Episode 587 || What Would Susie Read?
This week on From the Front Porch, Annie chats with her mom, Susie, about books for readers with PG-13 tastes. Use code SHOPMOMSELECTS at checkout online and in the store to get 10% off Susie’s favorite books!
To purchase the books mentioned in this episode, stop by The Bookshelf in Thomasville, visit our website (search episode 587) or download and shop on The Bookshelf’s official app:
The Little Bookshop by the Harbor by Jean Stone
The Second Story Bookshop by Denise Hunter
Jump and Find Joy by Hoda Kotb
Discernment by Henry Nouwen
Take Good Care of the Garden and the Dogs by Heather Lende
Ordinary Time - the Paperback with new essays by Annie B. Jones
Royal Spin by Omid Scobie and Robin Benway
More Things in Heaven and Earth by Jeff High
Each Shining Hour by Jeff High
A Poem to Read Aloud Every Day of the Year Edited by Liz Ison
Wisdom from the Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben
A Moment of Calm a Soothing Poem for every Day of the Year Edited by Ana Sampson
Homecoming Meditations by Jessica Boston
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 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 Foursome by Christina Baker Kline. Shop Mom is reading Summer State of Mind by Kristy Woodson Harvey.
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...Ashley Ferrell, Beth, Cammy Tidwell, Gene Queens, Jammie Treadwell, Joseph Shorter IV, Kimberly, Linda Lee Drozt, Nicole Marsee, Stephanie Dean, and Wendi Jenkins.
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]
“I think we're wired to follow the if it ain't broke, don't fix it strategy, but that can keep us stuck in a so-so situation for far too long. Something I've learned along the way is maybe we don't need to wait for something to break to make a meaningful leap. Maybe we can jump towards something instead of just staying put. As one of my favorite expressions suggests, "It is never too late to be what you might have been."
-Hoda Kotb, Jump and Find Joy.
[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 talking to my mom, a beloved guest, about books for readers with PG-13 tastes. Do you love listening to From the Front Porch every week? Spread the word by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. All you have to do is open up the podcast app on your phone, look for From the Front Porch, scroll down until you see 'Write a Review' and then tell us what you think. Here's a recent review.
Cozy Bookish Charm
From the Front Porch is such a comforting, authentic listen. Annie feels like a sweet friend chatting about books, and every episode leaves me with a fuller heart and a longer TBR. I especially love the episodes with guests - Hunter, her mom, her husband, Bookshelf staff... they always add a little something special. This podcast is cozy, thoughtful, and endlessly charming.
Thank you so much to all of the reviewers who've left kind words and thoughtful reviews of our show. We're so grateful any time you share From the Front Porch with your friends. Thanks for spreading the word about the podcast and our independent bookstore. Hi, Mom. Welcome back to the show.
[00:02:06] Susie: Hi, Annie.
[00:02:08] Annie Jones: So we are back with a Shop Mom episode. If you are a new listener to From the Front Porch, every couple months or so, Mom comes on From the Front Porch to talk about books that are redemptive and hopeful. We have been featuring Mom on the podcast for a long time now. You can go back in our back list. We've got links in the show notes, but episode 398, 416, 433, 447, 468, 485, 520, 535, and most recently, episode 572. Again, links to those are all in the show notes. So mom comes on every few months, and we talk through the books that she loves. You can also shop the Shop Mom selections through The Bookshelf. So one of the ways you can shop her stories is you can become a shelf subscriber through our monthly Shelf Subscription program. Each month, staffers pick their favorite books of the month, and our revolving Shelf Subscription features picks from Shop Mom, Shop Dad, Nancy, and Olivia. It's a great option for the eclectic reader. And then if you want to shop Susie's other selections, she has her own page p- on the store website with so many books she loves, back list and front list. Plus, you can shop her picks from today's episode by searching episode 587 on The Bookshelf website. So we'll get to more of that at the end of today's episode. Let's dive in. You have quite the list this week.
[00:03:37] Susie: Well, and I was worried about that because I have felt in a reading slump.
[00:03:41] Annie Jones: Happens to the best of us.
[00:03:42] Susie: Well, I've had a little something more to occupy my mind.
[00:03:47] Annie Jones: Yeah.
[00:03:48] Susie: Yes. And of the human baby nature.
[00:03:51] Annie Jones: Yeah.
[00:03:52] Susie: So I've had a hard time just figuring out when to fit in reading and staying awake.
[00:04:00] Annie Jones: Yes.
[00:04:00] Susie: But I did wind up having a pretty good little list for today.
[00:04:03] Annie Jones: Yeah, this looks great.
[00:04:05] Susie: And I think they're great books. I think people who like to read what I like to read are going to love today's episode.
[00:04:12] Annie Jones: And looks like there are some good maybe summery selections.
[00:04:15] Susie: There are. So the first book I'm going to talk about is called The Little Bookshop by the Harbor by Jean Stone. I hadn't read anything by her before that I recall
[00:04:26] Annie Jones: I haven't either.
[00:04:27] Susie: She's very me-ish kind of writer.
[00:04:30] Annie Jones: Did you find her at the bookstore, or did you... I can’t remember.
[00:04:33] Susie: I must have found her at the bookstore.
[00:04:36] Annie Jones: Okay.
[00:04:36] Susie: But anyway, it's a story about Maddie, who is a college journalism professor. And she visits this historic fishing village of, let me see if I can pronounce this right, Menemsha...
[00:04:50] Annie Jones: okay.
[00:04:51] Susie: On Martha's Vineyard. Martha's Vineyard.
[00:04:55] Annie Jones: That was very Georgia.
[00:04:56] Susie: Yes, it was. But anyway, she's rediscovered her grandmother as well as her indigenous roots as being half Wampanoag.
[00:05:07] Annie Jones: Okay.
[00:05:07] Susie: So that was made a new little twist. And you learn some of the culture about the tribe and its history and traditions. So she discovered a little fishing business that had been closed. So it's just empty spot. I kept thinking wouldn't that be fun to have a little bookstore?" Because there wasn't one in this little village. So she decides to leave her job. She opens the bookshop. She becomes in a relationship with a restaurateur named Rex, and they become friends, and friendly. And then her son is graduating from college, and he comes back, and they're all kind of rediscovering deep family roots.
