I emailed Annie B. Jones, nervously, in October of 2012 with a request: asking if one evening, after the @bookshelftville was closed, could I take over the shop for an engagement scavenger hunt for Hunter…to my delight, she said yes (as did Hunter 💍).

This was my first interaction with Annie and the foundation for our own friendship, outside of just knowing Hunter wanted to be her best friend. I am so privileged to know her.

There are biases, I will admit, to reading a work of art that your friend has put into the world. But bias, in this instance, is set aside to say that there is something in this book that literally anyone can relate to. Annie’s wisdom and experiences shine ✨ through her words like a beacon, guiding the reader in understanding her life, her choices, and the lessons she has learned along the way.

In particular, I was drawn to the essays where Annie speaks about faith. Her faith is strong, but not untested, and not without fear and trials. She writes about her faith in a similar way to Marilyn Robinson — not preaching, not attempting to sway anyone else’s beliefs, and boldly taking us through the struggles of maintaining faith and hope in the face of trials.

Having uprooted our lives this year in a move across the country, this book is a tonic, healing wounds I didn’t know existed from the move. From “leaving” while our friends and families stayed put. Annie dissects what it means to stay put in a world filled with “going” or living in search of particular dreams. Her life may not have turned out how she imagined, and the choices, or events she couldn’t control led to the life she has — a life filled with joy, meaningful relationships, and an understanding of translating the idea of faith into faith in yourself.

Annie writes with such clarity and her humor breaks through just when you need it (to break up my tears 😭).

What does it mean to live an ordinary life? Are there extraordinary things to be found in the ordinary? Let Annie take you on this journey. You won’t regret it.

I always struggle rating a memoir - who am I to put stars to something so very personal? This book is no exception. Thrilled to read an arc through NetGalley, I was a little hesitant to start this one. A long time listener of From the Front Porch and a long distance fan of The Bookshelf, I was worried the Annie B Jones I have formed in my mind, a slightly goofy fellow nerd laughing at a get together, plate in hand and not worried about keeping up with the “cool kids” wouldn’t be the Annie B Jones I met in this deeply personal collection of essays. Rest assured, I was not disappointed.

Until the last couple of chapters and Epilogue, this was a very solid 4 star for me. The stories were interesting, Annie’s takes on school, faith, friends, grandparents and such were easily consumed even if at times the translations weren’t perfectly smooth. The last few chapters, where Annie confronts her feelings about motherhood, about family, and about dreams not followed really resonated and bumped my rating up. I highlighted so many passages and was assured that my feelings about Annie being 100% comfortable in her own skin yet a bit askew in the world were spot on. A fellow book lover, nothing ever hit so close to her description of how home fills her up, how routine and consistency are the foundation of her life, while recognizing some deviations from this continuity including a pool and a puppy can enrich a completely satisfactory life.

I am a stayer, an ordinary person without fanfare, fame or high amounts of exciting experiences. Yet in this book my love of books, of everyday moments and nature and comforting routines was acknowledged and seen as just as worthy and valid as the life of leavers and doers. And for that I gladly round up to 5 stars.

I highly suggest reading an essay at a time and stopping. This will smooth out the transitions a bit and allow Annie’s words to really sit with the reader. I plan to re read this book that way. Well done Annie B Jones!

Ordinary time was such a poignant read for me as I often have felt the same way as author Annie B Jones has in life. Just an ordinary girl finding her way through. On the journey where it may feel that others are passing by and doing "more" or "bigger" or that you are not doing enough. Staying when others are leaving and what that really means.

Finding purpose and meaning in a life well lived and defined on your own terms is a journey this book takes you on as Annie shares her experience in this book as she also shares on her From the Front Porch podcast, which I'd not heard of until I read the book. I will be listening soon.

There was something so personal and comforting about it in the world of parasocial relationships this read felt a bit different. A bit closer to home and relatable. Giving a value to not only the bigness of life but of the here and now of it, the home and relatability and ordinaryness that can be just as beautiful as the extraordinary.

