Episode 577 || From the Front Porch Live from Reader Retreat

Summary

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Podcast Summary:

From the Front Porch – Episode 577: Live from Reader Retreat
Date: April 16, 2026
Host: Annie Jones (Bookshelf Thomasville)
Guests: Hunter McLendon (Shelf by Shelf), Ashley (moderator)

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Overview

This live episode of From the Front Porch is recorded in front of an audience at the Reader Retreat 2026. Host Annie Jones and guest Hunter McLendon (book influencer and writer) forego the usual guest author format. Instead, in the spirit of March Madness, they pit their all-time favorite books against one another in a bracket-style, debate-driven showdown, engaging the live audience to help choose winners. The second half of the show features a playful "Newlywed Game: Book Edition" where Annie and Hunter test how well they know each other's reading histories and tastes.

The episode is filled with literary passion, humor, and insightful commentary, offering listeners a taste of book community camaraderie and a curated list of must-reads.

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Main Segments & Key Discussion Points

1. Introduction & Format Change (00:24–05:54)

• Ashley introduces the panel and provides background on the podcast.
• Annie highlights format changes: no guest author, focus on book discussions using a “March Madness” bracket to celebrate favorite books.
• Hunter McLendon is introduced with a nod to his background, writing, Southern influences, and upcoming autobiographical novel.

2. Annie’s Paperback Release News (03:15–04:21)

• Annie announces her book, Ordinary Lessons Learned While Staying Put, is coming out in paperback April 22, with added essays and a signing event.

“There are two new essays and a letter to the reader... So anyway, yes, [the paperback] releases April 22nd.” (03:20, Annie)

3. March Madness Book Bracket: Debate & Audience Votes

First Bracket: The Memoirs (05:55–11:52)

• The Liars’ Club (Mary Karr) vs The Year of Magical Thinking (Joan Didion)
  • Hunter reminds Annie she’s read The Liars’ Club, despite her memory lapse.
  • Liars’ Club discussed as a brutally funny, trauma-filled memoir; Year of Magical Thinking as the iconic grief memoir.
  • Audience vote: No clear winner announced at this point—discussion blends into next bracket.

“Her voice is so strong and so great... this open letter to her son that opens, and it says, ‘Any way I tell this story is a lie.’” (10:55, Hunter, on Mary Karr)

Second Bracket: Dark Literary Fiction (11:59–16:17)

• A Little Life (Hanya Yanagihara) vs The Goldfinch (Donna Tartt)
  • Both lauded for depth and emotional impact.
  • Discussion on trauma, friendship, grief, readability, and personal resonance.
  • Hunter: “A Little Life... was the first book that I think, like, helped me process a lot of things that I'd been through. But The Goldfinch helped me process a lot of grief that I'd been through later on.” (15:31)
  • Audience vote: The Goldfinch moves forward.

Third Bracket: Literary Contemporaries (16:29–19:56)

• Edinburgh (Alexander Chee) vs Gilead (Marilynne Robinson)
  • Hunter praises Edinburgh’s hopeful approach to trauma and Chee’s craft.
  • Annie deeply values Gilead’s exploration of faith, ordinary life, and father-son relationship.
  • “Every so often, there's just a book about what I would call maybe an ordinary existence that I find really moving.” (18:11, Annie)
  • Audience vote: Gilead moves forward.

Fourth Bracket: Marriage & Relationships (20:14–24:54)

• Fates and Furies (Lauren Groff) vs Crossing to Safety (Wallace Stegner)
  • Hunter extolls Groff’s dual-perspective structure and sentence-level brilliance, citing, “She said nothing eloquently.” (23:08)
  • Annie recommends Crossing to Safety as a rare, positive depiction of lasting marriages and friendship.
  • Audience vote: Fates and Furies advances.

Fifth Bracket: Tragic Women (24:55–28:39)

• Blonde (Joyce Carol Oates) vs Olive Again (Elizabeth Strout)
  • Hunter: Blonde as “the American Anna Karenina,” deeply tragic, misunderstood woman.
  • Annie: Advocates starting with Olive Again for Strout newbies; finds kinship with protagonist Olive Kittredge.
  • Audience vote: Not detailed, but Olive Again seems to advance.

Bonus Bracket: Apocalyptic Novels (28:54–31:19)

• Station Eleven (Emily St. John Mandel) vs The Road (Cormac McCarthy)
  • Both hosts reflect on reading these works pre- and during the pandemic, themes of art, resilience, and hope after catastrophe.
  • Hunter shares how rereading The Road as an adult (seeing himself as the father instead of the son) changed the reading experience.
  • Audience vote: Station Eleven claims an upset win.

“Sometimes you're not finding [a book] at the right time. And when you do...” (31:16, Hunter)

4. Bracket Semi-Finals and Finals (31:20–33:33)

• Semi-Final Pairings:

  • The Year of Magical Thinking vs The Goldfinch – Winner: The Goldfinch
  • Gilead vs Fates and Furies – Winner: Fates and Furies
  • Olive Again vs Station Eleven – Winner: Station Eleven

• Final Round:

  • The Goldfinch, Fates and Furies, and Station Eleven battle for ultimate favorite.
  • Final Votes:
    • The Goldfinch - lukewarm audience response
    • Fates and Furies - described as “whopping three”
    • Station Eleven - overwhelming audience favorite and overall winner
  • “Last-minute entry. Impressive... They’re like a six seed. It’s an upset!” (33:28, Annie & Hunter)

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Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On Book Memory:

  • “I do not have any memory of this.” (06:46, Annie on The Liars’ Club)

• On Book Friendships:

  • “Our friendship can be encapsulated in the fact that I took a book about trauma porn and was like, 'It’s Sex and the City. You'll love it!'” (13:36, Annie)

• On Literary Craft:

  • “She said nothing eloquently.” (23:08, Hunter on Lauren Groff’s prose)

• On Rereading & Growth:

