Podcast Summary: From the Front Porch
Episode 554 || November 2025 New Release Rundown
Release Date: November 6, 2025
Host: Annie Jones (A)
Guests: Olivia (B), Erin (C)
Produced by: The Bookshelf, Thomasville, GA
Overview
This episode is the final "New Release Rundown" of the year from the staff at The Bookshelf, spotlighting their favorite November book releases. Hosts Annie, Olivia, and Erin, each fresh from the challenges of Q4 and motherhood, share three new titles apiece—spanning genres from literary fiction to thriller, poetry to animal tales, with titles fit for gifting, comfort, or curling up during the autumn season. Their lively camaraderie, bookshop banter, and honest opinions give listeners insight into what’s worth reading this month.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. The Bookshelf’s Q4 Vibes
- Team check-in: The hosts are managing the busy retail season and new parenthood, joking about their health and energy levels.
- “We are smack dab in the middle of Q4. We’re not quite making Q4 money yet, but we’re doing Q4 business.” (Annie, 02:26)
- How to find these books: All titles featured can be found at bookshelfthomasville.com; listeners can use code “newreleaseplease” for 10% off. (04:18)
2. Spotlighted November New Releases
Annie’s Picks
a. How About Now by Kate Baer
- Release: This week
- Genre: Poetry
- Accessible, emotionally resonant poetry collection dealing with friendship, motherhood, grief, and middle age.
- Highly giftable, matches previous paperback collections.
- “I love Kate Baer … Her poetry to me is accessible, which is not a bad word. Everybody, I want to be accessible.” (Annie, 05:58)
- Comparison Titles: “What Kind of Woman,” “Same” by Hannah Rosenberg, works by Lindsay Rush.
b. Like Family by Erin O. White
- Release: November
- Genre: Contemporary literary fiction
- Follows three interconnected couples in upstate New York as they navigate the ripple effects of an acquaintance's death—focuses on relationships, parenting, identity, and dysfunction.
- “It’s very dysfunctional family, dysfunctional friendships. I also thought if you love an Emma Straub book, you will for sure like this.” (Annie, 15:51)
- Comparison Titles: “Sandwich” by Kathryn Newman, “The Irish Goodbye,” “Flight” by Lynn Steger Strong.
- Notable for: Sensitive portrayals of queer relationships and gender identity.
c. Lightbreakers by Aja Gabel
- Release: This week
- Genre: Literary fiction, speculative
- Explores marriage, loss, and time travel as scientist Noah is tempted by a chance to revisit his past, while artist Maya navigates her own history.
- “The premise sounds a little bit Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow. If you liked the movie Past Lives, which I loved, that movie … and then of course there’s a time travel element.” (Annie, 26:47)
- Annie expresses playful frustration at not getting an advance copy (25:56).
Olivia’s Picks
a. With Friends Like These by Alyssa Lee
- Release: This week
- Genre: Light thriller / Contemporary
- Centers on a decades-long, secret “killing” game among a group of sorority friends—now with real stakes as the winner claims a nearly $1 million pot.
- “I picked this up on a whim because also it was like short and sweet and that’s what I needed at the moment because who can read with a three month old at home?” (Olivia, 06:51)
- Features strong female friendships, humor, and a high-stakes twist.
b. The Sunshine Man by Emma Stonex
- Release: Nov 11
- Genre: Psychological drama / Literary suspense
- After waiting 20 years for her sister’s killer to be freed, Birdie plans revenge—the novel alternates perspectives, building atmospheric tension and moral complexity.
- “I need a good reason for a murder to happen. And I didn't think this was good enough at first. And then by the end I was like, yeah, this is great. You should probably kill him.” (Olivia, 17:47)
- “It was so good. … Everyone has a chip on their shoulder for some reason, and we’re finding out why and what makes them tick.” (Olivia, 19:42)
c. 59 Minutes by Holly Seddon
- Release: Nov 18
- Genre: Thriller
- After a nuclear missile warning, three strangers in South England fight to survive. Short, punchy chapters; multiple perspectives; strong plot twists.
- “Everyone in South England gets the same text message, and it’s basically, there’s a nuclear missile headed your way. You have 59 minutes to take shelter.” (Olivia, 30:51)
- “There is a pretty big plot twist at the end. Like a couple, actually. Right in a row, too." (Olivia, 32:36)
- Comparison authors: TJ Newman, Gillian McAllister.
