Episode 522 || March Madness with Jordan Jones

Summary

From the Front Porch - Episode 522: March Madness with Jordan Jones

Release Date: March 27, 2025

---

Introduction: Kicking Off March Madness

In Episode 522 of From the Front Porch, produced by The Bookshelf Thomasville, host Annie Jones welcomes returning guest Jordan Jones for their annual March Madness tradition. This year’s episode dives into a lively debate over the bookstore's top 16 bestsellers from the previous year, structured in a bracket-style competition reminiscent of the NCAA college basketball tournament. The goal is simple: out of the top 16, which books will advance to ultimately crown the Bookshelf’s Champion Bestseller.

Annie Jones sets the stage by emphasizing the importance of listener reviews and encouraging engagement:

"ITunes reviews and ratings are how new listeners can best find out about From the Front Porch and as a result, find out about our indie bookstore too." [00:47]

---

Round 1: Book Pairings and Debates

1. The Women by Kristin Hannah vs. Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

The first matchup features The Women by Kristin Hannah against Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt. Annie provides a historical context for The Women, highlighting its setting during the Vietnam War and its focus on army nurses.

Notable Quote:

"Annie talk about books is almost as good as reading them myself." [02:00]

Discussion Highlights:

• Annie leans towards The Women, using a whimsical basketball analogy:

  "If I see two teams on the court and one is Women and the other is Creatures, I don't care how Remarkably bright they are. The Women are gonna win." [11:13]

• Jordan counters with strategic reasoning, referencing Remarkably Bright Creatures’ perennial bestseller status and its unique appeal.

2. A Fine Sight to See by Sophie Hudson vs. A Bit Much by Lindsay Rush

Next, A Fine Sight to See by Sophie Hudson faces off against A Bit Much by Lindsay Rush.

Discussion Highlights:

• Annie favors A Fine Sight to See due to its local appeal and the author's connection to Thomasville.

  "I'm gonna definitely advance fine sight to see." [13:36]

• Jordan appreciates the depth in A Bit Much, noting its poignant themes despite the heavy subject matter.

3. Funny Story by Emily Henry vs. Summer Romance by Annabelle Monaghan

The pairing of Funny Story by Emily Henry against Summer Romance by Annabelle Monaghan brings a mix of humor and heartfelt narratives.

Discussion Highlights:

• Annie selects Summer Romance, honoring her personal interaction with Monaghan and the emotional resonance of the book.

  "Anyone to come to Thomasville just to look me in the eye and shake my hand and say, please pick my book on your March Madness podcast in the future, I'm gonna honor that." [45:24]

• Jordan concurs, emphasizing the emotional impact and craftsmanship in both selections.

---

Elite Eight: Narrowing Down the Choices

As the bracket progresses to the Elite Eight, Annie and Jordan continue to debate passionately, weaving in personal anecdotes and literary insights.

1. The Women vs. A Fine Sight to See

• Annie remains committed to The Women, citing its enduring appeal and powerful storytelling.

  "The Women are moving on past Remarkably Bright Creatures." [11:51]

• Jordan upholds his stance, valuing the book’s widespread popularity and staff endorsements.

2. The Small and the Mighty by Sharon McMahon vs. All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker

This regional matchup features The Small and the Mighty by Sharon McMahon against All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker.

Discussion Highlights:

• Annie highlights McMahon’s role as an unbiased voice in civics and politics, comparing her influence to their own roles at The Bookshelf.

  "Sharon McMahon is a great example of somebody who rose to Internet fame and then knew what to do with it." [19:52]

• Jordan praises Whitaker’s suspenseful narrative, noting its character-driven plot and comparison to classic thrillers like the X-Files.

---

Final Four: The Road to the Championship

1. The Women vs. All the Colors of the Dark

The penultimate showdown between The Women and All the Colors of the Dark showcases the depth of both books.

Discussion Highlights:

• Annie initially leans towards The Women, but upon deeper reflection, backs All the Colors of the Dark for its broader appeal and darker thematic elements.

  "May it be so." [53:32]

• Jordan concurs, recognizing the strategic complexity and literary merit of Whitaker’s work.

2. Wedding People by Alison Espach vs. Sandwich by Katherine Newman

In another interesting pairing, Wedding People by Alison Espach faces Sandwich by Katherine Newman.

Discussion Highlights:

• Annie advances Wedding People, drawn to its comedic yet poignant exploration of life’s unexpected turns.

  "If you want the wedding people to advance." [35:25]

• Jordan appreciates Newman’s Sandwich for its relatable depiction of the sandwich generation, balancing care for aging parents and nurturing adult children.

---

Championship Match: James by Percival Everett vs. All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker

The final match pits James by Percival Everett against All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker.

Discussion Highlights:

• James is celebrated by Jordan as his favorite book of the year, a profound retelling of Huckleberry Finn from Jem’s perspective.

  "James was my favorite book of the year. It is a retelling or reimagining of Huckleberry Finn." [43:35]

• Annie, embracing a blend of whimsy and depth, sides with James for its compelling narrative and literary significance.

  "This is a dark horse. It is all the colors of the dark horse." [50:30]

Conclusion:

• James by Percival Everett triumphs as the Champion Bestseller, celebrated for its innovative storytelling and rich character development.

---

Closing Thoughts and Reader Engagement

As the episode wraps up, Annie and Jordan reflect on their selections, share insights about their reading choices for the week, and tease future podcast segments, including a humorous potential "Legal Corner."

Final Quote:

"From the Front Porch is a weekly podcast production of the Bookshelf, an independent bookstore in Thomasville, Georgia." [53:52]

Call to Action: Listeners are encouraged to participate by downloading the bracket from the Bookshelf’s website, engaging on Instagram, and supporting the podcast through reviews and Patreon.

---

Key Takeaways

• March Madness format adds an engaging, competitive twist to discussing bestsellers.
• Personal anecdotes and regional ties enrich the book discussions.
• The combination of humor, literary critique, and personal insights makes the podcast both informative and entertaining.
• James by Percival Everett emerges as a standout favorite, highlighting The Bookshelf’s diverse and quality selection.

---

Stay Connected: Follow The Bookshelf Thomasville on Instagram [@bookshelftive] and visit bookshelfthomasville.com to explore the featured books and support the independent bookstore.

Transcript

[Annie Jones]

The Last Hotel Detective is a new, independently produced radio drama available wherever you get your podcasts. Written for fans of the detective stories of Guy Noir, Christopher Marlowe and Sherlock Holmes, but told from the perspective of Harrison Charles, America's last hotel detective. Find the Last Hotel Detective anywhere you get your podcasts.

[Jordan Jones]

Podbean your message amplified.

[Annie Jones]

Ready to share your message with the world? Start your podcast journey with podbean.

[Jordan Jones]

Podbean Podbean Podbean Podbean the AI powered all in one podcast platform.

[Annie Jones]

Thousands of businesses and enterprises trust Podbean to launch their podcasts.

[Jordan Jones]

Launch your podcast on Podbean today.

[Annie Jones]

My school uses Podbean. My church too.