  • “I read that book, I think, five or six times before we read it. And every single time I read it, I hated it. And then I read it with Annie, and for the first time, I stopped seeing myself as the son, and I saw myself as the father. And it completely shifted the way that I experienced that book.” (30:51, Hunter on The Road)

• Humor:

  • “I think Crossing to Safety is one [quality book about good marriages]. . . . But I think Crossing to Safety is one and it's about two couples.” (23:34, Annie, poking fun at her memory and the rarity of positive marriage depictions)

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The Newlywed Game: Bookish Edition (34:01–40:10)

Ashley quizzes Annie and Hunter on personal reading trivia:

• Hunter’s Favorite Book:
  • Both agree: Fates and Furies
• Annie’s Favorite Book:
  • Annie: Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
  • Hunter guesses: Little Women (not far off; Annie says Little Women is formative)
• Hunter’s Favorite Author:
  • Both: Lauren Groff (Alexander Chee and Joyce Carol Oates as close runners-up)
• Longest Book Read:
  • Both eventually land on “The Bible,” with “Infinite Jest” as a close contender
• Favorite Reading Spot:
  • Both end up agreeing: "The beach"
• Book that Changed Life as a Teen:
  • Hunter: White Oleander by Janet Fitch
  • Annie: The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens (runner-up, An Old-Fashioned Girl by Louisa May Alcott)

“We would get divorced so fast. It won’t be my fault.” (39:11, Hunter, after mismatches in the game)

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Engaging Audience & Community (Throughout)

• The live format heightens energy; audience votes often surprise the panel.
• Banter and callbacks to audience members and previous episodes create an inclusive, familial bookstore vibe.

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Final Thoughts & Community Gratitude (40:10–end)

• Annie thanks guests, audience, and supports the continued growth of the podcast and independent bookstores.
• Encouragement for audience to check out the discussed books at bookshelfthomasville.com.
• Closing gratitude and reminders about podcast support options.

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Key Books & Authors Mentioned

In Brackets:

• The Liars’ Club (Mary Karr)
• The Year of Magical Thinking (Joan Didion)
• A Little Life (Hanya Yanagihara)
• The Goldfinch (Donna Tartt)
• Edinburgh (Alexander Chee)
• Gilead (Marilynne Robinson)
• Fates and Furies (Lauren Groff)
• Crossing to Safety (Wallace Stegner)
• Blonde (Joyce Carol Oates)
• Olive Again (Elizabeth Strout)
• Station Eleven (Emily St. John Mandel)
• The Road (Cormac McCarthy)

In Conversation:

• The Secret History (Donna Tartt)
• Lit (Mary Karr)
• Infinite Jest (David Foster Wallace)
• White Oleander (Janet Fitch)
• Little Women, An Old-Fashioned Girl (Louisa May Alcott)
• The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens (Sean Covey)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• [03:20] — Ordinary Lessons paperback release news
• [05:55] — March Madness bracket begins
• [11:52] — Audience voting kicks off
• [16:00] — Discussion of A Little Life vs The Goldfinch
• [19:56] — Hunter on hope in Edinburgh
• [23:08] — Line from Fates and Furies (“she said nothing eloquently”)
• [28:54] — Pandemic and Apocalyptic fiction round
• [31:16] — Hunter on rereading The Road
• [34:01] — Newlywed Game: Bookish Edition
• [40:10] — Closing thanks and community appreciation

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Notable Episode Tone & Style

• Warm, witty, conversational, suffused with literary inside jokes and lived-in companionship.
• Panelists’ rapport and memory lapses are as endearing as their book insights are sharp.
• Audience engagement and laughter are woven throughout, amplifying the celebratory southern indie bookstore spirit.

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Takeaways for Non-Listeners

• This episode delivers a trove of reading recommendations through passionate, funny, and sometimes fiercely debated discussions.
• It’s also a love letter to literary community: how a book means different things in different seasons, the joy of rereading, and the fun of publicly championing your favorites among friends.

Highly recommended for anyone seeking smart-yet-cozy book talk, new titles for their TBR, or a peek into the modern indie bookstore and podcast scene.

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Transcript

[A]

Welcome to from the Front Porch, a conversational podcast about books, small business, and life in the South.

[B]

Good evening. Good evening, everybody.

[C]

Thank you so much, so much for coming to the retreat spinning 2026.

[D]

We're so glad to have you.

[B]

Let's go.

[C]

My name is Ashley. I'm a creative strategist, former Bookshelf staffer, friend, and family member of Monae and B. Jones, and that gives me the privilege and honor of introducing our panel. So welcome to from the Front Porch. Live from the Front Porch is a weekly podcast hosted by the Bookshelf's owner and B. Jones. It's been in production since 2014 with nearly 500 episodes to date. With a variety of co hosts and guests including authors, local business owners, and Bookshelf staffers. The show averages 10,000 downloads an episode with large pockets of listeners in Texas, California, Minnesota,

[B]

Georgia, and Florida.

[C]

Many of Dune are in this room. In 2024, from the Front Porch reached a milestone of 3 million downloads. Thanks to listeners like you. Tonight, Annie will be joined by me and her friend, our friend,

[B]

Hunter McClendon.

[C]

Hunter McLendon, also known as Shelf by Shelf on Instagram, is a writer and book pimp who currently lives in Philadelphia. His book taste was heavily influenced by his South Georgia upbringing, with many of his favorite books being those in the Southern Gothic genre. He also enjoys reading memoir, sad girl books, and literary fiction. He was recently accepted into a novel revision fellowship at Stony Brook, where he

[B]

was part of her.

