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- [00:02]
A
Welcome to from the Front Porch, a conversational podcast about books, small business, and life in the South. I think we're wired to follow the if it ain't broke, don't fix it strategy, but that can keep us stuck in a so so situation for far too long. Something I've learned along the way is maybe we don't need to wait for something to break to make a meaningful leap. Maybe we can jump towards something instead of just staying put. As one of my favorite expressions suggests, it is never too late to be what you might have been. Hoda Kotb Jump and find Joy Annie I'm Annie Jones, owner of the Bookshelf and Independent bookstore in beautiful downtown Thomasville, Georgia, and this week I'm talking to my mom, a beloved guest about books for readers with PG 13 tastes. Do you love listening to from the Front Porch? Every week? 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. Cozy, bookish charm from the Front Porch is such a comforting, authentic listen. Annie feels like a sweet friend chatting about books and every episode leaves me with a fuller heart and a longer tbr. I especially love the episodes with guests Hunter, her mom, her husband, bookshelf staff. They always add a little something special. This podcast is cozy, thoughtful and endlessly charming. Thank you so much to all of the reviewers who've left kind words and thoughtful reviews of our show. We're so grateful anytime you share from the Front Porch with your friends. Thanks for spreading the word about the podcast and our independent bookstore. Hi Mom. Welcome back to the show.
- [02:07]
B
Hi Annie.
- [02:08]
A
So we are back with a Shop mom episode. If you are a new listener to from the Front Porch Every couple months or so, mom comes on from the Front Porch to talk about books that are redemptive and hopeful. We have been featuring mom on the podcast for a long time now. You can go back in our backlist. We've got links in the show notes but episode 3984-164334-47468, 485, 52535 and most recently episode 572. Again, links to those are all in the show notes. So mom comes on every few months and we talk through the books that she loves. You can also shop the Shop mom select through the Bookshelf. So one of the ways you can shop her stories is. You can become a shelf subscriber through our monthly shelf subscription program. Each month, staffers pick their favorite books of the month. And our revolving shelf subscription features picks from ShopMom, Shop Dad, Nancy, and Olivia. It's a great option for the eclectic reader. And then if you want to shop Susie's other selections, she has her own page on the store website with so many books she loves backlist and front list. Plus, you can shop her picks from today's episode by searching episode 587 on the bookshelf website. So we'll get to more of that at the end of today's episode. Let's dive in. You have quite the list this week.
- [03:37]
B
Well, and I was worried about that because I have felt in a reading slump.
- [03:42]
A
Happens to the best of us.
- [03:43]
B
Well, I've had a little something more to occupy my mind.
- [03:48]
A
Yeah. Yes.
- [03:50]
B
And of the human baby nature. Yeah. So I've had a hard time just figuring out when to fit in. Reading and staying awake.
- [04:02]
A
Yes.
- [04:02]
B
So. But I did. I did wind up having a pretty good little list for today.
- [04:07]
A
Yeah. This looks great.
- [04:08]
B
And I think they're great books. I think people who like to read what I like to read are going to love today's episode.
- [04:15]
A
And looks like there are some good, maybe summery selections.
- [04:18]
B
There are. So the first book I'm gonna talk about is called the Little Bookshop by the harbor by Jean Stone. I hadn't read anything by her before that. I recall.
- [04:29]
A
I haven't either.
- [04:30]
B
She's very meish, kind of.
- [04:32]
A
Did you find her at the bookstore or did you. I can't remember.
- [04:36]
B
Must have found her at the bookstore, huh?
- [04:38]
A
Okay.
- [04:39]
B
But anyway, it's a story about Maddie, who is a college journalism professor, and she visits this historic fishing village of. Let me see if I can pronounce this right. Manimsha on Martha's Vineyard. Martha's Vineyard.
- [04:59]
A
That was very, very Georgia.
- [05:01]
B
Yes, it was. But anyway, she's rediscovered her grandmother as well as her indigenous roots as being half Wampanoag.
- [05:12]
A
Okay.
- [05:13]
B
So that was kind of made a new little twist. And you learned some of the culture about the. The tribe and its history and traditions. So she discovered a little open business, like a business that had a fishing business that had been closed. So it's just empty spot. And kept thinking, well, wouldn't that be fun to have a little bookstore? Because there wasn't one in this little village. So she decides to leave her job. She opens the bookshop. She becomes in a relationship with a restaurateur named Rex, and they become friends and friendly. And then her son is graduating from college, and he comes back and they're all kind of rediscovering deep family roots. Her father is also a professor, if I recall, and he comes in and out of the pictures, some to come over and visit. But she decides to leave her job and to open up this bookshop. So it's very fun. Then things happen in her life that you aren't expecting. It's just a really kind of a fun. It would be a great beach read this summer. And she has big decisions she has to make about whether to continue on with this bookshop, go back to her college professor. And so it's just her story.
- [06:50]
A
I was gonna ask if it was realistic portrayal of. You have a couple of books on this list about opening a bookstore or working in a bookstore. Are they realistic?
- [06:59]
B
Well, this one, I think the realism comes into play in this one because of the interesting part of her being half Wampanoag and the history of that area. You know, we think about Cherokee and we think about our little. Our Southern.
- [07:17]
A
Yeah.
- [07:18]
B
Tribes and so forth. So I thought that was really interesting and some of the history behind it. Yeah, it could be real.
- [07:26]
A
I don't know. I don't like reading books about bookstores because I feel like. I feel like. So I just am always curious. Is this like the cutesy version of bookstore ownership or.
