← From the Front Porch
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- [00:02]
Annie Jones
Welcome to from the Front Porch, a conversational podcast about books, small business, and life in the South.
- [00:24]
Morgan Page
Books are the plane and the train and the road. They are the destination and the journey. They are home. Anna Quindlen How Reading Changed My Life I'm Annie Jones, owner of the Bookshelf, an independent bookstore in beautiful downtown Thomasville, Georgia, and this week we're going back into the from the Front Porch archives, a place not dissimilar to the Disney Vault, to bring you an episode all about traveling through books. Before we get started, did you know Audible is a wholly owned subsidiary of Amazon? I'm not sure I would have been fully aware of that fact were it not for my work in book selling. Which is why, as both a consumer of audiobooks and as a bookstore owner, I'm grateful for Libro FM and the ways they partner with independent bookstores like ours. If you're not familiar, Libro FM makes it possible for you to buy audiobooks through your local bookstore. Head to Libro fm. Choose the bookstore you'd like to support, and that store will get a portion of every purchase you make. You can support the Bookshelf by going to Libro FM Bookshelf, Thomasville. There's a link in the show notes too. You can buy audiobooks a la carte, or you can have a monthly membership just like other digital audiobook platforms. I'm pretty sure at this point every Bookshelf staff member and member of my immediate family has a Libro FM membership. Obviously, you can listen to audiobooks in whatever ways are most convenient to you. Many of my friends use Libro FM as well as Libby, a platform for libraries. But the Bookshelf has partnered with Libro FM since its inception, and it is a joy to have a platform to recommend to audiobook listeners who want to support indie bookstores like ours. Plus, now is a great time to sign up on your road trips. This summer, Libro FM will make audiobook listening super easy. Just go to Libro FM Bookshelf, Thomasville to find out more. Now back to the show. I am once again coming to you from the past, where I still have a cold and I am still 8 and a half months pregnant and I'm trying to record enough podcast episodes to keep you, dear listener satiated over the summer and me in some sort of entrepreneur's version of maternity leave. A girl can dream. I have no idea what the future holds. I have no idea what kind of life I am currently now living. But between a book tour and a baby this spring, it did become apparent that despite my best efforts to batch record all of the episodes needed to bring you entirely new content all summer long, it just wasn't possible. So as you heard earlier this month then, we are bringing you a couple of different types of episodes for the months of July and August. We launched our Summer Readings series at the beginning of the month and this week we have the second episode in our from the Archive series. Allow me gently to take you back to the summer of 2020. I know this is risky, but I really did want to include this episode. Everything was fraught, the pandemic was raging, we didn't fully know what was going on, and several new listeners did join us that year, I think because at least we were offering some semblance of routine and normalcy. We just kept recording for you, but also for us and for our sanity. When it became apparent none of us would be going anywhere that summer, I invited my friend Morgan Page on the podcast. Morgan and I met on a trip to London in the summer of 2020. We referenced that trip in the episode. Morgan is a writer, artist and creative. Her substack in Residence is one of my must reads, which is saying something in this, the Year of the Substack newsletter. I feel like I am bombarded by substacks, but I really do read Morgan's and her podcast, that's the Spirit, which she co hosts with writer Sarah Billups, is the cure for these overwhelming times. Their tagline is a podcast about nothing for those carrying everything. And isn't that what we all need? So those are linked in the show notes, her Substack in residence and her podcast that's the Spirit. On this archival episode, Morgan and I talk about our love for travel, why and how we were missing it. And then we bring you book recommendations for when you can't leave your driveway. It may not be the pandemic anymore, but if you're like me, this summer does look different than years past. And I needed that reminder that books can take us places we may not always be able to go. As usual, all of today's titles can be found through the Bookshelf website. Just type episode5:40. That's 5, 4, 0 into the show notes. Now let's go back in time.
- [05:22]
Annie Jones
This is where you come when you are lost, when you feel that you are never going to find the place. You go to the first place, the first country. To her neck curtains and her singular food, to her safe and open door. You lie down, you eat, you listen to her. And you know that this House will not fall down. This house is sturdy and is made of bricks. And the wolf will not come and blow it down. Diana Evans, Ordinary People. I'm Annie Jones, owner of the Bookshelf, an independent bookstore in beautiful downtown Thomasville, Georgia. And today I'm joined by my friend and fellow entrepreneur, Morgan Thomason. Morgan is the designer behind Winsome Paper, a whimsical stationery brand. We met last year while on Tish Ochsenrider's literary London trip. And Morgan happens to be one of the most well traveled people I've ever met. So she's the perfect co host to help me tackle a suggestion from a podcast listener. Hi, Morgan.
- [06:16]
Morgan Thomason
Hey. This is so fun.
- [06:18]
Annie Jones
I can't believe we're doing this.
- [06:20]
Morgan Thomason
It's literally the best. I can't wait.
- [06:22]
Annie Jones
We're recording on the one year anniversary of our friendship. I was going to say London trip, but our friendship is more important than the trip.