[00:05:57] Annie Jones: Okay.
[00:05:58] Susie: Her father is also a professor, if I recall, and he comes in and out of the picture some to come over and visit. But she decides to leave her job and to open up this bookshop. So it's very fun. Then things happen in her life that you aren't expecting. It would be a great beach read this summer. And she has big decisions she has to make about whether to continue on with this bookshop, go back to her college professor, and so it's just her story. It's very good.
[00:06:31] Annie Jones: I was going to ask if it was realistic portrayal of-- you have a couple of books on this list about opening a bookstore or working in a bookstore. Are they realistic?
[00:06:40] Susie: I think the realism comes into play in this one because of the interesting part of her being half Wampanoag and the history of that area.
[00:06:51] Annie Jones: Yeah.
[00:06:51] Susie: We think about Cherokee, and we think about our Southern tribes, and so forth. So I thought that was really interesting, and some of the history behind it. Yeah, it could be real.
[00:07:02] Annie Jones: Yeah.
[00:07:02] Susie: It could be.
[00:07:03] Annie Jones: I don't know. I don't like reading books about bookstores because I feel
[00:07:06] Susie: Of course you probably don't.
[00:07:07] Annie Jones: So I just am always curious, is this the cutesy version of bookstore ownership or?
[00:07:11] Susie: This is miniature. It's in a fishing village, and it was a fishing hut.
[00:07:15] Annie Jones: Oh, okay.
[00:07:16] Susie: So this is going to be a small, little--
[00:07:18] Annie Jones: Then that is realistic because that does sound nice.
[00:07:20] Susie: Yes. It's nothing like your
[00:07:22] Annie Jones: The Bookshelf.
I always tell people when they ask about, " what if I wanted to open my own bookstore?" I'm like, "That's great. Start in the smallest possible location you could ever have."
[00:07:32] Susie: Exactly. You have almost three stores in one.
[00:07:33] Annie Jones: Yeah. So that looks fun and different for you.
[00:07:35] Susie: Yes. And then I kept along those same lines, as you said. But I got this one because it's Denise Hunter. And I believe her previous book was my Shelf Subscription at one time.
[00:07:47] Annie Jones: Okay
[00:07:48] Susie: I have to remember. Oh, it was Before We Were Us.
[00:07:51] Annie Jones: Okay.
[00:07:52] Susie: And it was a lake.
[00:07:53] Annie Jones: That's funny.
[00:07:53] Susie: Yeah, so this is my next book, The Second Story Bookshop by Denise Hunter. And it's chronicling Shelby Thatcher who loved working with her grandmother in a small bookstore. Look, my brain capacity, this is what I can do right now. And I really think I'm not alone in this. And I think people are listening to this going, "Right on, Susie." I'm just
[00:08:15] Annie Jones: It's these tiny little bookshops.
[00:08:17] Susie: And so this is her grandmother's bookstore. She worked in it as a high schooler.
[00:08:22] Annie Jones: Fun.
[00:08:22] Susie: Her grandmother dies. Shelby inherits the bookstore, but the glitch is it's half her ex-boyfriend.
[00:08:31] Annie Jones: Oh, that's funny.
[00:08:32] Susie: So the grandmother is orchestrating things.
[00:08:35] Annie Jones: From beyond the grave.
[00:08:36] Susie: Yes. And the ex-boyfriend is gone, long gone, left after high school. His name is Gray. He has a shady past because of his father.
[00:08:44] Annie Jones: Okay.
[00:08:45] Susie: His father did some things that were not good. But everyone put that on his shoulders as well. Small town. Everybody knows each other, same as up in the previous book. So but this one is all about how can she keep the bookstore running.
[00:09:02] Annie Jones: Yep.
[00:09:02] Susie: With rent going up and with books going up, and can she keep it going like her grandmother did? But the answer's no because she's got to modernize some of her ways in order to keep up with expenses of running the bookstore.
[00:09:17] Annie Jones: Maybe too close to home.
[00:09:19] Susie: This probably hits too close.
[00:09:20] Annie Jones: maybe escapist for you perhaps. A little too real for Annie B. Jones.
[00:09:25] Susie: I honestly picked this because I knew I thought I would like Denise Hunter, and I did.
[00:09:29] Annie Jones: It's got a great cover too.
[00:09:30] Susie: And I do.
[00:09:31] Annie Jones: Very cozy looking.
[00:09:32] Susie: And I did like this story. They're forced to work together.
[00:09:35] Annie Jones: The downtown, a picture on the front looks like Thomasville.
[00:09:38] Susie: So she and her ex-boyfriend, he's a finance guy. He comes in, and he basically is not going to keep his half because he wants he's got a life somewhere else, but they have to work together, and then they're working together yada, yada. You know the gist.
[00:09:53] Annie Jones: That's fun.
[00:09:54] Susie: But it was a cute book, and it helped me get out of my slump. That's what I had to have.
[00:09:59] Annie Jones: I like the cover. We were talking at the The Bookshelf. There's this whole series of kind of cozy books, and Caroline always talks about the economy of the town in which these books would be set because there's a book about a bakery, a book about--
[00:10:12] Susie: Oh, yes.
[00:10:13] Annie Jones: You know what I mean? But they are very steamy romance books. But they look cozy.
[00:10:20] Susie: I know who that is, because I got her Pumpkin Patch book. I was like hello.
[00:10:24] Annie Jones: So when we as booksellers, to each their own. You're entitled to whatever you like. But it is challenging to hand sell something that looks cozy and hallmark-y and PG, and then it turns out maybe it's a little bit more than a reader bargained for. So it is good to know that these Denise Hunter books and Jean Stone.
[00:10:43] Susie: Yeah, both of these books are absolutely PG.
[00:10:45] Annie Jones: Yeah.
[00:10:45] Susie: But I think I talked about this on one of the former podcasts. And
[00:10:48] Annie Jones: It was like Pumpkin Pie. I can't remember now.
