Episode 573 || March Madness 2026 with Jordan Jones

Summary

Podcast Summary: From the Front Porch

Episode 573: March Madness 2026 with Jordan Jones
Release Date: March 19, 2026
Host: Annie B. Jones
Guest: Jordan Jones

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Episode Overview

This annual "March Madness" episode brings back Annie's husband, Jordan, for a beloved Bookshelf tradition: a bracket-style debate of the bookstore's 16 top-selling books from the previous year, echoing the NCAA basketball tournament format. Annie hand-sells each title, while Jordan—often relying on offbeat reasoning or "vibes"—picks the winner for each round until the champion emerges. Along the way, they riff on Southern life, bookish quirks, and personal memories, creating a lively, humorous, and affectionate episode.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. March Madness Book Bracket Tradition

• Intro to the Bracket:

  • Olivia (Bookshelf staff) selects and seeds the 16 bestsellers using store data.
  • Listeners can download and fill out their own brackets (02:38).
  • Special March Madness T-shirts and stickers—“A Woman’s Place Is in the Paint”—are available (03:31).

• Fun with Venn Diagrams:

  • Annie jokes about her campaign to grow the overlap between book lovers and basketball fans.
    • “What does that Venn diagram look like? … We’re trying to make it bigger. It’s my life mission.” – Annie (05:18)

• Family & Community Participation:

  • The bracket is a Jones family tradition—going strong for 22 years (07:48).
  • The store involves staff, friends, and even Annie’s fantasy football league (06:31).

2. Strong Store & Local Community Engagement

• The local bestseller, A Century of Healing, underscores Thomasville’s love for all things Thomasville (30:54).
• Staff, customers, and community come together to participate, with store brackets displayed on the counter (09:51).

3. Humor, Self-Deprecation, and Good-Natured Competition

• Jordan delights in flipping Annie’s expectation that he’s just picking by “vibes” (02:00).
• The couple’s banter about past bracket upsets and “stumbling blocks” is relatable and playful.
• Jordan is full of creative justifications for his choices:
  • “I have a Magic: The Gathering card called Heartwood Storyteller, so Heartwood is the correct answer.” (27:56)
• Both weave in literary, sports, and pop culture references—from Rascal Flatts to Magic: The Gathering to Scrubs to Lord of the Rings.

4. The Book Bracket: Structure & Memorable Matchups

• Annie dutifully pitches each of the 16 books to Jordan, with backstories, staff favorites, genre notes, and personal anecdotes.
• Jordan picks winners round by round, often for whimsical or deeply personal reasons.

Highlights from Early Rounds (Key Timestamps):

• Introduction of the Books & First Matchups: (11:01–17:11)

  • My Southern Kitchen vs. Theo of Golden

    • Winner: Theo of Golden
    • “…it’s peaking at the right moment… a self-published book picked up by a major publisher is huge.” – Annie (16:48)

  • Great Big Beautiful Life vs. It’s a Love Story:

    • Winner: It’s a Love Story
    • Annie recalls being an early Annabelle Monaghan fan:
      “If I have heard the story that you went to a Rascal Flatts concert and … you grabbed [a guitar pick], if I’ve heard that once…” – Jordan (22:07)

  • Heartwood vs. Wild Dark Shore:

    • Winner: Heartwood (by association with Magic: The Gathering and the “Tipsy Coachman Doctrine”; 27:57)

  • A Century of Healing (local history book) vs. Everything Is Tuberculosis (John Green):

    • Winner: Everything Is Tuberculosis (33:48)
    • Jordan: “There is no universe in which this John Green book doesn't win.”

  • Don Quixote (classic) vs. Onyx Storm (Rebecca Yarros fantasy):

    • Winner: Don Quixote
    • Jordan quips about attorneys at work desperate for the exclusive edition of Onyx Storm (45:58).

  • Ordinary Time (Annie's book) vs. Flannery O’Connor: The Complete Stories:

    • Winner: Ordinary Time
    • “Only one of these two books has moved me emotionally, and it’s Ordinary Time.” – Jordan (50:20)

Remaining first/second-round matches and reasoning can be found throughout 52:25–58:20.

5. Elite Eight & Final Four Analysis

• The winners progress:

  • Elite Eight: Theo of Golden, It’s a Love Story, Heartwood, Everything Is Tuberculosis, The Correspondent, Rebellion of Care, Don Quixote, Ordinary Time (52:25)
  • Final Four: Theo of Golden, Everything Is Tuberculosis, The Correspondent, Ordinary Time (55:45)

• Notable match logic:

  • Everything Is Tuberculosis “infects the team” and takes out Theo of Golden for a Final Four win (56:08).
  • Annie’s Ordinary Time edges out The Correspondent because, “an elderly letter writer wouldn't last one moment on the court” (58:21).

6. The Championship Match: Ordinary Time vs. Everything Is Tuberculosis

• Final pick: Ordinary Time wins the championship.
  • “Sometimes you have to sit down and just be grateful for your ordinary life. If you want to do that, I would suggest Ordinary Time.” – Jordan (59:11)
  • “Ordinary Time defeats John Green in one of the most massive upsets—an upset since Lehigh beat Duke!” – Jordan (59:59)
• Annie is incredulous:
  • “I can’t believe it. ... I fully believed [you would knock it out in the first round].” (60:32)
• They joke about setting a good example for their son Isaac and inspiring future family competitions (61:17).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On March Madness & Book Brackets:
  • “Often based solely on vibes. And if this sounds a little chaotic, that’s because it is.” – Annie (00:43)
• Bookstore Insight:
  • “Thomasville likes nothing more than Thomasville.” – Annie (31:27)
• Banter about book events:
  • “You own a bookstore. You have to hand-sell them to me.” – Jordan (02:33)
• Personal connection:
  • “Only one of these two books has moved me emotionally, and it’s Ordinary Time.” – Jordan (50:20)
  • “If Ordinary Time was going to go out to one of those classics, it would have been Flannery.” – Annie (55:25)
• Humor on Decision-making:
  • “I’m about to throw in another circle. It’s going to become a Venn Triagram.” – Jordan (27:39)
  • “The actual podcast staff … I don’t even think they [listen to it]!” – Annie (09:41)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Bracket tradition, T-shirts, and swag: 02:38–05:18
• Jones family & staff brackets: 06:03–09:51
• First book introductions: 11:01
• Humorous banter about audiobooks & pronunciations: 19:21–20:08
• Local love for Thomasville history: 30:03–31:30
• First round matchups: 13:05–47:06
• Elite Eight announcements: 52:25
• Final Four: 55:45
• Championship winner declared: 59:11–60:54
• Reflections and wrap-up: 61:00–62:22

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Tone & Atmosphere

• Warm, witty, and playful. Annie and Jordan’s chemistry as a couple and as podcast foils shines through, with affectionate teasing and shared memories.
• Book-centric, community-minded, and lightly competitive. There's deep love for both bookselling and basketball-spirit competition.
• Self-aware, casual, and inclusive. The hosts acknowledge listeners who bridge—or don’t—the world of books and sports, and invite everyone to join the fun.

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Closing Notes

• Listeners are encouraged to fill out brackets, share their picks, and get March Madness merch (61:34).
• Annie’s current read: All the World Can Hold by Jung Yoon.
• Jordan’s current reads: Miracles by C. S. Lewis and Upgrade by Blake Crouch (62:06).
• All featured books can be purchased at bookshelfthomasville.com.

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For fans of books, Southern life, and good-hearted banter, this episode is the perfect annual mash-up of NCAA bracket fever and indie bookstore energy.

