From the Front Porch — Episode 576: What Would the March Sisters Read?

Air date: April 9, 2026
Host: Annie B. Jones, owner of The Bookshelf (Thomasville, Georgia)

Episode Overview

Annie B. Jones continues her series of imagining which books she’d hand-sell to beloved fictional characters and authors. This episode, inspired by a listener question, focuses on the four March sisters (Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy) from Little Women. Jones thoughtfully considers what books each sister might be drawn to if they wandered into her indie bookstore in 2026, blending classic sensibility with contemporary tastes. The episode is witty, deeply bookish, and rich in literary reflection.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Why Choose Books for the March Sisters?

• Annie credits a Patreon listener, Courtney, for prompting the question: “What books would you recommend to the March Sisters?”
• The process is described as a “thought exercise” that helps Annie see fictional characters as potential contemporary readers.
• The goal: To recommend a mix of backlist gems and newer releases that match each sister’s personality, ambitions, and quirks.

[03:30] Meg March: Elevating the Art of Homemaking

• Character traits: The eldest, “responsible and courteous,” nurturing, an “old soul” who desires a quiet, contented family life.

Recommendations:

1. The Hidden Art of Homemaking by Edith Schaeffer
   • Annie’s favorite from her young adulthood—“a creative, life-giving, artistic pursuit” of home-making.
   • Religious undertones, but “at its heart, creating a home…is a creative pursuit. And it can be an immensely beautiful one.”
   • “I think Meg March, Meg Brooks, would adore it.” [13:50]
   • “Meg doesn’t need to have other ambitions if she doesn’t want them.” [14:42]
2. Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner
   • The story of two married couples, the Morgans and the Langs, and their decades-long friendship.
   • “Meg values marriage and friendship and relationship.…She’s not like her writerly sister or her artistic sister. She’s the sister who is content to stay.” [18:18]
3. Runner Up: Dearly Beloved by Cara Wall

[20:08] Jo March: Ambition, Artistry, and Change

• Character traits: Annie’s “most-identifiable” character; ambitious, a writer who “loathes change,” values sisterhood and stasis.

Recommendations:

1. Writers and Lovers by Lily King
   • About an aspiring writer in 1997 Boston.
   • “I just think Jo would eat that up. I think she would either agree 100% or push back, talking about maybe how Marmee raised her.” [27:40]
   • Quote from episode opening (Lily King): “Nearly every guy I’ve dated believed they should already be famous… Now I understand it’s how boys are raised to think… I’ve met ambitious women, driven women, but no woman has ever told me that greatness was her destiny.” [00:01]
2. A Swim in a Pond in the Rain by George Saunders
   • A literary craft book, adapting Saunders’ MFA class on Russian short stories.
   • “He takes these short stories by Chekhov, Tolstoy, Gogol… offering seven essays about their structure, their meaning… why fiction is important, maybe now more than ever.” [31:15]
   • Notable quote from Saunders:
     “We’re going to enter seven fastidiously constructed scale models of the world… to ask the big questions. Questions like how are we supposed to be living down here? What were we put here to accomplish? What should we value? What is truth anyway? And how might we recognize it?” [32:25]
3. Runner Up: Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott

[36:03] Beth March: The Quiet Heart—Home, Romance, and Quirks

• Character traits: The gentle, home-loving sister; Annie imagines Beth as alive and “visiting my bookstore.”

Recommendations:

1. To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han
   • Chosen for its “homebody” protagonist, written by Han as a “romance for a Beth”—a girl content at home, focused on sisterhood.
   • “Beths get books too. Beths get romances too. Of course they do. They deserve their Peter Kavinskys.” [38:12]
2. The Second Ending by Michelle Hoffman
   • Adult rec: About a former child piano prodigy drawn into a reality TV talent show.
   • “Beth has her own quirky side characters… her quirky neighbors are a big part of her adolescence and who she ultimately becomes or who she would have become. And so I like that The Second Ending is a fun story. I think Beth needs to lighten up a little bit sometimes.” [40:07]
3. Runner Up: Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green
   • (A playful nod: “Because I don’t know, maybe. Maybe that would help.”) [40:52]