- [07:36]
B
This is miniature. It's in a fishing village, and it was a fishing hut.
- [07:40]
A
Oh, okay.
- [07:41]
B
So this is going to be a small.
- [07:43]
A
Then that is realistic. Because that does sound nice.
- [07:46]
B
Yes. It's nothing like when you're filling a.
- [07:48]
A
I always tell people, when they ask about, should I what if I wanted to open my own bookstore? I'm like, that's great. Start in the smallest possible location you could ever have.
- [07:58]
B
You have almost too many stores in one.
- [08:00]
A
Yeah. Well, that looks fun and kind of different for you.
- [08:04]
B
And then I kept along those same lines as you said, but I got this one because it's Denise Hunter. And I believe her previous book was my shelf subscription at one time. I have to remember. Oh, it was before we were us.
- [08:19]
A
Okay.
- [08:20]
B
And it was a lake.
- [08:21]
A
Funny.
- [08:21]
B
Yeah, it was. So this one. So this is my next book, the Second Story Bookshop by Denise Hunter. And it's chronicling Shelby Thatcher, who loved working with her grandmother in a small bookstore. Look, my brain capacity. This is what I. And I really think I'm not alone in this. And I think people are listening to this going right on.
- [08:47]
A
I'm Just like. Yes, these tiny little bookshops.
- [08:50]
B
And so this is her grandmother's bookstore. She worked in it as a high schooler.
- [08:55]
A
Fun.
- [08:55]
B
Her grandmother dies, Shelby inherits the bookstore. But the glitch is it's half her, half her ex boyfriend.
- [09:05]
A
Oh, that's funny.
- [09:06]
B
So the grandmother is orchestrating things, huh?
- [09:10]
A
And the ex from beyond the grave.
- [09:12]
B
Yes. And the ex boyfriend is gone. Long gone. Left, you know, after high school. His name is Gray. He has a shady past because of his father. Okay. His father did some things that were not good. But everyone put that on his shoulders as well. Small, small town. Everybody knows each other. Same as up in the the previous book. So. But this one is all about how can she keep the bookstore running.
- [09:40]
A
Yep.
- [09:40]
B
Can she? With rent going up and with books going up. And can she keep it going like her grandmother did? But the answer is no. Because she's got to modernize some of her ways in order to keep up with expenses of running the bookstore.
- [09:57]
A
This might maybe too close to home. This probably hits too close escapist for you. Perhaps a little too real for Annie B. Jones.
- [10:06]
B
Well, I honestly picked this because I knew. I thought I would like Denise Hunter and I did.
- [10:10]
A
It's got a great cover too.
- [10:11]
B
And I do very cozy looking and I did like this story. So they're forced to work together.
- [10:18]
A
The downtown, a picture on the front looks like Thomasville.
- [10:23]
B
So she and her ex boyfriend, he's a finance guy, he comes in and he basically is not going to keep his half because he wants. He's got a life somewhere else and. But they have to work together and in their working together, yada, yada, yada, you know the gist.
- [10:41]
A
That's fun.
- [10:42]
B
But it was a cute book and it helped me get out of my slump. That's what I had to have.
- [10:47]
A
I like the COVID and I like. We were talking at the bookshelf. There's this whole series of kind of cozy books. And Caroline always talks about the economy of the town in which these books would be set. Because there's like a book about a bakery, a book about the. You know what I mean? But they are very steamy romance books. But they look cozy.
- [11:09]
B
Oh, I know who that is. Cause I got her pumpkin patch book. Okay.
- [11:12]
C
So.
- [11:13]
B
So I was like, well, hello.
- [11:15]
A
So when we as booksellers, you know, to each their. You're entitled to like whatever you like. But it is challenging to hand sell something that looks cozy and hallmark y&pg. And then it turns out maybe it's a little bit More than a reader bargained for. So it is good to know that these Denise Hunter books, both of these books, and Jean Stone, both of these
- [11:37]
B
books are absolutely pg. Yeah. But I think I talked about this on one of the former podcasts and there was.
- [11:43]
A
It was like pumpkin pie, I can't
- [11:45]
B
remember now, cafe or something like that. And the COVID was.
- [11:49]
A
Oh, it's so. They're so cute.
- [11:50]
B
All of her covers are.
- [11:51]
A
Yes, they all are.
- [11:52]
B
Her covers are adorable. But if you're trying to recommend a PG book, then I was like, oh, well, I'm not sure I can recommend this as PG book.
- [12:04]
A
For which I think it's when you start, you know, again, people like whatever they want. But when you're starting to read with a bookseller brain and you're trying to think, well, who else can I sell this to?
- [12:14]
B
Especially a pg.
- [12:16]
A
Yeah.
- [12:17]
B
Really?
- [12:17]
A
Yeah.
- [12:18]
B
It's not just blood and guts and F bombs and stuff like that. It's so I. Those, those books. That's so funny.
- [12:26]
A
Yeah.
- [12:26]
B
They do have the very cutest covers.
- [12:28]
A
Yeah. But they're a little steamy. So These are more PG, PG 13.
- [12:31]
B
These are great. Everything I'm telling about today, people would love.
- [12:36]
A
Okay.
- [12:37]
B
It would be. They would be. These two books would be easy reads. They're not too long and they're. They were really good.
- [12:43]
A
And like you said right now, like, if you're in a reading slump or if life feels overwhelming, these. You could. If you don't already own a bookstore where you're having to navigate financial issues, then it would be escapist for you.
- [12:56]
B
That's right.