[C]

He'll be finishing up his latest project, an autobiographical novel titled 34% of the story is a Lie. And now your host, Annie Jones. Annie Jones owns the Bookshelf, an independent bookstore in downtown Thomasville, Georgia, where she and her husband, Jordan, have lived since 2013. A Tallahassee native, Annie began living her Kathleen Kelly dream as the manager of the Bookshelf in Tallahassee, and in 2013, she took over operations of the flagship store in Thomasville. Annie was previously featured as one of Southern Living magazine's 50 Innovators changing the south, and she is forever grateful to be able to run the Bookshelf and and hosts bookish conversations each week on from the Front Porch. Her book, Ordinary Lessons Learned While Staying Put, released last April, and the paperback comes out next month.

[B]

Thank you, Ashley. I could think of no one better to introduce us this evening. Welcome to from the Front Porch, a conversational podcast about books, small business, and life in the South. We are thrilled y' all are here tonight. Thanks for being here and thank you for being here.

[D]

Yeah, so. So real quick the paperback edition. Do you have a new essay?

[B]

I do. Thank you. Thank you. Are you my publicist? Yes. There are two new essays and Sam is on the COVID So actually we got paperback copies delivered last week, I think. And it was very funny because we opened the box. I was so excited to show Isaac as if he cares. And I handed the book to him and he was holding it. He was about to put it in his mouth. And then Sam took it and. And pranced around the room. It was like he knew he was. Sam is my dog. Sam knew he was on the COVID It was hilarious.

[E]

That is so precious.

[B]

But, yes, there are two new essays and a letter to the reader. I did get the paperback edition and they did put my signature in the book, like as a signing of a letter. But it's too justified, right? So when you see it, just know I would have moved it over. I opened it and I was like, just a little. But it's too late. So. So anyway, yes, it releases April 22nd. If you are local or semi local. I will be doing a signing at the bookshelf on Independent Bookstore Day. So I would love to sign your copy, whether it's hardback or paperback.

[D]

Now I have to buy a paperback too, just to have you sign, like, another copy.

[B]

Yeah, please do. We'd love for you to do that. Okay, so if you are a repeat retreat attendee or a repeat from the Front Porch, live attendee, we are changing up formats a little bit because for the last several, I don't know, appearances, the last several ones of these we've done, we've had a guest author. But tonight it's just us. And honestly, it has been just us before. And as some other listeners said, it's just us most of the time. I mean, an author is a rare. That is not something we do on from the Front Porch regularly. And in fact, when we have an author here, we have to kind of trade kind of tweak formats. So today, in honor of my favorite time of year, March Madness, and an homage to our most popular episode series, which is March Madness, with non reader Jordan Jones, just a slight shade. So I decided it would be fun for me and Hunter to talk about our favorite books March Madness style. So I have done the seeding. Instead of Olivia doing the pairings, I have done the pairings. We're going to debate and we're going to see which one of our favorite books kind of is the top. So I'm gonna walk you through the titles. Then Ashley's gonna kind of Keep track of where we land and which book kind of makes it forward. And so here are the book titles we're gonna discuss, and I wanna know if you think they're accurate, because I did this without your input. So I pitted, like, a book of yours versus a book of mine. Okay.

[D]

Yeah.

[B]

So we're gonna do the Liars Club by Mary Parr versus the Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion. We're going to do A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara versus the Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. Edinburgh by Alexander Chee vs. Gilead by Marilynne Robinson. Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff versus Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner. I did my Job. Blonde by Joyce Carol Oates vs Olive again by Elizabeth Strout.

[C]

Okay.

[B]

What do you think?

[E]

Okay, here's the thing. It's so funny. Cause some of these books I love. I feel like, as much as you love.

[B]

Yes, we love books. That's the challenge. That's March Madness Hunter.

[E]

That's the thing. There's at least one of these where I'm like, oh, my gosh.

[D]

I don't know.

[C]

I don't know.

[E]

But I know these are all books that I love.

[D]

So, like, very good job. These are some of my top 10 books of all time.

[B]

Okay, so let's debate. I pitted two memoirs against each other first. So let's talk the Liars Club by Mary Carr versus the Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion. Tell us about Liars Club, because I still haven't read this. I'm so sorry to say that's not true. It isn't?

[D]

No.

[E]

You've read the Liars Club?

[B]

I have.

[E]

We did a podcast episode about it.

[B]

When did I read it?

[E]

Because you literally. Okay, we read it. It's been a couple. It's been since pre pandemic.

[B]

Oh, okay. Well, that's a different one.

[E]

But we read it and you really did.

[B]

I like it. Should I try it again?

[E]

You said you were like, oh, my gosh. It's like your childhood. My child, my.

[B]

Maybe. Okay. I think I need to reread it, I guess. Should it move forward if I can't even remember?

[E]

Gave it five stars. Oh, my God.

[B]

I do not have any memory of this.

[D]

Okay, so the Liars Club is about Mary Carr's very young upbringing in Texas. And the book is. It begins with her kind of forming this memory that she has. Like, she's, like, looking back on this time where she can't remember what happened, except for there were a bunch of police Officers in her house, and a doctor was inspecting her. And you know that her mom had a nervous breakdown, but you don't know exactly what happened. And this book is kind of like her trying to discover that in the writing of it. And it's very. It's like a very, like, Phoebe Buffet vibe of, like, it's really hard Scrabble, but she's very, very funny.

[E]

And I can't believe you don't remember any of this.

[B]

I don't remember this at all. Are you sure?

[E]

Yes. I remember recording it with you.

[B]

I'm gonna go back in the archives.

[E]

You should.

[B]

I don't remember this.

[C]

What year did this come out?

[B]

The book has been out 95. Yeah, but the podcast that would have

[D]

it was, like, 20 years ago.

[B]

Was it love it or loathe it?

[D]

Yeah.

[B]

Oh, my gosh. Did we read it?

[D]

There's a backlist. Backlist Book club.

[B]

It was a backlist Book club. Did we read it with somebody?

[D]

No, it's just you and me.

[E]

What?

[D]

Yeah, yeah. And you loved it.

[E]

Listen, she loved it so much. She loved it probably more than Year of Magical thing.