- [06:32]
Morgan Thomason
Happy friendiversary. Here we are.
- [06:33]
Annie Jones
I know, it's so exciting. In fact, it's so exciting. We are going to record a bonus episode for Patreon listeners where we're going to recap our literary London trip.
- [06:43]
Morgan Thomason
I can't wait. It's gonna be great.
- [06:44]
Annie Jones
I'm so excited. Okay, so I asked you to join me on the podcast today because of an email I got from a listener. I'm going to read that and then we're kind of going to dive into some travel book recommendations. This is from Kim. Kim says I'm a podcast listener from Israel also. What? Thank you, Kim, for listening from so far away. I've loved the podcast for a long time. I was a listener who requested a journalism themed episode. Thank you so much. That was a great episode back in the day. And I have another episode request. This vacation theme. So many of us are stuck at home dealing with everything this pandemic has brought. Since we can't travel, I'd love to travel vicariously through books, camping, lake house, exotic locations, honeymoon destinations, whatever. Just figuratively get me out of here. Thanks, Kim. Are we all Kim?
- [07:32]
Morgan Thomason
I am Kim.
- [07:34]
Annie Jones
Hi, I'm Kim. I am. I wrote in my journal today. This is very vulnerable, but I wrote in my journal today that I feel like crying all the time, which is super healthy. But I think it's because, I mean, for so many reasons, there is a lot happening in the world and in our country. But then underneath all of that is also just the personal loss of plans or of seeing the people we love or of traveling. And you in particular travel an awful Lot. So I guess my first question for you is, how are you? You doing okay?
- [08:06]
Morgan Thomason
Thank you for asking about this really hard time for me where I'm not traveling internationally. It's been really difficult. I mean, there's the grief of disappointment and missed plans and all the things. But I think not being able to travel has really shown me kind of what travel does for just my life and my heart. And there's just such a. Like, a reprieve and a discovery of myself that kind of happens when I travel. But that's what I'm really missing. Like, it's like I like to go and I like to eat and I like to explore, I guess. But mostly I miss just the feeling myself that comes when I travel. I think that's the. That's the saddest part. Yeah, I'm home.
- [08:49]
Annie Jones
Yeah, I totally get that. I think for me, you know, it helps me, I think, run my business better. I think it helps me take a deep breath. And I feel like I have spent the last, I don't know, I don't know, four months, three months, just kind of go, go, going. And sadly, I've tried to implement moments of rest and quiet at my house, and I think I've done that somewhat successfully. But there is something about going somewhere else and the physical act of changing your location that I really, really miss.
- [09:23]
Morgan Thomason
Yes, me too.
- [09:24]
Annie Jones
Okay, so we're going to kind of go back and forth with some book recommendations. You have come up with these really lovely descriptions for yours. And then I kind of found my books based on place, so. Based on where you might want to travel or where you wish you were going this summer. So I think you should go first and tell, like, the basic description and then the book you're recommending based on that description.
- [09:48]
Morgan Thomason
Okay, great. Okay. So I meant to go back and make these descriptors more concise. They're very, like, wordy and lengthy, so just.
- [09:58]
Annie Jones
I love them.
- [09:59]
Morgan Thomason
Whatever, you know, the first one is. I called it A Book for the Loved One listener. I don't know what that means, but the choice was 84 Charing Crossroad.
- [10:12]
Annie Jones
I don't know if I said it right.
- [10:13]
Morgan Thomason
Sharing.
- [10:15]
Annie Jones
That's right.
- [10:16]
Morgan Thomason
Thank you. By Helene Hampf. And I read this. I think it was literally on the flight back from literary London last year and just cried, like, the entire time. But it is this beautiful correspondence between an American writer living in New York city in the 1940s, and she's writing to this tiny bookstore in London, and the same man takes, like, all of her letters and sends her all of the antique books that she's looking for, like first editions. And they keep. And so it's just her asking for books and then they start to get to know each other and then it's. It turns into this 30 year correspondence between this tiny bookshelf or like, bookstore, like the bookshelf, and. And this American woman who is just like wanting beautiful books. And it's so charming and so lovely. And the feeling I get when I'm reading it is like I'm actually in London. Like, it feels very English, how they respond to her so deeply, politely. And like everything about it is so, like, polite and tender and she's more brash and like, American. And it's this hilarious kind of like, coming together of these two people from different cultures, essentially. And so I love it. It literally feels like you're actually in England to be reading this book.
- [11:40]
Annie Jones
It's lovely. Yeah, I. So I listened to this on audiobook, I want to say, and I listened to it like you on the flight back from London, and then for a couple hours, I think, on like, you know, finding myself back at home. And I also cried while reading it because who wouldn't after the experience we had just had? But I had never thought about it. You're right. It definitely feels British. It's kind of a quiet. Yeah. Polite little book. And you do feel like you're there. It's. She encapsulates well. And I guess it's both Helene Hampff and then also the bookstore owner. She's writing, like, encapsulate the culture of England so perfectly. It's really lovely.