[Jordan 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. Slow down, they seem to say. You can take a little twirl and still get exactly where you're going. Such a nice approach to life. Ina Garten Be ready when the luck happens. I'm Annie Jones, owner of the Bookshelf, an independent bookstore in beautiful downtown Thomasville, Georgia, and this week it's finally time for a little March Madness. Before we get started, a thank you to everyone who has left reviews for from the front porch. ITunes reviews and ratings are how new listeners can best find out about from the Front Porch and as a result, result, find out about our indie bookstore too. Here's a recent review A balm in busy times I have listened to Annie and her friends for a couple years now, but I had a new appreciation for her team after the birth of my son. I'm an avid reader, but postpartum, the idea of reading words simply felt too big. Listening to this podcast connected me to stories and the literary world even as I was too tired to engage myself. I'm convinced listening to Annie talk about books is almost as good as reading them myself. And then, when I mustered the energy to return to reading, Annie and friends guided my choices and made me excited again to pick up a book. Grateful for y'all, Julia. Thank you so very much. That is high praise and congratulations on your new little one. If you haven't left a review, all you have to do is open up the podcast app on your phone. Look for from the Front Porch, scroll down until you see, write a review and then tell us what you think. Your reviews help us spread the word about not only the podcast, but about our small brick and mortar business too. Now back to the show. For years, my husband, Jordan has come onto the podcast every March as part of our March Madness tradition. While the NCAA college basketball tournament unfolds, we debate the bookshelf's top 16 bestsellers of the previous year, until Jordan, with no qualifications whatsoever, selects one as the champion, often based solely on vibes. If this sounds chaotic, well, that's because it is. Hi, Jordan. Welcome back.

[Annie Jones]

I'm glad to be back.

[Jordan Jones]

This is every year, I believe, one of our most downloaded, if not the most downloaded, episode of the year. And so no pressure. And really you just get to show up.

[Annie Jones]

So I don't really feel all that much pressure. It reminds me of in youn've Got Mel when Kathleen Kelly is feeling the pressure because she's closing her store and Birdie says that she's going out into the world armed with nothing.

[Jordan Jones]

You're armed with nothing?

[Annie Jones]

Well, yeah, because you remember you said a minute ago that I have no qualifications whatsoever. That sounds like that, like.

[Jordan Jones]

Well, it is. It was funny because we are recording this ever so slightly. I don't know that it's later than usual. We record this episode at all kinds of times. Like, we have recorded it at 10:00 at night. We have recorded it on a Sunday.

[Annie Jones]

Afternoon in an underground bunker in an airplane one time.

[Jordan Jones]

No, we have recorded because we're constantly trying to work around your work schedule, which fluctuates every spring, and of course, my own schedule. But earlier today I said something about, are you ready to record? And you were like, well, do I have the list of books? And I sent the list of books. And then it really didn't matter because the thought of you preparing for this is. Is hilarious to me.

[Annie Jones]

That is hilarious.

[Jordan Jones]

I don't know what. I don't know if people. If that's half the fun for folks.

[Annie Jones]

I think it is. And I think, you know, my perspective from kind of a. I have like a different lens through which I see the world.

[Jordan Jones]

That is true. That is true.

[Annie Jones]

That's kind of the diversity.

[Jordan Jones]

It's refreshing.

[Annie Jones]

Yeah, it's refreshing.

[Jordan Jones]

It's refreshing. You're not necessarily an expert, right?

[Annie Jones]

Not necessarily.

[Jordan Jones]

How different for you.

[Annie Jones]

Right, right. That's good. Maybe I get to be a bozo on the bus. That's what is supposed to be the pathway to healing for an enneagram3.

[Jordan Jones]

Well, I hope this is healing for you today.

[Annie Jones]

It is healing. I get to be a bozo on the bus.

[Jordan Jones]

Okay, so we are going to debate, as we always do, our top 16 bestsellers of the previous year. As usual, Olivia has created these pairings for us. And if you are following along and you want to Fill out your own bracket. You can. You just need to go to the bookshelf website. That's bookshelfthomasville. And there's a link in the show notes directly to the bracket. Or you can search in the search bar for bracket and you can download this year's pairings. Downloading the bracket is a dollar, but all the proceeds go to our local boys and girls club. And so we would love for you to participate in this way. You can see if your own picks match Jordan. You can try to match Jordan. Good luck to you. If that's the case, it is almost as chaotic as trying to follow the actual March Madness bracket. So the choice is yours. There is a link in the show. Not for all of that. If you want to download your own bracket and try to compete with Jordan, if you do, tag us on Instagram because I sure would love to see them. And I think Jordan would get a kick out of it, too. So. Okay. Are you ready?

[Annie Jones]

I'm ready.

[Jordan Jones]

All right. The first pairing created by Olivia. And this is also fun because we do get a peek inside Olivia's brain because we get to see why she might have created the pairings that she's created. So the first pairing is the Women by Kristin Hannah versus Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt.

[Annie Jones]

Okay. And these are unseeded. Is that right?

[Jordan Jones]

These are. She did not seed them. I do not believe. This year I'm looking to see, and I don't see.

[Annie Jones]

I don't know if she did last year either. I know she doesn't love seedings.

[Jordan Jones]

No. I think maybe this is her quiet rebellion against seedings. I think it is because she notoriously kind of thinks they're weird. They're, like, unfair or. I can't remember what her.

[Annie Jones]

She doesn't like to have the one seed play the six thing. She doesn't think it's fair. And Olivia is not wrong about much. There are only a few things she's wrong about. This is one of them.

[Jordan Jones]

She does listen to this episode.

[Annie Jones]

I know. I know. Olivia, you're wrong about this, but it's okay. We're wrong. You know, everyone's wrong about something.

[Jordan Jones]

Okay, so do you know anything about the Women by Kristin Hannah or Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt?

[Annie Jones]

I do, actually. So. Well, let me tell you what my understanding of these books are.

[Jordan Jones]

All right, let's see.

[Annie Jones]

So my understanding of the women is that it is historical fiction.

[Jordan Jones]

Very good.

[Annie Jones]

And it is about army nurses.

[Jordan Jones]

Okay. Yes.

[Annie Jones]

And I think that is kind of interesting. I Always love a historical fiction book. One of my favorite books growing up was Johnny Tremaine, which is, you know, during the Revolutionary War. And he gets his.

[Jordan Jones]

It's been a minute since we've had a Johnny Tremaine reference on the screen.

[Annie Jones]

Johnny Tremaine, he gets his. One of his fingers gets fused with his palm, and so he's unable to use it. And I'm not going to say what happens, but all of that takes place with the backdrop of the Revolutionary War. And it's a great book for, you know, if you have a middle schooler, great book.

[Jordan Jones]

Can't wait for Aaron to link to Johnny Tremaine on the website.

[Annie Jones]

Johnny Tremaine. Especially if you like war, you like Revolutionary War history, and you learn so much, and it's just fun. I remember it being so moving. So, anyway, same thing as the women, from what I understand, historical fiction.

[Jordan Jones]

Do you know when the women took place? Do you know during what war?

[Annie Jones]

Well, I think it's the seventies. Is that right? Vietnam?

[Jordan Jones]

Yes.

[Annie Jones]

Okay.

[Jordan Jones]

See, that's very good. Did I read this book?

[Annie Jones]

You did.

[Jordan Jones]

I did.

[Annie Jones]

You did. I remember that. I remember the. The concept of you reading the book at some point, and then I know that remarkably, remarkably, remarkably Bright Creatures has to do with animals and particularly an octopus.

[Jordan Jones]

Okay.

[Annie Jones]

And I. Because I saw a review online that said it is a unique book indeed, that makes you feel, you know, feelings for an octopus character. I think that's impressive.

[Jordan Jones]

I actually think you would like books with animal characters.

[Annie Jones]

I do, too.

[Jordan Jones]

Am I right about that?

[Annie Jones]

I do, too. Well, I liked Chronicles and Narnies.

[Jordan Jones]

Okay. Another middle school comparison book.

[Annie Jones]

Another middle school comparison book.

[Jordan Jones]

Okay. Well, do you know why these might have been bestsellers for us? This is always pretty interesting.