- [12:57]
A
Escapist.
- [12:57]
C
For sure.
- [12:57]
B
There's love stories in all of them.
- [13:00]
A
Okay.
- [13:01]
B
There are.
- [13:02]
A
All right, so then you did some non fiction.
- [13:04]
B
Yes. So I decided, you know, I love Hoda.
- [13:06]
A
Yes.
- [13:07]
B
I mean, who doesn't love.
- [13:08]
A
Who doesn't love Hoda?
- [13:09]
B
So I didn't realize she had written some books and she's written a children's book.
- [13:14]
A
Yes.
- [13:15]
B
And so I decided to get her new book, Jump and Find Joy. And, you know, she just made a big change in her life just a couple of years ago now, maybe a year and a half ago, where she left Hoda and Jenna.
- [13:30]
A
Sad about that.
- [13:31]
B
I know that was sad. But. So this is a book about change.
- [13:35]
A
Okay.
- [13:36]
B
And it's a book about how scary it can be, but how exciting it could be. It was really quite brave of her. I think she might have had her 60th birthday, if I'm not mistaken.
- [13:46]
A
Okay. And she has.
- [13:48]
B
And she has two young daughters yeah. That she adopted. It was really interesting because she just like, made up her mind doing something different. Ready? Moving on.
- [13:58]
A
Yeah.
- [13:59]
B
Ready to do something different. It was like that milestone, whatever it was. Sorry if I got her birthday wrong.
- [14:04]
A
If it's six, that's probably right.
- [14:06]
B
But I'm thinking it was 60.
- [14:07]
A
Yeah.
- [14:07]
B
And because she's been in the biz a long time, I didn't even know about her early career where she started with Dateline or something, one of those kind of shows. So it's really a lot of stories about a lot of different people.
- [14:23]
A
Oh, okay.
- [14:24]
B
Making big leaps.
- [14:26]
A
So not just Hoda's story, not just
- [14:27]
B
hers, but her story is all throughout and intertwined. But it's. Every section has someone else's story. Cheryl Crow. Lots of famous people and great quotes and their story about how they flipped their careers and made big changes. Whether it was. Maybe it could have been health related. Maybe it could have just been, I'm ready for a change. So it was all about choosing a future that looks different than what you have. But it's scary, but it can sometimes turn out to be better.
- [15:02]
A
That sounds nice. And she has good for graduation season.
- [15:05]
B
It really is, because she has created like this entire wellness network. And I think she has an app.
- [15:13]
A
Okay.
- [15:14]
B
And I think she has, like, experts. She. I think she does big retreats.
- [15:19]
A
Huh, I didn't know that.
- [15:21]
B
Amazing. They sound amazing. So it's her career. She started out in Mississippi.
- [15:27]
A
Oh, I didn't know that. Me neither.
- [15:29]
B
And she. And then she wound up in, like, New Orleans. Loved New Orleans. And I can see that about her. And so I think it is a great graduation book.
- [15:40]
A
Just because. And there was a book a few years ago, Shonda Rhimes, the creator of Grey's Anatomy, she wrote called. I think it was called Year of Yes or something. And she also had a milestone birthday. I can't remember now if hers was 40 or 50. And she decided she was tired of saying no to opportunities, and so she took the year and like, said yes to every, like, every invitation.
- [16:03]
B
Please don't do that.
- [16:03]
A
Oh, no, I would never. Don't you worry. Say yes plenty. But I think she was in the practice of turning down so many things, and I think she turned a certain age and then maybe her career was also kind of mid lane. So anyway. But it sounds kind of similar where you take a leap. But I like that she interviews a bunch of different people. Oh, it's all very different from what
- [16:25]
B
I would have thought it was for me too. And at first I was like, oh, I wanted it to just be all about her. But it's all. It is all about her, too.
- [16:32]
A
Okay.
- [16:33]
B
And you trace her whole career and the. And the bravery in every career shift, because we know that there is that.
- [16:39]
A
Yeah.
- [16:40]
B
And so I thought it was a really good book. And I started following her on Instagram, her Joy 101 or something like that it's called. And so she gives positive affirmations she get. And it's really nice. She's. I think she's doing probably what she might have always dreamed that she would like to do now.
- [17:00]
A
Well, good for her.
- [17:01]
B
She bought a little house and is raising her daughters and in a small community where people know it's in New York, I think, but everybody knows everybody. And she just came back on the Today show to help while Savannah has been out some. And so it was really nice to see her and to see that the Today show people are such a. I think they're truly.
- [17:21]
A
Yeah, they seem like it.
- [17:23]
B
And so that was fun, too. And then to read this kind of along at the same time. So I highly recommend that book.
- [17:28]
A
Okay.
- [17:30]
B
And then next I'm going to talk about just briefly. This was a book that we read in our small group at our church, Discernment by Henri Nouwen. And I really love his books. This was.
- [17:44]
A
This was probably hefty for your.
- [17:45]
B
It is.
- [17:46]
A
Or dent. Was it dense?
- [17:48]
B
Yes, they all are. I feel like they all are dragging you out of your comfort zone or making you think of things in a different way. But this one was about how God is always speaking to us, either as individuals or as a group, a church, whatever. He speaks to us at different times, lots of different ways. Discernment is a spiritual practice, and it's helped me to remember to be open to how God works and communicates with us. Because it's not like a burning bush.
- [18:18]
A
Right. Looks a little different.
