Episode 547 || Off the Shelf with Annie & Ashley: Autumn
This week on From the Front Porch, it's an episode of Off the Shelf with Annie & Ashley! Annie is joined by friend, cousin, and former colleague, Ashley Sherlock, to chat about what they’re reading – but also what they’re watching, listening to, and buying.
To purchase the books mentioned in this episode, stop by The Bookshelf in Thomasville, visit our website (search episode 547) or download and shop on The Bookshelf’s official app:
Annie is reading:
The Academy by Elin Hilderbrand
28 Summers by Elin Hilderbrand
Summer of ‘69 by Elin Hilderbrand
Buckeye by Patrick Ryan
Ashley is reading:
The Will of the Many by James Islington
The Griffin Sisters’ Greatest Hits by Jennifer Weiner
Palm Meridian by Grace Flahive
Thank you to this week’s sponsor, Discover Thomasville. Gracefully tucked within the storied Red Hills of South Georgia, Thomasville curates a distinguished Downtown experience that meanders along several blocks of our iconic red brick streets. Here, bespoke boutiques, master craftsmen, coveted antique art purveyors, and celebrated culinary artisans converge in harmony with the cultural richness of the Pebble Hill Plantation art tour and the tranquil allure of Birdsong Nature Center. Here, you Discover the Soul of the South. Here, you Discover Thomasville. Learn more by visiting thomasvillega.com/news.
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 below.
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 Wilderness by Angela Flournoy.
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.
Transcript:
[squeaky porch swing] Welcome to From the Front Porch, a conversational podcast about books, small business, and life in the South. [music plays out]
Even the most unbearable things become fossils, after a while. ― Patrick Ryan, Buckeye [as music fades out] I’m Annie Jones, owner of The Bookshelf, an independent bookstore in beautiful downtown Thomasville, Georgia, and this week, I’m chatting about autumnal “off the shelf” topics with my cousin Ashley Sherlock. If you’re a new or newish listener, you might not realize that From the Front Porch is a production of The Bookshelf, a small, independently-owned bookstore in rural South Georgia. By listening to our show and recommending it to your friends, you’re helping to keep our indie bookstore in business, and if you like what you hear, one way you can financially support us is through Patreon. Last year as you know I think by now we read the classic American novel Lonesome Dove with over 1,000 Patreon supporters. And this year, we've been conquering the world literature classic Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes. For $5 a month, you can access my monthly Conquer a Classic recaps, as well as our Porch Visits, which are monthly live Q&As where we talk about everything from pop culture to nail polish to what books you should take on your next vacation. And coming up later this fall, we are already getting ready to announce our 2026 Conquer a Classic selection. And the first folks to know about that are our Patreon supporters. To learn more about our Patreon tiers and benefits, just visit patreon.com/fromthefrontporch. Now, back to the show! Welcome back, Ashley!
Ashley [00:01:59] Hey, hey.
Annie Jones [00:02:01] It's time to go Off the Shelf for our recurring episode series. Today, we are talking about books, yes, but also articles, TV shows, pop culture, and how we're gearing up for fall. Spoiler alert. We're recording this at the end of August. Fall is a little bit hard for me to imagine. Perhaps you feel differently, but it feels like it's not quite here yet. But I believe when this episode airs, it'll be the first week of fall. So we're going to talk about some autumnal things. We're looking forward to reading some things we've been watching, et cetera. Ashley, now that you live somewhere where you get a fall, do you feel different about it?
Ashley [00:02:37] Actually, yes, because in mid-August, We had some days of rain, but then after that, it legitimately felt like fall, like beautiful blue sky, fall breeze. You know the difference between a fall breeze and a summer breeze, like there is one. And I had to actively make myself not excited because I didn't want to rush out of summer as that's my favorite season. I was like, no, this is fake fall. We are not rushing out of Summer. We still have fun summer activities coming up. Fall will come in September. And now it's hot and gross again. So we're fine.
Annie Jones [00:03:10] Okay, well that makes me feel a little bit better.
Ashley [00:03:12] Yeah, we had our fake fall and now we're just awaiting real fall.
Annie Jones [00:03:16] This reminds me, my brother and I were Voxing the other day and he was reminiscing about the Relient K song, Sunny with a High of 75. Do you know that song?
Ashley [00:03:26] Do I know that one? I don't know, probably.
Annie Jones [00:03:30] Were you a Relient K fan or are you too young? Are you like slightly below the mark?
Ashley [00:03:33] No, everything I know about Relient K has been against my will, just from you and him.
Annie Jones [00:03:41] Okay, well, he was talking about Sunny with a High of 75, which is a great song, but he was saying he doesn't like that song because he's like, no, 75 is too hot. He and I both feel like we were born in the wrong place, but he lives in Chattanooga now, I live here, and I was, like, I'm sorry, sunny with the high of 75 while I'm walking around in Satan's mouth sounds great. Like I would much rather have sunny with a high of 75. I think he's just spoiled from-- and you're probably getting there where you're getting a little spoiled and it's like, no, it's still pretty miserable. I would take sunny with a high of 75, thank you so much.