[Annie Jones]

That's a good question.

[Jordan Jones]

You don't have insight into the data like we do, but. So the Women is by Kristin Hannah. She's a pretty prolific historical fiction writer. So she pretty much at the bookshelf, sells herself. That being said, this was pretty unusual because Nancy, who's a big Kristin Hannah fan, she read this, Loved it. I read it, loved it. Aaron read it, loved it. Keila read it, loved it. So it was one of those books that was beloved by multiple staffers, different reading types. Yes, absolutely. And then again, Kristin Hannah, at least at the bookshelf, kind of sells on her. It was one of those books where customers were reading it and then coming back and wanting to talk about it, like they were wanting to ask us if we had finished what we thought. And that I love when that happens. It doesn't happen all the time anymore. I don't know why that is. I don't know if people are busy or it could be happening on the floor. And I'm just not down to witness it as much. But I thought it was pretty fun to have this book that sparked so much conversation. And I think that is because it seems set in the Vietnam era. And for a lot of our customer base, that is in their memory, they lived through it, and so they wanted to talk with us about it, and I loved that. And then pairing it, I think, with Remarkably Bright Creatures, which was our community's one book selection this year or last year, that obviously then generated a lot of conversation in town. So I think perhaps that is why Olivia paired these against each other. These are very different books.

[Annie Jones]

Olivia does not do anything without reason.

[Jordan Jones]

No, not without fail.

[Annie Jones]

Everything has a reason in here.

[Jordan Jones]

That's true. So do you. Based on what you know about these two books, do you think one is more deserving than the other of moving forward?

[Annie Jones]

Well, I know you loved the women, and I know a lot of people loved it. And then. But I'll tell you what's going to put me over the top. If we're talking about March Madness, and I'm looking at my bracket right here, my NCAA Division 1 men's basketball championship bracket, if I see two teams come out onto the court and one of them is made up of women and the other one is Creatures, I don't care how Remarkably bright they are. I think the women are gonna win. I mean, an octopus can definitely defend the goal. Yeah, but he's gonna have a hard time with goaltending. Cause he's gonna try to swat it. And I just think the women are gonna. Are gonna move on past the Remarkably Bright Creatures.

[Jordan Jones]

Okay. Wow. Great reasoning there.

[Annie Jones]

And I also think it's a good book.

[Jordan Jones]

Well, I do think it's a good book. And I would move it forward for a different reason.

[Annie Jones]

Different than that. You have a different reason?

[Jordan Jones]

I think I would move it forward because Remarkably Bright Creatures was not. I'm gonna. I am 99% sure about this. It was not published last year. It just happened to be a bestseller for us last year. So I would move forward the women because they're the it team of this. Of this season. Remarkably Bright Creatures just happened to kind of get in because of the one book selection.

[Annie Jones]

I think this is a one seed versus a lower seed.

[Jordan Jones]

If we were seed, perhaps.

[Annie Jones]

So I know I say a lot of nonsense on this podcast, but one Thing that I'm going to tell you that is free, you can learn this as a legal concept is this is a good example of the tipsy coachman doctrine, which is a legal doctrine. So Annie and I got to the same result, but for different reasons. And so if Annie were the higher court, correcting my reasoning, even the tipsy coachman doctrine would say the women would still move on. I got to the correct result of women moving on, but with weird reasoning. But it doesn't matter because I got there anyway. Just like a tipsy coachman might go the wrong way but still get to the same result.

[Jordan Jones]

Oh, that's not a person's name.

[Annie Jones]

That's a legal doctrine.

[Jordan Jones]

The tipsy coachman.

[Annie Jones]

The tipsy coachman doctrine. So that's just bonus.

[Jordan Jones]

Wow. Thank you. Just Legal Corner with Jordan Jones.

[Annie Jones]

I feel like that could be a.

[Jordan Jones]

Successful actually subculture podcast. Well, you know, I'm trying to figure out what we're going to do this summer for from the front porch, and so maybe we can just sub you in.

[Annie Jones]

Okay.

[Jordan Jones]

With Legal Corner and see how that goes.

[Annie Jones]

Is that interesting to you guys? If so, comment.

[Jordan Jones]

If so, shoot me a dm. Send us an email. Okay. Second pairing is a fine sight to see by Sophie Hudson versus A Bit Much by Lindsay Rush. Now you, I think, should be familiar with at least one of these.

[Annie Jones]

Boo mama.

[Jordan Jones]

Boo mama. So I think you attended. I did our book signing with Sophie Hudson. You may feel kinship with her. She is.

[Annie Jones]

She's an Alabamian.

[Jordan Jones]

Yep. She lives in Birmingham. She's a huge Mississippi State fan.

[Annie Jones]

Yep.

[Jordan Jones]

And she wrote this beautiful book, nonfiction, about women in leadership or really not even women, just leadership. She wrote it about Moses and kind of deep dived into his life. And also then what that means for. For leaders, then Lindsay Rush's book Poetry is poetry. Y Pretty funny poignant poems. This is one of those books that over the holidays it was such an easy hand sell because.

[Annie Jones]

And one of the most intriguing covers that you'll ever see. Don't you love the COVID The COVID is fascinating.

[Jordan Jones]

The COVID is great. So this was an easy hand sell. It was one of those books that I told people you could gift this to almost anybody and they would enjoy it.

[Annie Jones]

Like poetry for people who don't know that they like poetry.

[Jordan Jones]

Very good. Yeah.

[Annie Jones]

That's how I would hand sell it.

[Jordan Jones]

Oh, well, you would. That would be great. That's a great way to hand sell it. Okay, so how would you pair or how would you judge these?

[Annie Jones]

So if you listened to the podcast last Year. You may remember that I have a kinship with Alabamians, and sometimes that advances people just on that basis.

[Jordan Jones]

It's one of your few biases.

[Annie Jones]

It's one of my few biases, but there are a lot of things I like about the Boo Mama entry here, but I'm gonna definitely advance her out of this round. It's gonna be pretty clear. You know, I will be honest. I. When I was a kid, I didn't really love poetry, or I didn't think I loved it. But as I've gotten older, I've gotten more interested in it, especially certain types of it. So I'm intrigued by the idea of a book that is meant to be poetry for people who don't like poetry. But I'm gonna give Boo Mama the edge on this one because I like the concept of her book.

[Jordan Jones]

You know what I think would be interesting? Our March Madness bet this year. Because we bet together every year. We were doing cash money, but fun money. Fun money. We were betting fun money. We changed that this year, and we are. And the bet has changed over the course of our relationship. Our ESPN bracket challenge is called eat your vegetables because when we very first met, we competed, and whoever lost could only eat vegetables for, like, two days or whatever it was. So that's what it was. Then we got married, and we decided it should be fun money because fun money was hard to come by when we were first married. And now we've decided. You really initiated this change. It was whoever wins the date night. They plan is, like, all the things that they want to do. So if it's. If you win the March Madness bracket challenge, you get to pick the movie, the dinner spot.

[Annie Jones]

What do you think it would be if I win?

[Jordan Jones]

Well, I don't know what movies are out right now.

[Annie Jones]

Yeah, fair. Fair point.

[Jordan Jones]

I really don't. And we have very similar tastes. But, like, you would go see Gladiator 2 in theaters.

[Annie Jones]

Probably.

[Jordan Jones]

I probably would not.

[Annie Jones]

Right?

[Jordan Jones]

So that's an example. But I would go see it if that's what you wanted to do. So, anyway, if I win, then I get to choose those things. Okay. I don't wanna make an addendum or a change to that, but you're always trying to tell me to read certain books. But much like coming on this podcast might be a path to healing for you as an enneagram3, more than, you know, you engaging with your inner bozo. Perhaps you could start reading poetry.