[00:10:51] Susie: It was Pumpkin Spice Cafe or something like that. Yeah. And the cover was adorable.
[00:10:55] Annie Jones: They're so cute.
[00:10:56] Susie: All of her covers are.
[00:10:57] Annie Jones: Yes, they all are.
[00:10:58] Susie: All of her covers are adorable. But if you're trying to recommend a PG book, then I was like, "Oh I'm not sure I can recommend this as PG book for people."
[00:11:08] Annie Jones: Again, people like whatever they want, but when you're starting to read with a bookseller brain and you're trying to think who else can I sell this to?"
[00:11:16] Susie: Especially a PG. Yes. It's not just blood and guts and f-bombs and stuff like that. So I those books, that's so funny, they do have the very cutest covers.
[00:11:26] Annie Jones: Yeah, but they're a little steamy. So these are more PG.
[00:11:29] Susie: Yes, these are great. Everything I'm telling about today people would love.
[00:11:34] Annie Jones: Okay.
[00:11:35] Susie: And these two books would be easy reads. They're not too long and they were really good.
[00:11:40] Annie Jones: And like you said, right now, if you're in a reading slump or if life feels overwhelming, if you don't already own a bookstore where you're having to navigate financial issues, then it would be escapist for you.
[00:11:51] Susie: That's right.
[00:11:51] Annie Jones: Escapist for some.
[00:11:52] Susie: There's love stories in all of them. There are.
[00:11:55] Annie Jones: All right. So then you did some nonfiction.
[00:11:58] Susie: Yes. So you know I love Hoda.
[00:11:59] Annie Jones: Yes.
[00:12:00] Susie: Who doesn't love Hoda?
[00:12:01] Annie Jones: Who doesn't love Hoda?
[00:12:02] Susie: So I didn't realize she had written some books. And she's written a children's book, I think. Yes.
[00:12:07] Annie Jones: Yeah.
[00:12:07] Susie: And so I decided to get her new book, Jump and Find Joy. And she just made a big change in her life just a couple of years ago now, maybe a year and a half ago, where she left Hoda & Jenna.
[00:12:21] Annie Jones: Sad about that.
[00:12:22] Susie: I know. It was sad. So this is a book about change.
[00:12:26] Annie Jones: Okay.
[00:12:27] Susie: And it's a book about how scary it can be, but how exciting it can be, and it was really quite brave of her. I think she might have had her 60th birthday, if I'm not mistaken.
[00:12:36] Annie Jones: Okay.
[00:12:37] Susie: I'm thinking, and she has two young daughters that she adopted. It was really interesting because she just made up her mind. Doing something different. Ready. Moving on.
[00:12:45] Annie Jones: Yeah.
[00:12:46] Susie: Ready to do something different. It was like that milestone, whatever it was, sorry if I got her birthday wrong, if it's 60, 50.
[00:12:52] Annie Jones: That's probably right.
[00:12:53] Susie: But I'm thinking it was 60.
[00:12:54] Annie Jones: Yeah.
[00:12:54] Susie: And because she's been in the biz a long time. I didn't even know about her early career, where she started with Dateline or something. One of those kinds of shows. So it's really a lot of stories about a lot of different people. Making big leaps.
[00:13:11] Annie Jones: So not just Hoda's story.
[00:13:12] Susie: It is not just hers, but her story is all throughout and intertwined, every section has someone else's story. Sheryl Crow. Lots of famous people, and great quotes and their story about how they flipped their careers and made big changes. Maybe it could've been health-related, maybe it could've just been, "I'm ready for a change." So it was all about choosing a future that looks different than what you have, but it, scary, but it can sometimes turn out to be better.
[00:13:43] Annie Jones: That sounds nice. Good for graduation season.
[00:13:45] Susie: Yeah, it really is, because she has created this entire wellness network, and I think she has an app.
[00:13:52] Annie Jones: Okay.
[00:13:53] Susie: And I think she has experts. I think she does big retreats which sound amazing.
[00:13:58] Annie Jones: I didn't know that.
[00:14:01] Susie: They sound amazing. So it's her career. She started out in Mississippi and then she wound up in New Orleans. Loved New Orleans. And I can see that about her. And so I think it is a great graduation book. That's a good idea.
[00:14:16] Annie Jones: And there was a book a few years ago, Shonda Rhimes, the creator of Grey's Anatomy, she wrote I think it was called Year of Yes or something, and she also had a milestone birthday. I can't remember now if hers was 40 or 50, and she decided she was tired of saying no to opportunities, and so she took the year and said yes to every invitation.
[00:14:35] Susie: Please don't do that.
[00:14:37] Annie Jones: Oh, no, I would never. Don't you worry. I say yes plenty. But I think she was in the practice of turning down so many things. And I think she turned a certain age, and then maybe her career was also mid lane. So anyway, but it sounds kind of similar where you take a leap. But I like that she interviews a bunch of different people. It's very different from what I would've thought.
[00:14:56] Susie: It was for me, too. And at first, I was like, oh, I wanted it to just be all about her. But it's all about her, too.
[00:15:01] Annie Jones: Okay.
[00:15:02] Susie: And you trace her whole career, and the bravery in every career shift. Because we know that there is that.
[00:15:07] Annie Jones: Yeah.
[00:15:08] Susie: And so I thought it was a really good book, and I started following her on Instagram, her Joy 101 or something like that it's called. And so she gives positive affirmations. And it's really nice. I think she's doing probably what she might have always dreamed she would like to do now.
[00:15:27] Annie Jones: Good for her.
[00:15:28] Susie: And she bought a little house and is raising her daughters, and in a small community where people know. It's in New York, I think. But everybody knows everybody and she just came back on the Today Show to help while Savannah has been out some. And so it was really nice to see her and to see that the Today Show people are such... I think they're truly friends.
[00:15:47] Annie Jones: Yeah, they seem like it, which I think is nice.
[00:15:51] Susie: And so that was fun, too, and then to read this kind of along at the same time. So I highly recommend that book.
