From the Front Porch

It's time to reflect back on 2016, which means... It's time to recap Annie's favorite books of the year. 

+ The Mothers by Brit Bennett

+ Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

+ Sons and Daughters…

"Grape nuts or sex? It's a no brainer." Food writer and editor Julia Reed popped by the podcast to chat about Southern food culture, holiday entertaining, and mixing politics with pleasure. (You'll h…

Annie and Chris work through Annie's books she read in November:

+ Fun Home

+ Scrappy Little Nobody

+ My Brilliant Friend

+ Talking as Fast as I Can

Listen to Anna Kendrick's Nerdist interview h…

Annie sits down with podcast regular Hunter McLendon and new voice Emily McKenna to discuss Elena Ferrante's international bestseller My Brilliant Friend. 

+ Get an introduction to Emily on her firs…

Annie and Chris talk Thanksgiving menus and favorite cookbooks. 

+ The Can't Cookbook

+ A Southern Gentleman's Kitchen

+ Jamie's Food Revolution

+ Soup Nights

+ Appetites

+ Cooking for Jeffrey

On this unintentionally abbreviated episode of the podcast, Annie and Chris answer a listener email all about finding the time to read. 

Have your own bookish question you'd like answered? 

Email A…

Southern hosts and hostesses, unite! On this special bonus episode, Annie chats with Southern lifestyle guru James Farmer. James is the author of A Time to Celebrate, A Time to Cook, Dinner on the Gr…

Annie chats with Chris about the books she read in October: 

+ Today Will Be Different

+ Dark Matter

+ In the Garden of Small Beginnings

+ Juniper (listen to this Radiolab episode for more on thi…

If you're new to From the Front Porch, this episode will introduce you to hosts Annie and Chris. Learn about their reading tastes, what they do when their not at The Bookshelf, and who they'd have ov…

Ever wonder what it's like to run a small business start-up? Annie and Chris chat with Scott Chastain, the owner and founder of Everfan, a customizable costume accessory company. Everfan bases their …

Anne Bogel of Modern Mrs. Darcy and the What Should I Read Next podcast joins Annie and Chris to chat about book blogging, all those advanced reading copies, and what she's reading right now. 

Podca…

Annie talks about the effects of stress on her reading life and chats with Chris about the books she read in September. Last month's selections included: 

+ Moo by Sharon Creech

+ The Woman in Cabi…

Curious what the life of a book sales rep might look like? Annie and Chris interview Virginia Price, a sales rep for Penguin Random House. Virginia recommends her favorite upcoming fall book releases…

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 learn…

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 …

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 …

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 b…

"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…

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, visit…