[Annie Jones]

Oh, that's a good idea.

[Jordan Jones]

Because that does feel like maybe a not common enneagram3 thing to do. Feels more like indulging in your four.

[Annie Jones]

Right? And I have four wing.

[Jordan Jones]

Yes, I have.

[Annie Jones]

I'm completely a two wing. I have. Whenever I take tests, I have. Not a scintilla. That's another legal corner term. Not a scintilla of four for me.

[Jordan Jones]

So it might be time to try to, like, embrace that. And Lindsay Rush's collection is good because she has it divided up based on mood.

[Annie Jones]

I love it. You know what? I'll tell you what. I'll read that if you'll read the Righteous Mind.

[Jordan Jones]

If I can find my copy of the Righteous Mind, which I bought for you. I know I. I need to find.

[Annie Jones]

Inscribed it.

[Jordan Jones]

I don't know if you inscribed it. I definitely kept it.

[Annie Jones]

Yeah.

[Jordan Jones]

Anyway, I just. I have a copy. I have a copy of a bit much. And you think I'll like it? I think. I think you would be. I think you'd be so intrigued.

[Annie Jones]

Okay.

[Jordan Jones]

I think you'd be so intrigued. Maybe you could read a poem to the baby every night.

[Annie Jones]

I love it. I love it. Maybe when session is over. I think I'll try to. I think I'll try to take that. Because whenever you think I'm going to be intrigued, you're. You're never wrong.

[Jordan Jones]

I just think you. It would expose you to also a different kind of poetry than you typically.

[Annie Jones]

Engage with, like, 16th century. Right. Anglican poetry. That's not a broad poetry.

[Jordan Jones]

That's not what's happening with this book with a sardine tin of confetti on the front.

[Annie Jones]

Okay. All right.

[Jordan Jones]

Okay. So you're gonna advance a fine sight to see.

[Annie Jones]

I am.

[Jordan Jones]

All right. That's not a surprise to me. That was an easy pick. I could have guessed that. All right. This one, I am curious. Be ready when the luck happens. This is by Ina Garten. Do you know who Ina Garten is, Chef? Yes. Have you ever watched her on tv?

[Annie Jones]

Yes.

[Jordan Jones]

Okay.

[Annie Jones]

Kind of calm.

[Jordan Jones]

Yes. She actually, I would think every woman in your life. Your grandmother. Yeah. Like, that's. Yes. She seems like somebody your family would really like. The Small and the mighty by Sharon McMahon. Do you know who Sharon McMahon is?

[Annie Jones]

Absolutely. She is the. She lives in Minnesota.

[Jordan Jones]

Yes. What a great fact.

[Annie Jones]

And she tells people unbiased. She unbiasedly tells people what's going on in the world in the realm of civics, politics and United States legal current events.

[Jordan Jones]

Yeah. Her tagline is America's government teacher. She's big on the Internet.

[Annie Jones]

Yes.

[Jordan Jones]

Ina Garten, also big on the Internet. Be Ready when the Luck Happens was also selected by Sharon McMahon for one of her book club selections. So there's some overlap there that might have inspired Olivia. These are both nonfiction picks by powerful, knowledgeable, wise women. I have read Be Ready when the Luck Happens I have not read, which is weird to me that I haven't read it.

[Annie Jones]

That is really weird to me.

[Jordan Jones]

I literally have a copy over here.

[Annie Jones]

I don't know how you would come on this podcast without having read the books we're going to talk about.

[Jordan Jones]

So I have not read the Small and the Mighty yet, but I really do want to. I think it's just a matter of.

[Annie Jones]

I've seen it. I've definitely seen it around.

[Jordan Jones]

Yes. Well, like I said, I really do have a copy over here, so I need to maybe move it up the priority list. Maybe I could listen to the audiobook. Anyway, what do you think about this pairing? Do you have a guess as to the seedings that Olivia did not put on here? I would guess. May I guess? May I wager a guess?

[Annie Jones]

Yeah.

[Jordan Jones]

To me, this is an eight, nine seed.

[Annie Jones]

Oh, okay. Okay.

[Jordan Jones]

Where both of these books were bestsellers for us. They weren't just bestsellers for us. They were New York Times bestsellers. Ina Garten, no matter what book she's selling, like, every fall when she has a new cookbook out, that cookbook immediately we have to reorder multiple times. She is beloved, even in an era where cookbooks aren't always still being purchased. And her memoir was no exception. Sharon McMahon is newer to the scene, but no fewer copies sold. Like, lots and lots of copies of that book sold. And again, it was a New York Times bestseller. So it wasn't just popular for us. It was popular across the country. So, yeah, eight, nine seed to me, because those are some of the. I think I've watched several of the eight, nine games, and they were very close this year, as I recall.

[Annie Jones]

Yeah. And I would say the eight, nine games have been really good this year.

[Jordan Jones]

They were the most fun.

[Annie Jones]

And they often have a traditional kind of blue blood school, like Gonzaga was one of them, UConn was one of them. Louisville was one of them. And I will say this is the first year in history ever, for the last several hundred years in history, that my bracket has ever gotten all the 89s correct.

[Jordan Jones]

That's one of the only bragging points you can make.

[Annie Jones]

That's one of the only bragging points I have. And it's just. It's more of like a. Just an oddball Fact. Like a factoid, like.

[Jordan Jones]

Well, because that is a traditionally hard. It's hard to choose.

[Annie Jones]

I'm four for four. I'm about to go five for five with this eight, nine with this one. Yeah.

[Jordan Jones]

Okay. Well, that's because you are the. You're basically. You're Oz. You're the Wizard.

[Annie Jones]

Yeah. I'm deciding what happens on the court.

[Jordan Jones]

You're the Wizard.

[Annie Jones]

I'm gonna go with. Sharon says so.

[Jordan Jones]

Oh, I would think that's a surprise to me. That's the number nine pick. I mean, that's the number nine seed.

[Annie Jones]

Yeah. A mild upset.

[Jordan Jones]

It's a mild upset, but it's not, I guess, surprising for you.

[Annie Jones]

Here's why I appreciate what Sharon says so Is trying to do. We have become polarized society. And it's hard to figure out where truth is. And I think truth can still be found. But it just takes a lot of effort nowadays to kind of scrappily sift through everything. And I think that Sharon McMahon, in a lot of these situations is kind of a voice of reason. And I appreciate generally what she's trying to do. I feel like I play this role for some of my friends as well on some other topics. They do for me. But in. With respect to civics and politics, you're the expert. I appreciate that. I appreciate someone coming in with an unbiased viewpoint and saying, this is what's actually happening.

[Jordan Jones]

You know, that's so funny, because you do remind me of each other. I'm trying to think so.

[Annie Jones]

She is an INTJ3.

[Jordan Jones]

Yes. She's like our personalities combined. Yep, exactly. And that makes a lot of sense to me. Because sometimes when she. The way she. Calm. You're right. Calmly and reasonably. Kind of walks you through a court case or something. That very much reminds me. I think I find her a soothing, comforting voice on the Internet. Because she does remind me of you. That's what you do. I've heard you do it with our friends. You've done it with me. Like, you've explained something to me. You did it just here on Legal Corner. And so you are the bookshelf's own Sharon McMahon. Right, right. How lucky we are. I'll take that. Okay. So the small and the mighty moves forward. Do you know what that book is about?

[Annie Jones]

I think it's about people who have made a difference in our country's history that are not necessarily Goliaths.