- [18:19]
B
Looks a little different. And what resonates with me the most, of course, is nature, and it always has been. But scripture, events, experiences. We made some big changes in our dad and I have in our spiritual walk. And so I think it's great to look at the people you meet and the experiences that you have that God's presence is always there. Whatever might be happening with you is for a purpose, to teach, for growth or whatever. But you have to pay attention. You can't just be blindly walking through life, which most people.
- [18:57]
A
I was about to say, you can,
- [18:58]
B
you can, but you won't feel discernment. You can. You won't reap the discernment if you are. You've got to try to pay attention. So it was. It's a short book. But it's.
- [19:09]
A
It is short. But I just wondered. Henry now. And I just wondered if it was. Yeah.
- [19:12]
B
And this is probably, if I recall, this is people putting together some of his writings.
- [19:17]
A
Okay.
- [19:18]
B
And so. But anyway, it's every book I've read by him I've really liked. But they're not light.
- [19:23]
A
No, they're not there.
- [19:24]
B
If you wanted to do a devotional type study. So the next book was delightful. It's off of your shelf.
- [19:34]
A
Yes. I love this book.
- [19:35]
B
I think. I know you're going to want it back. Oh, maybe I can have this copy.
- [19:39]
A
Let's see if I have the other.
- [19:40]
B
Because I love it. I love the COVID I love everything about this book.
- [19:43]
A
Yes, it is.
- [19:44]
B
This really helped get me out of my slump. The other two were easy peasy reads, but this one was me Ish.
- [19:52]
A
Yeah.
- [19:53]
B
This one was truly me ish. And so it's Take good care of the garden and the dogs. This is an older book.
- [20:00]
A
Yes.
- [20:00]
B
It's a true story of Bad Breaks and Small miracles by Heather.
- [20:05]
A
I think it's Lind.
- [20:06]
B
That's what I would have said. L E N D E. Yeah. Okay. So this is in. Takes place in a tiny. Look at all my little tiny towns. This time, tiny Alaskan town, Haines, Alaska, I think. And the author has a life threatening bicycle accident. She's hit by a truck. And it is about her recovery, her community, what life is like in the small town. It's very descriptive of the wilderness and the. There's nothing there.
- [20:37]
A
Yep.
- [20:37]
B
I mean there's nothing there but the people and fishing community. And so you really get to delve into her community and her life and the spirit of the people. Her mother is ill and dying, so that works into the story. And actually the title of the book is a quote from her mother. They want thinking she would have all these wise things to say and. And to tell. And when asked what do you. What do you want to say? Is there anything you want people to. It's go take good care of the dogs, the garden and the dogs. And I thought that was funny. That was her advice. That was it. And so it's stepping into just ordinary lives.
- [21:24]
A
I love this.
- [21:25]
B
Ordinary people and walking alongside of them. And it was delightful.
- [21:30]
A
Is she not an obituary writer?
- [21:32]
B
Yes.
- [21:33]
A
Okay. I was like, I think that. I think she was an obituary writer in this small town because this is nonfiction about her actual experiences. Kind of being a small town obituary writer is one of the things that I remembered about it.
- [21:46]
B
Yes.
- [21:46]
A
I loved this.
- [21:47]
B
And she. It's almost like reading a diary.
- [21:50]
A
Yeah, I really liked it. I think I came across it. I've not heard of it a lot of places, but I think I picked it up when it was first out in paperback at Sundog Books in Seaside. It was like on their staff picks shelf.
- [22:03]
B
Okay.
- [22:04]
A
And I have loved it. I mentioned it in my original book proposal for Ordinary Time, like as a comp title. But it is a deep backlist, so not a ton of people have heard of it. But it's so good.
- [22:14]
B
No, but you can order it through your favorite place.
- [22:16]
A
I believe so.
- [22:17]
B
Thomasville, Georgia.
- [22:18]
A
I hope so.
- [22:19]
B
Well, I hope so too.
- [22:20]
A
Let me see when it was published. I genuinely am curious.
- [22:24]
B
The cover's so cute. I hope I get to keep it.
- [22:26]
A
Signed it in Florida. I mean, in Seaside. I can't tell when it was 2010.
- [22:34]
B
Okay.
- [22:34]
A
I'll have to look.
- [22:35]
B
Well, I just need to Google her and find out what she's doing.
- [22:38]
A
Yeah, I would be curious and I need to make sure. Obviously, if you can order it from the bookshelf, we will put it on the website. Sometimes a book will go out of print and it'll be so sad.
- [22:47]
B
Oh, that would be sad.
- [22:48]
A
Because that one is great book. Yeah.
- [22:49]
B
People would love this book. Which leads me into Perfect Segue. Perfect Segue into Ordinary Time, the paperback version. When I was writing my little blurb about the book and I said, it's just ordinary lives with ordinary people, I went, here comes Ordinary Time. Perfect.
- [23:09]
A
Perfect.
- [23:09]
B
So Annie loved. Of course, I love my Hard Copy book, but I love the two new essays.
- [23:16]
A
Thank you.
- [23:17]
B
And the letter to the reader.
- [23:18]
A
Thank you.
- [23:19]
B
Worth buying the paperback to get those
- [23:20]
A
two new essays from your mouth, not mine. Worth it to get the paper back, everybody.
- [23:26]
B
And of course, I think the author is incredible. I love her.
- [23:31]
A
She does her best.
- [23:32]
B
She's awesome. And I think that when the two new essays are like a. P.S.
- [23:41]
A
yeah, they're like a little epilogue almost.
- [23:43]
B
And it's great because if you. And I hope everyone out there has read the original Ordinary Time. And when you read that, you do get. You don't get the whole ending because.
