Podcast Summary

From the Front Porch – Episode 559

"Staff's Favorite Books of the Year" (December 11, 2025)

Episode Overview

In this annual tradition, Annie Jones, owner of The Bookshelf in Thomasville, Georgia, brings together several staff members to share their favorite books of 2025. The episode radiates warmth, gratitude, and a love for books, providing listeners with a glimpse into The Bookshelf’s vibrant, book-loving community. Each featured staffer shares a heartfelt voice memo about their favorite read of the year, complete with evocative descriptions and favorite quotes. Whether you’re looking for reading inspiration or want to hear what independent booksellers are genuinely enjoying, this episode is a celebration of community and stories.

Key Segment Summaries & Insights

1. Introduction – Books Come Alive When They Are Read

[00:24] Annie Jones (Host)

• Annie sets a collaborative, grateful tone, emphasizing how a book’s true value is unlocked when it’s read, quoting Samantha Soto Yambaugh’s Water Moon:
  • “Books do not find value when they are written, they find value when they are read. Every book here is both worthless and priceless at the same time. It depends on who you ask.” (00:24)
• She explains the process: not all staff could participate due to busy end-of-year demands, but listeners can find the complete staff favorites list on Instagram (@bookshelftville).

2. Olivia Perkins: Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy

[05:03] Olivia Perkins (Operations Manager)

• Olivia praises Wild Dark Shore for its genre-blending story, emotional depth, and atmospheric winter setting:
  • “This story has so much to it, and it caught multiple staffers at the bookshelf in the same way it caught me...a blend of so many different genres.” (05:14)
• Book summary: A father and his three children care for the world’s largest seed bank on a remote island near Antarctica. The arrival of a mysterious woman disrupts their lives, leading to suspense and revelations about the family’s past.
• Olivia highlights the book’s exploration of isolation, family love, and climate-imperiled futures, emphasizing both its prose and its wintry atmosphere:
  • “I do think winter is the perfect time for you to be picking this book up since it is set in a cold, temperate area. This book is very atmospheric.” (08:27)
• Notable quote from the novel:
  • “You are not meant to have favorites, but my youngest is that if only by a hair and with a gun to my head, if I really, really had to answer...Most likely. I don't know why, but it may also be because for one brief moment long ago, I wished him dead.” (08:08)
• Olivia’s closing note: “Pick up this book. It was five stars for me. I think about it constantly because it was just so well done and so well written. You won't regret it.” (09:30)

3. Erin: Life and Death and Giants by Ron Rendo

[12:10] Erin (Retail Floor Manager)

• Erin’s favorite is a sweeping, emotional tale centering on Gabriel, a giant at birth, raised by Amish grandparents after his mother’s death in rural Wisconsin.
• Themes: outsider status, the push and pull of belonging, family and love’s power to unite divided communities.
• Erin finds profound beauty and tenderness in the story and shares her favorite line:
  • Notable quote:
    • “What is forgiveness but an undeserved gift given? Light as air, beautiful as a moonlit ride home.” (13:14)
• Personal note: Erin connects deeply to Gabriel’s journey and the redemptive power of love.

4. Keela: Water Moon by Samantha Sotoyambao

[14:17] Keela (Online Sales Coordinator)

• Keela, “the resident horror reader,” surprises herself by choosing Water Moon, which she describes as evocative, atmospheric, and transporting:
  • “I always compare this book to a Studio Ghibli movie and if you haven't watched one of those, I highly recommend it...This book is one that I will definitely revisit one day and it will feel like coming home.” (14:40)
• The story’s world and characters felt “raw and real,” and inspired Keela to revisit old hobbies like origami—“the book made me restart a hobby that I had in high school.” (15:10)
• Favorite quote (echoing Annie’s intro):
  • “Books do not find value when they are written, they find value when they are read. And that just is this book. I feel like I found so much value in it and it was amazing.” (15:26)

5. Kendyl: Deep by Holly Brickley

[17:29] Kendyl (Inventory Coordinator)

• Kendyl’s highlight is the deep intertwining of music and narrative in Deep:
  • “I just love this book because of the way it intertwined music into the plot. So much so that even at some points music felt as if it was its own character.” (17:34)
• Structure: Chapters are named after songs and a playlist accompanies the novel.
• Focus: The evolving creative relationship between Jo and Percy, encompassing friendship, romance, and artistic inspiration.
• Favorite quote:
  • “I think songs gave me a window into a magical life, something bigger or whatever waiting out there. And I felt like the only way to get there was through the songs. Like the songs, if I listened hard enough, would show me how to get it right.” (18:28)
• Kendyl beautifully captures the book’s central idea that “music can be a path to discovery and belonging.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Books do not find value when they are written, they find value when they are read.” – Quoted by both Annie (00:24) and Keela (15:26); a theme that resonates across the episode.
• Olivia on winter reading: “If you live in a cold area as well. Pick this up now if you haven't already.” (08:31)
• Erin on forgiveness: “Light as air, beautiful as a moonlit ride home.” (13:18)
• Kendyl on music’s meaning: “I think songs gave me a window into a magical life, something bigger or whatever waiting out there...” (18:28)

Staff Recommendations – At a Glance

| Staff Member | Book Title | Author | Themes/Highlights | Timestamps | |----------------------|---------------------------------|-----------------------------|------------------------------------------------|------------| | Olivia Perkins | Wild Dark Shore | Charlotte McConaghy | Genre-blending, climate change, family, suspense | 05:03 | | Erin | Life and Death and Giants | Ron Rendo | Outsider, Amish community, forgiveness, redemption | 12:10 | | Keela | Water Moon | Samantha Sotoyambao | Atmosphere, raw characters, “Studio Ghibli”-like | 14:17 | | Kendyl | Deep | Holly Brickley | Music as character, friendship, creative journeys | 17:29 |

Closing Reflections

Annie closes with heartfelt gratitude for her hardworking, creative team and invites listeners to connect further by checking out the staff’s full favorites list on Instagram or visiting the bookstore during the holiday season. She acknowledges the importance of teamwork in sustaining both the shop and the podcast, and reminds us to look out for the upcoming episode, where she and Hunter will unveil their own top ten of 2025.

For the complete booklist and further staff picks:
Visit The Bookshelf’s Instagram (@bookshelftville) or website (bookshelfthomasville.com) and search "episode559".