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If you’d like to compare your picks, download the bracket from The Bookshelf’s Instagram or website! (#BooksAndBasketball #MarchMadness2026)

Transcript

[A]

Welcome to from the Front Porch, a conversational podcast about books, small business, and life in the South. There's an old saying about stories that and how there are always three versions of them. Yours, mine, and the truth. Emily Henry, Great big beautiful life. I'm Annie Jones, owner of the Bookshelf, an independent bookstore in beautiful downtown Thomasville, Georgia, and this week, it's time for March Madness. Do you love listening to from the Front Porch? Every week, spread spread the word by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. 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. Here's a recent review so fun. Annie makes listening to her fun. She's just bright and cheerful. Even if you haven't read what she's discussing. You love that she loved it. Thank you so much to all of the reviewers who've left kind words and thoughtful reviews for our show. Thank you. We're so grateful. Anytime you share from the Front Porch with your friends. Thanks for spreading the word about our podcast and our bookstore, too. Now back to the show. For years, my husband Jordan has come on 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 selects one as the champion, often based solely on vibes. And if this sounds a little chaotic, that's because it is. Hi, Jordan.

[B]

Hi.

[A]

Welcome back.

[B]

I'm glad to be back. Solely based on vibes. I don't know. There's a lot that goes on in this microchip processor of mine. And it's not just vibes.

[A]

I am pretty sure that right before we came on this show, you said, now this is the one where you just tell me what all the books are about. Right. Like, I don't need to look anything up.

[B]

Yeah. But I process very quickly. And so when you tell me, then that's when it feeds it into the microprocessor and then we see what comes out.

[A]

It really puts a lot of pressure on me, the bookseller, to remember all the details about these 16 bestsellers.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Because you did absolutely nothing.

[B]

Well, that's what you signed up for, though, when you, when you owned a bookstore, that's what you have to hand sell them to me.

[A]

So if you are new listener, if you're a new from the Front Porch listener, we do this every year. Olivia has narrowed the playing field for us. She is the Selection committee. She has selected the top 16. I mean, she used data. She didn't just, you know, you know, off the top of her head, these are our 16 bestsellers. But she seeded them. So she put the seeds together that she thought made the most sense. So you, the listener, can find an electronic version of the bracket on Instagram. You can screenshot it, fill it out, then tag us ookShelftville. So we can see how your picks differ from Jordan's, because inevitably they will. We will also have an in store display with this year's finalists. And today we are launching our 2026 March Madness T shirt design by our friend Lindsay at Pen and Paint. It's a little weird because her company name is Pen and Paint. And this year, inspired by Jennifer, a Patreon supporter, we did a March Madness T shirt where the back design says a woman's place is in the paint. This is an homage to my favorite T shirt I had as a kid that I have tried to find and cannot find anywhere. It was sold at the Lady Footlocker in, oh, I don't know, 1998. And so now we have created our own. Thanks to Lindsay at Pen and Paint. It is really cute. And there is an essay in Ordinary Time titled the same thing.

[B]

You know, I don't know if you remember this, but I bought you a shirt a few years ago that says, a woman's place is in the paint. Okay. You remember that?

[A]

I remember that, but it wasn't.

[B]

It's not the same thing.

[A]

It's not the same thing. It's not as cute as the. Because the original. I had two WNBA T shirts when I was like 11. Well, no. Third, fourth, fifth grade. Somewhere around there. I had two shirts. One was a WNBA basketball and it felt like a basketball. Do you know what I mean? Like, it had the bumpy kind of texture.

[B]

The big thing in the 90s was texture.

[A]

Yeah, it was really cool. And then the second shirt I had said, a woman's place is in the paint. And I. You graciously tried to find me that shirt. It no longer exists. You found a shirt that said that same thing?

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Was it cute?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

No. But did I keep it? Yes. But Lindsey really has done a great job.

[B]

Okay. She did the cute version.

[A]

Yeah, she did the cute version. And you own one now?

[B]

I do. I do. It is cute. It's nothing if not cute.

[A]

So I can't wait to take our picture in it. I only wish we had a baby sized one so Isaac could participate. Anyway, the T shirts are available online. There's a link in the show notes, and in store, they're $35 each. And we have stickers that come in similar designs as well. So if you are a fellow book basketball person and you love March Madness, every year, like, we do that stuff, that swag is available.

[B]

What does that Venn diagram look like? So circle of book lover and then circle of. I understand March Madness. How big is the overlap there?

[A]

We're trying to make it bigger. Okay. It's my life mission.

[B]

Got it. Okay. That's fair. That's what we do here.

[A]

That's exactly what we do here.

[B]

Not all heroes wear capes.

[A]

We're just trying to embrace the multitudes

[B]

we all can taste. Yes. Yes.

[A]

Okay. So Olivia has paired these titles. I am going to do my best to. To describe to you these books. I will be honest. I came into this episode thinking Jordan will have researched these, and you came into this thinking Annie will have researched these. So we're gonna. This will be fun. Olivia's picked these 16. Well, our bestsellers picked these 16. Olivia seeded them, and now we get to debate them. And so are you ready?

[B]

Jordan says, I'm ready. I'm ready to go. And this is how a lot of people approach March Madness.

[A]

Brackets.

[B]

I suspect that a lot of you have been asked recently by some third cousin twice removed. Hey, can you join my, you know, bracket league? It's easy. Don't worry. Just fill out the teams, and you might just go on there and write the name that sounds the best.

[A]

Did you know that? So we have our family bracket that you kind of run. Family, friends bracket. But did you know that I am doing one with my fantasy football league?

[B]

Oh, no, I did not. That's great.

[A]

Which I do think will be fun. Now we'll see how many women participate, because obviously March Madness is very different from fantasy football. It's way less involved. But I was trying to explain it to my friend this week, where I was like, it's so easy. All you do is pick teams and then plop yourself in front of the tv especially. Look, we planned this episode. This episode drops Thursday, which is the day all the game. Like, I think at noon, the games start. So Thursday and Friday. Actually, this whole weekend. Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday are the best March Madness days to me. So when we have multiple DVs going, we used to go with friends to, like, some sports bars. Maybe we'll take Isaac to a sports

[B]

bar we're out of. But we have our own child now.

[A]

We still have friends. We still have friends. If you're listening to this and you're our friend, let us know if you wanna go watch some basketball games. But it's like a family tradition, and it's interesting to try to explain it to some friends to see if they also wanna participate. So I have started a league of her own bracket for our fantasy football.

[B]

Do you know how many years you and I have gone head to head? Do you know which year this is for us?

[A]

Well, we started in 2005.

[B]

Correct. Very good.

[A]

And so. And this is 20. 26. So is that 21.

[B]

This is the 22nd.

[A]

Oh, okay. 20. 22 years.

[B]

We've done 21. This is the 22nd.

[A]

Okay. We've done 21 together. Well, Ian, you're welcome, because as I have told on this podcast, but I will say it again very briefly. Jordan Jones never filled out a March Madness bracket.

[B]

No, I was more of a purist before I met Annie. I remember, you know, being in my bed late at night cheering for Creighton, you know, in the cause, I would just cheer for the teams I like.

[A]

But then when you still do that, you sound like my brother. You can still do that.

[B]

But then when Annie was like, no, you can compete, I was like, okay, let's say no fruit and vegetables for a day or two days if you lose. And then here we are.

[A]

Yeah, fast forward 21.

[B]

We're still doing this 22 years.

[A]

And so we compete as a couple. Yeah, we compete with our family friends that Jordan has created a group. Now I will compete with my fantasy football league. And talk about the overlap between book lovers and March Madness lovers. We fill out brackets as a bookshelf staff every year. I do not force it. You do not have to participate if you do not want to. There is no pressure. We don't force fun at the bookshelf. But what I find fascinating is I think generally there's 100% participation. Watch this be the year that. That's not true. But generally speaking, everybody participates. Keela always has the most creative way to fill out her bracket. Olivia is pretty stuck on famous alumni, so she bases hers on famous alumni. But you know who has won the last two or three years? Do you remember this?

[B]

Carolyn.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Is that right? Yeah. That doesn't surprise me.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

You know, Olivia, I think could do better. She has a stumbling block in her head. The stumbling block is the seating.

[A]

I think she's over that.

[B]

Is she over that?

[A]

Well, I mean, I think so.

[B]

Olivia, please be over that. And then we can, you know what

[A]

Else I think is funny. We'll see. But I'm pretty sure this is the only episode that podcast staff. I mean, that bookshelf staff listen to. Like, I don't think.

[B]

I'm surprised that you admitted that.