[Jordan Jones]

Yeah.

[Annie Jones]

Is that right?

[Jordan Jones]

Yeah. Which I also think is interesting. Cause she could have written. Write a book about our modern politics or. But I think in her heart, who she is is a teacher. And. Yeah. And so she doesn't want to write a book. I think she wanted to write a book with a long shelf life that was about history instead of maybe about current events.

[Annie Jones]

I think she's also savvy.

[Jordan Jones]

Yeah. I think she knows both of these women are. I think that's part of the reason Olivia paired them together. Like Ina Garten's book. I. I like Diana Garten. I was probably not the fan, even maybe your grandmother might be or whatever. But I read this book because it felt like everybody was reading this book. I listened to the audiobook full of great business advice. I mean, truly, really good business advice. It's just. It's her memoir.

[Annie Jones]

Everything's a business, a book store of kitchen.

[Jordan Jones]

And so learning all about she. And she did run her own store. Then she, of course, it became kind of an empire. So I think both of these women are incredibly savvy, and I think Sharon McMahon is a great example of somebody who rose to Internet fame and then she somehow knew what to do with it, which I think is really hard to do.

[Annie Jones]

Yep.

[Jordan Jones]

Yeah. Okay. All right, next pairing. If Olivia is listening to this podcast, this is what she cares about. Is this pairing all like the book.

[Annie Jones]

Eaters 2.0, isn't it?

[Jordan Jones]

Yes.

[Annie Jones]

I see you working here, Olivia.

[Jordan Jones]

Yes. So this is all the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker versus Book of Doors by Gareth Brown. These are. When you. When you look at our top 16 bestsellers, if you know our staff well, you would immediately look and see the. At least these two sales, if not more, but at least these two books are bestsellers because of Olivia. You can like immediately. Yeah, you can immediately. Yeah. You can immediately trace it to a staffer, which I always think is super fun.

[Annie Jones]

That's interesting. Okay, so that's another thing that binds these two books together. The other thing about the titles of these books and what they're about is it's kind of whimsical, but also a shade dark. You know, kind of interesting. Almost like Blake Crouch esque. Or the Book Eaters. Ish. Honestly, the. The plot of Book of Doors is fascinating to me, and I.

[Jordan Jones]

If you are going to advance Book.

[Annie Jones]

Of Doors, I'm afraid that this could be a book eater situation.

[Jordan Jones]

No.

[Annie Jones]

Where I think this is a great idea. But then I read Book Eaters and I'm like, well, I have to admit that I didn't finish it. So as I'm creating this reality on the court, do you have any advice?

[Jordan Jones]

Okay.

[Annie Jones]

You could try to help me avoid a pitfall.

[Jordan Jones]

Well, here is what I will say. Book of Doors is solidly an Olivia book. I'm pretty sure it was a shelf subscription for her. Olivia and I have some overlap in terms of the types of books we like. So we both like Liz Moore, who will talk about a little bit later in this episode. We like Tim Johnston books that basically are character driven suspense novels or thrillers. Like, we have some significant overlap. The Book of Doors is not that overlap. That is a solidly Olivia pick. Now, all the Colors of the Dark. I'm pretty sure Olivia hand sold this to me and Olivia is one of our top hand sellers. I mean, podcast listeners get to hear it all the time, but it is very fun in the store to hear her hand sell a book. The way she describes a book. You'll probably be convinced at the end even. Well, you were. You were convinced to read Book Eaters, even though that is not something you would like or not something I would think you would like. But that is the power of Olivia. And so all the Colors of the Dark she hand sold to me. I am pretty sure this is another book, kind of like the Women where Aaron read it, Keila read it. Basically multiple people on staff read this book. I think the only person who read it and didn't like it was Nancy. Everybody else loved it. It became a pick for our Patreon Book Club last year where we discussed it with our Patreon supporters. I think it is a thriller suspense, but also a coming of age story about these two young friends and we get to kind of watch them grow up. It weirdly reminded me quite a bit of the X Files in terms of like a Scully Mulder kind of relationship where you've got somebody who's kind of maybe the more straight laced trying to help her friend get back on track.

[Annie Jones]

Yeah.

[Jordan Jones]

So you kind of watch these two young kids. Well, look, if you want to pick Book of Doors, Olivia would be thrilled.

[Annie Jones]

But that sounds like book eaters. Okay.

[Jordan Jones]

But all the Colors of the Dark, I feel like appeals to a wider range of people. Okay, so if we're comparing this to March Madness, I think Book of Doors is a more niche team.

[Annie Jones]

Yeah, it's like St. John's it's like excellent on defense, but no offense.

[Jordan Jones]

Yeah, which. Which I picked St. John's which was a bad, bad mistake. But to me, Book of Doors is like a niche team. Whereas all the Colors of the Dark is probably one of those fan favorite teams that everybody really likes. Yeah, I don't even know who that would maybe be on the Gator Nation. I think that's a mistake to say here on the podcast where we have a large regional fan base.

[Annie Jones]

What about the University of Houston?

[Jordan Jones]

Yeah. I feel like people like Houston. Yeah, maybe. But my point is, like a traditional basketball school or like a traditional. Or like, everybody likes them. Whereas Book of Doors might have a small but devoted fan base. Like, you and I both picked Lipscomb. I picked Lipscomb University to go two rounds, which, I gotta tell you, the Church of Christ runs real deep.

[Annie Jones]

Here's the thing. Annie almost picked Lipscomb as her school.

[Jordan Jones]

Yes.

[Annie Jones]

So this was her way, I guess so. Making it up to that beautiful visit that she had. She was very excited about that visit. She was excited, and then she went a different direction, and then she chose it in March Madness, and they failed me totally. It failed you.

[Jordan Jones]

And completely. Okay, so what's your pick?

[Annie Jones]

Well, I think what happens in this one is Book of Doors comes out onto the court, and the players are just coming from all over the place. They're opening doors all over the place, popping out, they're going back door, back door, passes all kinds of things, and at first, all the colors of the dark gets confused by all these doors opening up. But then all the colors of the dark starts having its way, and the whole court descends into darkness. And the doors are opening up, but they can't see. So all the colors of the dark has better night vision. Day advance.

[Jordan Jones]

Okay. Wow.

[Annie Jones]

I'm just as whimsical as these. This is a whimsical game.

[Jordan Jones]

Okay. All right. That was some interesting reasoning.

[Annie Jones]

But Book of Doors does remind me of a little bit Exit West. Because opening doors and just popping out somewhere, that's what happened in Exit West. I did like Exit west immigration story.

[Jordan Jones]

More of a metaphor.

[Annie Jones]

Yeah, but. But.

[Jordan Jones]

But.

[Annie Jones]

But something about that is kind of interestingly whimsical to me. Just the idea that you could be going through different dimensions and popping out. But I'm gonna go with all the colors of the. All the colors of the dark on this one.

[Jordan Jones]

Okay. All the colors of the dark, I think, personally, is the right choice, but now that you're talking about Book of Doors, you might. You. You and Olivia actually do have some overlapping tastes.

[Annie Jones]

See, this is exactly what happened with the maybe you'll like it, but I don't think you will. And it was. You know what? I lost interest.

[Jordan Jones]

Okay, so you're gonna stick with all.

[Annie Jones]

The colors of dark y.

[Jordan Jones]

All right, next up, this is an Annie pair So if the previous pairing was an Olivia pairing, this is for sure an Annie pairing. This is the Wedding People by Alison Espach vs. Sandwich by Katherine Newman. Yeah, I've read both of these. I loved both of these. These both might have been in my top 10 favorite books of the year. Last year. The Wedding People was a shelf subscription selection for me. Sandwich might not have been.

