From the Front Porch

Annie reviews the books she read in October, including Tribal by Diane Roberts and Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell. 

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Shop locally -- even from afar! -- here. 

Annie and Rebekah list their favorite spooky reads for the season and even recommend a creepy podcast or two (including Criminal, Lore, and The Black Tapes podcast).

One Book 2015

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What one book would you make your community read? Annie interviews New York Times bestselling author Gretchen Rubin; they chat about habits, happiness, and Thomasville's One Book 2015 festival. Then, Annie visits with Lauren Basford, executive director of the Thomasville-Thomas County Chamber of Commerce. 

Gretchen's podcast | One Book website | Chamber of Commerce website

Annie shares her reviews of the books she read in September. 

One Book tickets and information can be found online here. 

Annie chats with the ladies from Open Door Adoption Agency -- Lauren Fielding and Sarah Taylor -- about adoption, Bob Goff, and life in Thomasville. Bob Goff is headed to The Bookshelf on October 1; come snag a copy of his bestselling book Love Does and get it signed!

(Like what you heard about Open Door Adoption? Consider donating to their endowment or making a monthly financial commitment to their organization here.) 

What do small towns offer for their creatives? Annie chats with Bookshelf favorite, Hunter McLendon, about books and art and life in a small town. Hunter recommends Girls in Trucks (plus references White Oleander and Alice Munro), and Annie gives her review of Shotgun Lovesongs. Hunter's artwork can be found online here, and more information about The Bookshelf's upcoming events are on the store website. 

What do you do with grief? Annie chats with author Prissy Elrod turning sorrow into story, navigating the publishing industry -- including her publishing company, Thomson-Shore -- what's next for Far Outside the Ordinary, and why adult coloring books might be the best invention ever. (More information about Far Outside the Ordinary can be found on Prissy's website, and local listeners can meet Prissy at Reader Meet Writer, The Bookshelf's annual author fair this Saturday, September 19.) 

Ever wonder what it's like to live as a creative in the South? Annie interviews Emily Arwood, artist-in-residence at the Thomasville Center for the Arts. They chat about Thomasville's art festival, FLAUNT and their favorite books for creatives.  

Tickets for FLAUNT (launching September 11) can be purchased online here, and Emily's online shop is here. You can find more information about the Artist in Residence program and the Artist Collective at the Thomasville Center for the Arts website. 

Annie recaps the books she read in August, including "super science-y" The Martian and R-rated Ally Hughes Has Sex Sometimes, plus shout-outs to book Instagrammer SJ Shepperd and the hosts of The Popcast. 

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Annie and Jordan talk about their favorite books from childhood and the impact those characters have had on their adult lives, ranging from The Boxcar Children's Henry to Hermione Granger. (Plus, join Annie and find out what your favorite American Girl doll says about you now.) 

Annie chats with Florida State University entrepreneur-in-residence Christine Nieves; the two discuss porch swings and creativity, the importance of connection, and life in the new South (hint: it's a lot of storytelling and hard work). Christine also lists her favorite spots in Tallahassee and Thomasville: Quarter Moon Imports, Black Dog, Ripe City Urban Farm, Railroad Square, Fermentation Lounge, Grasslands Brewery, Jonah's, and Sweet Grass Dairy. 

Follow Christine on Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr.

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Ever wonder what it's like to be a bookseller? Annie chats with new Bookshelf staffer and PhD student Chris Jensen. Their conversation covers everything from MBTI results to Wendell Berry, plus they show their love for their neighbors on Broad Street: Sweet Grass Dairy and Grassroots Coffee. 

Annie recaps the books she read in July, including KITCHENS OF THE GREAT MIDWEST and GO SET A WATCHMAN. (Want more GO SET A WATCHMAN discussion? Check out Episode 14, here.) 

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Learn about Florida's coastal islands as Annie interviews author and naturalist Sue Cerulean. Sue's newest book, COMING TO PASS, both inspires and informs readers about Florida's coast. In this episode, Annie and Sue discuss what makes this region of the country unique and where to go adventuring (including Birdsong Nature Center, Leon Sinks, Wakulla Springs, St. Marks Wildlife Refuge, and the Ochlocknee River State Park), plus Sue shares some her favorite writers and books, like Janisse Ray's ECOLOGY OF A CRACKER CHILDHOOD. 

Annie and Katie discuss the importance of establishing a reading rhythm and debate reading in bed, plus reference book blogger Modern Mrs. Darcy and this fantastic podcast episode by NPR podcast Note to Self. Katie shares her favorite poetry book for young kids, Lullaby and Kisses Sweet, and Annie raves about Kitchens of the Great Midwest. 