- [12:23]
Morgan Thomason
It's beautiful. Yes. And it's very short and so a lot of time you can eat it in one bite. It's like literally. I mean, you could read it on the flight, like, finish it. And so it's. Yeah, you can get to England quick by reading that book.
- [12:39]
Annie Jones
And don't you have another title? If somebody Maybe has read 84 Charing Cross already and they want like a computer title.
- [12:45]
Morgan Thomason
Yes. The second one that feels similar just because of the correspondence is the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, which, I mean, has.
- [12:55]
Annie Jones
I hate that title so much. But yes.
- [12:57]
Morgan Thomason
Whoa. What? Whoa. But yes, it feels the same. That correspondence, the time in which it's written, like the era in which they're living. It's written in letter form. Both of those are. There's something so intimate about and a little creepy, but I feel fine about it, about reading other people's letters like it's like I feel like I'm seeing like a really precious part of somebody by being able to read these actual letters. Like Helene Hant's are real life letters that she sent, but then in Guernsey. It's obviously fictional, but kind of feels the same even though it's. Yeah, yeah. Not real.
- [13:38]
Annie Jones
Yeah. I think it's because, I don't know, writing a letter. For me, writing is how I process things. And when I write a letter, I almost forget there's going to be a person on the receiving end of it, you know, and so it winds up being this really personal, intimate thing. And so when you're reading books that are kind of in this epistolary format, I think it really does open you up to them in a really sweet way. Yeah, I'm gonna do my London picks too then, because obviously that was on the top of my mind. So if you're, if you're wishing you were in London this summer, I have two recommendations. One is Ordinary People by Diana Evans. I read a quote from that book at the top of the episode. This is a book I picked up in London. I always try to buy books kind of set in the place I'm going because I own a bookstore. And so sometimes I, I have to explain to myself why I'm buying books when I could just buy them at my house or buy. Buy them at my house, buy them at my other house, AKA the bookshelf. So Ordinary People by Diana Evans. She kind of in a, I think pretty, I won't say famous, but kind of bookish famous interview, talked about how she really wanted to write about the middle class lives of black British people. And so Ordinary People is exactly that. It kind of starts at, at an inauguration party for Barack Obama, set in London and then travels to, kind of follows this married couple through the next year or two of their marriage and their lives. So it's really an interesting look at just a marriage and a relationship. And then if you want to go a little more, PG13, Queenie by Candice Carty Williams. Have you read that? Have you read either of these?
- [15:17]
Morgan Thomason
I haven't.
- [15:18]
Annie Jones
So Queenie. I listened to part of Queenie. I have not read the whole thing, but it is supposed to be, I think it was pitched as like Americanah meets Bridget Jones Diary. And so I think that's a great pitch and it is very funny, very snarky, told in like this first person narrative. But just go in knowing, like we were listening to it as an audiobook club, I think last summer. And it's just very PG13, very Bridget Jones Diary. So just go into it knowing that's what you're getting. But I thought these would be fun to make you feel like you're in. Like you're in London. What you got next?
- [15:55]
Morgan Thomason
Okay, so my next theme is a book for the therapeutic traveler. And I think that's. I realized that's a lot of what I do. Like, when I'm going to another country, like, I'm usually bringing something with me about my life or about myself or like chewing on something or something. And so I'm going to struggle to say, how did I manage to pick two books that I don't actually know how to say the titles of those two book. Like, you would have thought that. I would have thought that through. But here we are. Okay, so this one is David Leibovitz second book. And it's. I'm gonna just butcher it.
- [16:33]
Annie Jones
Just do it.
- [16:34]
Morgan Thomason
La apart. That's French for apartment. I don't know. And I learned that, like, while reading the book. I had no idea. But he is an American chef working and living in Paris. He's lived there for 10 years. And I love this book because it's so deeply French. I love it because he. Okay, so I go to France to eat and to be nourished by all of their beautiful things. Like, I feel like in America we have these huge conglomerate stores that sell all the. All the things we need, right? Where in France it's like, no, no, we're going to go to the soap store, we're going to buy some soap, and we're going to go to the cookie store and we're going to know the man that makes our cookies and we're going to like, invite him to our Christmas parties. Like, there's something. So they know their people and who is making their goods and making their food and. And it's all in their neighborhood. And he. This book really talks about just like the neighborhood feel of France. It feels very French to read this book or it feels very Parisian. I don't know if it feels like the whole of France. I don't know if I can actually say that. But there's just. He talks about how he bought an apartment in France and all the bureaucracy around that and how the French deal with just the weeds of details, basically. And. But that he wanted to be in certain neighborhoods because of how he wanted to eat. And I loved the thought of, like, choosing where I live based on, like, nourishment. And there was something so European, I think Feeling about that?
- [18:13]
Annie Jones
Yeah.
- [18:13]
Morgan Thomason
It was almost like I could close. Cause I listened to this on audiobook. It's like I could close my eyes and it was like if I just had like a cafe au lait and like a macaroon in my hand, like, could I act like I'm in France right now? And this book really helps. It's like I could. It's like a time machine. I could get there.