Ashley [00:04:21] I'll take sunny with a high of 75 any old time. I'm a summer girl.
Annie Jones [00:04:26] Yeah, you do love summer.
Ashley [00:04:28] Listen, I will take 80 to 90 over winter any day.
Annie Jones [00:04:33] And that is where our paths diverge. I have been really good. I've really liked this summer and I feel like I've been pretty good about it. But I tell you what, truly two nights ago I stood in our kitchen and I said, I have tried hard to have a good attitude, but I hate this month. I hate this time of year. August does me in every year.
Ashley [00:04:52] Listen, I'm jumping in that boat with you, not for weather purposes, but there's just something about the month of August that August seems like it's a little bit out to get me.
Annie Jones [00:05:04] Yes.
Ashley [00:05:07] Listeners, just for your information, I have my appendix taken out 10 days prior to the recording of this podcast. So that's August 2025.
Annie Jones [00:05:18] Yeah, put that on your calendar, though I don't think they'll forget it.
Ashley [00:05:21] I will never forget this experience.
Annie Jones [00:05:24] So she's here, she's not on drugs, she is happy, kind of. We're going to talk about some things we've been reading this summer, reading, watching, listening, but also just maybe things that are getting us ready for fall. So I'll kick us off. And I will say as we exit one season and into the next, that one of the joys of this summer for me was utilizing the Thomas County Public Library. So, I love libraries, and people are probably sick of me talking about it. But because of The Bookshelf, I just don't often need a library like I used to need a library. Did you ever go to the library like with your computer? Like I wrote my thesis at a library.
Ashley [00:06:05] I go to a library almost daily right now. Well, not right now because of appendix, but prior to that.
Annie Jones [00:06:11] I think if you work from home-- like because of life at The Bookshelf, I record podcasts from home. Like when I'm not at The Bookshelf, I'm at my house. That may change now that we have a child. Anyway, I've not maybe needed a library for my own personal book getting in a long time. I still like to go there and I still like it as a community space. I find libraries to be very valuable. But for the first time this summer, I was actually like actively checking out books and I got on this Elin Hilderbrand kick. She's a summer author. Actually, she's like you in literary form. She loves a summer book. She puts out a new book every summer. So I thus far have read three of them. I've read The Perfect Couple. I've read 28 Summers. I've read Summer of 69. I've liked all of them. But I am mentioning her in this podcast because her new book, The Academy, is coming out or came out already on September 16th. By the time this episode airs, it will be out already. But if you've never read her, I think that's a great place to start. It's a boarding school novel set at fictional Tiffin Academy in New England. Oh my gosh, I love New England settings in books and I love a boarding school setting. And Ashley I think you will like this because if I am not mistaken, if I don't have this wrong, you are a fan or were a fan of Gossip Girl.
Ashley [00:07:31] Yeah.
Annie Jones [00:07:31] And there are some teen angst soap opera elements to this book, but elevated. Like it's not a young adult novel, but it features young adults. I loved it. It's set over the course of one year at this boarding school. It's the student’s junior year. If you like it, I hear that there's going to be a sequel out next year. So, to me, September is soundly fall reading, but it can be hard here in the South to make that transition because it's still pretty hot in Thomasville in September. But I think this Elin Hilderbrand going from reading her this summer and having my Elin Hilderbrand summer, listener Deja said I'm officially a Hilderbabe. I think that's what they call her readers. So as a Hilderbabe now I'm just here to recommend the Academy coming out this fall. Ashley, I think you would like it a lot and maybe could help make the transition into the autumnal season.
Ashley [00:08:22] Fun. Very fun. Okay, well, as a normal, my books will be coming from what I read this summer, which means I read them after they came out. So I'm not pre-reading, I'm not reading advanced copies of anything, so these aren't technically fall books. However, I did read Palm Meridian by Grace Flahive, lovely cover, summery cover, but it's about a retirement community in Florida and one person experiences or is experiencing some health drama, some mental drama, but it's all about like her old folks coming around and making her see the beauty of life again. But it's also not very flowery, but maybe some things might not be okay at the end, but that's okay.
Annie Jones [00:09:14] Okay. Realistic. Did you listen to it or read it?
Ashley [00:09:19] Listened. It was a good listen.
Annie Jones [00:09:22] I'll go ahead and talk about another fall title that I don't know if you would like it in audiobook format just because it's going to be long, although you do a lot more audiobook listening than I do. So I read the physical copy of Buckeye. This is the book that I led the episode with. It's by Patrick Ryan. It's historical fiction set over like I think mid-World War II and then ends at the Vietnam War. So it covers this small town in Ohio. So it's got this vibrant Midwestern setting. And it's two couples, four people, and how they navigate global events, but also some dysfunction and drama in their own marriages and in their own lives. I loved the characters in this book, and I was telling Erin on a previous episode that one of the things I really liked about this book was the reminder that there have other really hard seasons, globally and nationally. There's something about reading about that Vietnam War era and how much was going on revolving around the civil rights movement and things like that, that kind of puts what's happening now on a regular basis in perspective. And maybe that's a good reason to read historical fiction or to study up on history a little bit. But I thoroughly enjoyed it and I don't always-- or maybe one of the lies I tell myself is that I don't like historical fiction. But I actually really liked this. It's a big, thick novel, but it's good to curl up with this fall. It's got a great cover. So that is Buckeye by Patrick Ryan.
