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- [00:02]
Annie
Your message amplified.
- [00:03]
Hunter
Ready to share your message with the world? Start your podcast journey with Podbean.
- [00:08]
Olivia
Podbean.
- [00:09]
Hunter
Podbean.
- [00:10]
Olivia
Podbean.
- [00:10]
Annie
Podbean. The AI powered all in one podcast platform.
- [00:14]
Kendall
Thousands of businesses and enterprises trust Podbean to launch their podcasts.
- [00:18]
Annie
Launch your podcast on Podbean today.
- [00:20]
Kendall
My school uses Podbean.
- [00:22]
Hunter
My church too.
- [00:23]
Olivia
I love it. I really do.
- [00:27]
Annie
Welcome to from the Front Porch, a conversational podcast about books, small business, and life in the South.
- [00:50]
Olivia
Okay, all right, what do I want to do? I think I do want to do this first. And then I'm going to take some pictures. All right. But going to announce y'all. Let. Okay, first I just want to say if you had any. I wish I could. No, I don't. But the amount of texting and notes app sharing that Hunter and I did to pick this book. And so if you don't like it, you are totally entitled to that opinion. Try not to show it on your face. Channel. Channel. Channel Christmas, opening a present from your grandma and you're like, oh, my gosh, I love it. And then later you can decide if you want to buy in. Okay. Okay. We worked real hard on this. Okay, Are you ready, Hunter?
- [01:41]
Kendall
Yes.
- [01:42]
Olivia
Okay. Drumroll. Okay. Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes in our selection. Thanks, Karen. Thanks, everybody.
- [01:59]
Kendall
I, I. It's so funny. Like, I. Whenever I used to work for after school, there was a kid who was trying to read it, and he was like, who'd want to read Don Quixote?
- [02:10]
Olivia
That's what we're going to call it all year long.
- [02:12]
Kendall
I know.
- [02:13]
Olivia
With our, with our South Georgia accents. Remember, never forget Count of Monte Cristo and me trying to pronounce French. Can't wait. This is going to be real fun. Okay, so let me tell you and Hunter, you input as wanted. We had narrowed down to five and then three. And I will be honest. I. I was intimidated by Don Quixote. I'll go ahead and tell you that our second choice. Yeah, I'll go ahead and tell. It was Flannery Connor short stories. And truthfully, we talked about 2025, and yes, I do have a book coming out. And I was like, I just am afraid to reinvent the wheel. Like, and Flannery O'Connor was going to reinvent the wheel because it was going to be like two short stories a month, like, anyway. And I was like, I think I just want to do a traditional Conquer classic. We considered two books. Like, we have considered that in the past. And so then we Started thinking, well, what did people like? What did we like about. About Lonesome Dove? And we liked that it was an adventure story. We liked that it was a story about friendship. And we liked that it was a journeyman's tale, because it feels like that's what we're doing, too. Like we're journeying over the course of a year. And so that is why we went ahead and picked Don Quixote. Now, I'm going to tell you my history with this book, because this was. So. In the staff meeting. We had a staff meeting this week, and Kendall, one of our booksellers, our inventory coordinator, was like, oh, can you tell me about it? And I looked at it. I was like, man of La Mancha, Windmills and the Wishbone version. And that is literally all I know. Like, that is. And I have. Specifically, I've not. Let me give you a tip. Don't read the introduction. Just like we skipped. We skipped the preface in Lonesome Dove. What do we skip? I can't remember. Maybe it's the preface. Anyway, if you're trying to read spoiler free, which I frequently am. So I've not read the introduction to this. I've not read the Wikipedia page to this. All I know now is that it's considered the first modern novel. It was written in two parts, 1605 and 1615. And so Hunter and I do sometimes find ourselves. Like Bleak House was written as an installment work. Something else was that we read.
- [04:33]
Kendall
Oh, well, actually, like Anna. Anna Karenina. Middlemarch.
- [04:37]
Olivia
Yeah, yeah.
- [04:38]
Kendall
They were all. Yeah.