Erin’s Picks
a. Helm by Sarah Hall
- Release: This week
- Genre: Literary / Experimental
- Narrative told partly from the point of view of “the wind” as it witnesses human history—moving through eras, characters, and philosophical musings.
- “You basically are reading the book for … you get the point of view of the wind as it's watching the Earth see happenings.” (Erin, 13:07)
- “Helm is itself a wonderful character. … Irreverent, it's playful, it's funny.” (Erin, 13:30)
- Beautiful writing and innovative perspective; for readers seeking something unique.
- Page count: 368; not a tome but “doable.” (B, 14:27)
b. The Tortoise’s Tale by Kendra Coulter
- Release: Nov 4
- Genre: Literary animal fiction
- Quiet, whimsical, and heartfelt story narrated from the perspective of a female tortoise on a Southern California estate as she observes and befriends humans.
- “You fall in love with this tortoise … you wanna keep reading because it’s just—I’m fascinated.” (Erin, 22:03)
- “If you love those types of books where an animal is sort of the main character and it’s personified … then this is such a heartwarming book.” (Erin, 23:25)
- Comparison Titles: “Remarkably Bright Creatures,” “Pestrokia in Paris”
c. Family of Spies by Christine Kenneally
- Release: Nov 25
- Genre: Nonfiction, history
- True account of the author’s discovery that her grandparents were Nazi spies in Hawaii before Pearl Harbor.
- “It is a nonfiction book that, to me, reads like fiction. … Her father was a young boy when his family … were Germans who were sent to live in Honolulu, Hawaii, to spy on Pearl Harbor.” (Erin, 34:38)
- “It’s only 272 pages. … I think this would make a fantastic gift for, again, the avid nonfiction readers in your life.” (Erin, 36:58)
3. Notable Quotes & Banter
- “All you have to do is record podcasts. Just record podcasts. Just one problem at a time, one day at a time.” —Annie, 03:21
- “We provide you comfort in familial deaths, murder and quaking tortoises.” —Olivia, 24:25
- “The tortoise does not talk. Oh, okay. There’s no talking.” —Erin, 24:32
4. Recommendations and Comparison Titles
- For poetry lovers and easy gifting: Kate Baer’s “How About Now”
- For dark, atmospheric suspense: “The Sunshine Man,” “59 Minutes”
- Animal-lovers and fans of “Remarkably Bright Creatures”: “The Tortoise’s Tale”
- Literary and experimental: “Helm”
- Fans of family or friendship stories: “Like Family,” “With Friends Like These”
- Fans of wildly readable nonfiction: “Family of Spies”
Timestamps for Key Segments
- Q4 Bookshop Vibes & How to Order: 02:20 – 04:18
- How About Now by Kate Baer (Poetry): 04:18 – 06:50
- With Friends Like These by Alyssa Lee (Thriller/Friendship): 06:50 – 10:04
- Helm by Sarah Hall (Experimental Lit): 10:34 – 14:44
- Like Family by Erin O. White (Contemporary): 14:45 – 17:29
- The Sunshine Man by Emma Stonex (Suspense): 17:33 – 20:56
- The Tortoise’s Tale by Kendra Coulter (Animal Fiction): 20:56 – 24:25
- Lightbreakers by Aja Gabel (Speculative Lit): 24:51 – 28:07
- 59 Minutes by Holly Seddon (Thriller): 30:07 – 33:57
- Family of Spies by Christine Kenneally (Nonfiction): 34:30 – 36:59
Episode Tone
Warm, friendly, and humorous, with candid confessions about personal bookish preferences, motherhood, and a touch of Southern charm. The interplay between hosts is inviting—full of encouragement, playful teasing, and genuine excitement about books.
Final Thoughts
Listeners are encouraged to check out the Bookshelf’s selection, support independent bookstores, and treat themselves or loved ones to a new November read. The episode offers thoughtful recommendations for a wide range of readers, whether looking for comfort, thrill, or something artistically daring.
For full book details and to purchase:
Visit bookshelfthomasville.com and search "episode 554" for all titles discussed.
Use code newreleaseplease for 10% off.