Ashley [00:10:53] Okay. I was going to mention I do not gravitate towards historical fiction. I don't think I knew that about you either. But I was going to ask if/when we talk about my personal fall reading lists, can we maybe add one historical fiction on there?
Annie Jones [00:11:10] Yes, I would love to. So this gives listeners some insight into me as a person. But how pregnant was I? I was deeply pregnant.
Ashley [00:11:21] Yeah, It was the beginning of summer.
Annie Jones [00:11:24] Yeah, I was one or two weeks away from giving birth and I decided to make a summer reading list for myself. And then while I was at it, I designed it on Canva because, of course, and then I sent it to my family and then somebody (I think it was you) were like make me one. And I was like happily. So then I made personalized summer reading lists for everybody. And it brought me so much joy and I think I'm going to do it for fall.
Ashley [00:11:49] No, it was one of the most helpful things that maybe you have ever done for me because I read every single book on that list that was available on audio. I really wish I could have crossed all of them off. And technically it's still summer, but not all of the were on audio and that's pretty much what I'm doing exclusively right now.
Annie Jones [00:12:10] I think a summer reading list like that is great because I only read maybe five books from my list. But, to me, having a list like that is so helpful for if you're in a reading rut or if you finish a book and you don't know what to read next. Instead of just sitting there clueless, you can go back to your list and the list can reground you. Anyway, I had so much fun.
Ashley [00:12:36] So I can't wait to design your fall reading list. It really was great for a reading rut, because I have trouble making decisions about what to read. But while I was reading those books, I kept finding other books in addition and I listened to those too. So I guess it just built up some momentum.
Annie Jones [00:12:54] Yeah. I think that's also what helps to have another person make a list, because then you can do the job of doing the serendipitous. If you really liked one of those books, you can go down that road, but you have this guide providing some stability. Maybe I'm reading too much into it.
Ashley [00:13:15] No, I think you're right. Plus if somebody tells me what to do, then I'm golden. I'll do it. I can cross off a list. Just give me the list. Let's go.
Annie Jones [00:13:25] Okay, well good. I'm going to do that.
Ashley [00:13:27] Please. I guess I'm just going to give you two highlights from that list. One, I did not write this down to talk about, but it is a standout to me and that is Jaws. Never read Jaws before.
Annie Jones [00:13:39] Yay!
Ashley [00:13:39] And I highly recommend, and now we're going into fall. It's not a fall book, but it's a really good book and there's just so much more in it than the movie. It's great fun. The movie is an every summer watch for me, but reading the book was just a completely different, rich experience.
Annie Jones [00:14:01] Was the audio book good?
Ashley [00:14:03] It was fine. I think you could do either or.
Annie Jones [00:14:07] Okay. I love that book.
Ashley [00:14:09] My other standout was the Griffin Sisters Greatest Hits by Jennifer Reiner.
Annie Jones [00:14:14] Your mom would like that one, too. She totally would.
Ashley [00:14:18] Yeah. I think somebody like lives in Alaska in that book. So that could be maybe fallish. It's cold up there.
Annie Jones [00:14:25] Yeah. That one doesn't necessarily feel summery to me. I think you could read that any old time.
Ashley [00:14:29] Yeah. So great job.
Annie Jones [00:14:32] Listen, I made those and showed them to Jordan. Then he asked for one, and you know what? I'm just realizing I never made him one. I think I gave birth instead. But Jordan saw what I had done and I think he was so surprised by my joy at it because he was, like, isn't this literally your job? And I was like it is, but also this is so fun. I loved it combines knowing somebody's personality and their reading. It just felt like the best parts of the job to me. Okay, you've been at home, holed up. I'll be so curious if you've done any watching or if you have been too drugged to watch much. I also have been holed up, though for different reasons. And I have watched, oh, so many things. So many, things.
Ashley [00:15:20] I need a list for that, too.
Annie Jones [00:15:22] Listen, I'm just going to briefly say that in the evenings, like meaning right before bed, so not really evening, maybe late night before bed, we've been watching Scrubs. Jordan had never seen Scrubs and I think you will get a kick out of-- did you ever watch Scrubs? I guess it's one of my questions. Ashley [00:15:32] I only saw snippets when I was like walking through the room when somebody else was watching it.
Annie Jones [00:15:46] I think your dad likes Scrubs, I feel like.
Ashley [00:15:49] Yes.
Annie Jones [00:15:50] Chet loved Scrubs and so I had seen many episodes because of Chet, I think, but Jordan had never seen it. And it was just very funny to me because I feel like people of a certain age are very familiar with Scrubs. And this was Jordan Jones one night while we were watching he was like, "Hey, you know that guy? His name's Zach Braff. And he used to date like Florence Pugh." And I was like, yeah, thanks Jordan. He thought Zach Braff was like a nobody.