[B]

Clearly, it sticks out in my memory. Oh, my gosh. Okay. I truly don't remember reading that book. But I get. Because I feel like even recently, you're like, I can't believe you still haven't read that Mary Carr book.

[E]

Lit. The third one Lit Catholicism.

[B]

I did read Liars Club. Okay. Okay. I do remember that. Okay, I'm gonna pitch Year of Magical Thinking, which you have read.

[E]

Yes.

[B]

Year of Magical Thinking to me, is, you know, the grief memoir. Now there, you know, I think Yooyun Lee kind of when she wrote. What was that book? Merely Grow Things in Nature. Merely Grow. When she wrote that, she kind of insinuated that maybe, you know, she didn't love the grief memoir as a genre. But I think grief memoirs are extremely powerful and helpful for those of us navigating grief and also for those of us maybe who are, I don't know, concerned about future grief or. So I find myself drawn to that genre. But to me, Joan Didion does it best. This is her memoir about the loss of her husband. And I frequently will say from the front porch and in my regular life, that I don't always remember. Obviously, I don't always remember the characters in a book, the major plot points in a book. But if I love a book, I will remember how a book made me feel, and I will remember where I read it. So I have a distinct memory of being in this coffee shop in Birmingham, Alabama. And I had bought this book. It's a thin little book. And I just devoured it. And I was tearful and trying not to be tearful publicly because I thought it was. So this concept of magical thinking is essentially her imagination imagining her husband still alive and her husband's still in the room with her. So I think it's very powerful. And I'm always impressed with. Somebody can tell such a beautiful story in such a sparse amount of number of pages.

[D]

So, yeah, I do love that book.

[E]

But also, I still can't believe. Let me tell you also one more

[D]

thing about Mary Carr. Her voice is so strong and so great. This open letter to her son that opens, and it says, any way I tell this story is a lie. So I ask that you disconnect the device in your head that repeats at intervals how ancient and addled I am. And I think that is such a good.

[B]

So good.

[D]

Yeah.

[B]

You memorized it?

[D]

Yeah, I have the whole.

[E]

I'm not gonna overcook the whole thing, but I have it all memorized.

[B]

Okay. So now I don't know what should move forward, because part of me is like, I didn't remember Liar's Club, so magical thinking should move forward.

[D]

Listen, that last page of Liars Club, you cried.

[E]

You did cry.

[D]

Go.

[B]

Go back and listen to that episode.

[C]

Do we enlist the help of the people?

[B]

Should we maybe. All right. That's a good idea.

[D]

Yeah.

[B]

All right. So the Liars Club by Mary Carr. Let's hear some applause for that one. Tony was like, thank you. Okay. And now the Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion.

[E]

I love that. The pity applause that I get. Like, people are like, let's give him a round.

[B]

Okay. This one, though. This should be easier. We both read and loved these books, and I know. I read Life. Okay, So a Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara, which I kind of pegged as your book. And then the Goldfinch by Donna Tartt for my book.

[D]

Yeah.

[B]

All right. So what do you think? You talk about a little life.

[D]

Yeah. So a little life is this. Actually, when Annie first pitched it to me, she said, this is like Sex in the City, except for four for men in New York. And that is really accurate.

[B]

That was your pitch.

[D]

That was your pitch to me. And that's really accurate for the first 40 pages.

[B]

Did I recommend this to you?

[D]

Yes.

[B]

Wow.

[E]

Yeah.

[B]

Our friendship is a blur.

[E]

You recommended it 11 years ago.

[B]

Okay.

[E]

Yeah. And I actually almost.

[B]

I kind of thought you sold it to me, but no.

[E]

No, you recommended it to Me.

[D]

And I loved it.

[E]

And then I, like, came back, and

[D]

you were like, isn't it great? And I was like, yeah, it's much more sad than you let it.

[E]

Let it need to believe.

[B]

Well, and the Internet hates it.

[E]

Yeah, the Internet does hate it.

[D]

But it is this, like, really. It is a really beautiful, beautiful book about male friendship. And I think that a lot of people mostly remember it for how it's considered, like, trauma porn because it really is focusing so much on this one man and this, like, horrific life that he has led. But I think that it does something really beautiful where it shows that no matter how, like, distraught and upset and, like, overwhelmed a person can be, that people will still show up for them. Especially when men have, like, a smaller emotional toolkit, they don't always know the words to say. They still find ways to, like, kind of, like, show up for each other and really make something powerful happen.

[B]

So I think our friendship can be encapsulated in the fact that I took a book about trauma porn and was like, it's Sex and the City. You'll love sexy. I feel like that's probably why we get along. But I read this really traumatic book, and I was like. But it's like, it's. It's four friends in New York. It's so fun. It's not fun if you've never read it. It's wonderful. I wouldn't. Fun isn't the word I'd probably use. Except with you. You're gonna have a blast. Okay. And then the Goldfinch you made me read. And so I think we did read that as a backlist book club. Backlist book club. I do have a. And then we went and saw the movie together. And so I read the Goldfinch. I had loved Donna Tartt's the Secret History, which is beloved at the bookshelf. Like Olivia. It's one of Olivia's favorite books. It's one of my favorite books. A lot of us on staff have read that one and really liked it, but I had not read the Goldfinch. I think once I started bookselling, I became really daunted by thick books. And I think it's because I'm trying to read so many frontless titles, and I'm trying to read so many new books, and the more pages there are, the fewer books you can read. It's math. And so anyway. But the Goldfinch is the kind of opening scene which to me is just seared in my brain, is where this young man goes to museum and he's looking at the Goldfinch painting, and then a bomb goes off. And that kind of sets the story in motion. And I think I had been told. I think some readers find it maybe boring or slow. I did not find it that way at all. I mean, I flew through that book. It does not feel as long as it is. And so I loved the Goldfinch. If you hunter, have to pick between the Goldfinch and the Little Life, what are you picking?

