up their little. What is it called? A cloche. Yeah, yeah. And everyone has their, their favorite meal that they've ever had, which also gives to like, the personality of the people around the dinner table.
- [35:31]
Annie Jones
Yeah, yeah.
- [35:32]
Olivia
And they're like, okay, so there's more people here obviously, because someone had to cook this meal and put it here and, and know all about.
- [35:40]
Erin
Yeah, yeah. That's crazy.
- [35:42]
Olivia
And so this woman walks in the room. She's in a rush. She's like, panting, obviously panicked. Her name's Amanda, I believe. It's one of the very few names that I remember because she ran into the room and she, she couldn't tell them why they were there except for the fact that they were chosen to solve this mystery. And this, this is where the first part where you learn how dark this book is. So they are chosen to solve the mystery of a kidnapping of a girl named Claire. She is the Most recent person kidnapped in a string of kidnappings where this man buries them alive and gives them 24 hours of oxygen. And then he gives clues to the detectives. And if they don't solve it in time, they don't solve it in time. And so far, they haven't been able to save a single person. And so all 10 of these people know, apparently know something about this girl. There's clues in the house, and they have to figure it out. And there's only 12 more hours of oxygen that Claire has, so they have 12 hours to figure this out, and so they start trying. Murders abound, of course, in this house. And it gets. It gets more and more wild. As you're reading, if you do pick up this book, you're gonna be like, olivia, what did you get me into? Because these people are not good. And I will be like, hold your horses till the end. Because I almost put this book down. One, because it was very dark.
- [37:12]
Annie Jones
Okay.
- [37:13]
Olivia
And two, because the writing to me was just like, oh, this is. This is a guy writing women. A lot of the women were just overly sexualized. And I was just like, I just. I don't know if I can do this. And so I looked up reviews, and no one mentioned it. And I was like, that's weird that no one else had the same thought.
- [37:33]
Annie Jones
Normally, Goodreads is pretty on top of that kind of stuff.
- [37:36]
Olivia
Yeah. And so I was like, well, I'll just keep going and see what happens. And then the plot twist at the end.
- [37:42]
Annie Jones
Oh, okay.
- [37:43]
Olivia
I literally gasped out loud.
- [37:45]
Erin
It was so well done.
- [37:47]
Olivia
Everything forgotten. It was just well done, all forgiven.
- [37:50]
Annie Jones
That's what happened. That's why it doesn't come up on Goodreads.
- [37:53]
Olivia
Good job.
- [37:53]
Annie Jones
He nailed the landing.
- [37:54]
Olivia
But truly, I think if you're like, an essay Cosby reader, if you can handle that kind of, like, every single page is maybe will have a trigger in it, then go for it. If you are one of the people who likes the good whodunit, maybe pause. This might not be it.
- [38:12]
Annie Jones
If you're a little cozy mystery reader.
- [38:14]
Erin
This might not be for you.
- [38:17]
Olivia
Just take a second glance. Maybe re. Listen to everything I've just told you about this and then decide again.
- [38:24]
Annie Jones
Is CB Everett somebody you've read before? Is this name.
- [38:28]
Olivia
No.
- [38:28]
Annie Jones
Okay.
- [38:29]
Olivia
I had never heard of him.
- [38:31]
Erin
Sounds like a pen name.
- [38:32]
Annie Jones
It does sound like a pen name.
- [38:34]
Olivia
Like, I can't remember everything in his bio, but he's done a lot.
- [38:37]
Annie Jones
Okay.
- [38:38]
Olivia
And then it said he worked on, like, I believe, a couple TV shows, but I think they were like, European.
- [38:43]
Annie Jones
Oh, okay. Okay.
- [38:44]
Olivia
TV shows that I didn't know.
- [38:45]
Annie Jones
Interesting. All right. I'm kind of intrigued by this. Now you've kind of got me interested.
- [38:51]
Olivia
It was so good. I was pleasantly and shockingly, disturbingly surprised. Exactly.
- [39:00]
Erin
It's one of those books you probably are like, why did I like this? Does that say something about it or no?
- [39:05]
Olivia
Well, I will be recommending this in person to very specific people at the.
- [39:09]
Annie Jones
Top of the episode. You did say this was a glimpse at your reading personality. And I'm looking. And you know what? It is.
- [39:15]
Erin
It is. I know it's fitting.
- [39:17]
Olivia
For better or for worse, this is me, everyone.
- [39:19]
Annie Jones
Yeah. This is her in a nutshell. These three books. Books.