Ashley [00:16:21] He thought he was a nobody?
Annie Jones [00:16:23] He thought that he was like an unknown actor.
Ashley [00:16:26] That's hilarious. Thought he discovered something.
Annie Jones [00:16:29] Yes, it was very funny. And then the guy who plays Turk, oh, I'm blanking on his first name, but Faizon or Faison is his last name. And I just think it's funny that Jordan's pop cultural references are so very many decades ago because Jordan goes, "I think, that's Petey. I think it's Pety." And I was like, "Petey from what?" And he was like, "I think that's Petey from Remember the Titans." And he's right, it is Petey from the Remember the Titan's, but it was hilarious that that's what Jordan's pop cultural references are.
Ashley [00:17:03] Just a little behind. Welcome to 2025 bud. Welcome.
Annie Jones [00:17:08] Yeah, so we're re-watching Scrubs. Briefly, I do just want to touch on two documentaries that I think you might enjoy. It's the Yogurt Shop Murders. It is on HBO. We're a few episodes in right at this moment; one new episode comes out every Sunday night. But it is about the tragic killings of four young women in a yogurt shop in Austin, Texas in the 80s. This is a case that I had read a book about a while ago. And so I was intrigued to see a documentary about it. And then Mr. And Mrs. Murder, which is a cheesy name.
Ashley [00:17:41] Dang it, that was going to be mine.
Annie Jones [00:17:44] Just a cheesy name, but it is about the I think now famous murder case from Tallahassee. The Mike Williams murder case, which is also deeply tragic, but also bizarre. If you just read a book about Mike Williams' murder, you would think it was fiction because it's so bizarre. Like all the twists and turn. Anyway, did you watch it? Did you like it?
Ashley [00:18:10] Yeah, I watched it as soon as it came out. And to be honest, it's definitely an interesting story, but the weirdest part was it happened in our hometown of Tallahassee, Florida. And we went to the same high school as this guy.
Annie Jones [00:18:24] Yeah. I have read two books about that case and I was familiar with it because Mike Williams was older than I was. I want to say he graduated in like '99, but we were definitely at school at the same time. He was just several years older. I have distinct memories of coming home from college, or maybe even I was a senior in high school, and there would be an ad in the paper every year that his mother would put out. And I remember.
Ashley [00:18:53] Yes. That black and white photo.
Annie Jones [00:18:56] Yes, and it was before you could Google stuff. And I remembered every year I would tell my dad, "I cannot believe they still haven't found out who killed this guy." Anyway, if you're not familiar with the case, go watch the show. I think it's a pretty good documentary. And I will tell you, there are two books out about it. Interestingly, I think the independently published book is better than the traditionally published book. The traditionally published book has called Guilty Creatures. It's fine. I actually think Evil at Lake Seminole is a far better book about the case, and it's an independently published book. I think I did an interview with the author during the pandemic, if you went deep into The Bookshelf from the front porch archives. I really liked it. And wasn't it wild to see all of the Tallahassee landmarks on TV?
Ashley [00:19:40] Yeah. So I was trying to do the timeline math. And I think maybe the two suspects or one suspect and his ex-wife or something they had a meetup at a McDonald's on North Monroe Street. And I looked up the date and I was like I think I was working at the Chick-fil-A that was right next to that McDonald's. What if I was there when they were there?
Annie Jones [00:20:02] You almost were part of a sting.
Ashley [00:20:03] Right! Like maybe I saw them and didn't even know it. That was truly the weirdest part to me, was hearing about all the stuff that was happening. I was a child and too young to understand anything. But when I saw that missing persons photo also, I was like, yeah, I grew up just seeing that everywhere. I didn't really didn't know anything about it. I want to talk more about it, especially about the alligators in the lake portion. But I don't want to spoil anything.
Annie Jones [00:20:34] Okay, this is what I told Jordan. Again, I was in high school early college when I saw the ad place every year. Basically mike Williams-- we won't go into too much detail I guess, but he went fishing one morning in November and he never came home. And so everybody assumed that he drowned in the lake and was eaten by alligators. Did we not learn? This is a genuine question I have for you. I could have sworn in school I learned that alligators don't eat like that in the cold. Like they don't. And so I always thought that was bunk. And I think it's bizarre that in Tallahassee, Florida, Fish and Wildlife Administration, like surely everyone knew that was not true. And they just were trying to solve the case quietly. Nobody really thought he was eaten by an alligator, right?
Ashley [00:21:26] That's super weird because you're right. And then there's another part that's super weird about other disappearances that have happened on that lake.
Annie Jones [00:21:35] Yes.
Ashley [00:21:36] Can I say that or no? Yeah, I think you can. There have been, what, like 80 people who have disappeared in the lake since, what, the 1800s, but every single one of them, regardless of whether or not they were attacked by an alligator, has been found.
Annie Jones [00:21:50] Right. Their bodies were all found.
Ashley [00:21:51] Everyone was found except Mike Williams. That was wild.