[Annie Jones]

Now, Sandwich is about that period in your life where you're sandwiched between, yes. Your kids and your aging parents.

[Jordan Jones]

Yes. It's set over the course of one beach week. With this.

[Annie Jones]

That's why you liked it.

[Jordan Jones]

With this, I, well, actually read it while we were at the beach with my family. Oh, okay. And the main character is middle aged. Her children are either already well into adulthood or on the cusp of adulthood. Her parents come for the beach weekend. They are aging. And then she also. And this is. This was interesting to read at this time. I did not realize what a large role pregnancy loss or fertility almost kind of issues would play in this particular book because she, the main character is having flashbacks to maybe a hard time in her life when she lost a pregnancy.

[Annie Jones]

And she's going through menopause, right?

[Jordan Jones]

Yes. And she's going through menopause. And so anyway, so all of that kind of wraps up, but it sounds, as I'm describing it, sad and heavy to me. It was not. I mean, now some of it I found deeply moving and I underlined a lot in it, but mostly I thought it was hilarious. It was dysfunctional family story, which I love. It was A week at the beach, which is something I've done with my family for a long time. So I loved it. The Wedding People, interestingly, also has some of those same themes. Do you know the premise of the Wedding People?

[Annie Jones]

I know it has to do with a wedding is about to happen and one woman talks another one out of suicide, and then it becomes a comedy.

[Jordan Jones]

Is that right? Kind of, yes. Very bluntly, yes. So there you go.

[Annie Jones]

You don't even need to read it. There it is.

[Jordan Jones]

Well, I think it is such a sad sounding premise at first, but basically this woman has made a decision to end her life and she decides she's gonna treat herself to like, one last weekend at like, a bougie cliffside hotel in, like, Rhode island. And that's where she's gonna do it. And then she gets there to commit this act. And instead she realizes the whole hotel is full of a wedding party. She's the only person not affiliated with the wedding. And so it immediately changes from what could be this really sad story to this very hopeful, funny. I mean, I thought it was so original. And because, because you can kind of picture something like that happening, right, where you show up to a hotel and you think you're gonna have one type of weekend, and in this case a sad, mournful, grievous, dark weekend. And instead you look around and you're like, what the. What in the world? There's all these people here. Why are they here? They're all in a good mood. They're all here for a wedding anyway. And so the bride to be and this woman kind of develop a kind of friendship because the bride finds out why she's there and the bride is like, you're not ruining my wedding weekend.

[Annie Jones]

Not on my watch.

[Jordan Jones]

Not on my watch. And so anyway, so both of these books dealing with heavy subject matter, but taking them and making them, I think, redemptive and funny, which is. Listen, that's my sweet spot.

[Annie Jones]

That's your sweet spot.

[Jordan Jones]

Yeah.

[Annie Jones]

Well, as you were telling me, plot of the wedding people, it made me think about one of our favorite movies, Stranger than Fiction. You know, the whole movie. Harold Crick, played by, bizarrely, Will Ferrell. Will Ferrell is trying to figure out why he's in this story that's being narrated in his head. And at one point in time he goes and meets a professor played by Dustin Hoffman. And Dustin Hoffman just very, very, very matter of factly says, well, you know, you've got to figure out what kind of story you're in. In a comedy, you get hitched in a tragedy, you die. And basically the idea is both of those have to do with life in some way or another. You either die or you get married and life goes on.

[Jordan Jones]

God, that movie is so good.

[Annie Jones]

And so it's got so much in there. And so this reminds me that like a woman's going there to contemplate this thing and then is surrounded by this life giving thing, which is marriage, and then the potential future of children and like life going on and people being joyful and happy. That's just a fascinating thing to me. The sandwich concept is also interesting because my dad, I've heard him talk about this, especially in the last five years, being sandwiched between having to care for aging parents who sometimes can, can be a very heavy demand, and also, you know, trying to take care of grandchildren or children or whatnot. And I. There are a lot of people listening here who are in that stage and I think it can be taxing from both ends. I think it's a tough place to be.

[Jordan Jones]

Yeah. I think. And I think, interestingly, your dad. Our parents are aging out of the sandwich generation and we weirdly are beginning like, I'm hearing whisperings among my friends. It's, it's actually something my friends and I talk about all the time. We are eking closer to that if we're not there already. Some of my friends are.

[Annie Jones]

And so much depends on, you know, how thick the bread is on both sides, how old are your parents, how young are your kids, how young are your grand. Like, there's a lot to. But like, I think a lot of people find themselves in this area.

[Jordan Jones]

These are two very evenly matched books.

[Annie Jones]

Yeah.

[Jordan Jones]

So what, what's your gut saying?

[Annie Jones]

My gut is wedding people. Because I love the idea of someone dealing with something very depressing and morose and almost being able to be distracted out of that by being reminded of the joy of life. You know, maybe someone can't argue someone out of that, but maybe the argument is, here's some champagne, here's some fun people that love each other.

[Jordan Jones]

Yeah.

[Annie Jones]

Here's a marriage. Isn't that nice?

[Jordan Jones]

Yeah.

[Annie Jones]

You know, and that's. I find that to be an intriguing argument against dark things.

[Jordan Jones]

Yeah. It's poignant and laugh out loud funny. Actually. I wouldn't mind a reread of it. Okay. The next two are what I will say are the regional picks. So if there was an SEC versus SEC matchup or an SEC versus acc, like close matchup, because this is Kingdom of Quail by Harris Strickland.

[Annie Jones]

That's a Thomasville book.

[Jordan Jones]

That's a Thomasville book versus Ladies Rewrite the Rules by Susanna Lane. So here's what I want to say about these two books. And one thing I really like about the bookshelf is even though our online audience has grown, even though our long distance customer base plays a significant role in our sales and in our profitability, we are still what I like to call a flesh and blood bookstore. And every year our bestseller list reflects that. There is always at least one local title, one book that, you know, very few online customers purchase. And so in this case, Kingdom of Quail is by Harris Strickland. He is a local Thomasville author. This is an independently published book, but it has done super well, continues to do well. I was just asked about it at church, literally today. And so that book is on one side of the seating, and then ladies rewrite the rules. Susanna Lane writes these Regency romances that my mom really likes. A huge bit of our customer base, really Likes them. They're, you know, Jane Austen esque. Bridgerton esque. I'll say Bridgerton esque, but Bridgerton. But make it pg. And Suzanna Lane is from Tallahassee, so she is a local author. She's traditionally published. So these books are published by a traditional publisher. But both of these authors have done in person signings with us on a Saturday. And they consistently sell not only because they're good books, but because they have regional tie ins to Thomasville. So I'm sure that's why Olivia paired them together, even though they're very different in terms of what they're about. But I love that they both made our top 16 for 2024.

[Annie Jones]

Yeah, we, upon moving to Thomasville, learned all about quail. Or at least begin seeing.

[Jordan Jones]

I was about to say. I was about to say I've learned enough. Like, I know that local quail do not have that quail feather on top of their head.

[Annie Jones]

I've learned it's red meat.

[Jordan Jones]

That's a California quail, which is strange.

[Annie Jones]

Usually birds are white meat.

[Jordan Jones]

Yeah. This. It is dark red. Oh, is it red meat? I just knew it was dark meat. Like, dark like chicken. Oh, interesting.

[Annie Jones]

Yeah, it's totally.

[Jordan Jones]

Interestingly. Well, somebody. Tom. So will correct you if you're wrong. I think I've had, since I've lived here, one quail meal.

[Annie Jones]

I've had zero.