[00:15:56] Annie Jones: Okay.
[00:15:57] Susie: And then next I'm going to talk about, just briefly, this was a book that we read in our small group at our church, Discernment by Henri Nouwen, and I really love his books.
[00:16:10] Annie Jones: This was probably hefty for your group.
[00:16:12] Susie: It is.
[00:16:13] Annie Jones: Was it dense?
[00:16:14] Susie: Yes, they all are. They all are dragging you out of your comfort zone or making you think of things in a different way. But this one was about how God is always speaking to us, either as individuals or as a group, a church, whatever. He speaks to us at different times, lots of different ways. Discernment is a spiritual practice. And it's helped me to remember to be open to how God works and communicates with us because it's not like a burning bush.
[00:16:41] Annie Jones: Looks a little different.
[00:16:42] Susie: It looks a little different, and what resonates with me the most, of course, is nature. And it always has been, but scripture, events, experiences. We made some big changes in our () () Dad and I have- in our spiritual walk. And so I think it's great to look at the people you meet and the experiences that you have, that God's presence is always there. Whatever might be happening with you is for a purpose to teach, for growth or whatever, but you have to pay attention.
[00:17:14] Annie Jones: Yeah.
[00:17:14] Susie: You can't just be blindly walking through life, which most people--
[00:17:18] Annie Jones: I was about to say you can.
[00:17:19] Susie: You can, but you won't feel discernment. You won't reap the discernment if you are. You've got to try to pay attention. It's a short book, but it's--
[00:17:27] Annie Jones: It is short, but I just wondered Henri Nouwen, I just wondered if it was in-depth.
[00:17:31] Susie: Yeah, and if I recall, this is people putting together some of his writings.
[00:17:35] Annie Jones: Okay.
[00:17:35] Susie: But anyway, every book I've read by him I've really liked. But they're not light.
[00:17:39] Annie Jones: No, they're not.
[00:17:40] Susie: They're if you wanted to do a devotional type study. So the next book was delightful. It's off of your shelf.
[00:17:49] Annie Jones: Yes, I love this book. I have to copies.
[00:17:52] Susie: And I know you're going to want it back. Oh, maybe I can have this copy then. I'll
[00:17:55] Annie Jones: I'll see if I have the other one.
[00:17:56] Susie: Because I love it. I love the cover. I love everything about this book.
[00:18:00] Annie Jones: Yes, it is.
[00:18:01] Susie: This really helped get me out of my slump. The other two were easy-peasy reads, but this one was me-ish.
[00:18:08] Annie Jones: Yeah.
[00:18:08] Susie: This one was truly me-ish. And so it's Take Good Care of the Garden and the Dogs. This is an older book.
[00:18:16] Annie Jones: Yes.
[00:18:16] Susie: It's a true story of bad breaks and small miracles by Heather...
[00:18:21] Annie Jones: I think it's Lende.
[00:18:22] Susie: That's what I would've said, L-E-N-D-E.
[00:18:24] Annie Jones: Yeah.
[00:18:25] Susie: Okay, so this takes place in a tiny... Look at all my little tiny towns this time. Tiny Alaskan town. Kanes, Alaska, I think. And the author has a life-threatening bicycle accident. She's hit by a truck. And it is about her recovery, her community, what life is like in the small town. It's very descriptive of the wilderness and there's nothing there.
[00:18:49] Annie Jones: Yep.
[00:18:50] Susie: There's nothing there but the people, and fishing community. And so you really get to delve into her community and her life and the spirit of the people. Her mother is ill and dying, so that works into the story. And actually, the title of the book is a quote from her mother. They were thinking she would have all these wise things to say and to tell, and when asked, what do you want to say? Is there anything you want people to know?" It's, "Go take good care of the garden, and the dogs." And I thought that was funny. That was her advice. That was it. And so it's stepping into just ordinary lives.
[00:19:32] Annie Jones: I love this book.
[00:19:33] Susie: Of ordinary people, and walking alongside of them, and it was delightful.
[00:19:38] Annie Jones: Is she not an obituary writer?
[00:19:40] Susie: Yes.
[00:19:41] Annie Jones: Okay. I was like, I think she was an obituary writer in this small town. because this is nonfiction about her actual experiences being a small town obituary writer, is one of the things that I remembered about it.
[00:19:52] Susie: Yes.
[00:19:53] Annie Jones: I loved this.
[00:19:53] Susie: And it's almost like reading a diary.
[00:19:55] Annie Jones: Yeah. I really liked it. I've not heard of it a lot of places, but I think I picked it up when it was first out in paperback at Sundog Books in Seaside. It was, like, on their staff picks shelf.
[00:20:05] Susie: Okay.
[00:20:06] Annie Jones: And I have loved it. I mentioned it in my original book proposal for Ordinary Time, like as a comp title. But it is of deep backlist, so not a ton of people have heard of it. But it's so good.
[00:20:16] Susie: I know, but you can order it through your favorite bookstore in Thomasville, Georgia.
[00:20:20] Annie Jones: I hope so.
[00:20:21] Susie: I hope so, too.
[00:20:22] Annie Jones: Let me see when it was published. I genuinely am curious.
[00:20:25] Susie: The cover's so cute. I hope I get to keep it.
[00:20:27] Annie Jones: Signed it in Florida in Seaside. I can't tell when it was. 2010.
[00:20:34] Susie: Okay.
[00:20:35] Annie Jones: I'll have to look.
[00:20:36] Susie: I just need to Google her and find out what she's doing now.
[00:20:38] Annie Jones: Yeah. I would be curious. And I need to make sure, obviously, if you can order it from the The Bookshelf, we will put it on the website. Sometimes a book will go out of print, and it'll be so sad.
[00:20:47] Susie: Oh, that would be sad. This is a great book.
[00:20:48] Annie Jones: Yeah. Cause that one is a great book.
[00:20:51] Susie: People would love this book. Which leads me into--
[00:20:55] Annie Jones: Perfect segue.