Annie Jones [00:21:56] Anyway, the documentary is Mr. And Mrs. Murder, and it's on Hulu. So those are some things. What else have you been watching?
Ashley [00:22:03] So I'm almost done with Inventing Anna. Have you seen that?
Annie Jones [00:22:07] Yes. I don't know if I finished it now that I...
Ashley [00:22:10] It's on Netflix. It's only nine episodes long, I think, and I'm on episode eight. But this woman, Anna Sorokin, she basically commits a bunch of fraud like a slightly different person. It's basically just about faking it until you make it. She didn't have money but made everybody believe she had money and then somehow she just had money.
Annie Jones [00:22:38] That kind of stuff stresses me out. I was talking to The Bookshelf staff and I don't consider myself a sensitive reader. I don t have a ton of triggers, but I have discovered financial stress is so stressful to me. Watching a documentary where somebody doesn't have enough money or is a fraudster, anything about that Elizabeth Holmes lady was stressful to me because I just was like, oh my gosh. Or the Fire Festival, like every time we host a reader retreat, I'm like, oh my god, what if it's like Fire Festival? That stuff stresses me out. And that woman just, you're right, took faking it till you make it to a whole level.
Ashley [00:23:18] Whole nother level. And I asked a friend about it. I was like why can't I fake it till I make it? And I'm not trying to commit fraud, but she was like because you're an honest person. And I'm like why does that mean I get the short end of the stick?
Annie Jones [00:23:33] Why does that means I'm broke?
Ashley [00:23:34] Well, I would like to vacation where the Kardashians vacation; instead, I'm paying for an appendectomy.
Annie Jones [00:23:42] I saw Megan Fahy. I think we've talked about her before because I talked about how beautiful I think she is and you looked at me like I had two heads. But she is the star. She was on the Bold Type and she was in a season of White Lotus. Now she's in Sirens on Netflix and she's a movie called The Drop.
Ashley [00:24:02] Wait, did I look at you like you had two head because you think she's pretty and I don't?
Annie Jones [00:24:06] Yeah, I think so. Look her up.
Ashley [00:24:09] I'm looking her up right now. I don't think you have two heads. She's pretty.
Annie Jones [00:24:14] But you're making the same face you did before.
Ashley [00:24:18] It's just upon first glance.
Annie Jones [00:24:21] I think she's beautiful.
Ashley [00:24:23] I'm so happy for you, that's great.
Annie Jones [00:24:25] I can see from your face that you disagree. But she was interviewed on Seth Meyers the other night and she was talking about she grew up in Massachusetts, so did Seth Meyers, but she, I guess, had to film on Nantucket or Martha's Vineyard somewhere. And she was like, I rode the ferry in and I've lived in Massachusetts but I've never gone to Martha's Vineyard. And she was like, and then I looked around and realized, oh, right, I don't have money for this. And I thought it was so refreshing that this actress was like the reason my family never came here is we don't have the money to be here. And she's now a pretty successful actress and she still was like I don't belong here. It was very comforting.
Ashley [00:25:04] That's hilarious. Also sounds like you.
Annie Jones [00:25:07] Yeah, it does sound like me. Okay, the other thing I've been watching is sports documentaries. So many sports documentaries. Quarterback on Netflix, Hard Knocks on HBO, Receiver on Netflix. There's a new one I haven't started yet about the SEC on Netflix. There's an ESPN documentary about the Chiefs that I would like to watch. There's one about the Buffalo Bills who are also in this season of Hard Knocks. Anyway, I just have been eating that stuff up so much so that I started my own fantasy football league, which many people told me I should not do. And you know what that made me want to do? Do it even more. I'm going to fantasy football even harder. Jury is out on if that's going to be fun or not, but planning for it has been fun.
Ashley [00:25:58] We're making t-shirts.
Annie Jones [00:25:59] Yeah, we're going to make t- shirts. One thing that I definitely did not realize about fantasy football, I kind of assumed it would be like March Madness and like anybody could join. And so I was like, oh, I'll just put this on the internet and we can all be a part of a league together. No, no, it's not like March Madness. That would be, I think, a pick them situation. This is like you draft players, which I knew. I wasn't stupid. I did know you drafted players, but I didn't know our league is 12 people. Ashley is in it. Which is good.
Ashley [00:26:28] What? I participate in March Madness in multiple brackets every year.
Annie Jones [00:26:36] That's right, multiple platforms. It's a fun group. I think it's going to be really fun. I've already set up the rivalries. Can I tell you what your rival? Like there's one week called rivalry week and your team will play whoever I've pitted you against in a rivalry. So can I tell you some of the rival?
Ashley [00:26:54] Why do you get to be in charge?
Annie Jones [00:26:56] I'm the commissioner. You can call me commissioner if you want.
Ashley [00:27:02] Madam commissioner.
Annie Jones [00:27:04] Thank you, please. No. Okay. So can I tell you because by the time this episode comes out I will have already told everybody else. So I assigned there are 12 of us. So I created six rivalries. So for example, me and Caroline are a rivalry and it's going to be called the bookend bawl because I'm the oldest and she's the youngest.
Ashley [00:27:25] Sometimes it makes me mad how clever you are.