[A]

I don't think they. I don't think they. Oh, look, I don't blame them. I don't listen to it either. But I'm pretty sure this is the one episode that they listen to. Because Olivia wants to know how this bracket turns out.

[B]

Oh, right, right.

[A]

Yeah. They're investing. But anyway, so if you come visit the bookshelf from now through the end of the month, you will see all of our brackets taped to the side of our chocolate counter. And it is really fun. I go in and I highlight the winners. Nancy, funnily enough, probably. No, actually, not at this. Nancy and I are probably the people who actually watch the most games. I don't think Erin watches games.

[B]

UF is good this year, so Nancy is good.

[A]

Okay. So she's gonna have. She's well, and she's gonna have a stumbling block. Talk about stumbling blocks.

[B]

Oh, yeah.

[A]

When you have a team. When you have a team in the mix, it sets you up. My friend Jennifer is a huge. Because her son goes to Michigan, and so she's a huge Michigan fan. And so, like, she. She will have a stumbling block.

[B]

It's the heart versus thing. I've seen this play out multiple times. David Swain, one time.

[A]

Oh, double named.

[B]

Yeah. David Swain, who does not want to become known, one time picked UCLA to go all the way, and that caused him to lose to me. Yeah. And then he. I think he had to wear a milk carton or something on his head because of that.

[A]

Great. I'm sure he'll listen to this episode. Okay, so without further ado, let's jump into the bracket. I'm going to first name the 16 books. I will be interested to see if you are familiar with any of them. I think you will be familiar with at least one.

[B]

Are these from this century?

[A]

They are from 2025. Our bestsellers. I know.

[B]

Watch out.

[A]

Okay. My Southern Kitchen. Theo of Golden Great Big Beautiful Life, which I quoted at the top of

[B]

the book around here.

[A]

Great Big Beautiful.

[B]

Oh, maybe it was from the quote.

[A]

It was from the quote. Okay, good. We're off to a great start. It's a love story, baby.

[B]

Say yes. Right?

[A]

No.

[B]

Taylor Swift.

[A]

No, it's not a Taylor Swift book. Heartwood. Wild Dark Shore. A Century of Healing.

[B]

Wait, is that the one about the Thomasville Hospital?

[A]

It Is indeed.

[B]

I know that book. I've seen it. It's huge. I carried those boxes around very heavy.

[A]

Legitimately. We'll talk about it. Everything is tuberculosis.

[B]

Okay. John Green.

[A]

Yep. The Correspondent.

[B]

That's that one you told me about. No, I'm thinking about a different one.

[A]

No, I think it could be, but I don't know. I talked to you about a lot of books. The story she left behind, same Rebellion of Care. Don Quixote.

[B]

Okay, okay, I recognize that one.

[A]

Onyx Storm.

[B]

Oh, that one has black pages or gold pages, depending on.

[A]

I think it's. Yes, I think the deluxe edition. And that. And Olivia did designate Onyx Storm. The deluxe edition. Ordinary Time.

[B]

I've heard about that one.

[A]

The Complete stories of Flannery o'. Connor.

[B]

Yep.

[A]

Oh, no. Why did you pair those? I didn't pair that.

[B]

Olivia. I'm gonna.

[A]

Olivia did that. Olivia asked me. Olivia said, so I should remove Ordinary Time. Right. And I said, don't you dare. I said, make Jordan Jones.

[B]

Olivia.

[A]

Make Jordan Jones.

[B]

This is not right.

[A]

Make Jordan Jones. This is gonna see. We're gonna see if unbiased Jordan Jones has a stumbling block in the form of his wife's book.

[B]

So Ordinary Time versus Complete Stories. These are.

[A]

I'm gonna go out in the first round.

[B]

Two women that were unlikely to marry.

[A]

Wow. Wow. You burned.

[B]

But I'm so glad that one of them did.

[A]

Okay, so let's start with My Southern Kitchen, which is a cookbook by Ivy Odom. Did you come to this bookshelf event?

[B]

I think I did.

[A]

I think you did too. I think I popped in probably to put up chairs.

[B]

Oh, that's probably what it was.

[A]

So Ivy Odom is, I want to say, a features editor or a food editor at Southern Living magazine. So she is from Moultrie, Georgia, which is right near Thomasville, but lives in Birmingham. And she released a cookbook. That really is beautiful. She did an event at our store in Thomasville. It was very well attended. She was lovely. So this is her book called My Southern Kitchen. And Olivia has pitted it against Theo of Golden. Let me tell you a little bit about Theo of Golden. It's having a moment. So I don't know what team you would want to compare it to, but to me, it's one of those books that's peaking at the right time.

[B]

I see.

[A]

So Theo of Golden was a self published title by Alan Levi, I believe in Augusta, Georgia. So Central South Georgia writer. This is his book about a small town named Golden. This is a Susie book. Do you know What I mean when I say that, like very red. Yes, very redemptive. It is beloved, like as a feel good Southern story, but self published. We sold lots of copies and then Simon and Schuster picked it up.

[B]

How often does that happen?

[A]

I. I mean, not often to me, especially in the general fiction world. I think sometimes it happens in romance, like if a self published book takes off on TikTok or something. But this, like they bought. They bought the rights. I'd be so curious for how much. I bet I could find it somewhere. But anyway, and they now publish it through Simon and Schuster, so it is a paperback original. We are still selling lots of copies in the store. To me, it's kind of this. It was already a bookshelf bestseller, but now it's become kind of a word of mouth phenomenon where I want to say the popularity has extended far beyond the South. I feel like I have podcast listeners who talk a lot about this book, who share a lot about this book, and generally speaking, the response is quite positive because again, it's a redemptive feel good story. Kind of like a Hallmark. A Hallmark type story.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

We are. Al and Levi, if you're listening. We're big fans and we would love for you to come to the bookshelf. We. We really are hoping to get him to the bookshelf sometime within the next year or two. We'll see. But that is my Southern Kitchen versus Theo of Golden. I am sure Olivia pitted these against each other because they are Southern writers with local connections. Local. Ish connections. You have not read or heard of either of these to my knowledge, have you?

[B]

No. But I do think I came in at the tail end of that event and helped put up chairs for my Southern Kitchen. Okay, so here's the thing. As much as I have a soft spot in my heart for Moultrie, Georgia, you do, because Seth Trimble.

[A]

Oh, wow, you're again, double naming. People might not want that.

[B]

Law school buddy. He would love it. He and I got each other through law school. He was from Moultrie.

[A]

Oh, I didn't remember that about him.

[B]

He was from Moultrie. And the Christmas lights that they string up from the courthouse, they go all the way down.

[A]

I mean, they are good.

[B]

So in spite of all that, I'm going to go with Theo of Golden because it often is teams like Virginia Commonwealth or Yale or St. Louis who peak at the right time. They kind of come out of nowhere, but they've won. You know, maybe they won a few games coming up to the tournament that tend to, you know, keep going. And so I always say, take a look at teams that come into the tournament hot.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Basically the opposite of Auburn. Okay. This year, coming into the tournament hot. So I'm going to go with Theo of Golden for that reason.

[A]

I think that is the right call, especially if we're really doing this March Madness style. Because like I said, I think Theo of Golden is peaking at the right moment. Like, if this had been a year ago, I would have, of course, picked the Southern Living editor's book. But the fact that his book was self published and then was picked up by a major publisher is huge. And it's really having. It's really having its moment. It's time to shine. So.

[B]

And it feels like it's kind of the darling, like people picked up on it. It's kind of like when, you know, Sister Jean's team, rip, you know, got hot.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

And they, you know, started. Started making a run and then everyone kind of adopted them.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Like, oh, we love.

[A]

There's always a team like that in the tournament. It'll be interesting to see what this year's is. Okay, next up, we've got two romance novels. So romance is a growing genre. Well, it's always been a popular genre, but at the bookshelf, I feel like it's really come into its own in the last maybe five years. So Great Big Beautiful Life is by Emily Henry. You might recognize Emily Henry. She wrote Beach Read. Book Lovers, People we meet on vacation. So she's fairly prolific, especially post pandemic. Like, I think Beach Read came out during 2020, and then pretty much every year since then, she's had a book come out, Great Big Beautiful Life, released the same day as Ordinary Time. Always kind of a springtime release. What was different about this is it wasn't.