- [04:39]
Olivia
So this is written in installments. So. Okay. So, all right, hold on. Let me. I've done. I've. I did some work today. First of all, this will be announced in Patreon, like, tonight, like, in writing. But there's the book on the Bookshelf website. It will come with a reading guide, which I don't have a printed copy of, but I do want to explain real quick pick, because this is going to be different for some folks. Me, too. I did that. I did sit down to do the reading guide. Hunter, I wish you had. I wish you'd been in the room. I almost shed tears over this, because here's the fun thing about Don Quixote. So it's about a thousand pages. We're going to read it January through October, just like we have before. But how do I want to say this? Okay, there's the first part, and then it does normal chapter numbers. Great. Awesome. Then part two, a continuation of the normal chapter numbers. And then part Three, great continuation of the normal chapter numbers, part four. And then all of a sudden, there's a second part, the part I'm assuming that was written in 1615. And then it's new chapter numbers, and my brain broke. And so here's what I did. And you'll see it tonight at 9. You can download it or you can wait till your printed copy comes. This is backwards for everyone, isn't it? But basically, it will say, January, we're reading part one. And then there are 14 dots for you to just color, but they are not numbered because the numbers change halfway through the novel. And so I did a lot of math. Annie did a lot of math this week. So I just want to explain that it is going to look different. And I don't want any type A personalities, of which I am occasionally one of you, to get upset. This is the best we could do. So, anyway, I think it's totally doable. It's a. It comes to approximately 94 pages a month. So what do you think, Hunter? How do you feel? What's your history? What do you know about Don Quixote?
- [06:39]
Kendall
All I know is that it's like one hearing the kids say Don Quixote, but also that Lauren Groff read it. She was reading it almost a decade ago, and I asked her what she thought, and she said that I can't remember. She said one half was really flawed but really interesting, and the other half was technically so genius, but was less interesting to read. But together it created such an interesting conversation to be had. And so I'm very excited to see what she bit by that.
- [07:13]
Olivia
One of the reasons that I. That, like, after we narrowed it down to two, one of the reasons that I picked this one is because a couple of readers I trust had read it. And when I said, okay, what do you think? Like, what do you think about them? Both of the readers, the first word they said was, oh, it was so fun. And I was like, okay, Fun is personally what I'm after these days. I don't know about you guys. I don't know about you guys, but we're doing a lot already anyway. And so I was like, fun is what I'm after. Kila has read it and said it was fun. So anyway, that gave me hope because one of the things I really loved and wound up loving about Lonesome Dove was I thought it was fun and I wanted this to be fun. So I'm trying to see. Bobby said she's looking on Libro fm, just stressed about which version to Buy. See? And. And I don't have any tips for you yet, but typically, Hunter, about two months in, Hunter, will have an audiobook recommendation for you. Right? Typically. I'm looking to see people's reaction. Okay. Somebody said. I have to mention this. Somebody said. Kristen said, I saw the ballet version when I was in D.C. a couple years ago. Listen, when we. We met as a managerial team about, like, what book we thought would make the most sense for Patreon and for marketing purposes and all this stuff. And if you guys knew how often I heard Olivia say, well, the ballet. And because Olivia, that, like, my only knowledge of Don Quixote is, like, man of La Mancha, which I've not even seen. I've just heard a couple of the songs. Let me be clear. And then Olivia was like, well, in the ballet. In the ballet. Here's what they do. And it was like having Kelly Bishop, like, at the ballet in my brain. Like, she just kept talking about. Yes, she just kept talking about in the ballet. Anyway. Oh, Catherine was in the musical as a kid. Somebody said, Derek said, you want the Edith. Yes, Derek is correct. That is what we're reading. You can read whatever version you want, and the reading guide will accommodate whatever version you choose. Oh, somebody. But let me just tell you that this is the translation. We picked this on purpose. So this is the Edith Grossman translation. So you can purchase it from the bookshelf, you can check it out from your library, you can buy it from your own local bookstore. This is the version we'll be using. Your reading guide will accommodate whatever version you choose. But the translation that is recommended and considered, quite frankly, easiest to read. And we talked about this when we did Count of Monte Cristo, because that was also a translation. And Anna Karenina. Oh, go us. Look at us. Look at us. Reading. Translated, Lit. Anyway, Edith Grossman, is the translation. Okay. It is a paperback, yes. Bethany. Yes. I don't know if that makes a difference to people. Hunter, how do you feel about a paperback?