[00:20:56] Susie: Perfect segue into Ordinary Time the paperback version. When I was writing my little blurb about the book and I said, "It's just ordinary lives with ordinary people," I went, "Here comes Ordinary Time."
[00:21:10] Annie Jones: Perfect.
[00:21:10] Susie: So Annie, of course, I love my hard copy book, but I love the two new essays-
[00:21:16] Annie Jones: Thank you.
[00:21:17] Susie: And the letter to the reader.
[00:21:18] Annie Jones: Thank you.
[00:21:19] Susie: Worth buying the paperback to get those two new essays.
[00:21:21] Annie Jones: Aw, from your mouth, not mine. Worth it to get the paperback, everybody.
[00:21:27] Susie: And of course, I think the author is incredible. I love her. She's awesome. And I think that the two new essays are like a PS.
[00:21:40] Annie Jones: Yeah, they're like a little epilogue almost.
[00:21:42] Susie: And it's great because if you-- and I hope everyone out there has read the original Ordinary Time, and when you read that, you don't get the whole ending because--
[00:21:53] Annie Jones: That's right.
[00:21:54] Susie: It was still being lived out.
[00:21:56] Annie Jones: Yes.
[00:21:57] Susie: And now we have Isaac.
[00:21:58] Annie Jones: Yep.
[00:21:59] Susie: And so I think it's really fun to read these last two essays about just really briefly becoming a new mom. And, of course, I loved some of the stories about goat yoga.
[00:22:13] Annie Jones: Oh, yeah.
[00:22:14] Susie: And regular yoga. I
[00:22:15] Annie Jones: I know. Did Aunt Lisa read that yet? I wondered.
[00:22:17] Susie: I think she has, and we loved that because we all thought that was one of the most fun things we've all done together, and most unique. So I think people will want to get your paperback version just to read these two essays. And your letter to the reader was so sweet.
[00:22:34] Annie Jones: I did love writing that. That was fun because the publisher had asked if I would write two more essays, which I was of course thrilled by, and then they asked if I would write a letter. And I have always loved in books where there's a special indie bookstore edition or where the author writes to the reader, and I really was glad I got the opportunity to do that.
[00:22:52] Susie: When I was putting my list together, it made me see all the little threads running through my books because this is totally about A Life Rearranged
[00:23:03] Annie Jones: Yes, and it is. Hoda's book is about taking leaps.
[00:23:08] Susie: Yep.
[00:23:08] Annie Jones: And then I think both things are true, right? You can take a leap of faith and go a new direction, or sometimes the leap is staying put. And so I like that. And a lot of your book, Take Good Care of the Gardens and the Dogs is about somebody who's having to stay and take care of her community, take care of her family. Yes.
[00:23:26] Susie: I think it's great. I said your words help remind us again in that rearranging the ordinary can truly become extraordinary.
[00:23:35] Annie Jones: You should've written the blurb on the back.
[00:23:37] Susie: I could have. Anyway, well done. Loved it.
[00:23:40] Annie Jones: Thank you. Okay. And I'll sign copies if you buy them from the The Bookshelf. Don't forget.
[00:23:44] Susie: Great. That's even better. Okay this is fun, and this is a new fresh book called Royal Spin.
[00:23:50] Annie Jones: I am so curious to hear your thoughts on this.
[00:23:52] Susie: You'd love it. This could totally be a Hallmark movie.
[00:23:54] Annie Jones: Okay.
[00:23:55] Susie: This could, for sure. I wouldn't be surprised one bit if this doesn't wind up a movie some kind of movie. If you want to keep it clean, Hallmark or something like that. But it's really cute. It's a story about Lauren Morgan, who works in the White House Correspondence. So she's a press office in the White House. And she's gotten herself into a little pickle because always a man. Her ex-boyfriend cheating on her with her best friend, and so she just needs a change of scenery. And I can't recall how she comes, finds out about this job at Buckingham Palace. But they are looking for a communications person to come in and help them improve their royal family streak of bad headlines. And I wrote, "Maybe we should get somebody from Buckingham Palace to come here and pluck us out of our--
[00:24:46] Annie Jones: Help us with our complicated headlines.
[00:24:47] Susie: Pluck us out of the headlines I'm seeing every day.
[00:24:50] Annie Jones: I want to know if in this book, is it... Okay, so for example, in the White House or in Buckingham Palace, are these the royals and the White House that we know, or are they fictional?
[00:25:00] Susie: Fictional.
[00:25:01] Annie Jones: Okay. So in Buckingham Palace it's a different--
[00:25:04] Susie: it's different.
[00:25:04] Annie Jones: But Omid Scobie, who wrote it, is a royal reporter.
[00:25:07] Susie: He is. Yes, he is.
[00:25:08] Annie Jones: Yeah.
[00:25:09] Susie: It was really well done.
[00:25:09] Annie Jones: I recognize his name.
[00:25:11] Susie: And there's differences in sometimes you still have to remember our White House and our-- is still baby compared to the traditions of the king and the palace. So it really is a kind of a cute book. She goes over, she decides to take the job, and then the lady that was going to be her boss quits immediately. "Okay, welcome aboard. I'm out of here. Peace out." So she is left there to deal with all of... And she knows how to deal with the press, but I will say, the British press is different.
[00:25:47] Annie Jones: Oh, yeah,
[00:25:47] Susie: I think it's even more cutthroat. Their paparazzi too are more...
[00:25:51] Annie Jones: Yes it is very different.
[00:25:53] Susie: So she goes through and discovers the differences in White House and Buckingham Palace. She makes friends with one of the reporters who's decent. And then one of the things she's tasked with is one of the outcast nephews whose marriage has just fallen apart, and went rogue and a sheep farmer or something like that. And now he's come back because he's penniless and lost it all. So the queen has asked him back, and he comes back, and she's got to polish up his reputation.
[00:26:28] Annie Jones: Okay.
[00:26:28] Susie: And get him back in to being accepted within the royal family.
[00:26:34] Annie Jones: Okay. That does sound cute.
[00:26:35] Susie: And it was very cute, and I loved it. Everybody will love it, and let's all wait and see, everybody.
[00:26:40] Annie Jones: Yeah.