- [23:55]
A
That's right.
- [23:56]
B
It was still being lived out.
- [23:58]
A
Yes.
- [23:59]
B
And now we have Isaac. And so I think it's really fun to read these last two essays about just really briefly becoming a new mom. Right. And of course, I loved some of the stories about goat yoga.
- [24:16]
A
Oh, yeah.
- [24:16]
B
And regular yoga.
- [24:18]
A
I know. Did Aunt Lisa read that yet? I wondered.
- [24:21]
B
I think she has. And we loved that because we all thought that was one of the most fun things we've all done together and most unique. So I think people will want to get your paperback version just to read these two essays. And your letter to the reader was so sweet.
- [24:39]
A
I did love writing that. That was fun, because that was. The publisher had asked if I would write two more essays, which I was, of course, thrilled by. And then they asked if I would write a letter. And I have always loved in books where there's like, a special indie bookstore edition or where the author writes. I don't know, writes to the reader. And I really was glad I got the opportunity to do that.
- [24:59]
B
When I was putting my list together, it made me see all the little threads running through my books. Because this is totally about a life rearranged.
- [25:10]
A
Yes. And it is. I mean, Hodo's book is about taking leaps, and then the. I think both things are true. Right. You can take a leap of faith and go a new direction, or sometimes the leap is staying put. And so I like that. And a lot of your book, like Take Good Care of the Gardens and the Dogs, is about somebody who's having to stay, take care of her community, take care of her family.
- [25:36]
B
So, yeah, I think it's a great. I think it's. I said your words help remind us again in that rearranging the ordinary can truly become extraordinary.
- [25:47]
A
You should have written the blurb on the back.
- [25:49]
B
Well, I could have. Anyway, well done.
- [25:52]
A
Thank you. Thank you. And I'll sign copies if you buy them from the bookshelf. Don't forget.
- [25:56]
B
Great. That's even better. Okay, well, this is fun. And this is a new, fresh book called Royal Spin.
- [26:02]
A
I am so curious to hear your thoughts on this.
- [26:04]
B
You'd love it. This could totally be a Hallmark movie.
- [26:06]
A
Okay.
- [26:07]
B
This could for sure. I think. I wouldn't be surprised one bit if this doesn't wind up a movie. Some. Some kind of movie, if you want to keep it clean. Hallmark. Yeah, or something like that. But it's really cute. It's a story about Lauren Morgan, who works at. In the White House correspondence. Oh, yeah. So she's a press office in the White House, and she's gotten herself into a little pickle because always a man, her ex. Boyfriend, cheating on her with her best friend. And so she just needs a change of scenery. And I can't recall how she comes, finds out about this job at Buckingham palace, but they are looking for a communications person to come in and help them improve their royal family streak of bad headlines. And I wrote maybe we should get somebody from Buckingham palace to come here
- [27:04]
A
and pluck us out of our Help us with our complicated headlines.
- [27:07]
B
Pluck us out of the headlines I seeing every day.
- [27:10]
A
I want to know if in this book is it okay, so for example in the White House or in Buckingham palace are these the royals and the White House that we know or are they fictional?
- [27:21]
B
Fictional.
- [27:21]
A
Okay. So so in Buckingham palace it's a different.
- [27:25]
B
Right, it's different.
- [27:26]
A
But Omid Scobie who wrote it is a royal reporter.
- [27:30]
B
Yes, he is. Yeah, it was so it was really name and and there's differences in sometimes you still have to remember our White House and our is still baby compared to the traditions of the king and the palace. So it really is a kind of a. It's a cute book. She goes over, she decides to take the job and then the lady that was going to be her boss quits immediately. Okay, welcome aboard. I'm out of here. Peace out. So she is left there to deal with all of and she knows how to deal with the press. But I will say the British press is different.
- [28:16]
A
Oh yeah.
- [28:17]
B
I think it's even more cutthroat is very different. So she goes through and discovers the differences in White House and Buckingham Palace. She makes friends with one of the reporters who's decent and then one of the things she's tasked with is one of the sort of outcast nephews whose marriage has just fallen apart and he was kind of went rogue and like a sheep farmer or something like that. And now he's come back because he's penniless and kind of lost it. Also the Queen has asked him back and he comes back and they've. She's got to polish up his reputation.
- [29:01]
A
Okay.
- [29:02]
B
Because to and get him back in to being accepted within the royal family.
- [29:08]
A
Okay, that does sound cute.
- [29:09]
B
And it was very cute and I loved it. Everybody will love it. And let's all wait and see everybody.
- [29:15]
A
Yeah. Let's find out if this Susie predicts into a movie and I should say this was co written Omid Scobie and Robin Benway.
- [29:23]
B
Okay.
- [29:25]
A
Oh my gosh. I don't think I realized how young Omid Scobie was. He looks so young. But he wrote Finding Freedom which was about Harry and Meghan. Oh, I believe that was.
- [29:36]
C
Oh.
- [29:37]
A
Which I loved. So.
- [29:38]
B
Okay, great.
- [29:39]
A
He has. He has some expertise.
- [29:41]
B
And now I'm going back to some oldies.
- [29:45]
A
Okay.
- [29:46]
B
I have never heard of.
- [29:47]
A
But you've read recently.
- [29:48]
B
Yeah, I just read them. And you could. And I ordered them from my favorite bookstore, so I know they're orderable.
- [29:53]
A
Okay, so they are orderable. I'm gonna check on that other one.
