From The Front Porch

Ever wonder what a booksellers conference might look like? Annie chats with her mom about this year's Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance (SIBA): the authors, the booksellers, the lessons learned.  Books, podcasts, authors, and blogs mentioned:  + DesignSponge and Grace Bonney + In the Company of Women  + The King of the Birds + Girl in Pieces + Author Liane Moriarty + Author Mary Kay Andrews + Author Shauna Niequist + Little Women + A Year of Living Danishly  

Author Ann Patchett recently compared bookselling to being on a sitcom. Annie and Chris investigate that claim, comparing their fellow booksellers to Friends characters and examining why we identify with fictional characters of all kinds.  + Read Ann Patchett's original interview, here.  + Find CJ Hauser's essay all about characters who are "just like us" here. 

For some, life on the Gulf Coast is a religion, and now, we've got our very own Bible of sorts: Saints of Old Florida, a gorgeous new lifestyle book by Emily Raffield, Melissa Farrell, and Christina McDermott. Emily and Melissa chatted with Annie and Chris about life on the coast, their favorite coastal memories, and why collecting our Southern stories is so important.  For more information about Emily, Melissa, Christina, and their new book, visit their website, Saints of Old Florida. The book can be purchased online or through several locally-owned shops in and around the coast; a full stockist list is here. Melissa's shop in Port St. Joe is called Joseph's Cottage.  In this episode, books and podcasts mentioned include: + Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert + Ecology of a Cracker Childhood by Janisse Ray + Garance Dore's podcast, Pardon My French 

Behold, the power of Oprah. Annie and Chris chat about the books Annie read in August, including Oprah's book club book, The Underground Railroad. The rest of Annie's list:  + Dept. of Speculation by Jenny Offill + The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead + You Will Know Me by Megan Abbott + The Hopefuls by Jennifer Close + The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo by Amy Schumer + Before the Fall by Noah Hawley + Another Day in the Death of America by Gary Younge   And other books Annie and Chris mentioned:  + Fates & Furies + Crossing to Safety + Pond + The Royal We + Station Eleven + Everything I Never Told You + Reconstructing Amelia  + Prep + Ghettoside 

"A room without books is a body without a soul," said Cicero, and so we believe. This episode, Annie and Chris talk about the roles books play in homes and home decor: why we keep books and what they say about us.  + This episode was inspired by Robbie Hopkins from Audible Discernment; you can check out our full episode with Robbie and the guys here.  + Books by the foot your thing? You can buy them from another indie bookstore, Strand Books, here. + Mrs. Kendall's Unread Library, here. 

  When you travel, how big of a role does food play in your experience of a new city or town? This episode, Debra Smith, the owner and founder of Taste of Thomasville, a Thomasville Food Tour, visits with Annie and Chris. They chat about Thomasville's best restaurants, Gone with the Wind, and that big oak tree everybody's always talking about. Debra's favorite podcasts are The Dave Ramsey Show and Serial. She's currently reading The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion by Fannie Flagg.   You can find information and tickets on the Taste of Thomasville tour at www.tasteofthomasvillefoodtour.com.

Have you read Harry Potter and the Cursed Child yet? No spoilers here, but Chris and Annie do chat about their expectations going into the newly released book. They also discuss Go Set a Watchman, J.K. Rowling's turn as Robert Galbraith, and how they'd be sorted at Hogwarts. 

Annie and Chris recap the books Annie read in July, plus they chat about what to do when you're in a reading rut. Books discussed include:  + Commonwealth by Ann Patchett + The Trespasser by Tana French + You'll Grow Out of It by Jessi Klein + Swing Time by Zadie Smith

Can't decide if you love or hate a book? This is the podcast series for you. Annie once again joins frequent podcast contributors Hunter McLendon and Rebekah Arwood for a discussion of Wendy Walker's All Is Not Forgotten (a new thriller on shelves now; Reese Witherspoon's already bought the film rights).  Comparable titles:  + Defending Jacob by William Landay + Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng + Sybil by Flora Rheta Schreiber + We Were the Mulvaneys by Joyce Carol Oates + Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight

Love books, music, and the South? Then we've got the episode for you. Annie and Chris met with the guys of Audible Discernment, a music podcast out of nearby Albany, Ga., and they chat all things literary and musical (including a nostalgia for country music and why Pride and Prejudice would be better set in the South).  Books mentioned:  + Bastard Out of Carolina by Dorothy Allison  + A Boy from Georgia by Hamilton Jordan + The Dark Tower series by Stephen King + Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen + The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers + Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace + The Whale by Mark Beauregard + The Last Days of Video by Jeremy Hawkins

Annie and Chris deep dive into reading more than one book at any given time... And some book therapy ensues.  They mention:  + Commonwealth by Ann Patchett + The Trespasser by Tana French + The Wake by Paul Kingsnorth + Better Than Before by Gretchen Rubin + Grit by Angela Duckworth + The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell + The Supper of the Lamb by Robert Farrar Capon Plus this article about millennials, this one about what Obama does at night, and... are you an abstainer or a moderator?  

