Ordinary Time

Lessons Learned While Staying Put

By: Annie B. Jones

Narrated by: Annie B. Jones, Emily P. Freeman

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 B. 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 eighteen; 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, Annie 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.

©2025 Annie B. Jones (P)2025 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

AudioFile Earphones Award Winner

Loved the audio

Perfection start to finish. After following The Bookshelf & Annie since 2020 this book was everything I hoped it would be. Highly recommend.

Absolutely loved

I found From The Front Porch in the midst of Covid. It was an escape for me, from the real world. I took Annie and the podcast on my walks, drives and cleaning my house. Eagerly awaiting each new episode weekly. I’ve since listened to almost all the episodes. So when Annie announced she was writing a book I knew I needed the audio version. Let me tell you, Ordinary Time resonated with me so much. I have always longed to visit Thomasville and The Bookshelf but haven’t quite made it yet. Some day. I loved Ordinary Time so much. There were stories of Annie’s life I could relate to on so many levels. I have even purchased a hard copy so I can mark some favorite quotes. Thank you Annie for writing this beautiful book about loving who and where you land in life 💜

Great Book!

I loved everything about this book. I would highly recommend listening to it. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Ordinary Time comforts and inspires

As someone who wanted to stay and longs for those ordinary connections, I loved every observation, story and memory. I see so much of myself and my personality in your story. Thank you for showing the importance of staying and describing it so beautifully.

It was everything I wanted it to be…

I have loved Annie and her podcasts for years. This felt like the rest of the story and was a delight!