[41:10] Amy March: Ambition and Artistry with a Parisian Flare

• Character traits: Youngest, “petulant, whiny” (Annie’s words, though with new empathy thanks to Florence Pugh’s 2019 film portrayal); driven, ambitious, an artist, wants beauty, experience, and recognition.
  • Annie admits: “Amy is hard for me.…I have forgiven Amy of almost everything. The book burning is still rough…but the Teddy of it all, I can. Still hard. Even as I try to articulate my forgiveness, I’m wondering if it’s accurate.” [42:00]

Recommendations:

1. Loving Frank by Nancy Horan
   • Historical fiction about Frank Lloyd Wright and Mamah Borthwick Cheney’s affair.
   • “I want Amy to see the difference in…how Frank Lloyd Wright’s ambition was treated versus how Mamah’s ambition was treated…That’s something I think Marmee’s girls were already well aware of…” [44:47]
   • “Even though the book is called Loving Frank, it really belongs to Mamah.” [44:29]
2. Glaciers by Alexis M. Smith
   • Novella of a single day in the life of Isabel, a young Portland library employee and vintage lover.
   • “Truly, I didn’t mean any shade to Amy. I just…she does strike me as somebody who doesn’t sit still for very long.…I think this would be perfect for her because it is a thin little novella set over the course of a day…” [47:23]
   • “This is the story of a young woman’s love for the past and how she wants to build her own new and exciting life—which…doesn’t that sound just like Amy?” [48:53]
3. Runner Up: Kisses and Croissants by Anne-Sophie Jeannot
   • Teenage Amy would get this “fun little Parisian rom com.”
   • “Isn’t that essentially what Amy got? A Parisian rom com? Isn’t that what we all wanted and Amy got it and that’s why we’re all jealous. It’s fine. We’re fine.” [49:15]

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• Opening Reflection:
  “Nearly every guy I’ve dated believed they should already be famous, believed that greatness was their destiny… No woman has ever told me that greatness was her destiny…” —Lily King, Writers and Lovers; read by Annie [00:01]
• On Meg:
  “Meg doesn’t need to have other ambitions if she doesn’t want them.” [14:42]
• On Jo:
  “Jo loathes change. She doesn’t want them to grow up. She doesn’t want Meg to get married. She doesn’t want anybody to leave. She loves things as they are.” [22:30]
• On Beth:
  “Beths get books too. Beths get romances too. Of course they do. They deserve their Peter Kavinskys.” [38:12]
• On Amy (with new empathy):
  "Thanks to Florence Pugh’s portrayal of Amy, I have forgiven Amy. I have forgiven. I have forgiven Amy of almost everything. The book burning is still rough, but the Teddy of it all, I can. Still hard.” [42:32]
• On making characters readers:
  “I do think if the March sisters were A, real, and B, alive in the year of our Lord 2026, I think they would love the Bookshelf. I think it matches their vibes.” [50:00]

[50:20] Complete List of Recommendations by Sister

Meg:

• The Hidden Art of Homemaking — Edith Schaeffer
• Crossing to Safety — Wallace Stegner
• (Runner Up) Dearly Beloved — Cara Wall

Jo:

• Writers and Lovers — Lily King
• A Swim in a Pond in the Rain — George Saunders
• (Runner Up) Bird by Bird — Anne Lamott

Beth:

• To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before — Jenny Han
• The Second Ending — Michelle Hoffman
• (Runner Up) Everything is Tuberculosis — John Green

Amy:

• Loving Frank — Nancy Horan
• Glaciers — Alexis M. Smith
• (Runner Up) Kisses and Croissants — Anne Sophie Jeannot

[51:13] Community Invitation

• Annie invites listeners to share their own book recommendations for the March Sisters on Instagram:
  “What books would you recommend for the March Sisters? I would love to know.…Let us know on Instagram which books you would hand sell to the March Sisters.”

Tone & Style

Annie’s style is warm, enthusiastic, and deeply personal—infused with a generous spirit toward both the March sisters and her listeners. The episode is seasoned with literary references and bookstore lore, making it a perfect listen (or read!) for book lovers, Little Women fans, or anyone who delights in character-driven reading recommendations.

For more book lists and recommendations, follow The Bookshelf Thomasville on Instagram or check their website.