- [39:22]
Erin
Yeah. Okay. Well, mine's gonna take a turn. There are no murders that I know of in this book. But it's called Early 30s by Josh Duboff. It comes out March 18th. I haven't finished this one yet. I'm about halfway through this one. But it follows Zoe and Victor, their longtime friends, who are, as the title says, they're in their early 30s and they're experiencing like all the angst that kind of comes with that age, which is like marriages, breakups, losses of jobs, hating your job dating and obsession with celebrities are all sort of main themes in this book. And it's told through different points of view. Like, you'll get a chapter or two of Zoe's point of view, chapter two of Victor. Victor is a very compelling but ultimately unlikable character. And I just put in here, spoiler alert. Most of these characters are unlikable, but he just. When we meet him, he was just broken up with from his by his long term boyfriend and he tries to end his life. And again, I would say that's a trigger, but they don't spend a lot of time on it. It's more like in the past. But that is in there. But we meet him and he's still alive. And so he's going to try to make the best of his work situation, of his life situation. Gonna try to ask for more responsibility at work. And Zoe is like an account executive for a fashion app startup. It's an app where you can put in who your favorite celebrities are, and they will tell you the clothes that you can buy that will make you look like this celebrity. So she's working there. She hates her boss. She hates the whole thing. She's about to get married to Tom, who's her fiance, who is not well liked by Victor or anyone else in Zoe's life. But she. She decides to go for it. Victor and Zoe's friendship is very deep. You can tell they have a deep love for each other, but it's very complicated. Their lives are sort of pulling them apart. The, you know, one is going into sort of suburban marriage and Victor is very much in like the single dating scene, I guess. And they're, you know, they're having a hard time. Like Zoe thinks was good for Victor is one thing. And Victor is, you know, she thinks he shouldn't drink anymore and yet he continues to drink. So they have that kind of relationship. But this. The one thing I will say is the downside to this book. And again, I haven't finished it yet, so maybe my opinion will change once I finished it. But it does have a lot of secondary characters who you. Who don't get fleshed out very well. But their lives sort of intersect with Zoe and Victor. Somebody mentioned in a review that it's a lot like love, actually, where there's like all these characters and then you sort of find out later, like how they know each other and how they interact with each other. So if I could say anything I wish would be different, I wish that either there was less secondary characters because I am all in on Zoe and Victor's point of view, their relationship. Like, I'm loving that. I'm still not quite sure about these little other characters, but I'm interested to see how it all comes together. But if you. I wrote here, like, I think it's tempting with a book like this to sort of, as someone who hasn't lived a life like these people, I think it's tempting to roll my eyes and just be like, ugh, these, you know, these characters. But what I. But of course, what we all enjoy about books is the ability to see life through someone else's perspective. And so. So for me, this is a good way to what it might. What it might be like. You know, if my. If my life was nothing like it is now, and it was like them and. And what are. What would be the worries and the stressors and the joys of someone who's going through a life like this, who's sort of don't know what to do with themselves and don't know where their life is going, what would that feel like? So I would say, like, if you don't like unlikable characters, like, pick up this book. But that sounds terrible, but it is a. It's fascinating. It's like I love watching their friendship. I love seeing how it develops and changes throughout each stage of their life. So again, it's called Early 30s by Josh Duboff. Comes out March 18th.
- [43:15]
Annie Jones
Wonderful. That's a wide range of literature we've covered today. Lots of, yes, lots of climate fiction, but also some historical fiction books about cats murder. So much territory. So as usual with these episodes, please keep in mind that Aaron has made browsing the podcast book selection super easy. You can go to bookshelfthomasville.com just type episode 519 into the search bar and you'll see all of today's books listed there. You can pre order or purchase. And for today's episode, you can use Code New Release please at checkout. And it gets you 10% off your order of today's titles. So if any of these are appealing to you and you want to pre order them, you do get 10% off if you use that code. New release please. This week I'm reading the Girls who Grew Big by Leila Motley. Olivia what are you reading?
- [44:10]
Olivia
I'm reading this Is Not a Game.
- [44:11]
Annie Jones
By Kelly Mullen and Erin what are you reading?
- [44:14]
Erin
I'm listening to I've Got Questions by Erin hicksmoon.
- [44:19]
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 ookshelftville and all the books from today's episode can be purchased online through our store website, bookshelf thomasville.com a full transcript of today's podcast episode can be found at. From the frontporchpodcast.com 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 Kami Tidwell, Chantal Carle, Kate O'Connell, Kristin May, Linda Lee Drost, Jean Queens, Amanda Wickham Martha Stacy Lau Chance Combs Stephanie Dean Ashley Farrell Nicole Marcy Wendy Jenkins Lori Johnson Susan Mullings thank you all for your support of from the Front Porch. 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 helps us 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 Support us. Over on Patreon, where we have three levels of support each level has an amazing number of benefits like bonus content, access to live events, discounts and giveaways. Just go to patreon.com from the FrontPorch. We're so grateful for you and we look forward to meeting back here next week.