- [18:31]
Annie Jones
That's why I love books. And I think that's exactly why Kim wanted recommendations. Because I think we, so many of us just wish that we could close our eyes and maybe be somewhere else just for a minute. And books help us do that. So I think that's a great recommendation.
- [18:44]
Morgan Thomason
And he's like, ridiculously funny. I think that helps too. Like, he's so light and fun about just the clash of cultures that goes on with him constantly, even after all this time.
- [18:55]
Annie Jones
And so his narration reminds me of David Sedaris. Does that ring true to you much?
- [19:01]
Morgan Thomason
Yes.
- [19:01]
Annie Jones
Yeah. Yeah. He's very snarky. Yeah.
- [19:05]
Morgan Thomason
The absurdity of things, like, he's here for that. But yeah, I loved it.
- [19:10]
Annie Jones
What about if you've already read Lepart, do you think that's how we pick?
- [19:16]
Morgan Page
What if you've already read that one?
- [19:19]
Annie Jones
What's a backup book?
- [19:21]
Morgan Thomason
And my backup book is the Hundred Foot Journey.
- [19:26]
Annie Jones
Oh, my gosh, I forgot that was a book. I loved the movie so much.
- [19:30]
Morgan Thomason
The movie is beautiful. A must. I mean, everyone should just go home and just watch it. Right now we can feel like you're traveling immediately.
- [19:37]
Annie Jones
Yeah, I love.
- [19:38]
Morgan Thomason
I. It's just beautiful. It's. I mean, about an Indian family that comes and moves from London to this tiny French village. And just about the clash of cultures going on there too. It's about food. And it also just feels very French. I think it's the food thing. I think it's just in the particular of it all and the attention to detail. It feels like when I'm in France, I feel really taken care of. Like they're paying attention to the details and there's beauty and everything they're doing and that. And the 100 foot journey feels like that too.
- [20:12]
Annie Jones
Yeah. What a lesson for us. I wish whenever I come home from a place like that, I've never been to France, but whenever I come back, I'm always thinking, like, how can I implement their ways of life here? Because I feel like they're doing something differently than what we're doing. But I like the idea of paying attention to the details and, yeah, taking care of people. Okay. My European recommendations are. I've got three. The Vacationers by Emma Straub. This is a book I've recommended many, many times, but it is set along the coast of Spain in Mallorca. It is very fun, dysfunctional family lit, but also dysfunctional family members that really like each other. So it doesn't feel hateful and mean. It feels kind and loving and like these people are figuring each other out. And often when you travel with your family, I feel like those different parts of you kind of come out and up out of you. And so I love the Vacationers. I love how Emma Straub writes. So the Vacationers, which is set in Mallorca, then Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter or My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante. Both of those speak to, I think, the culture of Italy. And they both are set. Beautiful Ruins, kind of goes back and forth between modern time and also, I think, like, the 1940s and kind of incorporates some Hollywood film culture. And then My Brilliant Friend is like historical fiction, but still, I don't know more about the people and the culture of Italy than it is about any historical events. And so those are two books where I very much felt transported. And it's like you're saying, where the book isn't just, I don't know, telling you about the place. It's also, I don't know, doing this thing with storytelling that makes you feel like you're there alongside these people. It was my favorite thing about My Brilliant Friend, which is very, like, kind of a tome to me in and of itself, but I felt transported. I felt like I was in this friend group and I was walking the streets of Italy and in beautiful ruins. I felt like I was along the coast. So those are my European picks.
- [22:14]
Morgan Thomason
I love that. I love when a book makes you feel included.
- [22:17]
Annie Jones
Yeah.
- [22:17]
Morgan Thomason
Like, I'm in on the, like, inside jokes and stuff. Like.
- [22:20]
Annie Jones
Yeah.
- [22:21]
Morgan Thomason
To mark for me of a good book.
- [22:22]
Annie Jones
Like, I'm here. I'm a part of it.
- [22:23]
Morgan Thomason
Yes.
- [22:24]
Annie Jones
Yeah. Okay, what you got next?
- [22:26]
Morgan Thomason
Okay, so the next theme is a book for the American adventurer, because not everyone likes to travel internationally. I do, but, you know, some people might not be into that. My favorite book of all time that talks about just absurdity and. And adventuring in America is A Walk in the woods by Bill Bryson.
- [22:48]
Annie Jones
I remember. I've never read it. I've never read it. It's so funny.
- [22:53]
Morgan Thomason
I love Bill Bryson. Like, we have that discussion of, like, if you could only have five people at your table to eat dinner. Of all history, who would it be? Bill Bryson's like, I want him at my table. He's so well traveled, he's live overseas. He's so precise with his observations of things and his observations of people. Like, he just nails people. And it's the funniest. He's spot on almost every time. And it's about him and a longtime friend. They decide that they are going to walk the Appalachian Trail and just don't really count the cost before they jump in. Which is. Which is will be my epitaph. She just.