[E]

This is so hard.

[B]

I know.

[A]

Welcome.

[B]

Because, again, this is what we do. This is March Madamus.

[E]

It's hard.

[D]

I have read both of these books three times.

[B]

Oh, I didn't.

[D]

And which, let me tell you, talk

[E]

about, like, if you're not depressed, you know, it's a great way to, like, dive down into it. But I. But, gosh, the thing is, is that,

[D]

like, a little life is seared into my brain. And it was the first book that I think, like, helped me process a lot of things that I've been through. But the Goldfinch helped me process a lot of grief that I'd been through later on. And I also always think about, like. Because the opening line of the Goldfinch is, while in Amsterdam, I dreamt of my mother for the first time in years. And the way that he writes about his mom is beautiful. Oh, gosh. Now.

[E]

Oh, Like, a little life with that would probably be.

[D]

I think. Okay, I'll do a little life. I'll do a little.

[B]

That would be your personal.

[E]

Yeah.

[B]

Okay, so let's open it up. Let's see. Okay, a round of applause. If you would move forward a little life by Hanging on. Okay. The Gold Pinch by Gun.

[E]

Yeah, I'm fine with it.

[B]

Okay. All right, we'll move forward the Gold Pinch, then. Did you know we're gonna pit these against each other? Did you know that? This is how it works.

[D]

Wait, wait.

[E]

Okay, wait.

[B]

We'll pitch well. So then we'll do the Year of Magic and Thinking versus the Goldfinch. Did you know that this is.

[E]

Okay,

[B]

so now, this will be interesting because I have not read Edinburgh. Right?

[E]

Yeah. You haven't. No. Yeah.

[B]

You haven't. Edinburgh by Alexander Chee, which you talk about all the time, versus Gilead by Marilynne Robinson, which I feel like I can't not talk about on any given day. Okay.

[D]

And, you know, they both. They're friends.

[B]

Yes, yes, yes.

[D]

So Edinburgh, which is actually funny. Edinburgh was initially Hanya Yanagihara, who wrote A Little Life. She wanted to. She was working at Riverhead as an Acquiring editor. And she wanted to acquire Edinburgh, and they said no. And so he ended up going to an independent press for a while, which was fascinating. And then she wrote A Little Life, which they're very similar in some ways. But Edinburgh is about this boy named Fee who joins a boys choir when he's, like, early, probably 11, 12. And it turns out that the man who runs the choir is a pedophile. And he is. It's about all these boys who were, like, faced with this trauma. And the first part of the book is kind of dealing with all this, but then it jumps forward in time to adulthood. And it's about Fi as an adult and how he's reckoning with his own trauma while also facing up to what is happening with everyone else. But it's surprising that this book is so optimistic and hopeful and tender. And it never really like. It never feels like. It's kind of like shoving you with a knife. It feels like it is guiding you along and kind of helping you understand how you could ever recover from something so terrifying and awful. And I think that that's such a skill that he has.

[B]

Listening to you. Isn't listening to him talk about books amazing. You're brilliant. You're brilliant. Okay, so Gilead by Marilynne Robinson is one of my favorite books of all time. It is about this minister who is on his deathbed, and the entire book is him kind of thinking back on his life every so often. And we're gonna talk about crossing to safety in a minute, but every so often, there's just a book about what I would call maybe an ordinary existence that I find really moving. And I also am frequently looking for books that write about where the author writes about faith in an authentic way. Not in maybe what we would call a Christian fiction or Christian nonfiction kind of way, but in just a realistic. Faith is a part of this man's life, this character's life, and then his relationship with his son. It is very much a father son kind of story. I love Marilynne Robinson, and I really respect how she writes about faith, especially in fiction. I know she's written some essays and things like that, but I love her fiction. So this is Gilead by Marilynne Robinson.

[D]

Well, and, like, I love how I'm, like.

[E]

I'm, like, making my. I'm not making my case any, like,

[D]

better, but I will say that is something. I reread Gilead last year. And, you know, the whole thing is basically written, like, in a letter to his son. And I, like.

[E]

I reread that oh my gosh, I'm about to cry. It was so moving. I was like, this is like, I want boohoo cry.

[D]

Both books are great, but that didn't

[E]

make me boohoo cry.

[B]

I reread it a few years ago. Cause I don't often reread. I think you reread a lot. I do not often reread, but I reread Gilead a few years ago. And the. I mean, the line like, yeah, some of the writing is just stunning. I mean, it's just stunning.

[D]

This moment where she talks about light within light like a candlelight within. Like, like the early sunlight. Beautiful.

[B]

Yeah.

[D]

Like, yeah.

[B]

Okay. So, okay, this will be. I don't know. I don't know. Edinburgh by Alexander Chee. No, no, never read it. Okay. All right. And Gilead by Marilyn Robinson. Okay. Okay. Now this could be. This could be your chance.

[D]

Oh, yeah. This could be your chance.

[B]

Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff versus Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner. I think you might. I think this will be interesting.

[E]

Yeah.

[D]

So Fates and Furies is, if you've. If you are familiar at all with Gone Girl. It is like the literary Gone Girl in some ways. It's split into two parts. Fates and Furies. Fates focuses on the husband's perspective of this marriage. And Lauren Groff says this whenever she talks about the book. So I think it's okay to say that this is a book about a pretty successful marriage for the most part. And the first half is focusing on the husband. And you have this really specific idea of what this marriage is. And she takes these little bracketed sections. If anyone's ever read to the Lighthouse, there's a section called Time Passes. And in Time Passes, it's like a 20 page section that's describing the decay of this house. But in bracketed sections, it's describing the ways that the different characters are kind of like living and dying very briefly. And it kind of sweeps past that. But in the. In Facing Fury, she does almost the opposite where she takes these bracketed sections and has this God's eye view that pulls out and like comments on the marriage. And something that is so beautiful about this book is that you have this very clear idea of like, how this man views this marriage. And then the second half, it doesn't even tell the same story. It still carries through the timeline. It doesn't like repeat the same stuff. But the second half, with the wife's point of view, truly reshapes and reconfigures everything you know about the marriage. Not in a way to say that it's, like, bad, but just to say that. Or worse or anything. Just to say that, like, two people can have completely different lived experiences while living under the same roof. And it is.

