Episode 430 || Annie and Hunter’s Favorite 2023 Books So Far

This week on From the Front Porch, Annie is joined by friend and frequent co-host Hunter for a mid-year reading check-in and to chat all about their favorite books of 2023 so far.

To purchase the books mentioned in this episode, visit our website:

Annie:

First five-star read: Games and Rituals by Katherine Heiny

Most surprising: The Crane Husband by Kelly Barnhill

Least favorite: When in Rome by Liam Callanan or Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld

Next on your TBR: Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry / Tom Lake by Ann Patchett

Most anticipated release: Let Us Descend by Jesmyn Ward / Family Meal by Bryan Washington

Annie’s Top Ten:

1. In Memoriam by Alice Winn

2. Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano

3. Stealing by Margaret Verble

4. All My Knotted-Up Life by Beth Moore

5. How to Stay Married by Harrison Scott Key

6. Monsters by Claire Dederer

7. Paper Names by Susie Luo

8. Congratulations, the Best Is Over by R. Eric Thomas

9. If We’re Being Honest by Cat Shook

10. How Far to the Promised Land by Esau McCauley

Hunter:

First five-star read: Big Swiss by Jen Beagin

Most surprising: Brother and Sister Enter the Forest by Richard Mirabella

Least favorite: I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai / The Dog of the North by Elizabeth McKenzie

Next on your TBR: The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff

Most anticipated release for fall: The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff / Family Meal by Bryan Washington

Hunter’s Top Ten:

1. Big Swiss by Jen Beagin

2. August Blue by Deborah Levy

3. Monsters by Claire Dederer

4. The People Who Report More Stress by Alejandro Varela

5. My Last Innocent Year by Daisy Albert Florin

6. The New Life by Tom Crewe

7. Your Driver is Waiting by Priya Guns

8. The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff

9. Witness by Jamel Brinkley

10. In Memoriam by Alice Wynn

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 at @bookshelftville, 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 here.

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 Talking at Night by Claire Deverly. Hunter is reading Rouge by Mona Awad.

If you liked what you heard in today’s episode, tell us by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. Or, if you’re so inclined, support us on Patreon, where you can hear our staff’s weekly New Release Tuesday conversations, read full book reviews in our monthly Shelf Life newsletter and follow along as Hunter and I conquer a classic. 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, Cammy Tidwell, Chanta Combs, Chantalle C, Kate O’Connell, Kristin May, Laurie Johnson, Linda Lee Drozt, Martha, Nicole Marsee, Stacy Laue, Stephanie Dean, Susan Hulings, and Wendi Jenkins.

Thank you to this week’s sponsor, Visit Thomasville. Summer is a wonderful time to see Thomasville, Georgia!  If it’s time to hit the road for a quick getaway, we’re exactly what you’re looking for! You can rekindle your spark, explore historical sites, indulge in dining out, shop at amazing independent stores, and finally relax and unwind. There’s no better getaway than Thomasville!  Whether you live close by or are passing through, we hope you'll visit beautiful Thomasville, Georgia – it’s worth the trip! Plan your visit at ThomasvilleGa.com.