I would recommend this book for anyone who may have felt that they should desire more when what they have is enough.

*Ordinary Time* is like having a heart-to-heart with a good friend about the magic in the everyday stuff we often overlook. It’s full of warmth, wisdom, and reminds you that life doesn’t have to be grand to be meaningful—sometimes, staying put is the most important choice of all.

When I saw the title, I immediately wanted to read this book. I figured I could relate as I have lived in the same town for my entire life. I am 55 and just assumed the author would be at least my age or older to be writing about a lifetime of living in one place. I was disappointed when I started reading the book and realized she is just pushing 40. She is the owner of an independent bookstore and a podcaster, but I have never listened to From the Front Porch. I assume fans of that would enjoy the book.

The whole book isn’t bad, it just isn’t what I was expecting. She does write about some life lessons she feels she learned by staying in place. I think they are basic lessons we all learn in the course of a lifetime. I guess if one is in their 20’s they might find this useful, but I did not. I do agree with her thought that a small life is worth as much as a big one meaning you can do great things wherever you are.

Ordinary Time by Annie B. Jones is a collection of stories about Annie's personal career, family and religious journey. Reading the book is like chatting with a friend about her life experiences. The premise of the book is the importance of community builders - those that stay in a community and build businesses and families in their small towns. These community builders, like Annie and her husband, are vital and have a strong impact on those around them. Annie B. Jones proves that an individual does not need to move to LA or NYC to make an impact. They can do it right from their front porch.

Annie B. Jones’s *Ordinary Time: Lessons Learned While Staying Put* is a beautifully introspective and quietly profound book that celebrates the value of a life lived on its own terms. In a world that often glorifies big moves and loud achievements, Jones offers a counterpoint: staying put can be its own kind of adventure, filled with meaning, growth, and unexpected joy. With her signature warmth, wit, and keen observational eye, the *From the Front Porch* podcast host and independent bookstore owner invites readers to see the extraordinary in the ordinary.

Jones recounts her own journey, from dreaming of bustling cities and high-powered careers to finding herself rooted in the same small town she’d always called home. It’s a life she once thought would be too quiet, too small, but over time, she discovered it was filled with treasures—community, connection, and a deep sense of belonging. With candid reflections and relatable humor, Jones shares how staying in one place shaped her marriage, her faith, and her identity, ultimately transforming her perspective on what it means to live a fulfilling life.

What makes *Ordinary Time* stand out is Jones’s ability to find beauty and significance in the everyday. She explores universal themes—identity, purpose, and contentment—through the lens of her own life, offering lessons that resonate no matter where readers are in their journeys. Her writing is approachable and conversational, making it feel like you’re chatting with a wise and funny friend over coffee. She doesn’t shy away from acknowledging the challenges of staying put, from the nagging "what ifs" to moments of self-doubt, but she frames these struggles as part of the beauty of a life well-lived.

The book is filled with poignant insights and gentle reminders to appreciate the lives we’re already living. Jones writes with a Nora Ephron-esque charm, blending humor and heartfelt reflection to paint a picture of a life that, while seemingly quiet, is rich with meaning. Her anecdotes about her small-town bookstore, her enduring marriage, and the shifting dynamics of friendships and faith are relatable and inspiring. They remind readers that fulfillment isn’t found in far-off dreams but in the daily choice to embrace where we are.

*Ordinary Time* is a love letter to the unsung moments that make up our lives, from the familiar streets of a hometown to the small victories of sticking with what matters. Jones challenges readers to rethink the notion that bigger is always better, instead inviting us to find adventure and possibility in the here and now. It’s a message that feels especially timely, offering a grounding perspective in a world that often prioritizes movement over stillness.

For fans of memoirs that blend humor, wisdom, and soul-searching, *Ordinary Time* is a must-read. Annie B. Jones delivers a tender, thought-provoking reminder that the lives we’ve always dreamed of might just be the ones we’re already living. This is a five-star celebration of the ordinary, proving it’s anything but.

Annie Jones captures readers attention with her charming style and voice behind every chapter. I am thankful to have been given this ARC for such a unique book.