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Annie lists the books she read in June, including The Rocks by Peter Nichols, The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan, and Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. (This episode also includes references to the Emily books by L.M. Montgomery and The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker. 

Annie and Katie discuss the events in Charleston and books about race in America; start with Shauna Niequist's original question on Instagram, then read Annie's blog post for a suggested book list. Want to dig even further? Try following the #CharlestonSyllabus hashtag for more recommendations. 

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Annie and her husband Jordan discuss extroversion, introversion, and the influence of Susan Cain (and her book Quiet) on our daily lives. This episode have you curious for more? Find out your MBTI results and whether you're a Highly Sensitive Person, plus check out one of Annie's favorite podcasts, The Popcast (hosted by an excellent introvert and extrovert pairing) and Cain's famous TED talk. You can also join Cain's "Quiet Revolution" here. 

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Annie and Katie talk about the Fifty Shades of Grey books and why they're so popular (maybe because we're repressed?), plus they tackle their own literary guilty pleasures, including chicklit and self-help books. 

Love what you hear? Rate us on iTunes, and vote for The Bookshelf as we try to win a Main Street grant! You can vote here. 

Annie reviews the books she read in May, including Mamrie Hart's You Deserve a Drink and Erik Larson's Dead Wake. Don't forget to rank and review the podcast on iTunes here.

Annie chats with husband and frequent podcast contributor Jordan about audiobooks: he loves them, but she's not a fan. Where do you stand? (Some of Jordan's favorites, in case you're curious: Defending Jacob, The Dinner, and Lord of the Rings.) Annie would rather listen to podcasts; some of her favorites: Lit Up, Books on the Nightstand, This American Life, Gilmore Guys, Around the Table, and The Popcast.

Annie and Katie chat about narrative nonfiction, the ones we love and the ones we hate, including The Lemon Tree, author Erik Larson, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Wild Swans, the American Girl books, and the books we're reading right now.

Annie reviews the books she read in April, including A Little Life (reviewed by Books on the Nightstand here) and Emma, part of The Austen Project. Rachel Held Evans' Washington Post article is here.

Annie chats with author and entrepreneur Carrie Rollwagen in this 45-minute interview episode. They chat about local shopping and eating, Leslie Knope, and Amazon versus the indie. (You can follow Carrie on Instagram or Twitter.)

Annie reviews the books she read in March, including Gretchen Rubin's Better Than Before (recapped in its own podcast episode here) and Hey Natalie Jean.

Annie and Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra CEO Amanda Stringer chat Tallahassee's first-ever Word of South festival (Ann Patchett, Tony Hale, Julia Reed, J.K. Simmons, and more!), the beauty of Cascades Park, and why Tallahassee might be a new Southern travel destination.

Annie and Jordan tackle literary bracketology, BOOK MADNESS 2015, and John Green.

Annie and author/journalist Jodi Helmer discuss pining for publication in the New York Times, marathon-running nuns, Farm Fresh Georgia, and why writing groups are so important.

Annie and Katie discuss The Localist, kindred spirit Carrie Rollwagen, shopping locally in Thomasville, "perfect as enemy of the good," the future of retail, why it's okay to settle, and what they're reading right now. (Bonus reading: Ronda Rich on why shopping for books in person is always better, John Green on the future of bookselling, why Millennials like to read paper books, and "The Health of the Independent Bookstore.")

Annie reviews the books she read in February, including Bon Appetempt and its author Amelia Morris.

Annie and fellow Bookshelf staffer Sidney Webb chat about book clubs, Bon Appetempt, food-blogging goddess Molly Wizenberg, and other bloggers with books (Design Sponge, Young House Love, Nie Nie Dialogues, Hey Natalie Jean, Ann Voskamp).

Annie and Katie chat about the controversy swirling around the discovery of Harper Lee's Go Set a Watchman, what makes Southern stories so special, the truth about book sequels, and the documentary Hey, Boo; plus Annie reviews this year's ABA Winter Institute. (Bonus reading: HarperCollins botched the release of Harper Lee's new novel, the New York Times article about Go Set a Watchmanand the first comments from Tonja Carter, Harper Lee's attorney.

This episode, Annie reviews the books she read in January (eight in all... hooray!). A complete list of titles and reviews can be found on The Bookshelf store blog and in the latest issue of the Thomasville Townie.

Author Celeste Ng has a helpful book club guide on her website, and her novel, Everything I Never Told You, comes out in paperback later this year.

A free soundtrack inspired by Donald Miller's new book, Scary Close, is available here.

Here's a link to that BookPage article about Scott Blackwood's See How Small.

More about Carrie Rollwagen's The Localist can be found here.