[B]

That's kind of a power move on that. On her part.

[A]

Oh, on her part. I think it might have been. Might have been a foolish thing on my part. So Great Big Beautiful Life. The kind of difference is that this was Emily Henry's maybe foray into a little bit less romance. It's still definitely a romance plotline, but it also had maybe a more traditionally fiction plotline where the two love interests are vying to write the biography of this elderly heiress. And so they are kind of almost competing to tell her story. And so part of the book is the heiress story. And so you, the reader, are getting both the romantic plotline of the two competitors. And then you're also getting the plotline of this aging heiress who's kind of reclusive, and it is set on a Georgia, like, almost like a Tybee island stand in I'm trying. Oh, I listened to this audiobook. You will know that I listened to this audiobook because Great Big Beautiful Life and all of Emily Henry's books, I think, are narrated by Julia Whelan. Julia Whelan. You would immediately know her voice. I frequently hear you say, oh, it's that lady again.

[B]

Oh, yeah, yeah. Yep.

[A]

Oh, it's that woman again. And this book, again, was set in Georgia. Now, the two main characters are not necessarily from Georgia, but one of them, I think, does have Georgia ties.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

And Julia Whelan. There is a restaurant in the name of. In this book. There is a restaurant in this book. And the name of the restaurant is something about a croissant. And the entire audiobook. Julia Whelan says croissant. And it drove me, Daddy. And I knew you'd remember that detail. That has nothing to do with the book. It's not Emily Henry's fault. But it was like, listen, I understand how croissant is supposed to be pronounced, but if this is a restaurant set on a Tybee island stand in, let me assure you, it's not croissant.

[B]

It's like saying Cairo, Georgia.

[A]

Right, Right. You're obviously not from here.

[B]

You would say that.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Well, you wouldn't, but you might say it if you were an Englishman visiting.

[A]

There you go.

[B]

But here it's Cairo.

[A]

That's right. Don't forget it. Okay, so that's Great Big Beautiful life. Got it. It's a Love Story is the new book, or this was her new book last year by Annabelle Monahan. So you know Annabelle. She has visited the bookshelf. In fact, she's coming again for reader retreat for our book.

[B]

She came for Rita retreat before.

[A]

Yes, she's coming again, and we love her. Nora Goes Off Script was her first book. Not her first book, but her first rom com. And each year she's become more and more popular. I like to think that I was an early Annabelle Monaghan adopter. This was a wonderful book. It's called It's a Love Story. It, to me, gave Norgo Off Script a run for its money. In terms of my favorite, although she's got a new book coming out this year called Dolly all the Time, which I love. And so it's a love story. One of the things that I really liked about this book was it's got this very poignant storyline about an animal, which normally I couldn't I don't want to say I could not care less about. But that is not. That doesn't always tug at my heartstrings. But in this book, it was handled so well. And so this is like Annabelle Monaghan. I read a lot of romances, or I have lately. I've read a lot of rom coms, and to me, they're so bad, because I really like Annabelle Monaghan. Her characters are rich, they're thoughtful. The conflict is often real. It doesn't feel or feels realistic. It does not feel like miscommunication or communication gone awry. So great big beautiful life, which maybe skews beyond the romance genre. And then it's a love story, which is more a traditional romance novel.

[B]

Yeah, I'm gonna go with it's a love story. Okay, here's why. I mean, several reasons, but the main one is you like to fancy yourself as an early adopter. Okay. If I have heard the story that you went to a Rascal Flats concert and they threw a water bottle out there, you grabbed it. If I've heard that once I've heard it.

[A]

It wasn't a water bottle. It was a guitar pick.

[B]

It was a guitar pick. I think it's evolved. I think it was a water bottle. Now it's a guitar pick. It's a guitar pick. But you talk about how, you know in 1982 or whenever it was before that anyone knew who they were.

[A]

1982, I wasn't even born.

[B]

You went to that concert and Annabelle Monahan, I can say I was actually there. You were an early adopter.

[A]

Thank you.

[B]

I saw her come here and do her presentation out on the porch of the Paxton. Can't think of it, but yeah. So I think it's a love story.

[A]

Okay, is.

[B]

Is the correct thing here. And I think. I think actually it's. This is one of those matchups that on paper is pretty even, but I think when they get out on the court, it's a double digit win.

[A]

I think Annabelle on that day, It's

[B]

a love story just plays better.

[A]

Okay. I mean, I think Annabelle Monahan, I think she actually is a sports fan, if I remember correctly. I think she will be very pleased to have beaten Emily Henry. Emily Henry is kind of the like, if you think about. Yeah, almost like the Duke stand in. Like, she is the.

[B]

This is Duke versus Wichita State, maybe.

[A]

So, like, she is the romance writer, especially right now. I mean, romance readers might disagree with me there, but as a bookseller, she's like a mainstream romance author who we sell A lot of copies. But I think Annabelle Monaghan. I wonder if Dolly all the Time is going to take off even more than It's A Love Story did. So I think it's another case of maybe peaking at the right moment.

[B]

She's building her program.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

She might not be the Blue, but she might not be Kentucky or Duke, but she's building her VCU or Wichita State into something that is getting more and more respect.

[A]

Okay, that makes sense to me. Okay, next up, maybe the atmospheric thriller category. So we've got Heartwood by Amity Gage versus Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte. I believe it's McGonaghey. No. M.M. mcDonough. Now, I don't know. Heartwood versus Wild Dark Shore. So Heartwood is set on the Appalachian. Yes, the north part, the northern part of the Appalachian Trail. A woman goes missing. There is a detective, though, as Olivia. Olivia's pet peeve in thrillers is a detective who isn't good at their job. Actually, I think Olivia's pet peeve in general is people who don't do their jobs.

[B]

I've seen how Olivia looks at herself after making the most minor of mistakes. And she is hard on. She does not like people to be

[A]

bad at their jobs. So she's hard on detectives who aren't good at their jobs. But I really loved Hartwood. I thought it was excellent. Very well written. You've got a couple of different characters, but you do have a detective who's trying to solve this woman who went missing on the Appalachian Trail. That is one. That is Heartwood. The other book is Wild Darkshore. This one was read. I think Olivia and I read Hartwood, Wild Dark Shore. Aaron, Olivia and I all read it. Like it was a book that had a lot of overlap on staff. It had something for everyone. So it had certainly a thriller, survivalist storyline, plotline. And then there was also maybe a slight romantic plot line. Basically, this man and his children live. I was gonna say at the edge of the world. I wanna say it's Antarctica in the Antarctic. Would that makes. In the. Antarctica. In Antarctica. The Arctic versus Antarctica. I think it's Antarctica. And there's a. Have you heard of this? There's this seed. Do you know what I'm gonna say?

[B]

Like, I have no idea what you're about to say.

[A]

Okay, wait. I can't remember. When seeds are protected by scientists and taken to the Arctic or Antarctica.

[B]

Antarctica.

[A]

Oh, my gosh. Why do I keep messing that up? They're taken to Antarctica to protect them for when the world ends.

[B]

Oh, yeah, yeah, I've heard.

[A]

What is that called? That's real.

[B]

I see. I don't know what it's called.

[A]

Okay, well, anyway, so this man and his children are down, like, on site kind of with these other scientists protecting these seeds for future life. Okay. And then a woman shipwrecks on the shore. And so you kind of don't know who is the reliable voice. Is it the man and his children? I love that kind of stuff. Actually, I think you would really like this book because, again, there's like a survivalist element. There's an adventure story, like these people trying to survive in the wilds of Antarctica, and then there's also maybe a slight romantic storyline. I loved this book. It's great in audiobook format and physical format. Yeah. And I guess Heartwood also had the survivalist element, so I can see why Olivia pitted these against each other. So that's Heartwood versus Wild Dark Shore.

[B]

Yeah. Well, I love the name Amity Gage.

[A]

That is a great name.

[B]

Amity was. You may remember this from the book Divergent. Amity was one of the houses.

[A]

I just remember Jaws.