[E]

And.

[D]

But there is this. I will also just say there is this thing that is talked about in both sections where he talks about the way that he proposes to her and how her answer is like, he says that she says yes, yes, joyfully. And when she recounts it, she says, sure. And it is this. But there is. But truly, the way that little thread is pulled throughout the book is so beautiful.

[B]

I mean, it's genius. And it's genius. I mean, how she read. Is that your first Lauren Groff or.

[D]

That was the first one I read.

[B]

Yeah. Because I feel like that showcases her work so powerfully. I also love that book. And did you sell me that? Maybe.

[E]

I bought it the day it came out, but I think.

[D]

I don't think you. Maybe you had read it, but we hadn't talked about it yet. But I will also. There was this, like, one line that. Oh, gosh, now I can't remember. She's. Oh, they're fighting because he's like. He's trying to write an opera, and she wants him to come home for Thanksgiving, and he. And he's like, still. He's trying to pitch why he should stay. And she's quiet on the phone, and the line says, she said nothing eloquently. And I think that is such a great line.

[B]

So good. Does it make you mad?

[E]

Yes, it does. I was like, well, I can't do that.

[B]

Yeah. It's the kind of line that makes you mad. Okay. So to me, the part of the reason. So Olivia does such a brilliant job when we do March Madness episodes with Jordan of, like, pairing these so well.

[D]

So.

[B]

So I did try my best to mimic her. So Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner, which you read maybe as part. Did you read as part of your

[C]

National Book Award trip?

[D]

That's right.

[B]

Wait, see. Oh. Do you forget that you read Crossing to Safety?

[E]

Yes.

[B]

How the Tables have Turned. Okay. Fascinating. All right, no judgment. This is a safe space. Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner is about a marriage. In my mind, it is a book about a marriage. And on from the front porch, we frequently get asked, okay, Annie, you love all these books about these broken, not great marriages. Where are the books about quality books about good marriages? And the truth is, there aren't many, in my opinion. But I think Crossing to Safety is one and it's about two couples. You kind of meet them at the university, I believe, in Wisconsin. It's very much a Midwest book. It's very much rooted in that. But anyway, it's these two couples, and it follows them again, much like Gilead and kind of just through their ordinary lives. This is not a loud book. This is not. There's no kind of turning point. It's just two couples, their friendship decades long, and then their marriages that. Decades long. So that is Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner. All right, so Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff. Crossing Safety by Wallace Stegner. Okay, that was it. But you guys should read Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner. Okay. And then Blonde by Joyce Carol Oates vs Olive again by Elizabeth Strauss, which

[E]

these feelings do completely different.

[B]

Like, but they're ladies.

[E]

Okay. Okay. I actually, like, this is one that

[D]

I have convinced a lot of people of. So I feel really confident in it. Blonde is a fictionalized biography of Marilyn Monroe. It is a very stylized book. But the book opens with. With this section, special Delivery. And it's death on a bicycle delivering itself to Marilyn Monroe. And it starts. So it's starting with her death, and then you. And then it goes right into her, like, early childhood, like, her infancy, and how her mom's, like, hiding her in a drawer. And. And it kind of carries through her entire life up until her death. But it is, if you. To me, it is the equivalent of our, like, the American, like, Anna Karenina of this, like, great tragedy of, like, a woman, like, truly, like, struggling through everything to try to persevere. And she does not write her as some, like, ditzy little thing. She writes her as this, like, really brilliant, beautiful woman who is a poet and who is a true artist and who kind of, like, outsmarts a lot of people around her. But, like, she's so clever that people don't really catch it. And she has these two completely different parts of her. She has Norma Jean, which is this poor girl who has struggled and been abused and she's trying to overcome. And you have Marilyn, who is this really carefully sculpted image. And she plays with that comedy really well. And Even though it's 700 pages, it manages to feel. So nothing feels excessive to me unless it is intentionally.

[B]

So was it. Did this become. Wasn't this, like, a terrible Netflix adaptation or something? Okay, yes. Yes.

[D]

Here's the thing. If you watch the movie, don't watch it as a movie. Watch it as, like, a. Like, as illustrations of the novel.

[E]

Cause I don't think we need to,

[D]

like, look at it.

[B]

Okay, so just ignore the film adaptation. Okay. So Olive Again by Elizabeth Strout. Part of the reason I had asked you. I did ask you for what I knew one of his favorite authors is Joyce Carol Oates. So I was like, what is your favorite? Which I had guessed correctly. But I wanted to pit it against an Elizabeth Strout book because I love all of her books. But people frequently wonder where to start. And my unpopular opinion is that I think you should start with Olive Again. I think Olive Kittredge can be hard. Short stories, again, feel like a higher degree of difficulty for some reason, at least as a bookseller when I'm trying to hand sell them. But Olive Again is all about Olive Kittredge. She lives in Maine. She is kind of this curmudgeonly woman who lives in this town. But it's not just about Olive. It's about all of her relationships. If you like books about an older protagonist. I love. I find a deep kinship with Olive and who she is, even as she maybe says things that I wouldn't say or does things that I wouldn't do. But I felt. I fell in love with her through. I feel like Elizabeth struck through all of her books. They always kind of come back to Olive. And I feel like you get this fully well rounded picture of who she is the more books you read by her. So that is Olive Again by Elizabeth Strout. All right, so Blonde by Joyce Kerloats. I'm sorry. And then Olive Again by Elizabeth Stroud.

[E]

I just have to say, my mom

[D]

is in the audience giving the most

[E]

tepid applause towards my pigs. She's showing her support very quietly. Yes, it's fine. I'm not hurt.