[00:26:41] Susie: Let's find out if this turns into a movie.
[00:26:43] Annie Jones: And I should say this was co-written. Omit Scobie and...
[00:26:47] Susie: Robin Benway.
[00:26:48] Annie Jones: Okay. Oh my gosh, I don't think I realize how young Omid Scobie was. I know. He looks so young. But he wrote Finding Freedom which was about Terry and Megan.
[00:26:59] Susie: Oh.
[00:27:00] Annie Jones: I believe that was-
[00:27:01] Susie: Oh, okay.
[00:27:02] Annie Jones: Which I loved.
[00:27:03] Susie: Okay, great.
[00:27:03] Annie Jones: He has some expertise.
[00:27:05] Susie: And now I'm going back to some oldies-
[00:27:09] Annie Jones: Okay.
[00:27:10] Susie: That I have never heard of.
[00:27:11] Annie Jones: But you've read recently.
[00:27:12] Susie: Yeah, I just read them, and I ordered them from my favorite bookstore, so I know they're orderable.
[00:27:16] Annie Jones: Okay, so they are orderable. I'm going to check on that other one.
[00:27:19] Susie: So please do order them from the The Bookshelf because if anybody's been listening to any of my episodes, they know I fell in love with reading again as an adult at about 40. Literally, I had sat and read books for years.
[00:27:35] Annie Jones: Not fiction.
[00:27:37] Susie: I was only reading children's stories.
[00:27:40] Annie Jones: And, we've talked about this many times, self-help books. Self-improvement, parenting.
[00:27:44] Susie: Yes, all of those.
[00:27:44] Annie Jones: You were Reading, just not fiction.
[00:27:46] Susie: But I just wasn't reading for fun mostly. Until I found one summer I needed a book for us to go to the beach, because I knew everybody around me was going to be reading, everybody, and I couldn't have ants in my pants and be up and out all by myself all the time. So I ordered the Mitford book. Bought it at Barnes & Noble for the cover. I knew nothing about it. I bought it for the cover At Home at Mitford, and now I've read every single one. I have gone back to used bookstores and found hardback copies of every single one.
[00:28:17] Annie Jones: Which is fun.
[00:28:17] Susie: Which was very fun. I did that in January, and I found all of them in used bookstores.
[00:28:23] Annie Jones: Yep.
[00:28:23] Susie: Because many of them I had never had the opportunity to buy.
[00:28:27] Annie Jones: You were probably reading them when they were paperbacks.
[00:28:29] Susie: Yes. So anyway, because of that, Nina, my sister Linda, she follows a group on Facebook, a Mitford fan club kind of group. And from time to time she'll send me stuff from it, and one of the links she sent me, I went to it on Facebook, and I noticed people were asking, "Oh, what else can I read? What else would give me that Mitford feel?"
[00:28:52] Annie Jones: That same vibe.
[00:28:54] Susie: Yes. So it's not Mitford, but I can promise you're going to love these books. I've already ordered. There's four of them and I've already ordered the last two from Erin this week. I'm like, "Go ahead and order the last two." So my first book is More Things in Heaven and Earth. It's a novel of Water Valley, Tennessee.
[00:29:13] Annie Jones: Oh.
[00:29:13] Susie: And it's about a young doctor, Luke, Bradford I think his last name is, and he accepts he really wants to be a medical researcher. He's a brainiac in Atlanta. So this is a very Southern book, so you'll really like that. And if you're Southern you'll really love that part. So he takes this job in this tiny little town in Tennessee rather than going into researching. His aunt has raised him because his parents were killed in a car accident. So his aunt has raised him in Buckhead.
[00:29:48] Annie Jones: Oh, okay.
[00:29:48] Susie: So he's used to nice.
[00:29:51] Annie Jones: The bougie parts.
[00:29:51] Susie: Yes.
[00:29:52] Annie Jones: The bougie parts of Atlanta.
[00:29:53] Susie: So he probably get a little bit snobby. And he's a doctor, and he wants to do research, but he's got a lot of medical debt. She's gone. And he won't inherit whatever she's got for some years to come yet.
[00:30:05] Annie Jones: Okay.
[00:30:06] Susie: So he takes this job in Water Valley, Tennessee, and if he will work there for three years, his medical loans will be paid off.
[00:30:16] Annie Jones: Nice. Okay.
[00:30:17] Susie: And so he goes to this and it's one-horse town. He is it. He's the doctor.
[00:30:24] Annie Jones: Hart of Dixie.
[00:30:25] Susie: Yeah. It's in an old house. It's in a beautiful old house, and he takes the job there. And there were parts of it where I was in bed at night, Dad had fallen asleep, and I was dying laughing. It was just funny stories, and goobish things that he did. You come out, you think you know everything, and then you start dealing with real people and real problems.
[00:30:48] Annie Jones: Yep.
[00:30:48] Susie: And one tiny town with one little doctor, people will tell you everything. You will know everything about them. The town is small, but it's filled with complicated and interesting characters that you'll get to know. You got a housekeeper that would help keep him fed and keep his house decent named Connie. She's adorable. I love her. She's very frank, bossy and she's just a really great character who takes another prominent role in book two. So book one is all about just becoming this town doctor.
[00:31:21] Annie Jones: Like setting the stage.
[00:31:22] Susie: Yes. He meets a school teacher. There's not many young people. He meets a school teacher. She gives him no time of day, nothing. Eventually he tries to win her over. And look, they're not little skinny books. They're good sized books. And I think people will fall in love with it. I certainly have. I couldn't put them down. I had no problem. Sometimes I would put down a book and go, "Oh, I didn't get to that today. Oh, no." I read these every day.
[00:31:55] Annie Jones: That's nice.
[00:31:55] Susie: And couldn't put them down.
[00:31:56] Annie Jones: High praise.
[00:31:57] Susie: So then I ordered book two because I went, "Hot dog, I'm out of my slump." Until I can come back to the store, I'm going to go on with book two.
[00:32:06] Annie Jones: Yep.
