From the Front Porch

This week on From the Front Porch, Annie shares the modern books she would recommend to Jane Austen, in honor of Jane’s recent 250th birthday. Listen to find out what books Annie would put in Jane’s hands if she walked into The Bookshelf. To purchase the books mentioned in this episode, stop by The Bookshelf in Thomasville, visit our website (search episode 563) or download and shop on The Bookshelf’s official app: Matrix by Lauren Groff Miracles and Other Reasonable Things by Sarah Bessey Take Good Care of the Garden and the Dogs by Heather Lende Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi Tom Lake by Ann Patchett The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry The Complete Stories by Flannery O’Connor From the Front Porch is a weekly podcast production of The Bookshelf, an independent bookstore in South Georgia. You can follow The Bookshelf’s daily happenings on Instagram, Tiktok, and Facebook, and all the books from today’s episode can be purchased online through our store website, www.bookshelfthomasville.com.  A full transcript of today’s episode can be found here. Special thanks to Dylan and his team at Studio D Podcast Production for sound and editing and for our theme music, which sets the perfect warm and friendly tone for our Thursday conversations.  This week, Annie is reading Mona’s Eyes by Thomas Schlesser. If you liked what you heard in today’s episode, tell us by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. You can also support us on Patreon, where you can access bonus content, monthly live Porch Visits with Annie, our monthly live Patreon Book Club with Bookshelf staffers, Conquer a Classic episodes with Hunter, and more. Just go to patreon.com/fromthefrontporch. We’re so grateful for you, and we look forward to meeting back here next week. Our Executive Producers are...Beth, Stephanie Dean, Linda Lee Drozt, Ashley Ferrell, Wendi Jenkins, Martha, Nicole Marsee, Gene Queens, Cammy Tidwell, Jammie Treadwell, and Amanda Whigham.

Happy New Year! This week on From the Front Porch, Annie chats about the unsung books you may not have heard about in 2025. To purchase the books mentioned in this episode, stop by The Bookshelf in Thomasville, visit our website (search episode 562) or download and shop on The Bookshelf’s official app: Lightbreakers by Aja Gabel Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood Before I Forget by Tory Henwood Hoen The Girls Who Grew Big by Leila Mottley So Far Gone by Jess Walter Among Friends by Hal Ebbott From the Front Porch is a weekly podcast production of The Bookshelf, an independent bookstore in South Georgia. You can follow The Bookshelf’s daily happenings on Instagram, Tiktok, and Facebook, and all the books from today’s episode can be purchased online through our store website, www.bookshelfthomasville.com.  A full transcript of today’s episode can be found here. Special thanks to Dylan and his team at Studio D Podcast Production for sound and editing and for our theme music, which sets the perfect warm and friendly tone for our Thursday conversations.  This week, Annie is reading The Land in Winter by Andrew Miller. If you liked what you heard in today’s episode, tell us by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. You can also support us on Patreon, where you can access bonus content, monthly live Porch Visits with Annie, our monthly live Patreon Book Club with Bookshelf staffers, Conquer a Classic episodes with Hunter, and more. Just go to patreon.com/fromthefrontporch. We’re so grateful for you, and we look forward to meeting back here next week. Our Executive Producers are...Beth, Stephanie Dean, Linda Lee Drozt, Ashley Ferrell, Wendi Jenkins, Martha, Nicole Marsee, Gene Queens, Cammy Tidwell, Jammie Treadwell, and Amanda Whigham.

This week on From the Front Porch, Annie reads the New York Sun reporter Francis P. Church’s timeless response to eight-year-old Virginia O’Hanlon’s question: “Is there a Santa Claus?” Read the letter from 1897 and learn about its history here. From the Front Porch is a weekly podcast production of The Bookshelf, an independent bookstore in South Georgia. You can follow The Bookshelf’s daily happenings on Instagram and Facebook, and all the books from today’s episode can be purchased online through our store website, bookshelfthomasville.com.  From the Front Porch is a weekly podcast production of The Bookshelf, an independent bookstore in South Georgia. You can follow The Bookshelf’s daily happenings on Instagram, Tiktok, and Facebook, and all the books from today’s episode can be purchased online through our store website, www.bookshelfthomasville.com.  A full transcript of today’s episode can be found here. Special thanks to Dylan and his team at Studio D Podcast Production for sound and editing and for our theme music, which sets the perfect warm and friendly tone for our Thursday conversations.  This week, Annie is reading A Bit Much by Lyndsay Rush. If you liked what you heard in today’s episode, tell us by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. You can also support us on Patreon, where you can access bonus content, monthly live Porch Visits with Annie, our monthly live Patreon Book Club with Bookshelf staffers, Conquer a Classic episodes with Hunter, and more. Just go to patreon.com/fromthefrontporch. We’re so grateful for you, and we look forward to meeting back here next week. Our Executive Producers are...Beth, Stephanie Dean, Linda Lee Drozt, Ashley Ferrell, Wendi Jenkins, Martha, Nicole Marsee, Gene Queens, Cammy Tidwell, Jammie Treadwell, and Amanda Whigham.