This is one of those “perfect book at the perfect time” situations and I am so grateful to have been given an ARC of this gem. This essay collection is a beautiful combination of reflection while also delivering poignant advice. The vibes of this book are all about contentment, self-acceptance (withouttttt being a self-help book), and finding joy. I think this book is enjoyed any time of year, but I especially enjoyed reading it amidst the holiday craziness.
Thank you to HarperCollins and NetGalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I feel bad giving this book 2 stars… it’s a memoir, and nobody’s life story gets 2 stars in my eyes, but the execution of writing wasn’t my favorite. I felt like a was reading somebody’s journal. I wasn’t left thinking deeply or reflecting much - this memoir told stories but didn’t show why the stories were worth telling. I think people who listen to her podcast or go to her bookstore would likely enjoy it more than me

As this is a memoir, I do not feel like this is my place to be so critical of the content written in this novel, thus, 5 stars. Annie B. Jones did a great job for her debut novel and I applaud the vulnerability in the stories she told. Although I do not consider myself religious, and this memoir spoke a lot on Jones’ religious journey, I found it to be well written and an interesting point of view!

Overall, there were great points taken away in the message of staying. The concept of staying or leaving in life can be applied in so many places, as Jones explores, and I think it’s important to understand the various perspectives. Jones’ story may also be comforting for those that relate to staying. The writing was also witty and relatable which enhanced my enjoyment of following along with her message.

Personally, I have left in a lot of areas of my life. Although I stand strong on my position to leave, I would be lying if I said staying hasn’t crossed my mind.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc of Ordinary Time in exchange for my honest review.

Ordinary Time by Annie B. Jones is a beautifully written reflection on the quiet power of staying rooted in one place and embracing the life you’ve built rather than constantly searching for something more. Jones, who owns an independent bookstore in a small town, explores how a life that seems "ordinary" on the outside can actually be rich with meaning and fulfillment. This book is a gentle reminder that adventure doesn’t always require leaving home—it’s often about appreciating the small moments and embracing the life you already have.

The writing is warm and inviting, and Jones’ storytelling style is like having a heart-to-heart conversation with a close friend. While some might wish for more high-energy anecdotes, Ordinary Time shines in its subtlety and quiet reflection on the beauty of the everyday. A perfect read for anyone who’s ever felt pressure to live a more "exciting" life but has come to realize that contentment is found right where you are.

Rating: 4/5 – A peaceful, introspective read, but may not appeal to those looking for something fast-paced or dramatic.

“To be human is to know what it feels like to sit all the way down for the long haul, to stand all the way up and leave rooms that no longer fit, and to carry the sorrows and celebrations that accompany both.”

Ordinary Time is a collection of stories - and what I would imagine sitting down with Annie B. Jones for dinner would be — covering all of the important moments, painful moments, joyful moments, emotional ones, and everything in between. Getting a glimpse into her life while also having time to reflect on your own in the midst of your conversation. The main premise is staying vs. leaving, and what that looks like in different aspects of one’s life — from view of oneself to faith to where you physically live & work. It’s about being human and how to romanticize the inconvenient, confusing and beautiful moments to be human entails.

This book had so many highlight-able quotes. I couldn’t help but share them on my Bookstagram! They were so genuine, and real — and I knew people who follow me, my friends, everyone, needed to hear them as much as I did.

At times, I found the writing repetitive — like I had already heard what I just read, just phrased differently earlier in the chapter. It clouded my enjoyment of the stories from time to time. I think this could be fixed in editing; to remove repetitive parts within singular chapters. I wouldn’t be afraid to leave the reader hanging, pondering, dreaming after the personable, relatable stories Annie shares.

I’d recommend this book for anyone in their 20s who is starting to ask themselves all of the hard questions, and feel like they have made no progress in finding answers. Annie gives you a different perspective on so many feelings we’ve all had in one way or another. A truly great read worth adding to your TBRs!