Looking for your next summer read? Look no further. Annie and Chris chat about the books Annie read in June, including:  + The Dollhouse by Fiona Davis (rel. August 23) + Love Warrior by Glennon Melton Doyle (rel. September 6)  + It's Okay to Laugh (Crying Is Cool, Too) by Nora McIrney Purmort + Light to Paris by Eleanor Brown + All Stories Are Love Stories by Elizabeth Percer + How to Ruin Everything by George Watsky  + Before We Visit the Goddess by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni + Leave Me by Gayle Forman (rel. September 6)   Also mentioned:  + The Momastery blog  + Aaron Purmort's obituary + Lin-Manuel Miranda's Twitter account + WTXL card-making segment + Modern Mrs. Darcy Summer Reading Guide

Earlier this month, Annie traveled to Haiti with Dot Products, a school supply company based out of Jackson, Mississippi. This episode, Chris and Annie chat with Hallie Darphin, founder of Dot, about Dot's mission, making a global impact, and the magic of reading recommendations.    Hallie mentions these books:  + The Color Purple + 1984 + Brave New World + Quiet (and this TED Talk by Susan Cain)    And these podcasts:  + Being Boss + Serial + This American Life + The Moth   Find Dot online: Website | Instagram | Facebook   Plus, here's a video from Annie's time in Haiti with Dot.

New York Times bestselling author Anton DiSclafani (The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls, The After Party) drops by the podcast to talk about life in a small town, North Florida versus South Florida, and writing with a baby on board.  Anton mentions:  + Radiolab + LaRose by Louise Erdrich + The Golden Bowl by Henry James Event details about Anton's signing are here. 

Ever wondered if a particular book is worth reading? In our Love It or Loathe It episodes, we debate newly released titles and whether they're worth adding to your TBR list or not.  This episode, Annie, Rebekah, and Hunter chat about Walt by Russell Wangersky. 

Turns out design is pretty much what makes the world -- and small businesses -- go 'round. Learn all about marketing and the ups and downs of social media as Annie and Chris chat with local small business consultant Dara Barwick.  + Dara's website + The Southern C Summit + Our interview with Sarah Turner + Our interview with Laura Beggs + Melanie Duncan podcast episodes + Deep South Details podcast   Annie and Chris mention:  + The Popcast + Serial + This American Life  + Reply All   Dara's book recommendations:  + Under the Hood  + Good to Great and the Social Sector      

Chris asks Annie about the books she read in May, including:  + Brighton by Michael Harvey (releases June 14) + Rich and Pretty by Rumaan Alam (releases June 7) + A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman + Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld + The Girls by Emma Cline (releases June 14)  + Where Am I Now? by Mara Wilson (releases September 13)  + Truly, Madly, Guilty by Liane Moriarty (releases July 26) + The Mothers by Britt Bennett (releases October 11)    Also mentioned:  + Defending Jacob + Everybody Rise + Britt-Marie Was Here + American Girls + The Dollhouse + We Have Always Lived in the Castle  

Ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes of those Instagram accounts we all follow? Annie and Chris chat with Lindsay Hopkins of Pen and Paint, an enormously popular Instagram account and Etsy shop based in Albany, Georgia.  Find Lindsay on Instagram and Etsy.   Podcasts we mention:  + StoryCorps + This American Life + Smart Creative Women + Elise Gets Crafty + Audible Discernment   Books Lindsay mentions:  + Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen + Tattoos on the Heart by Father Gregory Boyle (The podcast episode Annie mentions is from On Being with Krista Tippett, found here.)  + Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt  

Want to know if a book's for you? Welcome to Love It or Loathe It, episodes where Bookshelf staffers and friends tell you exactly what they think about a newly released title. In this volume, Annie chats with Bookshelf manager Rebekah and frequent podcast contributor Hunter all about I'm Glad about You by Theresa Rebeck.  Other titles mentioned:  + Someday, Someday, Maybe by Lauren Graham + Are You My Mother?, by Alison Bechdel + Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradal + A Man Called Ove, by Fredrik Backman + Sons and Daughters of Ease and Plenty by Ramona Ausubel 

What do you get when you have a bookstore staffer who's also a news junkie? A very special episode of this podcast. Chris and Annie chat with bookseller Sterling Ivey about news in pop culture, favorite news sources, and what he really thinks about morning show hosts.  Sterling's favorite podcasts:  + Serial + This American Life + Here's the Thing with Alec Baldwin + WTF with Marc Maron + Comedy Bang! Bang! Books mentioned in this episode:  + Middlemarch + Plato's Republic + The First Nazi + Kissinger + The Whale  + Sons and Daughters of Ease and Plenty Facebook | Twitter | Instagram