[B]

Amityville. Oh, Amityville. Right. There's a lot of different things. And the Amityville horror. This is a great thing. I'm going to pick one of these. But for those of you who actually listen to this podcast each year, you might recall the Tipsy Coachman Doctrine. Now, I'm not going to go back into that, but Annie and I had a conversation about what that is, I think, on last year's. So the whole point is that I'm going to tell you what the answer is, and you're going to think about it and you're going to say, that's the right answer, but I did not see you getting there that way. But it's okay, because I got there a different way. Reach the correct result. The correct result here is Heartwood.

[A]

Oh, surprised? Very surprised.

[B]

Now, the reason I'm going to go with Heartwood, we were talking about how we're trying to broaden the Venn diagram. Well, I'm about to throw in another circle. It's going to become a Venn Triagram. There's probably no one on here who's listening in this third circle. Unless your brother listens to your podcast.

[A]

He doesn't.

[B]

I have a magic the Gathering card called Heartwood Storyteller, and it's a tree. It's a tree folk character. And it's in my Treefolk deck with all my ents. Because I only do Lord of the Rings decks. And it's this beautiful card that says whenever your opponent casts an instant or sorcery spell, you draw a card. It's a beautiful, beautiful tree. And he tells stories and his name is Heartwood Storyteller. And so Heartwood is a cracked answer. Wow.

[A]

I could not have predicted that. I really thought you were gonna choose Wild Dark Shore.

[B]

I might read Wild Dark Shore.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Cause that does sound like a book I would like.

[A]

I do think you would like it. It's great. And it's great in audiobook format. But I am kind of surprised and I think that could be considered an upset. Although I want to say Heartwood was a Jenna Bush Hager book club pick. It was somebody's book club pick.

[B]

It's like an 11. 6. Like an 11 beating a 6. And you say it's an upset. But like a lot of people chose it.

[A]

Yes. And I think Heartwood is the more. I always kind of hesitate to say this, but I think it's the more accessible. Wild Dark Shore might be considered slightly more literary. More nature writing. Anyway. All right, Heartwood. Interesting.

[B]

I think I'm gonna read Wild Dark Shore.

[A]

Yeah, I think you might have convinced

[B]

me me of that.

[A]

Did you ever read that one that Olivia wanted you to read? Did you ever finish the Book Eaters? Uh huh.

[B]

The book Eaters, which won.

[A]

Good. Let's hear it.

[B]

A few years ago. I never finished that book.

[A]

Shocking.

[B]

I started it and I was like, this isn't as good as it sounded.

[A]

Oh, that's because that team probably shouldn't have won that year.

[B]

The best team doesn't always win. And look, kids, this is a lesson in life. The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong. Nor does wealth come to the intelligent. But time and chance happen to them all.

[A]

Wow. Beautiful. Okay, this will be very interesting. Olivia told me there was one pairing that she really got a kick out of. And I don't know if it was this one or I have another guess, but this is A Century of Healing, which is a history of Archbold Hospital. That is.

[B]

This is one of the books that I've seen.

[A]

That is the Thomasville Hospital. It is a Dr. Giant. How do you pronounce the word? Behemoth.

[B]

Behemoth.

[A]

Behemoth. It is a behemoth of a book.

[B]

Great word.

[A]

I mean, it is. It is huge. How much do you think this book weighs?

[B]

I don't know. But basically imagine a cardboard box full of books and like two of those books fit in one box. I mean, it is. I mean, I'm exaggerating.

[A]

Okay. And this book came out must have been last spring, because I was very pregnant and so was Olivia, and so was this book. And I made the mistake of lifting two or three of these. And I honestly thought, like, it was the only time in my pregnancy, and that includes going on a book tour, traveling the back roads of Mississippi. It's the only time where I thought, oh, no, that was a mistake. That was a danger was lifting. I think I lifted two or three of these.

[B]

A century of healing in the book.

[A]

You did the opposite. But it is a huge coffee table type book. But it's even a big, like, it would be kind of silly looking on your coffee table. No offense, if you're a Thomas Will Lister, who has this on your coffee table. But it's so big. And it's a history of our local hospital. Okay. And it is a bestseller. It has been a bestseller at the Bookshelf because let me tell you something. A former Bookshelf staffer said this, and it is absolutely true. Thomasville likes nothing more than Thomasville. Like, Thomasville loves itself so much and it loves all the publications about itself.

[B]

And it'll support them.

[A]

It will support them. And so this.

[B]

And we appreciate it.

[A]

We do. Listen. No shade. Absolutely no shade. We're grateful for it. So that's the first book, and then the second one she has pitted it against is Everything Is Tuberculosis. This is the John Green book. You and I both like John Green, but did you read this?

[B]

No. Last John Green book I read was the Anthropomorphism.

[A]

Anthropocene.

[B]

Say it again.

[A]

Anthropocene review.

[B]

Anthropocene reviewed. That is one of my favorite books of the last several years.

[A]

I love this one. I think you would, too. John Green has been overseas and he has done a lot of research. It was surprising to me that this was kind of the pivot after Anthropocene reviewed. It'll be interesting to see what he does next. But this is a pretty short little book about the history of tuberculosis. It's actually really timely. As we watch, maybe some institutions no longer exist that maybe helped tuberculosis be a disease that we almost had eradicated or had come close to eradicating. Anyway, this is a fantastic book because he weaves in, as he does so well, true history and scientific fact. But then he also kind of brings in some personal elements. So that is everything is Tuberculosis by John Green.

[B]

Well, I think this is a great matchup because we have doctors versus tuberculosis. I must say, there is no universe in which this John Green book doesn't win.

[A]

Right.

[B]

The only universe that there is is if you're a seventh generation Thomas Villian with literal roses for glasses. Cause this is a rose city. And you can't help but think that somehow Archbold Hospital could defeat John Green. But it ain't happening. It ain't happening. There might be three people in the stands that travel for this. 16 versus one. But everything is tuberculosis is gonna win. Now I must tell a medical anecdote.

[A]

Okay, great.

[B]

I as about a 20 year old went in for a routine checkup and they did a bunch of tests. They did all the battery tests, just normal stuff. And the doctor came back and said, well, you tested positive for tuberculosis. And I said, okay, I'm 20 years old at the time. And I said, well, you know what I need to do. What does that mean? And he said, don't worry about it. We're just going to ignore it. It's not possible that you have tuberculosis. And he didn't retest me. He just basically said there's no way this test could be positive. So every time I see the word tuberculosis, are you triggered? I think, no, I'm not triggered. I just think I had that one. They told me I didn't, but the

[A]

test said I had to. Have you ever taken it again? Like, have you ever been told that was it? Have you ever told a medical professional?

[B]

No, no.

[A]

Interesting.

[B]

I might have. I might have it as we speak.

[A]

I hope not. I really hope not. But John Green's book then wins easily 30 points. I think so too. I think that's even though, look, I

[B]

appreciate the local, you know, what Archbold has contributed.

[A]

It's like Lipscomb playing in the tournament.

[B]

Yeah, it's a 16 one.

[A]

Yeah, absolutely.

[B]

Yeah, it's Lipscomb versus Houston or something. It's like there's no way. And look, there might be a Lipscombite whose son plays on the team and she's confident that Lipscomb's gonna be able to play. But it's like, no, it's 20 point game from the jump.