- [29:55]
B
So please do order them from the bookshelf, because if anybody's been listening to any of my episodes, they know I fell in love with reading again as an adult at about 40. Literally. I had not read, sat and read books for years.
- [30:13]
A
Not fiction.
- [30:15]
B
I was only reading, like, children's stories.
- [30:18]
A
And we've talked about this many times. Self improvement. Yes. Self improvement. Parenting.
- [30:25]
B
Yes.
- [30:25]
A
All you were reading just.
- [30:26]
B
But I just wasn't reading for fun mostly until I found one summer I needed a book for us to go to the beach because I knew everybody around me was going to be reading everybody. And I couldn't have ants in my pants and be up and out all by myself all the time. So I ordered the Mitford book, bought it at Barnes and Noble for the COVID I knew nothing about it. I bought it for the COVID at home at Mitford. And now I've read every single series. Every single one. I have gone back to used bookstores and found hardback copies of every single
- [30:59]
A
one, which is fun.
- [31:00]
B
Which was very fun. I did that in January, and I found all of them. You. In used bookstores. Because many of them I never had the opportunity to buy.
- [31:10]
A
Right. You were probably reading them when they were paperbacks.
- [31:13]
B
Yes. So anyway, because of that, Nina, my sister Linda, she has a group. She follows a group on Facebook, a Mitford fan club.
- [31:23]
A
Fun.
- [31:24]
B
And from time to time, she'll send me stuff from it. And one of the. The links she sent me, I went to it on Facebook and it was. I noticed people were asking, oh, what else can I read? What else would give me that Mitford feel?
- [31:39]
A
Same vibe.
- [31:40]
B
Yes. So it's not Mitford, but I can promise you you're gonna love these books. I. I've already ordered. There's four of them, and I've already ordered the last two from Aaron this week. I'm like, go ahead and order the last two. So this, my first book is More Things in Heaven and Earth. It's a novel of Water Valley, Tennessee, and it's about a young doctor, Luke Bradford, I think his last name is. And he accepts. He really wants to be a medical researcher. He's a brainiac in Atlanta. So this is very Southern book, so you'll really like that. And, well, if you're smart, like Southern, you'll Really love that part. So he takes this job in this tiny little town in Tennessee rather than going into researching. His aunt has raised him because his parents were killed in a car accident. So his aunt has raised him in Buckhead.
- [32:39]
A
Okay.
- [32:40]
B
So he's used to. Nice.
- [32:42]
A
The bougie parts.
- [32:43]
B
Yes, the bougie parts of the house. So he, you know, probably get a little bit snobby and perhaps. And he's a doctor and he wants to do research, but he's got a lot of medical debt. She's gone. She's got a lot of. And he won't inherit whatever she's got for some years to come yet. Okay. So he takes this job in Water Valley, Tennessee, and if he will work there for three years, his medical loans will be paid off.
- [33:11]
A
Okay.
- [33:12]
B
And so he goes to this. And it's one horse town. I mean, he is it. He's the doctor.
- [33:18]
A
Like Heart of Dixie.
- [33:20]
B
Yeah. It's in an old house. It's in an old, beautiful old house. And he takes the job there. And it's all about how. I mean, there were parts of it where I was in bed at night, dad had fallen asleep, and I was dying laughing. It was just funny stories and gibbish things that he did. You know, you come out, you think you know everything, and then you start dealing with real people and real problems and. And a one tiny town with one little doctor. People want. People will tell you everything, right? You will. They will. You will know everything about them. So it's. The town is small, but it's filled with complicated, interesting characters that you'll get to know. He got a housekeeper that would help keep him fed and keep his house decent named Connie. She's adorable. I love her people. She's very frank, bossy, and she's just a really great character who takes another prominent role in book two. So book one is all about just becoming this town doctor, like setting the stage. Yes. He meets a school teacher. There's not many young people. He meets a school teacher. She gives him no time of day, nothing. Eventually, he tries to win her over. And I think people. And look, they're not little skinny books. They're good sized books.
- [34:47]
A
Yeah.
- [34:48]
B
And I think people will fall in love with it. I mean, I certainly have. I couldn't put them down. I had no problem. Like sometimes I would put down a book and go, oh, I didn't get to that today. Oh, well. Well, no, I read these every day and couldn't put them down.
- [35:07]
A
High praise.
- [35:08]
B
So then I ordered book two because I went, hot dog. I'm out of my slump. You know, until I can come back to the store, I'm gonna go on with book two. Yep. Which I did. And it is really fun because it goes into. You're still in the same town. Obviously, he stayed. He had his qualms. He thought he was gonna leave and plan to leave, but he stayed. He's still there in book two.
- [35:34]
A
Gotta pay off that medical debt.
- [35:36]
B
And. And you start to, you know, get involved with the people.
- [35:40]
A
Yeah.
- [35:41]
B
And. And their stories of why they are the way they are. But this one has a mystery in it.
- [35:47]
A
Oh, interesting. A little twist.
- [35:49]
B
Yes. And it's fascinating. And it's all through the book. He. There was a murder in the World War II era. And this town. He's just can't believe that there was a murder in this town. Who would do. Who? What in the world. Well, it ended up with a dead. We don't know the German, who was never identified. And then this townsperson that had come there from also Germany. So it's just a very. And he finds the autopsy. And then there's a missing autopsy. And he just gets very curious and keeps digging and asking questions. And then Connie's sister wants to buy and open a bakery. And that is part of the mystery. That lint. So it's really intriguing. And you'll find out the mystery at the end. But it's.