[B]

Okay. Do you know what we're voting against? Like, okay, we have five. Oh, five pairings. That's right. So that's not gonna. Oh, you're right. So that's why I did that last one. Do you have one you want to pit against that last one?

[D]

Against that one? Oh.

[E]

Oh, yeah, I do.

[B]

Okay. I do. Yeah. All right, we have one more pairing, then. Do it quick. You have ears.

[D]

Station 11 by Emily St. John Mandel,

[E]

which I think if we all. I know we all lived everywhere in the room, lived through this pandemic, you

[D]

know, is a very unsettlingly accurate representation of what it feels like to be living through a pandemic. And I think that Annie and I. I remember you and I both read. You recommended this to me, and you said you said it is the first time that you ever, while reading a book, like an apocalyptic type book, looked up and were kind of just like, I think shaken, but also grateful of where we were.

[B]

Yeah. And because it's a post apocalyptic novel. But it's really about art.

[D]

Yes.

[B]

I mean, it's really about art. Survival. I mean, but she wraps it in this really fantastic plot.

[D]

Yes.

[B]

How dare you. Okay, so Station 11 versus the Road by Cormac McCarthy, which is one of my favorite books as well, and I had not read it until we read it together for. Was that Backlist Book Club as well?

[C]

What was that?

[D]

It was Backlist Book Club.

[B]

Okay. And it's one of my brother's favorite books. And so I finally read it and I could not wait to call him and be like, oh, you were right. But it is. Speaking of mother son stories, it's a fantastic father son story about survival. To me. Is this weird, but I think if you read Lonesome Dove and loved it, then I think you should read the Road by Cormac McCarthy. To me, they are kindreds. And I wound up. I feel like the road is dark, but also it's not. I mean, I thought it was really beautiful. So let's. This will be interesting. Okay, so station 11. What if that book slides in and

[C]

then wins it all?

[B]

Okay. Versus the Road by Cormac McCarthy.

[E]

Okay, I will say that in the

[D]

Rhodes defense, I will say very quickly. I read that book, I think, five or six times before we read it. And every single time I read it, I hated it.

[E]

And then I read it with Annie,

[D]

and for the first time, I stopped seeing myself as the son, and I saw myself as the father. And it completely shifted the way that I experienced that book. And I think sometimes I know people hate that. Like, they're like, why do you keep reading these books you hate? It's because sometimes you're not finding it at the right time. And when you do.

[B]

Yeah, yeah, totally.

[E]

I agree.

[B]

Okay, so now.

[C]

All right, next up, do you want

[B]

me to read all three?

[C]

Three pairings?

[B]

Yeah, three pairings. And then we're gonna vote.

[C]

All right, so we've got the Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion versus the Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. We have Gilead by Marilynne Robinson versus Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff.

[B]

Okay.

[C]

And then we have Olive Again by Elizabeth Strout versus Station 11.

[B]

I don't know.

[D]

Emily St. John.

[B]

I'm sorry. Okay, so. All right, so. So Year of Magical Thinking versus the Goldfinch Is that right? Did I do that right? Yes. Okay. Year of magical thinking. Oh, interesting. The Goldfinch by Donna Carter.

[E]

Okay.

[B]

You're keeping track of that? Okay. Okay. And then Gilead by Marilynne Robinson versus fates and Furies. So, Gilead, Fates and Furies. Fates and Furies. Oh, we do sound alike. That. Okay, next.

[C]

Olive again versus station 11.

[B]

Olive again. Olive. All right, Pete. Okay. Versus station 11. All right, so who we got?

[C]

That's three now.

[B]

I didn't do the math very well. I didn't. That's all right.

[E]

It's okay. What do we got?

[B]

Can we just put off the negatives? Yeah. Put off the radicals.

[E]

Yeah.

[B]

All right. The Goldfinch. Jordan is furious. Jordan is like, what's the vibe? Yeah. Jordan's like. They. You know what he would say? This is bush league. That's what he'll say. He'll be like, andy, that was bush league. You should listen to that. Okay.

[C]

Okay, we have Goldfinch, Fates and furies in Station 11.

[B]

God, those are really good.

[E]

Those are good. Yeah.

[B]

Okay. Goldfinch. Okay. Wow. Donna, don't come here.

[E]

Okay.

[B]

We don't know what's coming. Okay. Save ourselves. Okay. All right. Fates and Furies. All right. A whopping three. Okay. Station 11. Wow. Look at that.

[C]

Wow.

[E]

Listen. Last minute entry.

[B]

Last minute entry. Impressive.

[E]

I know the people. I know the people.

[B]

They're like a six speed. It's an upset. It's a job. Sports. Okay, so now, before we get to your questions, we are going to play. Let me get my Sharpie out. Hunter and I are gonna play the Newlywed Game, but with books. Don't you guys worry. We're staying on theme. Okay, so Ashley is gonna read a question that then we will have to answer. Right?

[C]

Are you? Okay, so you're gonna answer Hunter's favorite book of all time.

[B]

That's right.

[C]

You're gonna answer Annie's favorite book.

[D]

But I also write it down.

[B]

That's right. First, we have. But we have time. So Hunter's favorite book of all time. He writes an answer and I write one. Okay.

[C]

Hunter's favorite book of all time.

[B]

This is great audio content.

[D]

I'm very curious to see what, like. Okay, ready?

[B]

Three, two, one. Oh, Fates and Furies.

[E]

Oh, yeah.

[B]

Fates and Furies. For the audience at home. Fates and Furious. Okay. All right.

[C]

Next up, Annie's favorite book of all time.

[B]

Too bad. Maybe I need to know better than this list.

[C]

Oh, that was fast.

[B]

Ready? No. Cheat. That's so cheap.

[E]

Is it on this list?

[D]

Do you think?

[E]

It's on this list.