In this episode, Annie interviews fellow entrepreneur Cadence Kidwell, owner of the new knitting shop The Fuzzy Goat, located in downtown Thomasville, Georgia. They talk about adjusting to entrepreneurship, living in a small town, and knitting vs. reading.

- The Fuzzy Goat is on the main street coming into downtown Thomasville. Pay her a visit, and take a class!

- Cadence's yarn shop was partially inspired by Fibre Space, a funky store in Alexandria, Virginia.

- Downtown Thomasville offers great resources for new business owners in our area; Cadence also took classes through the Small Business Development Center in Tallahassee (which Annie has now bookmarked for her own use).

- Knitting classes and community events are a huge part of both The Fuzzy Goat and The Bookshelf. For a complete list of Fuzzy Goat classes, check out their shop website; Bookshelf events are online through their website as well.

- New Voyager Trading Company will be familiar to knitters and weavers; Fuzzy Goat partners with them for weaving classes and more.

- Guy knitters, be on the lookout! The Fuzzy Goat and Sturdy Brothers have some plans for partnerships in the future.

We're back with Episode 11 of From the Front Porch! This episode, Annie is joined by Bookshelf staffers Sidney and Rebekah; they're talking about the new suspense novel The Girl on the Train -- a book readers are calling the next Gone Girl. They'll talk about whether that's a fair assessment, and why the book would make a fun book club read. (Not discussed? Author Paula Hawkin's ingenious way of marking time in the novel -- perhaps the staff's favorite characteristic of the book.) 

For information about the author, British journalist Paula Hawkins, Annie recommends this BookPage article, where she first heard about the book.

Curious about what the experts are saying? This New York Times review should do the trick.

Hey, book clubs: Penguin's done the work for you. Here's a book club discussion guide.

Sidney liked Gone Girl better, but truthfully, these are two pretty different novels. The Wall Street Journal compares and contrasts Gillian Flynn's bestseller with The Girl on the Train.

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We're back after a holiday hiatus! This episode, Annie and Katie discuss their reading resolutions and their words of the year.

- Annie's currently reading -- and loving -- All the Light We Cannot See, with her sights set on more nonfiction in 2015, particularly historical nonfiction. Any books in particular you'd recommend?

- Katie's favorite book for the new year is The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up (a Christmas gift from husband Scott), and it ties in perfectly with her word of year; any guesses?

- If book clubs aren't your thing -- for shame! -- start an article club, like Katie did with her friends. Tips for hosting your own can be found on Cup of Jo.

- Both Katie and Annie love the concept of setting margins in your life; Hayley from Tiny Twig elaborates in this post.

- It's not too late to determine your own word for 2015! Need help getting started? Try Ali Edwards' blog posts about the One Little Word concept, then hop on over to this 2015 workbook by Susannah Conway. (Annie and Jordan use this for their end-of-year review.)

- Fellow Thomasvillians, Katie's working with some local fifth graders to make MacIntyre Park even better. Take the survey here.

And, as always, you can follow along with The Bookshelf's adventures on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!

Ever wondered if Grey's Anatomy is an accurate portrayal of med school? Annie interviews Sidney Webb, communications specialist at The Bookshelf. Sidney covers shop events and operates the store's social media accounts; in this episode, she and Annie discuss how working at The Bookshelf is a lot like working for a church, and how medical school isn't exactly like Shonda Rhimes says it is (go figure).

- Sidney's in charge of The Bookshelf's online presence; see how she's doing by following the store's social media accounts: Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.  

- Check out Thomasville's downtown newspaper, the Thomasville Townie. 

- Some of Annie's favorite bloggers are medical school wives like Sidney: Jolie of Becoming Jolie, who happens to have a lovely Etsy shop, too; Grace of Camp Patton; and Kate of The Life and Writings of Kate Baer.

- Annie and Sidney are lobbying for store manager Rebekah to play the beloved Anne Shirley in Thomasville On Stage and Company's production of Anne of Green Gables. Join our imaginary petition?

Annie is joined by guest Rebekah Arwood, manager of The Bookshelf in Thomasville. Rebekah and Annie chat about that ever-controversial topic: Is the book better than the movie? The discussion runs the gamut, from the newly-released Gone Girl to The Hunger Games, Great Gatby to Little Women (which Rebekah and Annie both identify as a wintertime classic). 

- Gillian Flynn wrote her own screenplay for her bestselling novel Gone Girl; here are more novelists that could follow in her steps.

- We think Jane Austen would love both The Lizzie Bennet Diaries and Emma Approved, two web adaptations by Pemberly Digital, a company devoted to using new media to adapt classic works of literature. 

- The Bookshelf Film Society meets once a quarter to discuss the film adaptations of books; local film professor Lisa Mitchell guides the discussion each month. Join us!