- [10:09]
Kendall
It's so funny, because when it comes to buying books for my shelves, I prefer a hardcover. But when I'm reading, I've realized I do prefer paperback.
- [10:16]
Olivia
Yeah. With the Conqueror classics, I'll be honest. These skinny little noodle arms can't handle a hard.
- [10:22]
Kendall
Back when we were reading, when we were reading Bleak House, I was like, this is.
- [10:26]
Olivia
It was too much.
- [10:28]
Kendall
It was heavy. Yeah. I just do it. I do have to say it's so funny. Like, I don't know if I've mentioned this to you. That so, like, I always think you're hilarious whenever we do these. But I. After, after. After rereading Ordinary Time, I was like. I was like, oh, my gosh. I was like, I think Annie's funnier than I am, and.
- [10:49]
Olivia
No. No way.
- [10:52]
Kendall
I'm like. I was laughing so hard, so loud the whole time. I was like, oh, my God, that's really lovely. Literally, I was like, oh, my gosh. I was like, I. And then I literally thought to myself, I thought, have I become that person who, like, speaks over another person and that doesn't let them, like, doesn't let their humor shine? I have got to get it together.
- [11:07]
Olivia
No, I think we're good. I think we riff well together. I think we could go on tour. I'm still like, I told Jordan. I was like, I think Hunter's just gonna come with me on tour.
- [11:16]
Kendall
There we go.
- [11:17]
Olivia
Perfect. Buckle on. Yeah. He be the interviewer every time. Okay, so all of you who are here, you know how to participate. But I do want to just make a couple of business announcements before we leave today. So Don Quixote, if you buy it from the bookshelf, it will ship no later than. So it'll ship as soon as we. We've ordered a lot of these. It'll ship as soon as we get them. But because all of these announcements are happening in Q4, with a lot of other things happening, like, soon it will be Black Friday and Small Business Saturday. If you order Don Quixote, it will ship no later than December 16, and that is because that is our last date. We want it to be to you by Christmas. So if you want to give it as Christmas gift. If you want to gift a Patreon membership along with the book, I think that'd be super cute and fun. So if you buy the book, it'll ship no later than December 16th. It will come with a printed reading guide. If you follow us on Patreon, the printed guide, the digital guide will also be available for you to download. If you want to just print it yourself. There is also a digital guide that can be downloaded. But y'all are on Patreon. You don't need to do that. That's typically for people who don't want to join us on Patreon, which is fine, and they just want to download the reading guide, but y'all don't need that because you're here. Unless you decide not to be here next year. No pressure. And then you can download the Digital guide@bookshelfthomasole.com Let's see, we're gonna keep these conversations, obviously at the five dollar a month Patreon level. They will still appear in your feeds. The last Friday of every month, I did have somebody on Patreon say, hey, I've never been sure how to participate in the conversations. Like when I listen to the episode and you say, oh, leave your questions. So let me clarify that Patreon is not the best place for conducive. It's not the most conducive for conversations, but we're not doing Facebook. We're just not going to do that. So the best way to interact with me and Hunter and for us to see your questions and then potentially read them on an episode is to go to Patreon. And there are two feed posts per month, one soliciting questions and one dropping the episode where you can leave your feedback. And so when we say leave a comment, that's where we mean for you to leave it. You're welcome to tag us on Instagram or whatever. Like we read those too. But if you want to potentially be included in a future episode or something like that, those are the two places. And people are pretty active in those chats. I will say for Lonesome Dove in particular, so it will depend. We'll see how much chatter Don Quixote inspires. But Lonesome Dove was a pretty active comment section. Okay. My last thing I wanted to announce, I don't even think I put this in my notes, is one more Lonesome Dove related thing. So there's still. You can still purchase Lonesome Dove merch if you so choose. There is still some available. It's not too late, but I gotta tell you, my mom