I'm sitting on my front porch swing while I write this review. Annie B. Jones owns a book store in beautiful downtown Thomasville, GA and has a podcast called From The Front Porch. I listen every Thursday to her podcast. I was so excited to be given an ARC of her debut and I normally do not read my ARCs this far in advance of when the book releases but I just had to start it. And then I just kept reading. I loved it so much! Annie is from Tallahassee, FL and had dreams and aspirations of living in New York City and having a big career. That is not where life took her. It took her down the road to Thomasville, GA and taking over a book store. This is a book about staying while so many people move on with their lives. I can completely relate. I am also a stayer. So much of this book resonated with me and I was not expecting that. It is not all about staying. Sometimes leaving is also the right choice. Annie talked about when she had to not just leave her family church but leave her Christian denomination. I did not leave my Catholic faith, but it was SO hard when I did leave my childhood church for another church that was closer. To leave behind people who knew me as a child that I had grown up with was so hard. She talks about Little Women and how Jo wanted everything to always stay the same. Why did her sisters want to marry and leave their family? I am a person who likes consistency. I get it. However, unlike Annie, I always wanted to stay near my family. I am content to live in the same area forever and never had the bigger dreams like she did so that is definitely harder to deal with. Annie has reader retreats at her store and one day I will make it to one. I cried while reading this book and also had a smile so many times. I hope Annie narrates her own book. I would love to listen to her read it. I am just so excited for Annie to have her first book published. It is a dream come true for her! I loved it so much!

I highlighted so many passages but they may not be in the final book:

-This book is about...the things you let go and the things you hold on to when you are the one who stays.

-If everyone around you were leaving, wouldn't that make you wonder why you were staying?

-In our culture's current crisis of loneliness, the answer, experts say, isn't to form more deep and lasting friendships. It's to stop using the self-checkout at Target. It's to stop placing a mobile order for your coffee. It's to look people in the eye and to make purchases in person and to form the societal bonds we've almost forgotten out of a desire for convenience.

-I can keep running The Bookshelf only if I hold close to the people whose voices matter most.

-Sometimes, to stay, you have to leave. It might be the best, hardest thing you ever do.

-I don't like funerals, but I do think going to them matters.

-It occurred to me then how important it is to show up when you can.

-That thing you loved in childhood? That sport or book or TV show or board game? It can bring you back to yourself, if only for a moment, and a moment might be just what you need.

-Books fill me up. Quiet fills me up. My home fills me up.

-I don't want to be known for my eye roll but for my awe.

-Love what you love, and let other people see it, so they can love it too.

-Good stories are anywhere you are. Your ordinary life matters, and the place you're living it matters too.

This book reminded me of a daily psalm my granny read to me when I visited her every summer. We would sit and she would drink her coffee that had to have half the bottle of cream in it, and I would drink my freezer thawed OJ. Annie B Jones writes a lovely debut of what it means to take space in this world. What it means to stay still and observe. My only criticism is that it is a bit too spiritual for me at times, while I love the Southernness of it all.

As a long time listener of Annie’s podcast, I couldn’t wait to read her book! I absolutely LOVED it! I learned so much more about her and now I want to be best friends! She shares lighthearted stories and heavy stories. She writes just like she talks. Thanks NetGalley for the ARC!

BOOK REPORT
Received a complimentary copy of Ordinary Time, by Annie B. Jones, from HarperOne/NetGalley, for which I am appreciative, in exchange for a fair and honest review. Scroll past the BOOK REPORT section for a cut-and-paste of the DESCRIPTION of it from them if you want to read my thoughts on the book in the context of that summary.

Maybe I would’ve liked this book more if I were a Millennial and Christian, and not a Gen Xer and spiritualist? Or if, going in, I had been a regular listener of the author’s podcast, From the Front Porch? (Here’s the link: https://www.fromthefrontporchpodcast.... )

Who knows?

What I do know is that I’m not a fan of fake intimacy, in which an essayist/memoirist shares information about a particular life experience, but doesn’t share their authentic thoughts and feelings in connection with such things, which I found to be the case with Ordinary Time. Just leaves me feeling flat.

Hmmm…..