This week on From the Front Porch, Annie and Hunter discuss their top 10 favorite books of 2025! Annie 1. A Guardian and a Thief by Megha Majumdar2. The Correspondent by Virginia Evans3. Flashlight by Susan Choi4. Tilt by Emma Pattee5. The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett6. Things in Nature Merely Grow by Yiyun Li7. Memorial Days by Geradine Brooks8. Buckeye by Patrick Ryan9. Life, and Death, and Giants by Ron Rindo10. Awake by Jen Hatmaker Hunter 1. Audition by Katie Kitamura2. Flashlight by Susan Choi3. Ordinary Time by Annie B. Jones4. Lightbreakers by Aja Gabel5. Minor Black Figures by Brandon Taylor6. A Guardian and a Thief by  Megha Majumdar7. Mothers and Sons by Adam Haslett8. Middle Spoon by Alejandro Varela9. The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett10. Alligator Tears by Edgar Gomez Annie - July picks1. Tilt by Emma Pattee2. Flashlight by Susan Choi3. The Correspondent by Virginia Evans4. Things in Nature Merely Grow by Yiyun Li5. Show Don’t Tell by Curtis Sittenfeld6. Memorial Days by Geraldine Brooks7. Everything Is Tuberculosis by John Green8. The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett9. Lucky Night by Eliza Kennedy10. Playworld by Adam RossHunter - July picks1. Audition by Katie Kitamura2. Ordinary Time by Annie B Jones3. Mothers and Sons by Adam Haslett4. Alligator Tears by Edgar Gomez5. Among Friends by Hal Ebbott6. The Wilderness by Angela Flourney7. Open, Heaven by Sean Hewitt8. The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett9. Perfection by Vincenzo Latronico10. Exit Zero by Marie-Helene Bertino From the Front Porch is a weekly podcast production of The Bookshelf, an independent bookstore in South Georgia. You can follow The Bookshelf’s daily happenings on Instagram, Tiktok, and Facebook, and all the books from today’s episode can be purchased online through our store website, www.bookshelfthomasville.com.  A full transcript of today’s episode can be found here. Special thanks to Dylan and his team at Studio D Podcast Production for sound and editing and for our theme music, which sets the perfect warm and friendly tone for our Thursday conversations.  This week, Annie is reading Grace and Henry’s Holiday Movie Marathon. Hunter is reading Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club. If you liked what you heard in today’s episode, tell us by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. You can also support us on Patreon, where you can access bonus content, monthly live Porch Visits with Annie, our monthly live Patreon Book Club with Bookshelf staffers, Conquer a Classic episodes with Hunter, and more. Just go to patreon.com/fromthefrontporch. We’re so grateful for you, and we look forward to meeting back here next week. Our Executive Producers are...Beth, Stephanie Dean, Linda Lee Drozt, Ashley Ferrell, Wendi Jenkins, Martha, Nicole Marsee, Gene Queens, Cammy Tidwell, Jammie Treadwell, and Amanda Whigham.

This week on From the Front Porch, The Bookshelf staff share their favorite books of 2025! To purchase the books mentioned in this episode, stop by The Bookshelf in Thomasville, visit our website (search episode 559) or download and shop on The Bookshelf’s official app: Olivia: Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy Erin: Life, & Death, & Giants by Ron Rindo Keila: Water Moon by Samantha Soto Yambao Kyndall: Deep Cuts by Holly Brickley From the Front Porch is a weekly podcast production of The Bookshelf, an independent bookstore in South Georgia. You can follow The Bookshelf’s daily happenings on Instagram and Facebook, and all the books from today’s episode can be purchased online through our store website, www.bookshelfthomasville.com.  A full transcript of today’s episode can be found here. Special thanks to Dylan and his team at Studio D Podcast Production for sound and editing and for our theme music, which sets the perfect warm and friendly tone for our Thursday conversations.  This week, Annie is reading A Beautiful Year by Diana Butler Bass. If you liked what you heard in today’s episode, tell us by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. You can also support us on Patreon, where you can access bonus content, monthly live Porch Visits with Annie, our monthly live Patreon Book Club with Bookshelf staffers, Conquer a Classic episodes with Hunter, and more. Just go to patreon.com/fromthefrontporch. We’re so grateful for you, and we look forward to meeting back here next week. Our Executive Producers are...Beth, Stephanie Dean, Linda Lee Drozt, Ashley Ferrell, Wendi Jenkins, Martha, Nicole Marsee, Gene Queens, Cammy Tidwell, Jammie Treadwell, and Amanda Whigham.