From the Front Porch – Ep. 547 “Off the Shelf with Annie & Ashley: Autumn”

Release Date: September 18, 2025
Host: Annie Jones
Guest Co-host: Ashley Sherlock

Episode Overview

In this special “Off the Shelf” edition, Annie and her cousin Ashley celebrate the change of seasons, chatting about what they’re reading, watching, listening to, and buying as autumn approaches. Set just on the cusp of fall in the South, the episode offers book recommendations, cozy conversation about transitioning out of summer, and relatable pop culture touchpoints—from fantasy football to true crime documentaries and the woes of broken doors and medical bills. The episode’s tone is friendly and full of warmth, blending literary talk with life updates, humor, and a dash of nostalgia.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Loving (and Dreading) the Fall Transition

• Weather Woes

  • Both Annie and Ashley discuss the emotional and physical discomforts of late summer heat in the South and their differing attitudes toward seasons.
  • Notable Quote:
    Annie: “Truly, two nights ago, I stood in our kitchen and I said, I have tried hard to have a good attitude, but I freaking hate this month. I hate this time of year. August does me in every year.” (04:33)
  • Ashley recently had her appendix out, tying her August misery to real-life pain:
    “Listeners, just for your information, I had my appendix taken out 10 days prior to the recording of this podcast. So, that’s August 2025.” (04:51)

• Fake Fall Moments

  • Ashley shares about the tease of “fake fall” where cooler days in August gave hope before the heat returned:
    “I had to, like, actively make myself not excited. Cause I didn’t want to rush out of summer... Fall will come in September, and now it’s hot and gross again.” (02:52)

Seasonal Reading & Book Recommendations

• Libraries as Joyful Community Spaces
  Annie celebrates rediscovering her local library:
  “One of the joys of this summer was utilizing the Thomas County Public Library... for the first time this summer, I was actually, like, actively checking out books.” (05:21)

• Books for the Season: Fresh Releases & Hidden Gems

  • The Academy by Elin Hilderbrand

    • Boarding school novel; “New England settings in books and I love a boarding school setting... If I am not mistaken, you are a fan or were a fan of Gossip Girl. And there are some like teen angst soap opera elements to this book, but elevated.” (07:24)
    • Annie recommends it for those wanting to edge into fall reading with something fun and transitional.

  • Palm Meridian by Grace Flahive

    • Ashley’s recommendation: “...about a retirement community in Florida and one person experiences... health drama, some mental drama. It’s all about... making her see the beauty of life again. But it’s not very flowery... maybe some things might not be okay at the end, but that’s okay.” (08:18)
    • She listened to the audiobook and found it “a good listen.” (09:12)

  • Buckeye by Patrick Ryan

    • Annie read this thick historical fiction over the summer: “It covers this small town in Ohio... it’s four people, and kind of how they navigate global events, but also some dysfunction and drama in their own marriages...” (09:14)
    • Insight: “One of the things I really liked about this book was the reminder that there have been other really hard seasons globally and nationally... it kind of puts what’s happening now... in perspective.” (09:41)

  • Jaws by Peter Benchley

    • Ashley’s surprise hit of the summer; she highly recommends both book and movie (14:00-14:41).
    • “Reading the book was just a completely different rich experience.” (14:41)

  • The Griffin Sisters’ Greatest Hits by Jennifer...

    • “My other standout was the Griffin Sisters Greatest Hits... I mean, that has... somebody like lives in Alaska in that book. So that could be maybe fallish. It’s cold.” (14:09)
    • Good for any time of year.

• Power of Personalized Reading Lists

  • Annie made personalized reading lists for family. Ashley credits this with breaking her reading rut:
    “It was one of the most helpful things that maybe you have ever done for me because I read... every single book on that list that was available on audio.” (11:40)

Autumnal Watching: TV, Documentaries & More

• Scrubs Rewatch

  • Annie and her husband Jordan are rewatching Scrubs, which sparks relatable generational gaps and funny pop culture references—Jordan thinks he’s discovered Zach Braff (15:12-16:19).

• True Crime Docs

  • The Yogurt Shop Murders (HBO)

    • Annie recommends this for those interested in unsolved, complex true crime. (16:55)

  • Mr. and Mrs. Murder (Hulu)

    • Local Tallahassee case; both hosts discuss the surreal feeling of a nationally-known tragedy happening in their own hometown.
      Annie: “I have distinct memories of coming home from college... there would be an ad in the paper every year that his mother would put out.” (18:12)
    • Ashley: “That was truly the weirdest part to me was hearing about all this stuff that was happening... I grew up just seeing that everywhere. Really didn’t know anything about it.” (19:55)
    • Extended speculation and chilling statistics about Lake Seminole’s “disappearances.” (21:23–21:41)

• Inventing Anna (Netflix)

  • Ashley’s pick: The story of Anna Sorokin is fascinating, infuriating, and anxiety-inducing—massive “fake it until you make it” energy:
    “But this woman, Anna Sorokin, she basically, like, commits a bunch of fraud. Like, as a slightly different person, it’s basically just about faking it until you make it...” (22:04)