[A]

Okay, I agree with you there. Let's move on to the next pairing. We've got two fiction titles. We've got the Correspondent by Virginia Evans and we have the Story she Left behind by Patti Callahan. Henry, I'd be curious. I think I know why Olivia paired these or pitted these against each other. So the Correspondent by Virginia Evans is almost like a Theo of golden type story, except it was traditionally published from the get go. This book Released last spring. Booksellers, independent booksellers in particular, loved it, hand sold it. I read this one and loved it. The main character is Sybil. The whole story is told in Sybil's letters. So Sybil writes to authors she really loves. She writes to her brother. She writes to somebody that we don't quite know who it is. But all of the, the, the way we get to know Sybil is through these letters that she writes. And, and Sybil is on the verge of losing her eyesight. She's growing older. And so we kind of are getting a glimpse at the last years of Sybil's life and her relationships and what the loss of eyesight would, would mean for her. This is a very poignant book. And again released in the spring. Indie booksellers in particular loved it, hand sold it, the bookshelf included, but a lot of stores and the book then hit the New York Times bestseller list in like October or November. So it's one of those little engine that could type books where typically if a book releases and within the first month it's not made it onto the New York Times bestseller list, it's not going to like. It's pretty unheard of. Maybe a book like where the Crawdads Sing did this. I can't remember, but I think see, where the Crawdads Sing was a Reese Witherspoon pick. So, like, it kind of hit and blew up almost immediately. The Correspondent, nobody picked this. Jenna Bosh Hager didn't pick it. GMA didn't pick it. Oprah didn't pick it. So it kind of took on this life of its own. So that's the Correspondent bookshelf bestseller and then ultimately New York Times bestseller. The Story She Left behind is. And by the way, the Correspondent is a debut novel. So Virginia Evans, this is her first book. The Story We Left behind is by Patti Callahan Henry. She's a Birmingham author. I don't know if you came to her event at the Bookshelf, but she has written a lot of fiction, including Becoming Mrs. Lewis, which is like one of my mom's favorite books of the last five to 10 years. And so this was her latest also based. She does a really good job. Patty Callahan Henry does of writing these books based on true events, so historical fiction. This is based on a true literary mystery where in 1927, this author, Bronwyn Newcastle Fordham vanishes off the coast of South Carolina. She had just written a book in an invented language that became this national sensation. But now she's left this kind of book that doesn't have a translation. She's left this daughter behind. And then Fast forward to 1952, and Clara, the daughter is an illustrator raising her own daughter and discovers this handwritten dictionary of her mother's lost language. So, anyway, we had the privilege of hosting Patti Callahan Henry at the Bookshelf. Incredibly well researched. I will never forget. She got up. You know, this isn't. Maybe you can tell from my description, this isn't the kind of book where you could just get up and talk about it without knowing anything about it. Like, there's a lot. But she, as an author, got up and talked all about her research. She never brought out a stitch of notes. And I remember just sitting in awe of this author who had done enough research and was an expert enough on this topic that she needed nary a note to answer every question, to discuss every aspect of this book. I walked away with a real respect for Patty Henry and what she does and how she writes. My mom's a big fan. This might have been my mom's shelf subscription selection last spring. I can't remember. But anyway, you've got the Correspondent, which is a debut, versus the Story She Left behind, which is historical fiction by a relatively prolific historical fiction writer.

[B]

I think this is one of those where this is like a 12. Five.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

I think the correspondence. A 12. The story she left behind is the five. And the correspondent is, you know, the trendy pick. This is like when you come in with your bracket so pleased with yourself before the game start, and you say, I picked Yale.

[A]

Are you picking. Are you talking about me?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Oh, you're talking specifically. You're not talking about the Royal you?

[B]

No, I'm talking about Annie B. Jones picks Yale and says, rah, rah, rah. What does Yale say on Go More Girls?

[A]

Oh, yeah. Way back

[B]

or something.

[A]

No, it's now. I don't remember.

[B]

You'll remember in a minute.

[A]

Yeah, I will.

[B]

It'll come to you. But anyway, you come and say, I picked Yale. I picked Yale. And then the five seed wins. And you're like. And it's almost like, now I'm doing the royal you. You pick a 12. The five wins. And even after the five wins, you tell yourself, but the 12 should have won. I still would have picked the 12.

[A]

Okay, I'm gonna push back. Cause I think most listeners who are listening to this podcast episode, most of them have read the Correspondent. I bet many of them have not read the Story she Left behind, the Correspondent.

[B]

You think I've Got a miss seated.

[A]

I think you've got them misceded currently. I'm going to say that if I know that this happens in March Madness, like, at the start of the season, somebody looks like they're going to be a high seed or a favorite seed, and then as the season progresses, you realize they're not living up to the hype.

[B]

Got it.

[A]

What's that?

[B]

Who's that on here?

[A]

That's the story she left behind, is what I think. And no shade into the tournament, right? No shade to Patty Henry, but I think she's seeded against a book that is currently still on the up and up. Like, Virginia Evans has skyrocketed in terms of fame. Like, she's like, yeah, she's having to turn down requests. Like, this is to me. That's why I compared it. Theo of golden, where it's like, the Correspondent is peaking at the right moment. Throw a rock and you've hit somebody who's read the correspondence.

[B]

I see, I see.

[A]

And I don't think that's the case with the story she left behind. I think the story she left behind has a loyal, avid fan base.

[B]

Oh, I see. Okay.

[A]

But the Correspondent, I mean, is. It is a continued New York Times bestseller, like, is still sitting on that list.

[B]

Got it. Okay. Then I'm gonna say the correspondent is the four seed. Story she left behind is a 13 seed.

[A]

Yeah, that makes more sense.

[B]

And the four seed is gonna win here. Correspondent is coming in with the momentum.

[A]

I think that's accurate. I'm afraid I talked you out of your original choice, but I think the Correspondent, based on our listener base. Well, and just again, how popular it is with the general public. I think the Correspondent moves forward.

[B]

I agree. The Correspondent moves forward.

[A]

Okay. All right, next up, we've got two poetry books, which. How delightful that there were poetry books in our top 16.

[B]

Caroline.

[A]

Yes, that is. Oh, speaking of which, great plug. Thank you so much. Caroline has a. Caroline has a new book of poetry, her chapbook of poetry called Signs and Wonders, that released this Tuesday as of this podcast recording or publication. And you can come to her event this Saturday, and we would love to see you there. Saturday, March 21, 6pm Come hear Caroline talk about her Signs and Wonders book in conversation with Mary Jane Riles, who is the former poet laureate of the Big Bend. So we would love to see you there. Thanks. Good job.

[B]

We would love to see that book on March Madness next year.

[A]

That's right. We definitely would get in the game. Okay, so we have two poetry books. One is called Same by Hannah Rosenberg, and the other is Rebellion of Care by David Gate. You might recognize Rebellion of Care because hanging above our sink right now is a print that says, let me think if I can get it right. A quiet life is a good life, and a good life is a triumph. I believe that's correct.

[B]

It's over there.

[A]

It's not over there anymore. It's hanging above our sink. You moved it? Yeah, we move art in this house. So it is hanging above our sink. David Gate is a very popular poet on Instagram. And Rebellion of Care is a book that I think I own actually. But to me it's got his poetry, but it also has a lot of essays on, I don't know, some people might say deconstruction, maybe a. He writes a lot about the angst a lot of us feel about politics and American institutions and anyway, this is. I'll tell you. I'll tell you who I made mom gift this book to. Who do you think?

[B]

Your brother?

[A]

Yes. So Chet loves David Gate and also has this book. And then Same is a wonderful collection of poetry I bought. Do I still have it over here? I bought three copies. Remember my girls trip to Nashville? I was gonna give each of the women I met with a copy of this book because it's a beautiful poetry collection about womanhood. She also is very popular on Instagram, but she writes about a lot of different avenues of womanhood. Like she writes a little bit about motherhood, she writes a lot about friendship, which is why I was gonna gift this. I still will gift it to my friends, but now I just have to wait until I.

[B]

A blizzard cane.

[A]

Yeah. And so now I have to wait for that girls trip. But. But anyway, I love Hannah and I cannot wait to see what she does next. But these are some beautiful poems. If you have seen me with Kate Baer's poetry, that would be kind of the comp title. So those are the two poetry collections.

[B]

Are these evenly matched?

[A]

Totally evenly matched.

[B]

This is like an 8, 9.

[A]

Same is a paperback, if that makes a difference. Rebellion of Terror is a little. Almost giftable hardback. Aaron Moon, I think, has promoted David Gates work quite a bit.

[B]

Yeah. So normally if you're trying to predict what's in my mind and you've listened to any previous podcast and you're trying to match your bracket with mine, what might go through your head is, huh, same. Jordan likes things that stay the same, things that are time tested. Right. Things that survive. And he doesn't generally like rebellion unless we're talking about Star wars, in which I very much do, like Rebel or the Hunger Games, where I think that was a necessary rebellion, a just war. I was gonna see how long I could go without Annie laughing. But that quote, I didn't know where that quote came from. That was hanging.