Annie Jones [00:27:29] Okay, so you want to know your bowl?
Ashley [00:27:31] Yes.
Annie Jones [00:27:32] Your bawl is the Blondie Bowl and it's you versus Megan.
Ashley [00:27:37] I knew it. Let's go. Come on, Megan.
Annie Jones [00:27:41] Okay. And then I'll say one more, our friend Kimberly and then Kate, who used to work at The Bookshelf.
Ashley [00:27:48] Yeah. Kate Storhoff.
Annie Jones [00:27:50] Kate Storrhoff, they are going to be the romance reader bowl because they're the two romance readers.
Ashley [00:27:56] Oh my goodness.
Annie Jones [00:27:56] Yeah. I'm so proud.
Ashley [00:27:58] It's like the football version of giving me a reading list kind of.
Annie Jones [00:28:02] Yes, that's exactly right. I think people underestimate how much I enjoy stuff like this and I think people also forget that I do so much bookish stuff, now I'm doing baby stuff and I just wanted something stupid fun. I hope this is going to be it.
Ashley [00:28:16] And I think you found it. Man, the only other thing I have under my watching list is football draft, question mark. This is actually coming at a great time because before even you were doing this fantasy football league, I have been wanting to be more of an active participant in the appreciating of sports. I play them but I don't watch them nor do I keep up with them. And I've always been you know like the artsy sports what right but I don’t like that because I do like sports. I'm probably not super interested in going to a football game on a Saturday. I've done that and it takes forever. But I would like to be able to have a conversation about sports.
Annie Jones [00:29:00] You are like Lauralei Gilmore, where she shows up to the Yale game and she's like, how long is this?
Ashley [00:29:05] It's just the whole day. And when everyone else goes and I could have the house to myself, why would I choose to go with them? Aside from, listen, we do go to football games because we like the snacks. We like the Florida State opening planting of the sphere and we love Florida State's marching chiefs. All the other stuff is just the filler, football filler.
Annie Jones [00:29:25] Well, especially right now. You are not wrong. Especially right now. That is not an incorrect opinion. Yeah, I'm looking forward to it. Can I ask you one more Megan Fahy/sports adjacent question, which is, do you know who Joe Burrow is?
Ashley [00:29:40] I have heard the name.
Annie Jones [00:29:41] Do you think he is attractive?
Ashley [00:29:43] Hold on.
Annie Jones [00:29:47] All right. This is helpful.
Ashley [00:29:49] Okay, in some pictures, yes. But what is that fwoop? When he has the long hair in front of his face? No. Short hair? Yes.
Annie Jones [00:29:57] Okay, great. I just was curious. I really didn't know what your opinion would be.
Ashley [00:30:02] And I like the dirty blonde. I don't like this light blonde situation.
Annie Jones [00:30:05] He bleached it last year.
Ashley [00:30:07] Yeah, I do not support that.
Annie Jones [00:30:09] No, we don't do that. We don't support that.
Ashley [00:30:12] No.
Annie Jones [00:30:12] Okay, what are you listening to?
Ashley [00:30:16] Okay, I think I'm just going to tell you two songs. One is a beautiful piano piece called A Place to Call Home by Michael Otteson. I may have said this on another episode of The Kid's Table, but yeah. It's no words. It's just beautiful, beautiful piano. And I actually tried to find the sheet music for it because I love it so much, but it doesn't exist. And he passed away, so I can't get it.
Annie Jones [00:30:47] All right. Well, that took a turn.
Ashley [00:30:50] It made me sad because I want to appreciate and play his music, but I can't. So I'll just have to listen to him play it. And then the song called Autumn to May by Peter, Paul and Mary. I have it on vinyl and it's-- I don't want to call it a dumb song, but it's along the lines of Puff the Magic Dragon, kind of that vibe. But the harmonies, oh, the harmonies and they say the word autumn. So fall.
Annie Jones [00:31:18] Done. And mic drop. Can I tell you one really stupid mistake I made postpartum? And I'm so upset, like I cried. So Opening Nights, which is Tallahassee's arts program, I subscribed to their emails and I had seen weeks ago where they had dropped their lineup for 2025, 2026. And one of the shows in April is a band called Hanalei. And they do Peter, Paul, and Mary songs. And so I was like that's mom's either birthday or Christmas present. Done. And we'll all go and it'll be delightful. And before tickets went on sale, dad called me. And guys, dads and daughters, I don't know if anybody else feels this way but like when my dad asks me to do something, I will do it. He was like, hey, I found this cool thing. I want to get your mom tickets, but I need your help. And it was the same thing I was going to buy tickets for. And so I teased him a little bit and I was like, well, this was going to be my present. He was like well, go ahead, make it yours, but just make sure to get tickets. They went up for sale at 11 a.m. I remembered at 1 p.m to go buy the tickets. Gone.
Ashley [00:32:25] What?
Annie Jones [00:32:27] Gone. All of them.
Ashley [00:32:29] That's shocking.