- [36:44]
A
Has Nina read these too?
- [36:45]
B
I'm just going to take them to her because she will love them. Yeah. I already told Lisa. I said I've got two books for Nina to read because she'll love them.
- [36:52]
A
And there are four total.
- [36:53]
B
And there are four. And I've ordered them through the bookshelf.
- [36:55]
A
Are they published recently?
- [36:58]
B
No, these are.
- [37:00]
A
I am so curious now because I've never heard. Open that up of them.
- [37:05]
B
I don't know why I had 2013. So when was book two?
- [37:12]
A
You know, because it's Southern. I'm just.
- [37:14]
B
I know why.
- [37:15]
A
2014.
- [37:16]
B
Okay.
- [37:17]
A
So fairly recently.
- [37:19]
B
So.
- [37:19]
A
Huh.
- [37:20]
B
And I totally found out about them through this Mitford.
- [37:24]
A
A Facebook group.
- [37:25]
B
Yes, I know. I don't even do Facebook.
- [37:27]
A
Did you and dad watch the new show? It's on abc and now I guess is on Hulu called Bad Medicine. I think it's called Bad Medicine. The main character. I don't think you and dad were good wife people, but the main.
- [37:41]
B
I did for the first several seasons.
- [37:42]
A
Okay. Well, that guy with the nose. Josh Charles is his actual name and he was on another show I really liked. But he is a doctor and he moves to this tiny town, I believe, in Maine, and becomes a doctor for this town. It's a cute little show. Oh, cute. Yeah, you and dad would love it.
- [37:59]
B
All right, tell me the name of it again.
- [38:00]
A
I'm pretty sure it's called Bad Medicine.
- [38:02]
B
Okay, I'll try to look at it.
- [38:04]
A
He's like a doctor. High powered doctor.
- [38:06]
B
That is.
- [38:07]
A
Something happened that is making him not be able to work his high powered doctor job anymore. So he's resorting to small town medicine.
- [38:16]
B
Okay.
- [38:17]
A
I think it's cute. It's cute.
- [38:19]
B
Well, I'm gonna look for it.
- [38:20]
A
Yeah. Okay.
- [38:21]
B
Okay. In my fear, when you told me I was back on the podcast so soon and my slump, your reading slump that I was in, I was worried that I would have enough books to talk about.
- [38:33]
A
That was plenty of books.
- [38:35]
B
But I decided this is a great time to bring in some beautiful books that I have bought at the bookshelf that will carry you through every day of your year. And so this was last year's I
- [38:50]
A
bought, and they're not dated, so it's really anytime.
- [38:53]
B
It's anytime. This is beautiful. Isn't that beautiful?
- [38:56]
A
I have it too. I love that book.
- [38:58]
B
A poem to read aloud every day of the year. And so it's a thick book. It's a coffee table book, Whatever you want it to be. And it is. So if you're in a reading slump. I keep this right by my chair while I do my new one. Now that this was last year, I keep it right by my chair. And when I'm feeling like, I don't know, I can't think, can't get into anything. Right. Plus the fact that I really think these books are brilliant because everyone should remember poetry.
- [39:31]
A
Yeah.
- [39:31]
B
And its place.
- [39:32]
A
And it doesn't take very long. I think it's, you know, it's better than picking up your phone.
- [39:37]
B
Exactly. And there's one for every day of the year.
- [39:39]
A
I love my copy.
- [39:41]
B
So I. This is now on my shelf.
- [39:43]
A
Because that's the one you read last year.
- [39:46]
B
That's the one I did last year. So, whoops, sorry about my bag.
- [39:49]
A
And that was a poem to read aloud every day of the year.
- [39:52]
B
Every day of the year. So this year when this one came out, I was like, you know, I'm getting this. A moment of calm. A soothing poem for every day of the year. I love this. And it is also a beautiful book.
- [40:06]
A
They are beautiful. So they look nice on the shelf, look nice on your coffee table.
- [40:11]
B
They're very Lovely.
- [40:12]
A
Have you kept up with it?
- [40:13]
B
I'm on May 20th.
- [40:14]
A
Oh, you are right on track.
- [40:16]
B
So. And if I skip a day or whatever, it's right by my chair, then I'll go back, catch it up. I think the point that I love about it is, like I said, if you're in a slump and you missed, you just didn't find the time to sit down and read or you can't get into something, and even if you are, even if you're pouring through books, it's take five minutes and read a poem.
- [40:43]
A
Read something a little different.
- [40:44]
B
Yeah.
- [40:45]
A
And I think it's a good practice.
- [40:47]
B
Yes. And I haven't really done a lot of poetry reading.
- [40:51]
A
I think we don't outside of school.
- [40:53]
B
Exactly.
- [40:54]
A
Right. I don't think we make time for it.
- [40:55]
B
You just don't. But these books are lovely.
- [40:58]
A
They are.
- [40:59]
B
Order them from the bookshelf. And they are in the bookshelf.
- [41:02]
A
I was about to say we stocked some of these.
- [41:04]
B
And so those two books, I think would be lovely for some poetry. And I also brought a couple of other, like. I don't even know if I would call them a devotional book, but maybe. Anyway, this one. Isn't that so pretty? Now, these are smaller, but they're hard back. And this one's called Wisdom from the Hidden Life of Trees.
- [41:28]
A
I remember us stocking this.
- [41:29]
B
It's beautiful. And the minute I saw that, I was like, getting it, getting it. And it's gorgeous. Every day there's beautiful art and just stories about trees and how they can.