I’m wondering now if part of the reason I found this book to be rather boring and uninspired is because I had such an incredible experience reading another non-fiction book about small-town life in the South—The Little Way of Ruthie Lemming: A Southern Girl, A Small Town, and the Secret of a Good Life. (Here’s the link to my Book Report on it: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Maybe it’s not fair to compare like that, but I can’t help it. The ability to evoke real emotion in a reader is a talent with which not all writers are equally blessed.

Peace be unto Ms Jones, though, for all her efforts bookish.


DESCRIPTION
In her first book, the popular From the Front Porch podcast host and independent bookstore owner challenges the idea that loud lives are the ones that matter most, reminding us that we don't have to leave the lives we have in order to have the lives of which we've always dreamed.

Can life be an adventure, even when it’s just . . . ordinary?

Annie Jones always assumed adulthood would mean adventure: a high-powered career; life in a big, bustling city; and travels to far-flung places she’d longed to see. But her reality turned out differently. As the years passed, Annie was still in the same small town running an independent bookstore —the kind of life Nora Ephron dreamed.

During that time, she hosted friends’ goodbye parties and mailed parting gifts; wrote recommendation letters and wished former shop staffers well. She stayed in her small town, despite her love of big cities; stayed in her marriage to the guy she met when she was 18; and she stayed at her bookstore while the world outside shifted steadily toward digital retailers. And she stayed loyal to a faith she sometimes didn’t recognize.

After ten years, Annie realized she might never leave. But instead of regret, she had an epiphany. She awakened to the gifts of a quiet life spent staying put.

In Ordinary Time, Annie challenges the idea that loud lives matter most. Rummaging through her small-town existence, she finds hidden gifts of humor and hope from a life lived quietly. Staying, can itself be a radical act. It takes courage to stay in the places we’ve always called home, Jones argues, as she paints a portrait of possibility far away from thriving metropolises and Monica Gellar-inspired apartments.

We’ve long been encouraged to follow our dreams, to pack up and move to new places and leave old lives—and past selves—behind. While there is beauty in these kinds of adventures, Ordinary Time helps us see ourselves right where we are: in the middle of messy, mundane lives, maybe not too far from where we grew up. We don’t have to leave to find what we yearn—we can choose to stay, celebrating and honoring our ordinary lives, which might turn out to be bigger and better than we ever imagined.

My words will not do this book justice at all, but I will attempt it.

I have been a listener of From the Front Porch podcast for eight years and a long distance supporter of The Bookshelf for just as long after hearing about it on the podcast. I met Annie in person at the store in 2021, and my kids got to listen to her read during story time at the amphitheater. I can 100% say she is as delightful in person as she is on the podcast . The staff at The Bookshelf are some of the most down to earth friendly humans you'd ever meet. You truly feel at home when you walk into the store. We stop in the store every year on our way to our vacation spot. It's worth taking a detour for, that's for sure.

I couldn't have been more excited for Annie when she announced this book. I couldn't wait to be immersed in the pages. Dare I say we can all relate to at least one topic she wrote about in this book, if not more. Annie put her whole heart into writing this book, and I, for one, am grateful for her words so delicately and thoughtfully written. There were several times that I cried, especially when she talked about her grandmothers. Annie, thank you for sharing your heart with us readers and listeners.

Thank you to Netgalley and HarperOne for this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I loved this book.
Having been a listener of “The Front Porch” podcast for many years, I was familiar with Annie’s thoughtful and creative approach. This book was like catching up with an old friend and offered wonderful perspective to many of life’s seemingly ordinary moments and how to find joy and beauty in them.
I cannot wait to buy a hard copy for friends.

As someone who unintentionally became a “stayer”, this book resonated with me. Maybe not all aspects, but most of it had me nodding and whispering “yep!” to myself as I read. If you listen to Annie’s From the Front Porch podcast, I think you’ll also enjoy what she has to say within these pages and learning more about her through her vulnerable and thoughtful essays, and I’m positive you’ll hear her voice narrating it in your head as you read (I sure did.)