- [23:35]
Annie Jones
I was about to say that sounds like.
- [23:39]
Morgan Thomason
That is me. And so I love that they just have this huge undertaking and it just talks about him like buying a tent and buying shoes and being like, all right, let's do this thing. Sounds great. And just the absurdity of what it means to walk across states and. And it's super dangerous to undertake this, essentially, which I didn't. Because I'm the type of person, I'm like, that sounds great.
- [24:04]
Annie Jones
I'm going to do that tomorrow.
- [24:07]
Morgan Thomason
Yes. But hearing it an actual practice is just the most horrific and hilarious thing ever. I remember I. The copy I have is actually my Dad's from probably 15 years ago. It's pretty old. I mean, I remember when my dad got. I specifically remember my dad getting this book because my dad's a big hiker and him reading it on like in his chair and just like cracking up. Like, I have vivid memories of him. Loving this book.
- [24:38]
Annie Jones
Dad laughs are the best.
- [24:40]
Morgan Thomason
Dad laughter. That's how you know this is a quality read. So. Yes. But it encapsulates everything about, like, our just. Or my inability to understand the ruggedness of where I live. And just to be like, this is fine, like, we're going to go to the Grand Canyon and like just kind of maybe walk around a bit. And it just feels very, I guess, American. Like his approach to just not understanding what he's getting himself into.
- [25:08]
Annie Jones
Yeah, that does actually sound very American. If 84 Charing Cross encapsulates kind of the sensibilities of Great Britain. Going on a hike and buying a tent and thinking you're prepared. Sounds like the American way.
- [25:22]
Morgan Thomason
It's so funny because, like, that pioneering, like, spirit is there, but no, like, know how I can see at this point. Hilarious.
- [25:36]
Morgan Page
Hi, friends, it's Annie. If you're looking for the perfect companion to our show, check out the Webby award winning daily podcast Totally Booked with Zibby. It's hosted by my friend and fellow independent Bookstore owner Zibby Owens, who's been dubbed New York City's most powerful book fluencer by Vulture. Every weekday on Totally Booked, Zibby sits down with the best and buzziest authors to share work that is truly worth your time. If you're looking for a place to start, I recently stopped by to discuss my new book, Ordinary Time. And I had an amazing time discussing small town life and lit. So follow Totally Booked with Zibby on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you're listening now.
- [26:24]
Annie Jones
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- [26:26]
Morgan Page
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Annie Jones
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- [27:25]
Annie Jones
Okay, what's your second pick for that category?
- [27:27]
Morgan Thomason
And then my second pick is the Pilgrim at Tinker Creek.
- [27:31]
Annie Jones
Oh, this is another book. This is a book I was gonna read this year. Hunter and I were gonna do it for a backlist book club because I've never read the whole thing, if you can believe it.
- [27:40]
Morgan Thomason
It's so beautiful. And it's obviously different. I mean, it's a much more serious and, like, thoughtful read, what Bill Bryce is trying to do. But I think their eye for precision in detail and observation feels very similar, even though she's coming at it from such a more serious and almost scientific way. I love Annie Dillard talking about the country I come from.
- [28:07]
Annie Jones
You know what I'm saying?
- [28:08]
Morgan Thomason
I need her to just, like, talk and talk and talk about where I come from just because, like, I don't know it the way she knows it. Yeah. And I remember reading that book for the first time and thinking, like, oh, my gosh, is she talking about, like, my land? Like, my, like, you know what I'm saying?
- [28:26]
Annie Jones
Yeah, she Makes it beautiful.
- [28:28]
Morgan Thomason
It's so beautiful. And so I think, especially in my younger years, I thought that, like, beauty was somewhere else. That, like, America kind of got the short end of the stick, which is just not true. That's just me living in suburbia. But I think, like, Annie Dillard has this way of, like, reminding us, like, no, no, no. Like America the Beautiful. Like, our land is so lovely. Like, our physical nature is just really beautiful. And so I love that book, too.
- [29:01]
Annie Jones
That's on my list. I need to read that. Okay, so I picked a couple of books set in America. So, like, if you were. I've got two books set in Maine. The first book is called the Next Great Jane. This is by KJ Going. This is a new children's chapter book, of all things. But children's lit is something I've really gravitated towards during the time of Corona. And I adored this book about a young aspiring writer named Jane who lives in Maine. And her dad is a. Oh, gosh, like a. He's a biologist, but I guess more of a marine biologist. He works from a boat. So you really get these great scenes and information kind of about environmental science, but in a way that's really captivating and interesting. And there are also. The book also almost exists as an homage to Jane Austen because we get some references to that because Jane is a young writer. And so I really loved this book and it made me want to go to Maine so badly. It talks about lobster and I love lobster. So it's called the Next Great Jane by KJ Going. And then if you want to maybe go a more adult lit route. Although I really do think grownups will like the Next Great Jane. I love the book Maine by J. Courtney Sullivan. It is set right on the coast of Maine. I've always wanted to be one of those people who has like a. Like a second home or like a second home in your family, which.
