Welcome to From the Front porch, a conversational podcast about books, small business, and life in the South.

Terrible things happen, treasured things break. If you're like me, you get tumbled, and the worst of you is on full display, and then you turn back to yourself.

You ask for help, you ask for forgiveness, you ask for a second chance, you get up, and keep living. More than anything, you forgive yourself.

Sean and Equest, I guess I haven't learned that yet.

I'm Annie Jones, owner of the Bookshelf, an independent bookstore in beautiful downtown Thomasville, Georgia, and this week I'm back talking to my mom about books for readers with PG-13 Tastes.

It's been a hectic week at the Bookshelf, and there is so much more fun to come this holiday season. If you're long distance and can't visit us in person, or if you're a local listener who wants to know what we're up to in the store, you can catch up with the store's adventures and happenings by following us on Instagram, at Bookshelf TV.

It's where you'll find out about upcoming events like our holiday shopping preview and holiday open house, and it's where you'll see really fun reels with Kila, just up as a ghost, for example.

We post plenty of behind the scenes pictures and remind customers of updates, like new book and merch releases, discounts, and more. Just go to Instagram and follow the Bookshelf at Bookshelf TV.

Hi, mom. Hi, Annie Sue. Welcome back to the show. Thank you. So glad to be here.

It has been a minute. Yeah. You were last on the show in May. You're a very popular guest. Well, how about that? No pressure, but people are always wanting more. They really want very kind.

They want more Susie. And that's great. But we're also people. And we only read so many books. You know what I'm saying? Yes.

Yes. I scrambled along trying to think about what have I read? Yes. So we lasted one of these episodes back in May. You can find, of course, back episodes are from the from porch through our feed. But mom comes on the show.

I guess I should tell your name is Susie. I feel like I should introduce you to those who might be new listeners. Everybody just knows I'm Annie Sue Butterworth's mom. Annie Sue Butterworth Jones. Yes.

Yeah. So this is my mom. She helps our staffer Nancy. And they rotate picking books for our PG PG 13 shelf subscription. We really think that's more PG 13. I think.

But maybe books for more sensitive readers, although sometimes you walk at the name sensitive reader. And so we've kind of toyed around with how best to describe that. But for readers who have.

I don't know certain things that they're maybe cautious about or picky about or what is it? What term would you use to describe yourself? I thought about that. And.

I know we've talked about PG and PG 13 doesn't sound very good. But sadly, that's what we kind of equate with less sex, less violence.

Right. Less language. Yeah. It's the best rating we could kind of come up with. So mom reads PG PG 13 books and a lot of our customers and listener basis also read kind of books like that. And so that is what our shelf subscription for sensitive readers is designed for.

So you can be a Susie or Nancy subscriber and they rotate and alternate I guess alternate each month picking a book.

So what have you been reading? Tell me one. Okay. Well, the first book I read was one that you recommended when we were chatting in May.

Oh, called left on 10th. Okay. Which was by um nor a friend's sister. Yes. Deal. Yeah. And it was so good. Did you like it? I loved it. Good. I loved it. I mean, it was sad. Yes. But it was family. Yes. And it was. I don't know. Life in New York.

Yeah. It was. I loved it. And friendship. Like I thought that book was a lot about her familiar relationships and her own. It was just interesting as a Nora Afron fan to read that book.

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