It’s been a long time since nonfiction got right to my heart the way this book did.
Annie B. Jones has been in my ears via her podcast for the better part of the last 8 years and I’ve so enjoyed her intermittent newsletters as well. But nothing could have prepared me for how refreshing and insightful her longform writing would be.
Annie uses the space a book affords to share insights and tell some of the most delightful stories, while also revealing so much of her heart.
While I do not relate to Annie’s life lived close to her hometown, I do so appreciate her ability to find joy in the ordinary.

I loved this book with my whole heart! Even though I read it I could hear Annie’s voice which I find so soothing. Her essays were relatable to me in so many ways. I will be buying a copy for a friend who I think will find healing in Annie’s words.

I love Annie's podcast and was so excited to get an ARC of her new release. She writes from her own experiences of staying put when everyone around her/the culture of now is to move on and chase one's dreams. She writes in the form of essays- some you will love and they will resonate deeply with you. Some maybe not. For those who are a fan of Annie/her podcast/her bookstore I think you will love this read. This book is a great reminder to soak up the little moments

This was a great book. It was totally unexpected since I was expecting a different type of book. Very enjoyable read.

SOOOOO many thanks to NetGalley and Harper One for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

"The solution to an age of disenchatment? Be enchanted. Share about it."

Where do I start and not sound like a gushing idiot? I am a big fan of the author's; I listen to the From the Front Porch Podcast almost every week, subsribe to Annie's Sunday newsletter, and a trip to The Bookshelf is on my bucket list. I was thrilled to learn she was publishing a book and even more thrilled when I was granted my request for it from NetGalley.

This is book of essays about what it means to "stay"- mostly geographically speaking, while others leave. But it's also about what it means to stay while leaving: leaving your faith, leaving some old dreams, leaving behind ideas about what you expected life to be like- all while staying true to who you are. She also attempts to answer the question, "Can an ordinary life be extraordinary?".

While not every essay was 5 stars, the ones that were, I felt in my soul. I say with complete sincerity that Annie Jones is a light in this world. I'm so fond of her in part because she is so much of what I would like to be, and what I wish we had more of: thoughtfulness, compassion, a sense of wonder, good humor, curiosity, unapologetic joy, faith that is honest, and simple decency. All of those are on display here. My favorite essays were:
Stars Hollow & Sunsets
When Staying True Means Leaving
Obituaries
Be Ringo (Anyone who can pull off the comparison of Ringo Starr to Jesus has my vote forever.)

This was a quick read, but not shallow. I bookmarked so many pages and stopped often just to further absorb what I'd read. I related to a great deal as Southern, Christian, reading woman, and I'm sure that contributed to my enjoyment, but I also loved it for simply being a dose of GOOD, when it seems this world desperately needs as much of it as we can get.

This is a collection of essays about how an ordinary life is not a bad one, and how it feels to stay when everyone around you seems to leave.

This book feels like it was written for me. It won’t be for everyone (nor should it be), maybe some people will be surprised by the religious themes throughout, but if you can relate, you’ll really relate. I felt at times as though I was talking to my future self, which you can imagine was hopeful and a bit teary.

It’s a quiet book, one that begs to be revisited again and again.

I love Annie, her bookstore, and her podcast; it was lovely to get to know her through her words.

Thank you HarperCollins for the early copy!

A beautiful reflection on how to build a fulfilling life when it’s not quite what you thought it would look like. Quiet, but powerful, with thoughts on faith, family, and friendship. Much more than just a memoir about a bookseller.

I first "met" (and by met, I mean, heard her speak - met in the way we "meet" people on the internet) Annie B. Jones when she was a guest on Anne Bogel's pocast, "What Should I Read Next," in October of 2016. I then began listening to Annie's weekly podcast, From the Front Porch. With every passing week, I came to appreciate her more and more. She was honest about what was hard about running an independent bookstore, she would say she was exhausted when she was - she was "real" - she was herself. I found that very attractive in a day and age when everything appears so polished and unreal on the internet and social media in particular.

In Ordinary Time, Annie brings her same real self in a collection of essays on her 'life in the south' - specifically on how she landed not far from home and built a life with her husband in a small town - the polar opposite of what she had thought she would do. Reading Annie is like taking a trip to Mitford - she takes us to her world where people are kind, people make mistakes, but they are all really trying to do their best. Life is messy and life is hard at times, but life is good and God is good.
Ordinary Time is a breath of fresh air with a view from the front porch - time to sip tea and relax - and keep doing the next thing. Thank you, Annie, for sharing your life with us.

I was gifted an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my review - but I will be purchasing this one.