[Jordan Jones]

Really?

[Annie Jones]

You have me be.

[Jordan Jones]

I think I. I think I attended an event where it was served.

[Annie Jones]

Yeah.

[Jordan Jones]

Despite moving here, neither you nor I became quail hunters.

[Annie Jones]

Yeah. I don't think that's.

[Jordan Jones]

I don't think that's in our future, but I mean, maybe one day. I don't know. But yes, quail are. That's a big thing in Thomasville.

[Annie Jones]

Yeah.

[Jordan Jones]

You can also metaphorically. Well, you can literally hunt them, but metaphorically. Downtown.

[Annie Jones]

Yes. They're little statues.

[Jordan Jones]

Yeah. The brass quail or bronze quail.

[Annie Jones]

Yes. So I appreciate the quail because it's. It's where we live. But, ladies, rewrite the rules. This, the. The summary of this one cracks me up that this guy would put together a list of these women and then publish it. And then the way that the plot kind of gets flipped around, it. It kind of reminds me a little bit of one of my favorite going back to 16th century English stuff, William Shakespeare's the Taming of the Shrew, which is, to me, one of the funniest things that's ever been written. I love the Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton version, you know, the movie. But just reading the play is hilarious to me, but this reminds me of that. It's like, you think it's one thing all along. You have women in courtship. You have women that have very different personalities. You have bumbling men, and you think it's going one way, and then at the end, it gets kind of flipped on its head. I kind of like that type of story. That's very funny to me. I love anything that, like, puts the sexes together and uses funny plot twists and things, and that seems like that's what this is.

[Jordan Jones]

Yeah, I would agree. Do you have a book you would like to advance from this pairing?

[Annie Jones]

I'm going to advance. Ladies, rewrite the rules. I normally don't like rewriting rules generally, but I think this is a.

[Jordan Jones]

These might be rules worth rewriting.

[Annie Jones]

It might be, but this feels like Taming of the Shrewd. I'm not gonna say 2.0, because what could ever be? But I think it is in that vein, and that seemed. That just seems way more fun and interesting to me than.

[Jordan Jones]

Okay, that's impressive. All right. I'm surprised by that, but happy to make that recording. Okay, we gotta speed up these last two games. James, I've seen this one everywhere.

[Annie Jones]

I know exactly what the font looks like. The J is orange and it goes down like a fish hook.

[Jordan Jones]

Very good, James. Wow, you're so good at this. James by Personal Percival Everett vs God of the woods by Liz Moore. All right.

[Annie Jones]

I think you loved James.

[Jordan Jones]

Well, James was my favorite book of 2024. I also, to be fair, loved God of the Woods. I mentioned Liz Moore earlier in this episode. She is a writer. Olivia and I both really like. Great suspense writer, but character driven, literary suspense thriller. But Olivia and I both loved this book. This was one of those books that I took to Longhorn and just had my Longhorn lunches. Yes.

[Annie Jones]

Had a fountain dream.

[Jordan Jones]

It was so good. I have such fond memories of reading this book, but James was my favorite book of the year. It is a retelling or reimagining of Huckleberry Finn, but told from Jem's perspective. I will just say, since Olivia tries to hand sell you books, I will also try to hand sell you a book I do think, James, you would love. I really do.

[Annie Jones]

I'm going to definitely advance James because of. Because of your. Yeah, this would be like if what, like Florida State were in the bracket?

[Jordan Jones]

Well, I think it's more like. And I hate to do this comparison, and I know. I know listeners hate when I do this, but I do think it's like a duke, where it's, like, you see Percival Everett's name and, you know, oh, nobody else has a chance. And so I think James is just the. I just think James was the best book of the year.

[Annie Jones]

I'm gonna definitely go with that.

[Jordan Jones]

Okay, then we have two rom coms or romances, both by beloved authors. Beloved nationally and beloved locally. So Funny Story is by Emily Henry. And then Olivia has pitted that story against summer romance by Annabelle Monaghan. You've met Annabelle Monahan. She came to the store for one of our reader retreats. She famously, to me, wrote Nora goes off script, which is one of my favorite, honestly favorite reads of the last few years. But I loved A summer romance. I thought it was so good, I cried at the dining room table reading that book, which is rare for me. And I also really liked Funny Story. It's not my favorite librarian book. Yeah. It's not my favorite Emily Henry, but it's right up there. I think it's like my second favorite, Emily Henry.

[Annie Jones]

Well, for two reasons, I'm going to advance summer romance.

[Jordan Jones]

Okay.

[Annie Jones]

First reason is any book can make Annie cry. That matters.

[Jordan Jones]

It does.

[Annie Jones]

The secondly, if somebody's gonna personally come to Thomasville just to look me in the eye and shake my hand and say, please pick my book on your March Madness podcast in the future, I'm gonna honor that. And when I shook her hand, I felt like we made a gentleman's agreement that I was gonna come on here and advance her book. And so I'm gonna do that. I am.

[Jordan Jones]

You're gonna honor that relationship?

[Annie Jones]

I have to honor that.

[Jordan Jones]

Okay.

[Annie Jones]

It's a contract.

[Jordan Jones]

Which means we're down to our what? Elite 8.

[Annie Jones]

Let's see, we've got. That's right, that's right.

[Jordan Jones]

All right, so here we go. This is more lightning round. We have the women versus a fine sight to see. This is tough now.

[Annie Jones]

This is tough.

[Jordan Jones]

Gets harder the further we go.

[Annie Jones]

I think we're gonna go with the women on this one.

[Jordan Jones]

Oh. So I act like Sophie Hudson's my best friend, and I call her Soph.

[Annie Jones]

Oh.

[Jordan Jones]

So, yeah. No. Okay.

[Annie Jones]

But Elite 8 is. Is very honorable and admirable. And we were talking today. It used to be called the Great eight.

[Jordan Jones]

Yeah.

[Annie Jones]

So there's trivia corner. Non legal trivia corner with Jordan Jones.

[Jordan Jones]

Okay.

[Annie Jones]

The women.

[Jordan Jones]

Okay. The Small and the Mighty by Sharon McMahon versus all the colors of the dark.

[Annie Jones]

Okay. This is where, you know, the Small and the Mighty gets through the first round because they're small, but. Yep. Mighty and but. But then they get also small. They get overwhelmed. This is like. This is kind of like the. The little bit of an undersized team get through the first round. You know, it's Drake getting through the first round and then running up against the buzz saw in Texas Tech. That's what's going to happen here.

[Jordan Jones]

All right, so we're going to.

[Annie Jones]

All the colors.

[Jordan Jones]

All the colors of the dark, which I do sometimes want to say. All the colors of the wind. What was that?

[Annie Jones]

Pocahontas paint with all the colors of the wind.

[Jordan Jones]

Okay, thank you.

[Annie Jones]

And then. And then it's your. You have to answer that. Can you. It's open ended.

[Jordan Jones]

Have you ever heard the wolf cry?

[Annie Jones]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Jordan Jones]

To the blue corn moon. That's.

[Annie Jones]

Oh, that is.

[Jordan Jones]

That's part of the song.

[Annie Jones]

Yeah. But can you paint with all the colors of the wind?

[Jordan Jones]

I don't know.

[Annie Jones]

Yeah, I don't know.

[Jordan Jones]

Okay.

[Annie Jones]

I think the answer for me is no.

[Jordan Jones]

Okay. Wedding people versus the ladies. Rewrite the rules.

[Annie Jones]

Okay. That's a little bit difficult, but I.

[Jordan Jones]

Don'T think it's that difficult.

[Annie Jones]

I. I think I'm gonna go with wedding people.

[Jordan Jones]

I think that's right.