[B]

No, don't take. I don't know. Don't yell at me.

[E]

I'm wrong. I think I'm wrong. I think I'm wrong.

[B]

Ready? Three, two, one.

[E]

I had a feeling. I know. I knew it was one of the. Okay. Would you say that's not a bad guess?

[B]

I said Gilead by Marilyn Robinson. You said a great guest. Little Women by Louise.

[E]

Man, I almost said Gilead, but then

[D]

I thought I was like, oh, of all time.

[E]

I don't know.

[B]

All right.

[D]

I'm disappointed in myself.

[B]

Not mad, just disappointed. All right, Hunter's favorite author.

[C]

Oh, wait, there's two answers.

[D]

What do you think there is?

[B]

I don't think there is. I don't think there is.

[D]

What do you think?

[B]

Those are two.

[D]

Yeah, those are two. Yeah. Okay.

[B]

I had a hard time. I knew, though. Yeah. Yeah.

[E]

Warren Groff.

[B]

I told you it was gonna be. Oh, my God. My other answer was Alexander Chee.

[E]

That is a good one.

[B]

Or was. Would it be Alexander Chee or Joyce Carlos? Who would be number two?

[D]

Oh, gosh, we can't go into this.

[E]

This is too complicated.

[B]

Okay, but Lauren Groff for the audience.

[D]

Yes.

[B]

Okay. Okay.

[C]

Annie's favorite author, Annie B. Jones.

[B]

Not me, to clarify. I mean.

[D]

Well, now I'm like,

[B]

I don't know

[C]

if I know this.

[D]

I don't know.

[B]

For tonight, for tonight. And tonight for tonight. Three, two, one.

[E]

Okay. I was like, if I'm Marilyn Robinson,

[D]

I love Marilyn Robinson.

[B]

Robinson.

[E]

I got it right. I know her better than you.

[B]

Okay, ready? Yes.

[C]

The longest book Hunter's ever read.

[D]

Oh, well, actually, I'll be shocked.

[B]

Shocked so fast.

[C]

3, 2, 1.

[B]

Infinite jets. The Bible. You said the Bible longer than Infinite Jets. Yeah.

[E]

No, my version is gonna.

[B]

Got it.

[E]

I will say Infinite jets is a really good guess because that book, if it is not, it is not longer

[D]

than the Bible, but it will take you longer than the Bible to go.

[B]

I think it's longer than some versions. Okay, well, okay.

[C]

The longest book Annie's ever read.

[B]

Oh, no, I forgot. I had to answer this. Okay, just say the Bible. Three, two, one. They both said the Bible. The Bible. Thank you. Truly did not know.

[C]

Have both of you read the whole

[B]

Bible all the way?

[E]

Yeah.

[B]

Multiple times, maybe. Did you see how I started getting ready?

[D]

Let me tell you about that.

[E]

I had the audiobook, which was my granny saying in the beginning, every morning. Every morning for, like, the whole year.

[B]

All right.

[C]

Hunter's favorite reading spot,

[B]

the bookshelf. I put a place.

[D]

You put a place.

[B]

It's okay if we did it wrong? I'm just guessing.

[D]

Let's see. Okay.

[B]

Three, two, one. The beach. The beach.

[E]

Oh, that is so good. I put a setting. I didn't put a.

[B]

Not answer.

[E]

No, because a beach is the setting. No, but. No, but you know what? The beach is such a good.

[D]

That's a good.

[E]

Such a good one.

[B]

You love reading at the beach. Yes.

[E]

Here's the problem.

[D]

I like to pose with books at the beach.

[B]

Okay.

[E]

And so I feel like.

[D]

But I do like to read at the beach. It's such a peaceful thing. That's so good. I didn't think of that.

[B]

All right. Annie's favorite reading spot.

[C]

Also.

[B]

Who won that round? Nobody won that round. Okay. Loser. Me. Three, two, one. Anywhere outside?

[E]

Oh, the beach.

[B]

The beach. Okay, sure. Yeah, sure. Does that count? Okay, yeah. Then we'll let it.

[E]

I do think outside.

[B]

Yeah, we'll let it fly. Okay.

[C]

This is our last two. A book that changed Hunter's life as a teen. You are writing furiously.

[B]

Ready? Three, two, one. White oander. White oleander. White oleander.

[E]

You are so good at this.

[C]

Ha ha.

[E]

Oh, my gosh. We would get divorced so fast.

[B]

It won't be my fault. All right, last one.

[C]

A book that changed Annie's life as a teen.

[B]

Writing. Before I can even finish the question,

[E]

I don't think this is the accurate answer, but I'm.

[B]

All right. 3, 2, 1. The seven habits of highly effective. You changed my life.

[E]

I almost chose. What is that other Louisa May Alcott. Look.

[B]

Old fashioned girl.

[D]

Old Fashioned girl. I almost chose that one.

[B]

An old fashioned girl would be choice number two.

[E]

Okay, well, there we go. I give up. What'd you put our Little Women. So I was like, it'll be one answer if it was.

[B]

When in doubt. Little Women. That as an 8 year old. Yes. That's what as a teen, an old fashioned girl would have been. Yeah. Yeah. But no, it was. Something happens to finally. Magazines. I was very cool. Okay. All right. Thank you guys so much for being here. Thank you to Hunter and to Ashley tonight, and thank you everybody for coming tonight. We are so grateful for your continued support from the Front Porch and the Bookshelf. And we're so glad you're here. Thank you.

[D]

Yeah.

[B]

Yay.

[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 a full transcript of today's podcast episode can be found at. From the frontporchpodcast.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, Jamie Treadwell, Linda Lee Jost, Gene Queens Martha Stephanie Dean Beth Ashley Farrell, Amanda Wickham, Nicole Marcy Wendy Jenkins 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, write a review and tell us what you think. Or if you're so inclined to 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 from the front porch. We're so grateful for you and we look forward to meeting back here next week.

[B]

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