[00:32:07] Susie: Which I did, and it is really fun because it goes into you're still in the same town. Obviously he stayed. He had his qualms. He thought he was going to leave, and planned to leave, but he stayed. He's still there in book two.
[00:32:21] Annie Jones: Got to pay off that medical debt.
[00:32:23] Susie: And you start to get involved with the people.
[00:32:25] Annie Jones: Yeah.
[00:32:26] Susie: And their stories of why they are the way they are. But this one has a mystery in it.
[00:32:32] Annie Jones: Oh, interesting. A little twist.
[00:32:34] Susie: Intertwined, yes. And it's fascinating, and it's all through the book. There was a murder in the World War II era, and this town, he just can't believe that there was a murder in this town. What in the world? It ended up with a dead, we don't know, the German, who was never identified, and then this townsperson that had come there from also Germany. And he finds the autopsy, and then there's a missing autopsy.
[00:33:06] Annie Jones: Oh my.
[00:33:06] Susie: And he just gets very curious and keeps digging and asking questions. And then Connie's sister wants to buy and open a bakery, and that is part of the mystery. So it's really intriguing, and you'll find out the mystery at the end.
[00:33:23] Annie Jones: Has Nina read these too or just you?
[00:33:25] Susie: I'm going to take them to her because she will love them.
[00:33:28] Annie Jones: Yeah.
[00:33:28] Susie: I already told Lisa, I said, "I've got two books for Nina to read, because she'll love them."
[00:33:32] Annie Jones: And there are four total?
[00:33:33] Susie: And there are four, and I've ordered them through The Bookshelf.
[00:33:35] Annie Jones: Are they published recently?
[00:33:37] Susie: No, these are ...
[00:33:40] Annie Jones: I am so curious now because I've never heard of them.
[00:33:44] Susie: Let me see. Open that up. I don't know why I had never heard of them.
[00:33:48] Annie Jones: 2013.
[00:33:49] Susie: So when was book two?
[00:33:53] Annie Jones: because it's southern. I'm just-- 2014.
[00:33:56] Susie: Okay.
[00:33:57] Annie Jones: So fairly recently.
[00:33:58] Susie: And totally found out about them through this Mitford Club.
[00:34:03] Annie Jones: A Facebook group.
[00:34:04] Susie: Yes, I know. And I don't even use Facebook.
[00:34:06] Annie Jones: Did you and Dad watch the new show? It's on ABC, and now I guess it's on Hulu, called Bad Medicine? I think it's called Bad Medicine. I don't think you and dad were Good Wife people, but the main--
[00:34:18] Susie: I did for the first several seasons.
[00:34:20] Annie Jones: Okay. That guy with the nose. Josh Charles is his actual name. And he was on another show I really liked. But he is a doctor, and he moves to this tiny town, I believe in Maine, and becomes a doctor for this town. It's a cute little show.
[00:34:34] Susie: Oh, cute.
[00:34:34] Annie Jones: Yeah. You and dad would love it.
[00:34:36] Susie: Tell me the name of it again.
[00:34:37] Annie Jones: I'm pretty sure it's called Bad Medicine.
[00:34:38] Susie: Okay. I'll try to look for it.
[00:34:41] Annie Jones: He's a doctor, high-powered doctor that something happened that is making him not be able to work his high-powered doctor job anymore, so he's resorting to small town medicine.
[00:34:52] Susie: Okay.
[00:34:52] Annie Jones: I think it's cute.
[00:34:54] Susie: I'm going to look for it.
[00:34:54] Annie Jones: Yeah. Okay.
[00:34:55] Susie: Okay. In my fear when you told me I was back on the podcast so soon, and my slump--
[00:35:01] Annie Jones: Your reading slump.
[00:35:02] Susie: That I was in, I was worried that I wouldn't have enough books to talk about.
[00:35:07] Annie Jones: That was plenty of books.
[00:35:08] Susie: But I decided this is a great time to bring in some beautiful books that I have bought at The Bookshelf that will carry you through every day of your year. And so this was last year's I bought.
[00:35:22] Annie Jones: And they're not dated. So it's really any time.
[00:35:25] Susie: It's any time. This is beautiful. Isn't that beautiful?
[00:35:27] Annie Jones: I have it, too. I love that book.
[00:35:29] Susie: A Poem to Read Aloud Every Day of the Year. And it's a thick book.
[00:35:34] Annie Jones: Yeah.
[00:35:34] Susie: It's a coffee table book, whatever you want it to be. So if you're in a reading slump, I keep this right by my chair while I do my new one now. This was last year. I keep it right by my chair, and when I'm feeling like I don't know. I can't think.
[00:35:48] Annie Jones: Can't get into anything.
[00:35:50] Susie: Plus the fact that I really think these books are brilliant because everyone should remember poetry and its place.
[00:35:59] Annie Jones: And it doesn't take very long. I think it's better than picking up your phone.
[00:36:02] Susie: Exactly. And there's one for every day of the year.
[00:36:05] Annie Jones: I love my copy.
[00:36:07] Susie: So this is now on my shelf because...
[00:36:10] Annie Jones: That's the one you read last year.
[00:36:11] Susie: That's the one I did last year.
[00:36:13] Annie Jones: And that was A Poem to Read Aloud Every Day of the Year.
[00:36:16] Susie: Every day of the year. So this year, when this one came out, I was like, "I you know I'm getting this." A Moment of Calm. A Soothing Poem for Every Day of the Year. I love this. And it is also a beautiful book.
[00:36:29] Annie Jones: They are beautiful. So they look nice on your shelf.
[00:36:32] Susie: And they're hardback.
[00:36:32] Annie Jones: Look nice on your coffee table.
[00:36:34] Susie: And they're very lovely.
[00:36:35] Annie Jones: Have you kept up with it?
[00:36:38] Susie: I'm on May 20th.
[00:36:39] Annie Jones: Oh, you are? Right on track.
[00:36:40] Susie: And if I skip a day or whatever, it's right by my chair, then I'll go back and catch it up. I think the point that's I love about it is, like I said, if you're in a slump and you just didn't find the time to sit down and read, or you can't get into something. And even if you are, even if you're pouring through books, take five minutes and read a poem.
