Hey, listeners!
I’m especially fond of today’s episode because I SO admire our guest. She’s one of my favorite small business owners, a fierce leader and lover of books, and an “internet friend” (you know, the people you talk to via Instagam but don’t get to go out to coffee with in real life?). Annie B. Jones, owner of The Bookshelf in Thomasville, GA joins us today to talk about high school reading assignments and falling in love with the story of Little Women. She also brought along a bunch of amazing book recommendations to pair with Jo March’s spirit and to gift this holiday season.
You can find links to purchase any of the books Annie mentions today from The Bookshelf in our show notes. I’m going to brag a little here and say that I actually got to visit The Bookshelf (and Annie) in person a couple of years ago when I lived in Georgia. It’s just as charming as you’d imagine, and Annie took the time to recommend three books tailored to my taste. She mentions one of them on the episode today. (I’ll let you guess).
Annie also shared a special treat with us: Right now, listeners of Novel Pairings can get 10% off their purchase of a shelf subscription with the code NOVELIDEA2020. This 10% off code applies to shelf subscriptions only, and it lasts through January 31, 2021.
Check out these links for winter book recs and indie bookstore news…
A series on the triumph of small booksellers
10 books to cozy up with this winter
Indie bookstore owners talk under-appreciated reads of 2020
Some of our links are Bookshop affiliate or Amazon links (depending on backorders and out of stock books). We earn a small commission when you make a purchase using these links.
Some updates:
Thank you for taking our 2020 podcast survey! Your responses are incredibly helpful as we continue to shape the show and dream up future endeavors. A few things we learned: your favorite episodes are the classic book discussions and themed TBR topplers. You’re excited for a monthly book club, bonus episodes, and classes on our Patreon page. And you are HERE for the nerdy stuff. You really are our book people.
We have a couple of goals to share, and a few ways that you can help us! We’re planning to launch our Patreon in March (our one year podcastiversary). In the lead up, we’d love to hit 10,000 followers on Instagram, making it easier to share links to our new projects. We’d also love to grow our community of listeners.
Here’s what you can do to help:
Engage with our posts on Instagram (like, comment, save, share), and share our profile with your followers.
If you haven’t yet, please leave a review and rating on Apple Podcasts.
Simply share the podcast! If you have a bookish friend who might love our show, please pass it on.
We’re so grateful for all of you, and we appreciate you taking the time to share our podcast. We can’t wait to share more about Patreon as we build out our ideas.
Coming up:
Get ready for next week’s episode on Little Women by Louisa May Alcott! We reference this book a bunch, discuss what we admire about the author, and share our book-to-movie comparisons. You don’t want to miss it.
We’re also releasing a 2020 Book Superlatives episode this month, featuring a bunch of noteworthy reads we’re eager to recommend. As we prep and record new episodes, we’re also working on other projects behind the scenes: Patreon (yay!), merch (who wants a tote bag?), and growth strategies (slightly less exciting but important nonetheless). As a newsletter subscriber, you’ll get all of our big news first, so stay tuned, and thanks for following along with us.
Currently Reading:
I’ve never been much of a holiday-themed reader, but this year I’m leaning into it. So far, I’ve enjoyed In the Winter Woods by Isabel Adler, and I’m eager to pick up The Twelve Dates of Christmas by Jenny Bayliss soon. After reading Writers & Lovers by Lily King over the weekend (which you may hear about on an upcoming episode), I’m in search of my next unputdownable read. Meanwhile, I’m still slowly making my way through The Dead Are Arising: The Life of Malcolm X by Les Payne, with my *Libro.fm audiobook app.
Listeners, we’re excited to be partnering with Libro.fm to offer you two audiobooks for the price of one. Just click this link to get two audiobooks for $15 all while supporting the pod and independent bookstores!
Or click here to give the gift of audiobooks to your favorite bookworm.
Where to find us:
Download episodes of Novel Pairings wherever you get your podcasts. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. Check out our blog for bonus pairings, reading tips, and book recommendations. Find me at @chelseyreads or @hereadsheread. Find Sara at @fictionmatters and her newsletter. We love hearing what you’re reading, so feel free to tag us in your #bookstagram posts!
We declare after all, there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of any thing than of a book!
Have a great week, friends.
-Chelsey