• Sports Documentaries & Fantasy Football

  • Annie’s joy in bingeing NFL docs and organizing her own fantasy league as an act of fun rebellion. (24:52–26:15)
    • “I just wanted something stupid, fun. I hope this is gonna be it.” (27:49)
  • The two discuss the hopes of understanding and enjoying sports culture in adulthood, especially college football rituals and snacks. (28:32–29:11)
  • Notable Rivalries: “Your bowl is the Blondie bowl. And it’s you versus Megan... Our friend Kimberly and then Kate... the romance reader bowl.” (27:12–27:37)

Listening: Music for Autumn

• Ashley’s Playlist:

  • “A Place to Call Home” by Michael Ottison, a beautiful, wordless piano piece.
    Ashley: “I tried to find the sheet music for it because I love it so much, but it doesn’t exist... he passed away so I can’t get it.” (31:16-31:41)
  • “Autumn to May” by Peter, Paul and Mary:
    “It’s kind of... along the lines of Puff the Magic Dragon, kind of that vibe. But the harmonies. Oh, the harmonies. And they say the word autumn.” (31:43-32:11)

• Annie’s Playlist:

  • Ellie Holcomb’s children’s albums: “Great non-annoying kids songs that I really love... I used to listen to those albums before Isaac, but now I really get a lot of joy from listening to those with Isaac.” (35:18)
  • Curated lullabies playlist: “Puff the Magic Dragon”, “Leaving on a Jet Plane”, “Rivers and Roads” by The Head and the Heart (35:56-35:59)
  • Discovering Olivia Dean as a new artist Ashley might like (36:12)

Buying: Seasonal Finds & Small Joys

• Ashley’s Picks:

  • Simple Mills Cheese Crackers (and Mediterranean Herb): “Highly recommend. So good... I have been crumbling those up instead of croutons on top of” Caesar salad. (37:12)
  • Art by Nikki’s Snail Mail Club:
    “It’s so fun. And Nikki, she gives you a lot of stuff... a nice little package. Plus, it’s just guaranteed fun mail every month.” (38:06)

• Annie’s Picks:

  • Home Repair Woes: Annie shares the saga of replacing a rotted door on her historic house:
    “I paid an exorbitant amount of money for a custom sized door. It’s now whatever, fiberglass or something. It’s not going to rot...” (39:13)
    • Thanks listeners for book purchases that made the repairs possible.
  • Elastic-Waist Jeans:
    “I just would like to say thank you. And I have found great jeans... elastic waist... if you’re living that postpartum or just in between sizes, or you just want elastic waist pants life.” (41:06)
    • Pilcrow barrel jeans at Anthropologie get a special shout-out.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “August seems like it’s a little bit out to get me.” – Ashley (04:51)
• “But her new book, The Academy, is... a boarding school novel set at fictional Tiffin Academy in New England. Oh my gosh. I love New England settings in books and I love a boarding school setting.” – Annie (07:24)
• “Having a list like that is so helpful for if you’re in a reading rut or if you finish a book and you don’t know what to read next. Instead of just sitting there kind of clueless, you can go back to your list and the list can kind of reground you.” – Annie (12:01)
• “I just wanted something stupid, fun. I hope this is gonna be it.” – Annie on fantasy football (27:49)
• “If somebody tells me what to do, then I’m golden. I’ll do it. I can cross off a list. Just give me the list.” – Ashley (13:06)
• “I think people underestimate how much I enjoy stuff like this. And I think people also forget that I do so much like bookish stuff. Now I’m doing baby stuff. And I just wanted something stupid, fun.” – Annie (27:49)
• “Highly recommend. So good... I have been crumbling those up instead of croutons on top of it. Highly recommend.” – Ashley on Simple Mills crackers (37:12)
• “My personality is my rotted door.” – Annie (39:07)
• “People should play a drinking game with appendix and see how inebriated they become.” – Annie (41:12)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Opening and Purpose: 00:01–02:00
• Seasonal Vibes & Weather Chat: 02:00–05:21
• Reading Recommendations: 05:21–15:11
• Watching: TV/Docuseries/Sports: 15:11–30:00
• Listening: Songs & Playlists: 31:12–36:12
• Shopping & Small Joys: 36:52–41:44

Friendly, Local Flavor

The episode is peppered with personal anecdotes about life in Southern towns, deep dives into quirky family traditions, love for public libraries and independent bookstores, and nods to the joy of community events. The hosts create a cozy, conversational space perfect for book lovers, pop culture aficionados, anyone looking for seasonal inspiration, or simply folks missing home.

What’s Up Next

• Annie is reading The Wilderness by Angela Flournoy
• Ashley is reading The Will of the Many by James Islington

Get involved: The hosts encourage listeners to share their autumnal favorites and reading picks and to keep supporting indie bookstores.

Support the podcast: Show notes include links for Patreon, reading lists, and small business spotlights like the Thomasville History Center and local artists’ snail mail clubs.

(For a full list of books mentioned and links to purchase, see the show notes at bookshelfthomasville.com)