- [30:27]
Morgan Thomason
Oh.
- [30:27]
Annie Jones
Which you have. You have that I'm realizing as I'm talking out loud. But, like this kind of family home place that has been in a family for generations. And in this book there are these sisters and their family has this kind of seaside coastal home in Maine. And I. I don't know, it just makes you. Even though I grew up going to the Florida Gulf coast and kind of visiting there, I love this idea of, like, an old family home and where you go every summer. And it's just this place becomes a part of who you are. And then my last pick for Americana traveling is Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston. I finally read this for the first time. Have you read this?
- [31:08]
Morgan Thomason
Yes. Beautiful.
- [31:10]
Annie Jones
Oh, my gosh. I read this for the first time a year or two ago. It is the book that you're supposed to read if you're from Florida. Like, it's the Florida book. And I grew up in Florida, and I was born and raised there. And so I finally, finally read it. And I can't believe it took me so long. This book is gorgeous. There's nothing new I could say about it that hasn't already been said. It is profound. I also really love books. When I was making my list of things I wanted to books I wanted to talk about, I. During the summer. And I've said this many times on this podcast, I do not want to read books set anywhere cold. I just don't. It's a bajillion degrees here. I just. I will happily cozy up with a wintry snowy book in the winter, but when it is 100 degrees and your door has swollen shut due to humidity, I'm just not interested in reading a cold weather book. And so one of the things I love about Their Eyes Were Watching God is because it is set in Florida, you feel. Feel the humidity. Like, you feel the stickiness and the steam. And it's set during hurricane season. And I just adore this book. I think it's fantastic and it's a classic for a reason. So that's Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston. What's your next category?
- [32:20]
Morgan Thomason
Okay, my last category is a book for the home discoverer. And this is me just trying to be, like, kind to all of us since we can't actually travel. Like, these books do a really good job of kind of rediscovering our actual homes. So my first one is Hannah Coulter by Wendell Berry. And I. I love Wendell Berry so much. I know that you do. I love him deeply and I want to be his best friend, which is probably his worst nightmare because I know him so personally. You know what I'm saying?
- [32:54]
Annie Jones
Did I tell you I've met him.
- [32:55]
Morgan Thomason
Wait, what? Why haven't we talked about this?
- [32:59]
Annie Jones
I met him. So, okay, this is going to break your heart into a million pieces. I only read Wendell Berry's poetry, but my brother is, like, an adoring fan. Like, an absolute adoring fan. And so at some literary conference or another, Wendell Berry was there, like, signing. He wasn't even signing his newest book because it hadn't been published yet. He was signing like, posters. And I stood in line so that I could give my brother a signed poster for Christmas.
- [33:26]
Morgan Thomason
What a great sister.
- [33:28]
Annie Jones
Thank you. It was a really good gift. I'm not gonna lie.
- [33:31]
Morgan Thomason
How did anyone ever gift after that? I don't know.
- [33:34]
Annie Jones
I'm a really good gift give. I don't know if you knew that about me, but I'm really good. Yeah, but I waited in line and again, I am just not at the time, especially now I am. But at the time, I was not really familiar with him at all. I only knew that he was like my brother's hero. And so I got up in line and I hate meeting famous people or authors. I always feel like a goob. And I was like, my brother adores you. Like, that's all I could say. I was like. Cause I hadn't read any of his books until I was like, oh, my gosh. I just need you to know that my brother is one of your biggest fans. And anyway, he was so delightfully quiet and shy seeming. And now that I know more about him and about his work, it totally makes sense. So I didn't mean to commandeer your description, but I did just want you to know I have met him and he is a delight.
- [34:21]
Morgan Thomason
This is information I needed to thank. I don't know if I can finish, but I'm gonna try. Okay. So Hannah Coulter is his fiction work, and he writes about different people in this small town in Kentucky. And all of them are beautiful and wonderful. All of his fiction work should be read if I'm gonna be super bossy right now. But I love Hannah Coulter in particular because I love. Well, I love it that it's from a woman's perspective, even though Barry's writing it. But her view on growing up on the same land and what. How she sees it over time and how she's always discovering something new and how with each life change, her home that remains the same changes. And so it's fascinating to watch because that's his whole bit is to, you know, like, go home and cultivate your home. Like, know where you live, know the land that you have grown up on. Like, things like that. And so he does a really beautiful job of just creating this character that notices that even though she's in the same place, she never gets bored.
- [35:36]
Annie Jones
That is a lesson for us.
- [35:38]
Morgan Thomason
Yes. Yes. And I know she's fictional, but the only reason I don't call like or I don't say this is all garbage and he's just, like, being idealistic is because it's him. Like, that's the way he has lived. He went home and wrote books and, like, grows crops and. And there's something about, like, that there's no restlessness in her in this book. Just like this. She's always waiting for, like, to be odd and to be surprised by this land that she's always known. So, like, even though she's in the same place, she's not necessarily finding comfort in the monotony of it, but in the, like, the wonder of, like, what could come even here.