- [41:45]
A
Beautiful artwork.
- [41:46]
B
It's beautiful artwork. If I didn't, you know, if I wanted to, you could buy a copy and cut some of these out.
- [41:52]
A
Yeah. And frame them.
- [41:53]
B
So beautiful. But this one was. Trees maintain an inner balance. They budget their strength carefully, and they must be economical with energy so that they can meet all their needs. They expend some energy growing. It sounds like humans.
- [42:11]
A
It does. And it's paired with a Van Gogh.
- [42:13]
B
Yeah.
- [42:14]
A
Really pretty Van Gogh painting.
- [42:15]
B
It's beautiful.
- [42:16]
A
Yeah.
- [42:16]
B
And so I thought today was a perfect time to talk about some books that are just beautiful to have.
- [42:23]
A
Yeah. And that you can kind of leave out and pick up and put down.
- [42:26]
B
And this is the one I'm leaving out. I'll put my trees back out when fall.
- [42:31]
A
It looks. Yeah, it looks kind of autumnal.
- [42:33]
B
Now, this one is. Was this year. I bought this in January, I think. Homecoming meditations. Exercises to calm your mind and find your inner sanctuary.
- [42:44]
A
Do you do them?
- [42:45]
B
Yes, I do. Do. I've done. Yes. Some of them. It's not. It's 13.
- [42:50]
A
Okay.
- [42:50]
B
And so I've got. Oh, I see there's your markings, underlining and so forth. And it's very.
- [42:58]
A
Oh, that's cool.
- [42:59]
B
This is about your. The front door. And it symbolizes openness and it's got a. So it's very. About your home.
- [43:08]
A
I love that.
- [43:09]
B
And I do, too, as you already would know that about me. And so it's just reading this and sort of meditating on the symbol and
- [43:19]
A
different aspects of your home.
- [43:20]
B
Yes.
- [43:21]
A
That's nice.
- [43:21]
B
And look, also adorable artwork. Look, Fear of the attic. Not that we have that in the South.
- [43:30]
A
It's too hot to go up there.
- [43:32]
B
Ours would say death in the attic
- [43:35]
A
because no need to fear it. We can't go up there right now.
- [43:37]
B
We don't have addicts.
- [43:38]
A
Jordan went up there yesterday or earlier this week to do something, and he came down. He was like, it's hot up there.
- [43:43]
B
Oh, my word. Don't you feel so sorry? My air conditioning is upstairs. And when they come in August to service my air conditioner, I'm like, oh, I know.
- [43:52]
A
Come in December.
- [43:53]
B
I know. They have to come twice a year, and I feel so sorry for them. But anyway, so there's reflections. And look, even the bathroom.
- [44:01]
A
I think this is nice.
- [44:02]
B
This is a wonderful look. Intuition versus anxiety. It's just a great. And it's also a beautiful. A Recipe for Imperfection. It's a beautiful book to just leave by your chair.
- [44:14]
A
Yeah.
- [44:14]
B
And just pick it up.
- [44:15]
A
That's great.
- [44:16]
B
Jessica. Boston Meditations. I hope she does another one.
- [44:21]
A
Yeah, maybe she will. That's cute. And it's good for me to know because I'm pretty sure I bought that for the store, so I'm glad. Glad it sold.
- [44:27]
B
Yes. And so order them from.
- [44:30]
A
We'll stock a few of those. Great. Okay, so if you are curious about any of the books mom talked about, including some of those beautiful coffee table books or poetry collections, there are a couple ways you can shop. Like I said, you can be a shelf subscriber, become a shelf subscriber through her shelf subscription program. You can also shop all of today's books on the store website through episode number five eighty. And mom and dad both have their own pages on the Bookshelf website with all their different books that they like, front list and backlist. You can shop through the link in our show notes or by visiting bookshelfthomasill.com, clicking Featured and choosing Suzy Reads. You can also get 10% off her choices with the code shopmomselects. It is like her own affiliate code. Don't tell dad you have one and he doesn't. So it's our secret. It's her own affiliate link so. So use the code ShopMomSelects to get 10% off her choices today. This week I'm listening to the Foursome by Christina Baker Klein. Mom, what are you reading?
- [45:33]
B
I'm reading Christy Woodson Harvey's brand new book Summer State of Mind. You gotta go get it. Great cover and it's beautiful book for summer.
- [45:42]
A
It's really pretty. 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, bookshelfthomasville.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, Beth Linda Lee Drost, Stephanie Dean, Ashley Farrell, Jean Queens, Jamie Treadwell, Joseph Shorter iv, Martha Linares, Nicole Marson,
- [46:38]
B
Wendy Jenkins and Kimberly.
- [46:41]
A
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, support us over 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.
- [47:29]
C
Foreign. This episode sponsored by Apollo Neuro Having problems getting a good night's sleep? Apollo Neuro may be the help your body needs. Apollo Neuro is a wearable designed to calm your nervous system so you can fall asleep faster and sleep deeper without medication or side effects. It works by sending gentle, silent vibrations through your wrist that signal safety to your body, like a hug for your nervous system. The result fewer wake ups, deeper sleep, and mornings where you actually feel rested. It's not just a sleep tracker. Apollo actively helps you regulate your body, and Smart Vibe's AI automatically personalizes the experience for sleep, calm, focus, and recovery. It's scientifically backed, with clinical trial participants gaining up to 60 minutes of sleep a night. Try it risk free for 30 days. Visit ApolloNeuro.com audio and take $99 off today.