Snuggle up on the couch with a blanket and a cup of tea, because this episode, Annie and Katie talk about married-lady crushes, poetry before bedtime, and turning off the TV. Summer might be for easy, breezy beach books, but fall is all about slower-paced fiction and re-reading the classics. Here are Annie's fall reading recommendations:

- The Boston Girl by Anita Diamant (releases December 15)

-  A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

- An Old-Fashioned Girl by Louisa May Alcott

- Habits of the House by Faye Weldon

- Anything by Kate Morton

- Dinner: A Love Story by

- I Am Pilgrim by Scott

- Anything by Tana French

And Katie's:

- My Struggle by Karl Ove Knausgaard

- The Book With No Pictures by B.J. Novak

- Happy City by Charles Montgomery

- A Path Appears by Nicholas Kristof

- This Town: Two Parties and a Funeral by Mark Leibovich

- The Gorgeous Nothings by Emily Dickinson

- This Day by Wendell Berry

Looking for more seasonal reads? Check out Anne Bogel's blog, Modern Mrs. Darcy, where she's published a great list of autumn-inspired suggestions.

If spooky reads are your thing this month, listen to the latest episode of Books on the Nightstand; Ann and Michael discuss their favorite creepy books of the season.

Interested in Candletime? This blog post explains. (And, in case you're looking for the perfect autumn candle, Thomasvillians rejoice! The Townie shop has -- in Annie's opinion -- the best selections for the season.)

Last, but not least, film lovers: Covey Film Festival is here! Check out a full list of films, and stock up on the books that inspired the movies; we've got a display devoted to them in the shop!

In this episode, Annie and her attorney husband Jordan discuss the ramifications of wrongful convictions, a topic central to the plot of Picking Cotton, this year's One Book selection for Thomas County. For the uninitiated, One Book programs celebrate literacy by encouraging entire communities to read the same book; this month, Thomas County is reading the bestselling memoir Picking Cotton. Later in this episode, Katie and Annie list their top One Book suggestions for your community (and for future Thomas County One Book programs) -- it's a more difficult decision than you might think! And, for some extra credit:

- A New York Times article earlier this summer mentioned the increasing "nosiness" behind jury questionnaires; would you be chosen for a jury? Take the quiz to find out. (Spoiler alert: Annie didn't make the cut.)

- Follow along as our small town celebrates literacy and Picking Cotton. Maybe there's a One Book program in your city! Check the Library of Congress' listing here.

- In town and want to join us at the Center for the Arts for our Picking Cotton author event? Tickets are on sale now! Purchase online here.

The podcast is back this month after a brief summer hiatus, and Annie and Katie are talking about their favorite books on education. They're covering Montessori schools and the importance of playing outside, plus how big a role technology plays in today's classrooms. And, this month, Annie's introducing shownotes -- a rundown of everything discussed in this episode.

Books on education you need to add to your list:

- Creating Innovators by Tony Wagner

- Whatever It Takes by Paul Tough

- The Well-Trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer

- How Children Succeed by Paul Tough

- The Smartest Kids in the World by Amanda Ripley

What you need to watch: The Up Series, a BBC documentary that follows a group of children from the age of seven until present day. "Give me a child when he is seven, and I will show you the man."

Katie's intrigued by Bill Gates' Big History Project, which aims to give students of all ages an over-arching picture of our world's history. Check it out here.

Turns out intellect is only a small part of how we learn and succeed. David Brooks talks about the "mental virtues" in this article in the New York Times.

Let's lighten up with a look at how our vocabulary is shaped and what words make up your fingerprint.

Annie sat down with author CJ Hauser to discuss the ups and downs of living in a small town and what it means to be a "from away" (read: someone not from here. Yes, this is an actual, popular phrase). CJ's new novel -- titled, appropriately, The From-Aways -- was one of Annie's favorites of the summer, and CJ's stories of small town life will feel all-too-familiar to fellow small town dwellers. Also mentioned in this podcast? Gilmore Girls, Jan Karon and Mitford, and why your 20s are harder than you thought they'd be.

In Part Two of the eating local podcast, Katie and Annie discuss how to properly read a cookbook. Plus, Annie tells about some of her favorite food memoirs. 

Jodi gives Annie the scoop on which Georgia farms will let you spend the night and how to shop at a Farmer's Market. From pig farms and corn mazes to tractor pulls and pumpkin patches, Jodi will give you the 411 on Georgia agri-tourism. 

Katie and Annie chat about how to apply Huffington's principles to their small-town, southern lives-- including what Annie's husband Jordan is doing in the backseat of his car over his lunchbreak and how to cut your carrots in peace. Plus, Annie reveals her graduation and summer picks from Ban'do to Adulting.