[00:37:04] Annie Jones: Read something a little different.
[00:37:05] Susie: Yeah.
[00:37:06] Annie Jones: I think it's a good practice.
[00:37:07] Susie: Yes, and I haven't really done a lot of poetry reading.
[00:37:11] Annie Jones: I think we don't outside of school.
[00:37:13] Susie: That's exactly right. Yeah.
[00:37:13] Annie Jones: I don't think we make time for it.
[00:37:16] Susie: After school, you just don't. But these books are lovely.
[00:37:20] Annie Jones: They are.
[00:37:20] Susie: You can order them from The Bookshelf, and they are in The Bookshelf.
[00:37:23] Annie Jones: I was about to say we stocked some of these.
[00:37:27] Susie: And so those two books, I think, would be lovely for some poetry. And I also brought a couple of other I don't even know if I would call them a devotional book, but maybe. Anyway, this one, isn't that so pretty? Now, these are smaller, but they're hardback.
[00:37:45] Annie Jones: Yep.
[00:37:46] Susie: And this one's called Wisdom from the Hidden Life of Trees.
[00:37:50] Annie Jones: I remember us stocking this. It's beautiful.
[00:37:52] Susie: And the minute I saw that, I was like, "Getting it." And it's gorgeous. Every day there's beautiful art and just stories about trees and how they can speak to us.
[00:38:06] Annie Jones: Beautiful artwork.
[00:38:08] Susie: It's beautiful artwork. If I wanted to, you could buy a copy and cut some of these out and frame them. They're so beautiful. But this one was, "Trees maintain an inner balance, they budget their strength carefully, and they must be economical with energy so that they can meet all their needs. They expend some energy growing." It sounds like humans.
[00:38:30] Annie Jones: It does, and it's paired with a really pretty Van Gogh painting.
[00:38:34] Susie: It's beautiful.
[00:38:35] Annie Jones: Yeah, it's pretty.
[00:38:35] Susie: And so I thought today was a perfect time to talk about some books that are just beautiful to have.
[00:38:42] Annie Jones: Yeah, and that you can leave out and pick up and put down.
[00:38:45] Susie: And this is the one I'm leaving out. I'll put my trees back out when fall comes.
[00:38:50] Annie Jones: Yeah, it looks autumnal.
[00:38:51] Susie: But now this one was this year. I bought this in January, I think. Homecoming Meditations: Exercises to Calm Your Mind and Find Your Inner Sanctuary.
[00:39:01] Annie Jones: Do you do them?
[00:39:02] Susie: Yes, I do. I've done some of them. It's 13.
[00:39:05] Annie Jones: Okay.
[00:39:06] Susie: And so I've got my--
[00:39:08] Annie Jones: Oh, I see. There's your markings.
[00:39:09] Susie: Underlining and so forth.
[00:39:11] Annie Jones: Oh, that's cool.
[00:39:12] Susie: See, this is about the front door, and it symbolizes openness. And so it's very about your home.
[00:39:19] Annie Jones: I love that.
[00:39:20] Susie: And I do, too, as you already would know that about me. And so it's just reading this and meditating on the symbol of--
[00:39:28] Annie Jones: And different aspects of your home.
[00:39:30] Susie: Yes.
[00:39:30] Annie Jones: That's nice.
[00:39:31] Susie: And look, also adorable artwork. Look, fear of the attic. Not that we have that in the South
[00:39:38] Annie Jones: It's too hot to go up there.
[00:39:39] Susie: Ours would say death in the attic because we don't have attics
[00:39:44] Annie Jones: No need to fear it. We can't go up there right now. Jordan went up there yesterday, or earlier this week to do something, and he came down, he was like, "It's hot up there."
[00:39:51] Susie: Oh, my word.
[00:39:51] Annie Jones: I was like, yeah.
[00:39:53] Susie: My air conditioning is upstairs. And when they come in August to service my air conditioner, I'm like, " I just feel so sorry."
[00:39:58] Annie Jones: I know. Come in December.
[00:40:00] Susie: I know. They have to come twice a year, and I feel so sorry for them. But anyway, so there's Reflections. Look, even the bathroom. I think this is nice. This is a wonderful. Look, Intuition Versus Anxiety. A Recipe for Imperfection. It's a beautiful book to just leave by your chair and just pick it up.
[00:40:18] Annie Jones: That's great.
[00:40:19] Susie: Jessica Boston..
[00:40:21] Annie Jones: Homecoming Meditations.
[00:40:21] Susie: And I love it. I Hope she does another one.
[00:40:24] Annie Jones: Yeah, maybe she will. Yeah. That's cute, and it's good for me to know because I'm pretty sure I bought that for the store, so I'm glad it sold.
[00:40:29] Susie: Yes, and so order them from The Bookshelf.
[00:40:33] Annie Jones: We'll stock a few of those. Great. Okay, so if you are curious about any of the books mom talked about, including some of those beautiful coffee table books or poetry collections, there are a couple ways you can shop. Like I said, you can be a Shelf Subscriber, become a Shelf Subscriber through her Shelf Subscription program. You can also shop all of today's books on the store website through episode number 587. And mom and dad both have their own pages on The Bookshelf website with all of their different books that they like, front list and back list. You can shop through the link in our show notes or by visiting Bookshelfthomasville.com, clicking Featured, and choosing Susie Reads. You can also get 10% off her choices with the code SHOPMOMSELECTS. It is like her own affiliate code. Don't tell Dad. You have one, and he doesn't.
[00:41:20] Susie: It's our secret.
[00:41:21] Annie Jones: It's her own affiliate link. So use the code SHOPMOMSELECTS to get 10% off her choices today. This week I'm listening to The Foursome by Christina Baker Kline. Mom, what are you reading?
[00:41:34] Susie: I'm reading Kristy Woodson Harvey's brand new book, Summer State of Mind. You Got to go get it. Great cover, and it's a beautiful book for summer.
[00:41:44] Annie Jones: It's really pretty.
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:
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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
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