- [36:29]
Annie Jones
You should review books for a living. That was truly beautiful. Well, thank you. That was so.
- [36:34]
Morgan Thomason
It was so good. Oh, thank you. Thank you so much, Wendell. Mary, if you're listening, I would be happy to review all your books. Yeah. That was so good. Thank you. But I read that during quarantine. I read Hannah Coulter during quarantine again. And it was just so such a lesson to be like, I live on in a tiny neighborhood, and what am I doing to be surprised or to put myself in a position to be surprised? Oh, gosh.
- [37:01]
Annie Jones
Okay. I may need to move. I may just making a list as we speak. I'm like, okay, maybe I need to move that one to the top of my list. Because I. When you said there was no restlessness in her, I was like, oh, no. All that Annie B. Jones is right now is restless.
- [37:13]
Morgan Thomason
That is, like, all.
- [37:15]
Annie Jones
Yes.
- [37:15]
Morgan Thomason
I'm like, what is the prescription for this? Yes. I don't know. I don't know.
- [37:19]
Annie Jones
Maybe it's Wendell Berry.
- [37:20]
Morgan Thomason
I think it's Wendell. All his fictional characters, where he worked out, what he actually believes. I think that's probably it.
- [37:28]
Annie Jones
Okay, what's your second choice for that category?
- [37:30]
Morgan Thomason
Okay, and the second choice is the Dutch House, which you and I have just gone gaga over.
- [37:35]
Annie Jones
Like, yes.
- [37:36]
Morgan Thomason
When we're talking to each other. But, oh, my gosh. I think the Dutch House is one of the most beautiful books I've read in just recent years, even. It's about a family that grows up in the Dutch house, essentially, and things happen, but it's about the same family over time. I'm afraid of what to say about it because there's so many important details that oddly give it away. You know, it's like, yeah, I love kind of what you were saying about the books. You were talking about how, like, the importance of an actual place, like an actual house.
- [38:13]
Annie Jones
Yes.
- [38:14]
Morgan Thomason
And what that does to a family and what that does to, like, what happens when our legacy expands outside of each other and is actually in the places that we live. Like the literal places.
- [38:25]
Annie Jones
Yeah.
- [38:26]
Morgan Thomason
How do we manage that? When houses get sold and people die and. And they kind of talk about that through this book. Like what a house does to a family, which I love. And if you listen to the audiobook, Tom Hanks reads it, which is a whole different level of God.
- [38:43]
Annie Jones
I'm thinking about re reading it, but listening to it because I never did. I read the physical book and now I'm like, I think I want to revisit this book. I'm not a huge rereader, but I'm tempted with this one. And then I could listen to Tom read to me, which would be better.
- [38:57]
Morgan Thomason
Let Tom reshape this book for you. Because it is. I can't get like just remembering because I read it, I think in January, maybe December. January. And I'm remembering just what it felt like to read that book. Made me want to be. This was pre corona. But like wanting it made me want to be home. Like I remember thinking, like, I want to do the work of having a place that is a sanctuary. Kind of like this house was for this family.
- [39:23]
Annie Jones
Yeah.
- [39:24]
Morgan Thomason
But I obviously forgot that because now I'm like, let's just write.
- [39:29]
Annie Jones
Read that lesson. And promptly forgot it.
- [39:32]
Morgan Thomason
Very short lived. It was really beautiful in the moment, but now it's like, I just don't know.
- [39:36]
Annie Jones
Get me out of here.
- [39:37]
Morgan Thomason
Yes.
- [39:38]
Annie Jones
Okay. My last category is very different. This is truly like hot and steamy. Like if you just want to be in a sweltering place or you want to read what that is like. I've got three books. The first is set in Morocco. This is Tangerine by Christine Mangan. This is kind of an unsettling book. It's kind of quietly building to something, but you don't really know what. You just know that there are these two friends who kind of met and were really close in college, but have not really seen each other since. And one of them lives in Morocco. And then the friend kind of winds up on the doorstep and has come to visit. But you know that the friend who lives in Morocco is not pleased to see her. And so there's this kind of underlying sense of what's gonna happen here, what happened to this friendship. And it's all set in this backdrop of Tangiers in Morocco. And I just remember distinctly feeling just oppressed by the heat of this book. And I. And I loved it. I think the writing is outstanding. It's a quiet book, but it's really good. Next, I would recommend Born a Crime by Trevor Noah. This book is set in South Africa. And it's more. I mean, it's a memoir. And I think people maybe, maybe by now, because it's been out in paperback a while, people understand that it's not like a funny haha book by this great comedian. Instead, it's really smart book about growing up in South Africa and during and after apartheid and what that looked like and the impact it had on him and his relationship with his mom. And I think this book is so good, but I think because it is so good and because it's talking about these really complicated, interesting things, I think we forget that it's also kind of a love story to South Africa. And the setting plays such an important role in this book. And you can tell that South Africa really shaped who Trevor Noah is and his ideologies and where he came from. And then last, if you, like, want to feel like you're on a vacation, but also you want comfort in the fact that you're not on vacation, you could read a book about a vacation con gone horribly wrong. And I would recommend Do Not Become Alarmed by Molly Malloy. This is set in Central America. This family goes on a cruise, which I will read about a cruise, because I will never go on a cruise, so I would much rather just read about one.
