Book Review of
Ordinary Time

Lynn's Review

Ordinary Time by Annie B. Jones is a memoir in essay form published in 2025.

Annie B. Jones was one of the first podcasts I listened to. That was probably almost ten years ago. It was shortly after she bought The Bookshelf, her bookstore. I instantly fell in love with her love of reading and books. 

Annie’s podcast is called From the Front Porch, and it feels just like you are sitting on the front porch talking with Annie and her guests. 

Annie and I have very different reading tastes, but I still love hearing her talk about books. And I love the episodes that feature her mom, because her mom and I have very similar reading tastes. 

When I heard Annie talk about her new book, I knew that I wanted to read it. As soon as I could, I preordered it from Annie’s bookstore. 

When I got the book, though, and remembered that Annie narrated the audiobook version, I knew that it would make an excellent audiobook for a road trip. 

Ordinary Times subtitle is Lessons Learned While Staying Put and that is precisely what this book is about. 

Ordinary Times is full of essays by Annie on how she learned to love staying put. 

I loved how Annie shared her life with the lens of staying. She shared about childhood friends, her family, her brother, and her life in the south. She also shared about staying in a church for years when she probably should have left. Then she shares about leaving and how hard that is when you leave the only church you have ever known. 

Ordinary life is also about living in a small town, being a business owner, and so many other things. 

I love how Annie embraces her ordinary life by sharing it with us. The reality is that most of us live very ordinary lives and that is perfectly fine. 

If you love essay-style books, you will enjoy this one!