Annie Jones [00:32:32] I was devastated. So devastated that I called the ticket office, which introvert’s nightmare. Called and put myself on a waiting list in hopes that I could get tickets to a band called Hanalei. I am so upset. And then I was like, is it worth being upset about something that's not happening until April? I don't know, but I was devastated. And I felt it's like my job to be responsible. Like that's a big thing for me.
Ashley [00:32:59] Your job assigned by you. Nobody else has said that.
Annie Jones [00:33:07] Assigned to me at birth. Well, my dad kind of did. He did kind of give me the responsibility of buying tickets. Anyway, listen, my parents don't listen to this podcast, which is why I can tell this story. And so my dad doesn't know that I didn't get tickets. I haven't told him yet. I'm too upset.
Ashley [00:33:24] What if he got them?
Annie Jones [00:33:26] He didn't.
Ashley [00:33:27] What if he did it anyway?
Annie Jones [00:33:29] No way. He was telling me to because I'm tech savvy. No, I screwed it up. I messed that up. We got to befriend somebody with those season tickets who's not going to be there. I put my name on the wait list and I really hope they give me a call.
Ashley [00:33:44] There's plenty of time for people to back out.
Annie Jones [00:33:46] That's right. He said I was at the top of the list. Anyway, we'll see. But band called Hanalei, you should look them up. They do Peter, Paul, Mary covers.
Ashley [00:33:53] Yeah, I will. Are you going to go to the Jeff Goldblum show at opening night?
Annie Jones [00:33:58] No, I didn't get tickets for that either.
Ashley [00:34:00] Wow, sad.
Annie Jones [00:34:01] Yeah, it is. I was like, okay, well I at least got TEF. I got my TEF season tickets. Let me know if you're in town for any of them. I did get those. I'm still holding on to what we used to have. I still buy two tickets, even though...
Ashley [00:34:17] Okay. I'm about to close out this window right now. This conversation is over.
Annie Jones [00:34:24] Okay, listen, what I have been listening to, I've not been doing audio books really, but I've been listening to a lot of Ellie Holcomb because she has great non-annoying kid songs that I really love. And I've always loved them. I used to listen to those albums before Isaac. But now I really get a lot of joy from listening to those with Isaac. And then we also have a lullabies playlist that we have curated, and it does indeed have Puff the Magic Dragon on it, though I cannot listen to it now without bursting into tears. I always cried at that song, but now I really do. But it has Leaving on a Jet Plane, it has Rivers and Roads by Head and The Heart. Hare and the Hart is two doors down from The Bookshelf.
Ashley [00:35:07] Yes.
Annie Jones [00:35:08] Got it. And then one artist who I'm really liking, who I think you will like, this is exciting, because I feel like you are more on top of it than I am when it comes to music. Olivia Dean. Have you heard of her?
Ashley [00:35:18] I don't know that I have.
Annie Jones [00:35:20] You're welcome. You just go enjoy. Yeah. Okay, what are you buying?
Ashley [00:35:26] Okay, aside from an appendix removal, yes, that's going to be my personality for the next six weeks.
Annie Jones [00:35:32] Till you pay off that bill.
Ashley [00:35:35] I think I have two things that I want to tell you about. One, I think you kind of already know the brand, but Simple Mill's cheese crackers.
Annie Jones [00:35:44] I love those.
Ashley [00:35:45] Okay, they're fantastic. You can either get them in a box or you can get them in a bigger box, but individually packaged. I like the single serving size. Also the Mediterranean Herb Crackers, delicious. I make a good Caesar salad and I have been crumbling those up instead of croutons on top of it.
Annie Jones [00:36:06] That's fun.
Ashley [00:36:06] Highly recommend, so good.
Annie Jones [00:36:08] Okay. That sounds delicious.
Ashley [00:36:11] Yeah, they're really good. And then the other thing I think you'll enjoy if you don't already do it because you introduced me to this person, but it's art by Nicky's Snail Mail Club.
Annie Jones [00:36:21] Yes. Did you do it?
Ashley [00:36:22] That Tallahassee artist. Yeah, I've done it for two months now. And I just got my August mail today. Do you do it?
Annie Jones [00:36:30] I don't do. I paid for Lori Pemberton's. That felt like my budget then. But having these snail mail clubs is so fun. Ashley [00:36:30] It's so fun and Nikki gives you a lot of stuff. Like it's $7, she writes you a note and then you get your own like blank postcard and several like super high quality stickers. And I feel like you could only get like two stickers for $7 at a store. So it's a nice little package. Plus it's just guaranteed fun mail every month.
Annie Jones [00:37:03] I'll make sure we link to that in the show notes. We love Nikki. She did some of our Bookshelf merch once upon a time and I love the idea. I have my own. I have my idea for snail mail club.
Ashley [00:37:16] Wait, I want to be in on it. Can I do it?
Annie Jones [00:37:19] I'll talk to you off air.
Ashley [00:37:21] Okay.
Annie Jones [00:37:22] Yeah, it's an idea that a friend and I are toying around with. 2026, we'll see. See if that's our year. I just like the idea. It's very American Girl Magazine coded.
Ashley [00:37:32] Totally. I love that idea.