This book feels like sitting on the front porch with a good friend, drinking the best lemonade you've ever had & just talking about life. I love the thought that this whole book is wrapped up in the beauty of staying & celebrating those people & decisions to stay, because there is such beauty in being one that stays. I adored this book & if you're looking for a book with so many sweet thoughts about how special ordinary life can be, this is it! Highly recommended. If Annie ever writes any more books I will eagerly be reading them!!

Do I know Annie B. Jones? Yes, yes I do. I am one of the fortunate people to regularly shop in our hometown independent bookstore owned by Annie and have gotten to know her over the years. She and I are both self-proclaimed introverts who recharge in our quiet time, but are able to engage with other people easily when necessary. I will try to be objective but I am also thrilled for Annie to have this debut!
With that said, I personally enjoyed this book and totally related to much of her commentary on life choices and small town life. Throughout these reflections on her life and the choices she has made, I felt like I got to know her even more. Everything that she grappled with over the years resonate as truth for many people. It is always interesting to come across writing that connects with you as the reader, on a more personal level. And, although I do not live in my hometown, I am close to where I lived during my formative years and have lifelong ties to this region of the world, so I understand the push and pull of staying and leaving. Are there times that I dreamed of living in a big city or a remote northern town? Absolutely. Ultimately, that path was not mine either. And in most ways I appreciate without regret living in a small Southern town.
On the topics that are covered, if you know the South, you know why these topics are relevant to life choices.. I appreciate the fact that Annie has always been a questioner of life, like why do I attend this Church? Or why do I live here? Do I want to have children? Do I want to own a small business? I never thought much about the last one, but it really is a huge part of who Annie is as a person and now as an author. All of these things are pieces of her heart and truly shine in her as a person.
When considering if this book is right for you, if you like essay collections or are a fan of a writer like Mary Laura Philpott, then this book will fill that spot on your TBR list. Highly recommend!
#OrdinaryTime #NetGalley #HarperOne

Ordinary Time is hard to describe - it’s a bit memoir and a bit essay. Some sections resonated completely with me and had me highlighting multiple lines, while others were completely unrelatable to me and a little boring. Overall, it’s a cute short book about life as a bookseller and being content where you are.

Ordinary Times by Annie B Jones
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“I may not have gotten the meet-cute, or the New York City walk-and-talk. But as it turns out, I have experienced the future Kathleen Kelly and Joe Fox once dreamed about. I have lived a deliciously ordinary life and marriage: drinks, dinner, a movie . . . for as long as we both shall live.”

I have been a long time listener of From the Front Porch, a podcast hosted by Annie in which she talks about life, books and owning her small town independent bookstore. Every week when a new episode drops it feels so comforting to hit play and pretend I’m sitting in her small town with her. So when she announced her book release, I already knew I would love it.

I am not someone who stayed put. I moved from Kansas to Boston a month after turning 22. While many dream of leaving small towns to live in the city, I dream of having a small piece of familiarity in my life to make me feel at home. Ordinary times is that familiarity in book format.

These short stories cover so many topics we all face each and every day. But they also address the complicated feelings we all endure through seemingly routine events. Friends move away, we question our faith, we think we know what we want our lives to look like then make complete opposite decisions. Everyone deals with these things, yet they can isolate us and cloud our perspectives. Annie’s writings are a beautiful reminder that no matter where you end up, it’s the ordinary things we do each day (like sitting by the pool or getting a puppy) that make up our lives and our homes.

I already know this is going to end up in my top 10 list for the year and I’ve already preordered my copy so I can highlight all the quotes that made me smile!

Huge thank you to @netgalley and @harperonebooks for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Annie B. Jones owns The Bookshelf, an independent bookstore in a small town in Georgia. This is her story: of running a small business (and how challenging that was during the pandemic), and living a small-town life after an adolescence of dreaming of life in the big city.

I knew a little about Annie before picking up this book. I’ve ordered a subscription of the books chosen by her booksellers for my dad over the years (and he passes them on to me) and I’ve listened to her podcast. She opens up in these essays and talks about her family and friends, trying new things, being a boss, and her faith.

I guess I’m not a “stayer” like Annie since I moved across the ocean for love. But surprisingly in many ways I could relate to being the one who stays, because the expat life is a transient one, and I’ve had many friends move away while I’ve made a life here in Geneva with my husband and kids. I could also relate to the challenges of maintaining relationships when you don’t live around the corner from your friends and family.

The book is divided into four sections: Staying Friends, Staying Put, Staying Faithful, and Staying Grounded. While I liked some parts more than others, overall it’s a quick, sweet read and very well written; I hope she keeps writing!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review. Ordinary Time publishes on April 22nd.

This book wasn't exactly what I thought it would be about. That being said, it was a delightful memoir(ish) book about a southern woman and how she has lived her life.

Reading this was instantly calming and yet opened up a new world to the reader. I even tried to see if the author had written any other books (but couldn't find any - she should though).