[A]

Oh, yeah, that was hanging.

[B]

That is a beautiful quote. And because of that, that's gonna be what tips the scales in favor of rebellion.

[A]

Okay. Yeah, I didn't see that one coming. I did not see that one coming. But I do think that's an even pairing.

[B]

So the nine wins.

[A]

Okay. This is the other pairing that I think Olivia might have tickled herself about. I don't know. But she told me there was a pairing that she kind of made herself laugh about. And I don't know if it's this one.

[B]

So I'm the one that's got a pick.

[A]

So it's Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes. That was our Conqueror. Classic selection for 2025. It nearly did us in, but we did it versus Onyx Storm. Are you familiar with 4th Wing?

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Okay, so this is the third in the 4th Wing book series. It's by Rebecca Yaris.

[B]

Oh, I'm aware. You know why I'm aware. I would love to know all the attorneys at my work.

[A]

Wow.

[B]

Came up to me before Onyx Storm dropped and said, there's a deluxe edition and it has black pages. Can Annie get it for me? Can you hold it? I gotta come up there and grab it. Can you get me in on the inside? And I'm. And listen, Don Quixote's gonna win this for multitude of reasons.

[A]

It's full stop Dragon Top Gun. Not for you.

[B]

No.

[A]

Okay. Honestly, I'm surprised, actually. I think without the sex content, you might, because you've already made two Hunger Games references and a reference to that other one, Divergent.

[B]

Oh, I thought you were about to say Lord of the Rings was that other one.

[A]

And I was like, oh, no, you hadn't even made a Lord of the Ring.

[B]

Divergent is the other one.

[A]

Yeah, you're right.

[B]

It was the other one.

[A]

Anyway, so there's a world in which you could read these Rebecca Yarros books.

[B]

Totally.

[A]

I dipped out after Fourth Wing. I did read Fourth Wing. It was not for me, though. I did have. Listen, I did have a good time with Fourth Wing, but I, generally speaking, don't read series anymore. I don't have the mental capacity for it. I'm going to take it that Don Quixote wins in a landslide here Well,

[B]

I would say that. Here's the thing. Don Quixote sees all these visions of, like, he lives inside his head.

[A]

Have you ever read Don Quixote or just man of La Mancha?

[B]

I've heard you. I actually have seen the play. Yes. No, it is. You know what? It is true that I've never read Don Quixote. I agree with that. I generally know what it's about. You think you know what?

[A]

You tell me you think you know what it's about. I guarantee you you don't.

[B]

What?

[A]

Look, I'm just kidding you do you just tell me if you know. Honestly, the disappointing thing is, if you know about the windmills, that's all you need to know after a full year of reading that book.

[B]

I know, I know, I know.

[A]

It turns out that's all you needed,

[B]

so tell me if this isn't true. Okay, Don Quixote comes out on the court, okay? And he thinks the basketballs are, you know, giant orange diamonds. You know, he thinks the. The. Of course he thinks the opposing players are giants.

[A]

Yes. Okay.

[B]

He thinks the hoops are like, I don't know, like some quest. And because he's so in his head, he distracts this Onyx Storm, okay, that comes out there, and he and Don Quixote does nothing if not battle the storms. Now, are they the storms in his head that may or may not be schizophrenic ocd? Yes, but he's going to triumph over Onyx Storm on the basketball court.

[A]

While we're here, I do just want if any of the attorneys at Jordan's work are listening to this podcast episode. Jordan did kind of make it sound like it's a pain for me to hold books for people, and I just do need to put out a disclaimer that anyone who needs me to hold a book or get it delivered to them. I do need to state for the record that the bookshelf loves nothing more than fulfilling your requests. So despite what Jordan Jones might have just insinuated, Annie B. Jones wants you to know, please keep ordering books from us with deluxe edition black pages and all.

[B]

And look, I do love being the delivery boy. Yeah, I do.

[A]

I know that. I'm grateful for that. All right, last but not least, before we move on. And then we've got to move on to get a champion rose. Yeah. So we've got Ordinary Time. This is an essay collection by Annie B. Jones. It is lessons learned while staying put. It is a collection about staying in your hometown, staying in your small town, and Making the most out of your ordinary life.

[B]

And how would you rate it? I'm just kidding. You say that this is Annie's worst nightmare.

[A]

Please don't. Okay, okay. Versus the National Book Award winning Complete Stories by Flannery o'. Connor.

[B]

I knew Olivia had a dark side. I just didn't know it was this onyx colored.

[A]

I am honored. I would like to just. I do want to put your mind at ease as my husband and partner, Flannery o', Connor is prolific. She writes about the south in this wonderfully weird, grotesque way. And so I am here to just. What is the word that I want to use? Absolve you of any guilt you might feel. One of the things I love about you is your unbiased nature. And you can move forward whichever team you think most deserves to move forward here.

[B]

Oh, I appreciate you saying that, but did you not think that I had that capacity already?

[A]

I just needed to make sure.

[B]

Okay, well, here's the thing. Only one of these two books has moved me emotionally, and it's Ordinary Time, so I'm gonna advance that one.

[A]

Did you cry while reading Ordinary Time? I.

[B]

If I didn't, I came close, but it wouldn't have been while reading it, I don't think. I think it would have been the first time you read me the manuscript. Like one of your chapters as it was being written.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

That, you know, we sat in this room.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

And just some of those things were terribly moving. So Flannery o' Connor is the goat. Okay. I mean, she's the.

[A]

The. Listen, I think there's some podcast listeners who disagree with you. Now. It's been fascinating to read her as a. This is our. I should have stated this was our conqueror classic for 2026.

[B]

Well, you're entitled to your wrongness. You're entitled to be incorrect. And we can talk about it. We can talk objectively about Flannery o' Connor over, you know, martinis. We visited her house and she had a martini making set. We can talk about that. We can talk about how you're wrong and how, you know, trying to search for truth here. But Flannery o' Connor is the gmoat, or greatest woman of all time. Or maybe even greatest of all time.

[A]

Oh, I think we can remove the woman designate.

[B]

I think we probably can.

[A]

I think she is one of the greatest short story writers of all time.

[B]

She's totally. I mean, it is amazing. And if you. In all seriousness, if you know, then, you know. Okay, if you disagree, I suggest you go back and really Engage with the text, make yourself, even if it's uncomfortable, and just let the text speak.

[A]

I feel like you, me and Hunter talking about Flannery Connor would be something

[B]

people would pay for. I think they would. So Flannery o' Connor is one of my favorite great books authors. Okay. In the western canon, like, she is amazing. But Ordinary Time is the one that moved me, if I have to be honest. So that would win.

[A]

Well, thank you very much. Okay, so now I can tell you we're not existing. I'm not. So we're gonna move on. Okay, so now we are down to eight. The elite eight are Theo of Golden, It's a love story. Heartwood. Everything is Tuberculosis, the Correspondent, Rebellion of Care, Don Quixote and Ordinary Time. So let me pair these up. Okay. We've got Theo of Golden versus It's a love story. Okay.

[B]

I think Theo of Golden is probably gonna make it into the next round. Okay. Kind of as a blue blood. It's having its moment.

[A]

It's not. I don't think it's a blue blood.

[B]

You don't think it's a blue blood?

[A]

No, because a blue blood.

[B]

Golden Marquette. No, Golden Eagles. Okay, I see.

[A]

No, no, I just mean, like, it's too new to be a blue blood, but it's one of the teams. We discussed this. It's peaking at the right moment.

[B]

I got it.

[A]

So I do think it beats. It's a love story, though. I love you, Annabelle, if you're listening, but I don't think it's a blue blood.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Fair. Fair. Okay. Then we have Heartwood versus Everything is tuberculosis.

[B]

Yeah, Everything is tuberculosis. Is going to advance because Magic the Gathering is wonderful, but it's only good for one round.

[A]

All right. That feels right.

[B]

Heartwood Storyteller. As much as I love that guy. Into the next round over John Green.