- [41:59]
Morgan Thomason
Sure.
- [42:00]
Annie Jones
I feel like I've watched too many, like, I don't know, 2020 or Dateline episodes where, like, something goes wrong on a cruise. I'm just not interested in that. And so. But I really liked this book by Molly Malloy where this family goes on a cruise and something goes terribly, terribly wrong. And so it's really stifling. Just kind of going along with this family on this journey and figuring out the repercussions of a horrific mistake and what happens to these children in this book. It's so good. Very much for fans of Saint X, which came out earlier this year and which would also fall under this category of vacations gone wrong. So, like, to make you feel better that you have to be at home, remember how vacations could be on a bad cruise? Yeah, you could be on a terrible cruise where somebody gets kidnapped, and wouldn't that be awful? Okay, before we wind up the episode, I did want to mention three books that are, like, on my personal TBR list this summer. The first is Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson. I love New York, and I had a New York trip canceled in May, and my heart is broken over it. And Another Brooklyn is a Jacqueline Woodson book that is sitting on my bookshelves. I specifically bought it A couple years ago and have never read it. And it is set in 1970s New York, so that is on my TBR. The Jetsetters by Amanda Erie Ward. I think this might have been a Reese Witherspoon pick. It's got a very similar cover to Beach Read. So maybe I'm being, maybe I'm confused, but it is another kind of cruise book. But it doesn't look like a cruise gone wrong. It just looks like a cruise with a dysfunctional family. So it feels like it might have the vacationers vibes where this kind of 77 year old matriarch insists that her children go with her on this cruise. And so I'm kind of there for a spunky matriarch. And then Here Comes the Sun by Nicole Dennis Benn. This book is set in Jamaica. The protagonist kind of works at this resort and I am very intrigued mostly by the beautiful striking cover. And so these are three books that I would like to read based on maybe vacations I wish I were taking and then just books that have been on my TBR list and I think summer might be the time to tackle them. So where do you wish you were right now?
- [44:07]
Morgan Thomason
Oh my goodness. Probably I was supposed to be in Spain in May.
- [44:13]
Annie Jones
Okay.
- [44:14]
Morgan Thomason
And so there's a part of me that wants to say Spain just so I don't have to deal with the disappointment of not being in Spain. You know what I'm saying? Then I'd be fine. Yes. But truly where I want to be is probably England. Scotland, but in the countryside.
- [44:33]
Annie Jones
Okay.
- [44:33]
Morgan Thomason
I want to rent a car and I want to drive along the coast and have no responsibilities.
- [44:41]
Annie Jones
That sounds lovely, Sound great.
- [44:44]
Morgan Thomason
And see all the flowers and it not be 100 degrees.
- [44:47]
Annie Jones
Yes, yes.
- [44:49]
Morgan Thomason
I wear a summer jacket, you know.
- [44:51]
Annie Jones
Oh God, don't you wish I. All the time I'm wearing a sweatshirt right now just because in my home Jordan is not here. And so I have bumped down the air to pretend it is cold out. Like. Like to pretend that I'm the kind of person who can wear shorts and a long sleeve tee when the reality is that this is not the community for that. Like I'm not in a geographical location where that makes any sense at all.
- [45:13]
Morgan Thomason
Right.
- [45:14]
Annie Jones
And that is why I think my where I wish I was right now is Maine. I really do. It wasn't on our list. Like Jordan and I were supp to go to Utah this summer for our kind of yearly vacation. But instead I wish I was like in a lakeside home, like one of those cozy cabin situations. And where I could have a view of the coast. Maybe there's a hammock. And yes, the requirement is that you need a sweater in the evenings. I just people whose summer requires a sweater. I'm envious of you.
- [45:43]
Morgan Thomason
I mean, come on. What a dream.
- [45:45]
Annie Jones
What a dream. This has been a dream. Thank you for talking travel books with me. Thank you for dreaming with me. This was so fun.
- [45:52]
Morgan Thomason
It was so fun. What a joy. Thank you for inviting me.
- [46:00]
Morgan Page
This week. I'm Reading the Names by Florence Knapp.
- [46:12]
Annie Jones
From the Front Porch is a weekly podcast production of the Bookshelf, an independent bookstore in the 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 From the 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 Jost, Gene Queens, Martha Stephanie Dean Beth Ashley Farrell, Amanda Wickham, Nicole Marcy Wendy Jenkins. Thank you all for your support of.
- [47:08]
Morgan Page
From the Front Porch.
- [47:09]
Annie Jones
If you'd like to support from the Front Porch, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Your input helps us make the show even better and 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 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.