It was a story about staying - staying with places, with friends, with ideas, with ideals. And about the leaving that goes on around us everyday all the time. Staying isn't for everyone just as leaving isn't for everyone - there needs to be a balance.

Read this and learn about yourself as you compare and contrast yourself with the author.

I was provided this book by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review - all opinions are my own.

I listen to Annie’s podcasts weekly and enjoy them greatly! She is so easy to listen to, and I could hear her voice coming through the page as I read this book. Ordinary Time was anything but ordinary and I flew through this in one day. Love getting to learn more about her, her family, and life growing up in the south. Look forward to her book tour and hope she will come to a bookstore near me!

I loved this book and not just because I have followed Annie for years. She is an excellent writer and the way she describes her everyday life is engaging, charming and delightful. I also appreciated when she talked about the struggles she’s had with her faith and when deciding if motherhood is for her. After reading Ordinary Time you’ll leave feeling like you’ve gained a new friend in Annie B Jones.

Thank you @netgalley for the Advanced Reader Copy of Ordinary Time by Annie B. Jones. I know Annie B. Jones from her book podcast From the Front Porch, and as the owner of The Bookshelf, a bookstore in Thomasville GA (no I’ve never been there!) This is a collection of essays on life, friendship, faith, and relationships. She is a beautiful writer, and the book is very thoughtful and thought provoking. She talks about hard choices she has made in life, and how things have impacted her. Really nice read, glad that I read it. #ordinarytime #advancedreadercopy #netgalley #bookstagram #booklover #reader #bookblog #lovetoread #bookreview #bookrecommendation #readersofinstagram #bookloversofinstagram #takeapagefrommybook #readallthebooks #booksbooksbooks #booksofinstagram #bookwormproblems #bookaholic #booknerd #whattoread #readingtime #bookaddict #ilovetoread #ilovebooks #needtoread #readallday #essaycollection

I am grateful to the publishers who shared an advanced copy of "Ordinary Time" with me through NetGalley. Annie's exploration of faith and her church community resonated deeply with me, as I have experienced a similar shift in belief while remaining close to my childhood church. I also appreciated her reflections on sibling relationships, the unexpected adventure in staying put, and the power of literary community. This book would be a perfect book club selection, inviting readers to reflect on how we build community through reading and shared experiences. You can read my full review on my blog: https://brittanydahl.com/blog/ordinary-time-book-review/

I didn't know who Annie B. Jones was before trying out this book. I just knew what the blurb said: that she owns a small independent bookstore, that she is a "stayer", that she finds joy in a quiet life. I didn't know that she does a podcast that is widely loved and that this podcast helped her store through the pandemic. A lot of the chapters in this book feel like reworked podcast transcripts.

In this book, the author comes across as sunny, relentlessly nice, and definitely Christian (she devotes a whole section of the book to musings on the development of her faith). She doesn't get into the darknesses of her soul nor do her introspections cut very deep for me. I might have liked this book better 25 or 30 years ago, when I was younger than the author, instead of older than her as I am now. Her wisdom is more for folks who are still figuring out who they are and how to accept that. Not that I'm a finished product by any means, but Annie B. Jones feels a bit like a more rural version of Elizabeth Gilbert. She is also a woman who feels to me like she's privileged, isn't afraid to put it all out there privilege and all, and who has come to be an icon to women who would like to be like her. Instead of traveling the world to Eat Pray Love, Annie B. Jones was in the right place at the right time to buy a small independent bookstore.

I've worked in and managed a small independent bookstore and once upon a time thought I might buy the one I worked in too, so I'm very lucky in that way. What Jones says about bookstore work rings true to me. And clearly she's a genius at marketing because to keep a small town bookstore alive through COVID is no small feat so she deserves full credit for that.

And there are a lot of women who will relate to her life. Jones grew up in a small Southern town, tried moving elsewhere but ultimately ended up not very far from where she started. She is nourished by small town things: knowing your neighbors, sitting on the porch in a swing, walking a couple of blocks to get pizza, seeing fireflies in the summer. She knows that she's a "good girl" who internalized what her church taught her to the point that she picked a small Christian college instead of going to a bigger school and more secular student body. She met her husband during her first week of classes. Her trials include watching good employees leave, finding that not everyone likes her, internal struggles with the desire to explore instead of settling in.

I never had to figure out how to be a stayer. In a military family, you move repeatedly. You learn who you are independent of a constant social network or clasmates. You learn that you can change everything and remain yourself.

So in the end, this author seems perfectly pleasant and I'm happy for her success. A lot of people may find that she has insight that they can use. She didn't have wisdom for me and she seems a bit privileged and naive.

this book really spoke to me and was unlike anything I have read! I am a huge fan of Annie and The Bookshelf and this short story collection did not disappoint.