[A]

Okay. The Correspondent. That's the epistolary novel with the older woman protagonist. Epistolary, yeah.

[B]

Letters. Yes.

[A]

Wow. Good. Versus Rebellion of Care. That's the poetry collection.

[B]

Okay. I think the Correspondent is gonna win.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

I think it's gonna be difficult for any poetry book to move past one round.

[A]

I think you're right.

[B]

It's just a poetry book is kind of niche. It's important. It's very important. But this is the team that shoots threes really well and does nothing else. And so that can get you past one round. But eventually you're gonna play some defense. You're gonna play a little bit more of a well rounded team. A team that has a broader Fan base and you're just. Maybe it's a close game, but I think the correspondent does win.

[A]

Okay, I think you're correct there. Okay. And then Don Quixote versus Ordinary Time.

[B]

So Don Quixote.

[A]

Now this one will hurt.

[B]

Don Quixote is one of the most absent minded characters in all the books. Now Annie B. Jones is also absent minded.

[A]

I am. And I do hate that.

[B]

So we just watched an episode of Scrubs where Mandy Moore's on there and

[A]

like, I don't think I'm like that character.

[B]

She's the perfect, like girl to the main character, except she's the biggest klutz. Annie is not that big of a klutz. But let me tell you something. Any day, any day of the week, Annie B. Jones has more common sense than Don Quixote.

[A]

Thank you.

[B]

Annie has a lot of common sense. She's objective and she's not given to the whims of her passions.

[A]

Thank you.

[B]

And so Ordinary Time is going to advance over Don Quixote. Look, if. If Ordinary Time was going to go out to one of those classics, it would have been Flannery.

[A]

Okay, that's what I thought. That's why I said it would hurt. Like I would. I would rather personally go out to Flannery than I would to Don Quixote.

[B]

Listen, what happens on the court is Don Quixote comes out there swinging like crazy, going nuts. And Annie B. Jones just has to stay focused and not laugh. I think if she can just stay focused, then she puts Don Quixote away.

[A]

Okay. All right, so this is interesting. We've got. We're down to our final four. Theo of golden, everything is tuberculosis. The correspondent, Ordinary Time. Okay, this will be hard. So Theo of Golden versus everything is tuberculosis.

[B]

Everything is tuberculosis.

[A]

Okay. Theo of golden, the momentum can only take you so far.

[B]

Correct. And it's a close game. It's hard fought. The golden boys come out there, Golden Eagles, they're shooting like crazy. But Everything is tuberculosis eventually makes a run. And spoiler alert, it has infected the team of Theo of Golden with tb. They went to the doctor, the doctor said it's tb, don't worry about it. But guess when the symptoms came on full force during the second half, I mean, it's such a vivid picture during the second half. They just get winded. Okay, okay. Everything is tuberculosis advances because it's. It is the disease.

[A]

Can't wait for the emails about this episode.

[B]

It is the disease. It eats healthy people for breakfast.

[A]

Yikes. Okay, great. That's everything. Is tuberculosis. Okay, now we have.

[B]

Did you get emails about the podcast, Jordan? Yes, yes.

[A]

Here's the irony. I'll get emails and you will not. You'll not hear peep.

[B]

Just forward them to me. Okay?

[A]

All right.

[B]

I'll have a conversation.

[A]

Come here.

[B]

I'm here all day. We can have a conversation.

[A]

Don't come here. Okay, so that's everything in spurculosis. Now we have. This would be very hard, the Correspondent versus Ordinary Time.

[B]

Ooh. You know what makes this difficult? Because the author of Ordinary Time once wanted to be a correspondent in her dream. She still is. She's on the helicopter with the headset, leaning out and saying, look at, look at these, you know, sand dunes and whatever. She's on the other side of the world. I am going to say that in this narrow situation, Ordinary Time advances just barely over the course. But it looked, you know, the correspondent is up like double digits with two minutes left. Ordinary Time starts fouling and the correspondent can't hit its free throws. Okay, okay. Because correspondents are always moving. They're always running around, but when they have to stop, when the game slows down, they fall apart. They need war. They need.

[A]

Did you forget that this is about the correspondent who's an elderly letter writer?

[B]

An elderly letter writer wouldn't last one moment on the court. So either way, you get there.

[A]

Did you forget this?

[B]

Imagine Annie B. Jones versus an elderly letter writer. That's.

[A]

That sounds ideal. Sounds ideal. That sounds wonderful.

[B]

Yeah. Okay. Yeah.

[A]

You thought the Correspondent was about a war correspondent. We've been talking about it for an hour.

[B]

No, I don't think it's about that. I'm just saying I don't think Olivia is about magic. The Gathering, believe it or not.

[A]

Okay, so we have our final two. I don't think Olivia could have predicted this. This is. Everything is tuberculosis versus Ordinary Time.

[B]

Okay? We have these moments in life where we have mass disease. You know, we all lived through. Most of us here lived through. Unless you're a very young listener. We all lived through Covid.

[A]

If we have a listener who did not live through Covid, that would be genuinely shocking to me. A five year old fan.

[B]

You can have a kid in the backseat. And how do we get through these things? When we look around and we say everything is tuberculosis, everything is Covid, Everything is politics. I'm so mad. The world is terrible. Woe is me. I'm the, you know, I'm the most, you know, picked on person ever. Sometimes you have to sit down and you have to just Be grateful for your ordinary life. If you want to do that, I would suggest Ordinary time, published by HarperCollins. Do y' all remember reading Rainbow? Ordinary Time defeats John Green in one of the most massive upsets that would be an upset since Lehigh beat Duke.

[A]

Mm.

[B]

Okay. But it can happen. It can happen. And, boy, does it happen.

[A]

Wow.

[B]

And Annie B. Jones goes out on the court, and guess what expression she makes on her face. It's this expression where her face is all lit up and she's dancing and the camera catches her and it looks like a Charlie Brown character. This has been captured in multiple photos, and she even can't believe it. But you know what? It happens.

[A]

I can't believe it.

[B]

And is that. Is that less believable than what's happened in your life over the past three years? The answer is no.

[A]

I can't believe it. When Olivia was like, you don't want me to include Ordinary Time on this list, do you? And I was like, oh, you can include it. Jordan will knock it out in, like, the first round. I fully believed.

[B]

If it weren't worthy, I would.

[A]

Well, thank you. So this year's March Madness 2026 champion is ordinary Time by Andy B. Jones.

[B]

Wait, who wrote it?

[A]

By Davy Jones. Thank you, Jordan Jones. Best wishes on your bracket.

[B]

Thank you.

[A]

I hope I prevail.

[B]

Best wishes on mine.

[A]

Best wishes.

[B]

No. Best wishes. You hope I win?

[A]

No, I said best wishes on your bracket. I hope I am as successful versus you as I was today.

[B]

Oh, yeah, Yeah. I hope you're not. You've already got your win. Why can't you just let me have mine now?

[A]

Because Isaac's here now, and I have to show him a true example of feminine,

[B]

the truest example of feminism. Beating your husband at a March Madness bracket.

[A]

I have to set an example.

[B]

Isaac is going to be filling out a bracket this year.

[A]

It's going to be fun.

[B]

So excited.

[A]

Thanks for being here. Don't forget, everybody. You can fill out your own bracket by screenshotting our bracket online. Share it with us on Instagram. Let us know what your top 2026 pick would be. And don't forget to buy your March Madness merch. We have shirts and stickers, and the shirts are really cute. Thank you to Lindsay from Pen and Paint for making my woman's place is in the paint. Dreams come true. Go to bookshelfthomasville.com to get yours. This week I'm reading All the World can Hold by Jung Yoon Jordan. What are you reading this week?

[B]

I'm reading Miracles by C.S. lewis, which I had not yet read. It is phenomenal and and I am also reading Upgrade by Blake Crouch.

[A]

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.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, Beth Martha, Linda Lee Drost, Stephanie Dean, Ashley Farrell, Jean Queens, Jamie Treadwell, Joseph Shorter iv, Nicole, Marcy, Wendy Jenkins, and Kimberly. 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 right 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 the Front Porch we're so grateful for you and we look forward to meeting back here next week.