Annie Jones [00:37:34] Okay. Much like you have made your appendix your personality, my personality is my rotted door.
Ashley [00:37:42] I thought you were going to say your baby.
Annie Jones [00:37:45] Oh, yeah! That adorable little baby. My rotted out door that literally, the day we brought Isaac home from the hospital, collapsed. The bottom half of my door fell out. My dad had to emergency screw in plywood to the bottom of my door. So I replaced my door, um, my house is old, everything is custom. Not because I'm an everything is custom kind of person, but because I live in an old home. So I paid an exorbitant amount of money for a custom size door. It's now whatever, fiberglass or something. It's not going to rot. But all the wood around my door from the 1930s rotted right through. Like literally you could poke your hole in it. Well, that, no, you could cook a hole in. You could poke a hole in it. Oh god, that doesn't sound any better. Anyway, now it has also been replaced. Though if you live in Thomasville, you probably notice that it's a different color from everything else because the painters haven't come yet. And so it's just been a saga, and may I just say, an expensive saga. And sometimes I look around and I'm like, oh, Ordinary Time bought Isaac's nursery. Ordinary time bought my front door. And thank you to every person who's bought Ordinary Time.
Ashley [00:39:08] Wow.
Annie Jones [00:39:08] Because thanks to Ordinary Time, I've been able to pay for that stupid door. The other thing I just want to just say, an appreciation, that in 2025, one trend that I'm seeing a lot of places is elastic waist jeans. And as a postpartum woman, I just would like to say thank you. And I have found great jeans from I think it's Pilcro. They're barrel jeans, elastic waist. I got them from Anthropologie on sale. And they're wonderful if you're living that postpartum or just in between sizes, or you just want elastic waist pants life.
Ashley: [00:39:42] Or you just got your appendix removed and don't like wearing pants right now. Annie Jones: [00:39:46] There you go.
Ashley: [00:39:47] I'm interested.
Annie Jones: [00:39:49] People should play a drinking game with appendix and see how inebriated they become. Yeah, I highly recommend. To me, they're worth every penny. I want to say I bought a pair when I was pregnant. And I bought them from like Aerie or something, but elastic waist, just really grateful.
Ashley: [00:40:08] Wait, do they look like regular jeans? Because I'm picturing jeggings.
Annie Jones: [00:40:13] No, they're regular jeans. They just have an elastic waist. Ashley: [00:40:16] Interesting.
Annie Jones: [00:40:17] So no button or zipper. Ashley: [00:40:21] Good to know.
Annie Jones: [00:40:22] They're awesome. Okay, that is what we're reading, watching, listening, buying as we head into fall. We would love to hear what you guys are into this fall. So let us know. Tell us if you have a fantasy football league. Tell us who you root for. Yeah, let us now.
[00:40:38] This week, what I am reading is brought to you by Discover Thomasville. Gracefully tucked within the storied red hills of South Georgia. Thomasville curates a distinguished downtown experience that meanders along several blocks of our iconic red brick streets. Here, you discover the soul of the South. Here, you discover Thomasville. Learn more by visiting thomasvillega.com/news. One of the things I like to talk about when we do these ad reads is things that are a little bit off the beaten path in Thomasville and I've talked a little bit about Birdsong Nature Center. I've talk about the Center for the Arts. One of the other favorite places I love to support, both through The Bookshelf and then just personally, is the Thomasville History Center. So we have a great museum community here in Thomasville, but the Thomasville History Center is located near downtown. And the reason I want to highlight it is because during the fall, they do a couple of really special events.
[00:41:35] In early October, they do a crate to table meal. They literally put a meal in a crate. And then you can either eat on the grounds of the museum or you can take it home and like have a to-go meal. Oh my gosh, it's such a small town. It almost feels like Gilmore Girls: A-tisket, A-tasket kind of situation. Your meal literally comes in a basket. You're supporting a great cause. And then listeners and longtime customers know how much I absolutely adore chicken perlo. And the chicken perlo dinner that they do every year on election night, it's just a great reminder that we live in community with one another and really captures the spirit of Thomasville and loving your neighbor. So those are a couple of things that I'm really looking forward to this fall season as we support the Thomasville History Center.
[00:42:19] This week, I am reading The Wilderness by Angela Flournoy. Ashley, what are you reading?
Ashley: [00:42:25] I'm reading The Will of the Many by James Islington. [00:42:27] Annie Jones: 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 at @bookshelftville, and all the books from today’s episode can be purchased online through our store website:
A full transcript of today’s episode can be found at:
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…
Cammy Tidwell, Linda Lee Drozt, Martha, Stephanie Dean, Ashley Ferrell, Gene Queens, Beth, Jammie Treadwell…
Executive Producers (Read Their Own Names): Nicole Marsee, Wendi Jenkins
Annie Jones: 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 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 3 levels of support - Front Porch Friends, Book Club Companions, and Bookshelf Benefactors. Each level has an amazing number of benefits like bonus content, access to live events, discounts, and giveaways. Just go to:
We’re so grateful for you, and we look forward to meeting back here next week.