and aunt, my mom loved this book so much. And so my mom and aunt made ornaments. And I have a feeling based on the number of people that are here tonight, they could sell out. And so my mom is going to make more, but she just. But there's an initial run that is available on the website now. Putting the link in the chat. And they're these stamped dove ornaments. And she and my aunt made them and it's really wonderful. And so if you're. I mean, I'm biased again, I'm biased. Do whatever you want. But I think they're lovely and they will. Let me tell you. I got it. There were so many things I needed to say. They will ship out. Let's see. I wrote it in my notes. They will ship no later than December 2nd. That's what I was going to say. And if these sell Out. Which I think they could. Don't panic. They're going to do a restock on Black Friday. So really, we had no idea. Like, my mom was like, how many do you think people will want? 10. And I was like, I love you. I think more than 10 people might want this. So we're doing an initial run, seeing about interest, and then we're going to do a second run at Black Friday. They'll all ship by December 2nd. Catherine? Yes, I believe they are on the app. Aaron told me Don Quixote and the Lonesome Dove ornament are on the app. So maybe if you search ornament, you could see it. Joanne. Joanna, we do ship to Canada now. We changed that two weeks ago, so congratulations, my Canadian friends. It's. The time is yours. Go shop. Okay. Yes, Jennifer, a dove is better than a tombstone. Although I'd hang a tombstone on my tree. You know, memento mori. That kind of thing could be fine. Okay. Yes. Can I put the link to the Don Quixote book again? I sure can. If I can find where I put that. Yes. Here it is. Oops. Okay, y'all, somebody wants to know if the carrot bookmarks came back. They might come back, but we sold out the company. Like. Like the people that make them in the uk. I feel like Scotland, question mark. They're all gone. They're all gone. I tried to order more, and they're currently unavailable. Jennifer. I did not tell them why, though. I would love to, and I think they'd get a kick out of it. But anyway, so stay tuned. That's a company we order from all the time. And so next time I do a bookmark order, I'll try to order some more carrots, but currently they are out, so. Okay, guys, it's 9:04. I want to be respectful of your time. Hunter, what a joy. Thanks for being wonderful and funny and charming and the best partner to do this with. Thank you, guys. Okay, wait, I gotta take pictures. And there's, like, seven pages of faces, which makes me want to cry. But we're not gonna cry today. We've done that plenty. Okay, so let me take a picture of this first group of faces. I can't tell you if you're on my screen, but maybe. Maybe, you know. Okay. Okay, great. Moving on to page two. Oh, y'all are so cute. Hi. Oh, okay, great. Oh, somebody was holding up their book. Hi. Okay, next group. I love all your T shirts. I love all your T shirts. Smile. Everybody just smile because it's coming. The camera's coming for you at some point. Okay. Page four of seven. Hello. Okay, and some people are here only on audio and that's fine, but I'm taking a picture anyway to show how many people. This is the most people we've ever had. Do you think this many people are going to read Don Quixote?
- [18:04]
Kendall
They better.
- [18:09]
Olivia
Or Hunter's coming for you. Okay. Thank you guys so much. Don quixote is our 2025 selection. All the books will ship by December 16th. We will start reading in January. Your book comes with a printed gu. The digital guide is probably available in Patreon right now. Lonesome Dove ornaments are available. Did I do it all? Are we good? Okay. Thanks everybody. This was a blast. Thank you for being here. This was so fun. Bye. Bye.
- [18:43]
Annie
From the Front Porch is a weekly podcast production of the Bookshelf, an independent 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 Kami Tidwell, Chantal Carle, Kate O'Connell, Kristin May, Linda Lee Drost, Jean Queens, Amanda Wickham, Martha Stacey Lau, Chanta Combs, Stephanie.
- [19:37]
Olivia
Dean, Ashley Farrell, Nicole Marcy, Wendy Jenkins, Lori Johnson, Susan Mulings.
- [19:44]
Annie
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 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 frontporch we're so grateful for you and we look forward to meeting back here next week.
- [20:30]
Olivia
RA.