[Annie Jones]

Here's the thing. I like a fun book, a nice thing that reminds me of Taming of the Shrew, but at the end of the day, I need some weight.

[Jordan Jones]

Yeah, you and me both.

[Annie Jones]

See, if you were to see my book list, you would think that those are too heavy to even pick up.

[Jordan Jones]

Yeah, I don't think people would be surprised at all by.

[Annie Jones]

They wouldn't be surprised or anything. So that's what's going to advance.

[Jordan Jones]

All right. And then. Well, that might be bad news for Annabelle Monahan because now we have James versus Summer Romance.

[Annie Jones]

Well, this is the number one seed against probably, if we're talking about, you know, being at this stage, it's going to be about. Against about a four seed. So I'm going to advance. James.

[Jordan Jones]

Yeah, sorry.

[Annie Jones]

Annabelle is too difficult.

[Jordan Jones]

Okay.

[Annie Jones]

I didn't promise her I would advance.

[Jordan Jones]

You didn't say how far she did.

[Annie Jones]

I promised. One round. I've delivered. Talk again later.

[Jordan Jones]

All right. The women. Okay, well, first of all, the final four then, is the women. All the colors of the dark Wedding people. And James, which of these do you.

[Annie Jones]

Think is the dark horse that's made? Are there any dark horses here or the 41 seeds?

[Jordan Jones]

These aren't 41 seeds, but it's like ones and twos.

[Annie Jones]

Oh, okay. Okay.

[Jordan Jones]

This is like when I originally had, I think, three one seeds in my bracket. And then St. John's disappointed me, and.

[Annie Jones]

I have a two seed. That's Michigan State. I have done a very dishonorable thing, and I have not advanced Auburn to my Final Four.

[Jordan Jones]

We're going to talk about that because we have some Auburn fans who listen to this podcast and they kept dming me like, oh, my gosh, Jordan must be so excited. Or he must be so tormented. And you know what I wanted to tell them? No, he's not. He does not even have them. You know who has. You know who has Auburn in her final Four and nay as her champion? Me.

[Annie Jones]

Do you know why I am tormented? First of all, what am I wearing right now?

[Jordan Jones]

You're always wearing an Auburn shirt of.

[Annie Jones]

Some kind, but what's underneath it?

[Jordan Jones]

A Michigan State T shirt.

[Annie Jones]

So here's what I think is gonna happen. I. Well, first of all, I hope that Auburn wins a national title.

[Jordan Jones]

I do, too, because then I win some. I win a date night.

[Annie Jones]

Yes. But Auburn has never gotten past the Final Four, and I think he's only made the final Four once. And we went on a schneide at the end of this season. If we had been playing as well as we were at the beginning, I would have been confident. In fact, I told Annie about a month ago, auburn is going to win it all. We've got it.

[Jordan Jones]

Yeah, you peaked too early.

[Annie Jones]

A little bit unbiased. Side of me was like, ooh, we lost our last three of four. We've looked not like ourselves. And so I couldn't do it. I. I've got. I've got us in the elite eight, but I hope we win. So it is. I am tormented. But last night's game looked like the Auburn of olden. So now I think we could do it again.

[Jordan Jones]

We'll see.

[Annie Jones]

But I've already got it on the paper.

[Jordan Jones]

I was gonna say, we'll see when this episode goes live. If we've already lost.

[Annie Jones]

Stupid.

[Jordan Jones]

Yeah.

[Annie Jones]

They're gonna be like, air team won and you didn't even believe. And I'll say, yes, that's correct.

[Jordan Jones]

Yeah, that's what I'm gonna say. That's what I'm going to rub in your face for the rest of our married lives if this works out for me.

[Annie Jones]

On her deathbed, I believed it already.

[Jordan Jones]

Yeah, that's a good impersonation. Okay. The women versus all the colors of the dark.

[Annie Jones]

Wow. Who would win if you took all the women in the world and all the colors? All the colors of the dark? I think.

[Jordan Jones]

I don't know, be careful. I don't know. You've set yourself up there.

[Annie Jones]

I mean, that's some chaos.

[Jordan Jones]

If we're talking about the books and not just the titles, I don't want the concept.

[Annie Jones]

Tell me about the book.

[Jordan Jones]

Well, I mean, I do think this is a tough pairing. I think the women earns the popular vote.

[Annie Jones]

Okay.

[Jordan Jones]

All the colors of the wind could win the electoral college.

[Annie Jones]

I am tired of populism. So we're gonna go with all the.

[Jordan Jones]

Colors of the dark. Okay, Sorry.

[Annie Jones]

Women have the electoral college. Okay.

[Jordan Jones]

Okay. Wedding people versus James. Ooh, no. For the final to go. Yeah, to go to the final, it's.

[Annie Jones]

Got to be James.

[Jordan Jones]

Okay.

[Annie Jones]

It's got to be Jimbo.

[Jordan Jones]

Okay. But call him James. That's the whole point of the book. Okay. James versus all the colors of the dark is our final two.

[Annie Jones]

What are you seeing here? What are you seeing here? How does this match up?

[Jordan Jones]

I'll be honest. I might have taken out all the colors of the dark versus Wedding people.

[Annie Jones]

This is what happens when maybe the four seeds sneaked in. And you thought it would. You thought at the end it was going to be Duke and Auburn, but Duke lost this to maybe Arizona.

[Jordan Jones]

I think all the. I think all the colors of the dark is a four seed.

[Annie Jones]

Yeah.

[Jordan Jones]

And I think James is a one. I mean, for me, this win is relatively obvious. But you love a dark horse, and.

[Annie Jones]

This is a dark horse. It is all the colors of the dark horse. So let me ask you this. Is there anything in the book, James. Okay, in this book that indicates that he has night vision or that he has the ability to see in the dark or that he has some kind of special.

[Jordan Jones]

He travels a lot at dark.

[Annie Jones]

Okay, I'm gonna go with James.

[Jordan Jones]

Okay.

[Annie Jones]

I think that is the reasonable decision here.

[Jordan Jones]

I think this is a year. And listen, it may also be a year in the March Madness bracket. You know what. What year was it? Was it last year where, like, the number one teams caved, like, barely any of them? Adv. I can't remember what year that was, but there was one year where the number one seeds failed.

[Annie Jones]

It ended up being a seven and an eight in the final.

[Jordan Jones]

Yeah, something like that. Okay. But this, for us, this year's bracket, this year's, like, NCAA bracket, and this year's bookshelf bracket feels like an easy one seed.

[Annie Jones]

Agreed year. And James is definitely the overall one seed.

[Jordan Jones]

Yes.

[Annie Jones]

It's the Oliver.

[Jordan Jones]

Yes. Okay.

[Annie Jones]

Well, may it be, may it be so by Celtic woman, But may it be, may it be so may it be. Yeah.

[Jordan Jones]

Okay, James by Percival Everett.

[Annie Jones]

That's it.

[Jordan Jones]

All right.

[Annie Jones]

I don't know why we didn't see it from the start.

[Jordan Jones]

Well, I think I did.

[Annie Jones]

I think you did. She saw it.

[Jordan Jones]

This week I'm reading A Marriage at Sea by Sophie Elmhurst Jordan. What are you reading?

[Annie Jones]

I'm reading the Lost History of Christianity by Philip Jenkins.

[Jordan 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. 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 Cami Tidwell, Jamie Treadwell, Linda Lee Drost, Jean Queens Martha Stephanie Dean Beth Ashley Farrell, Amanda Wickham, Nicole Marcy Wendy Jenkins. 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 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. D.