****This paperback edition includes an exclusive letter from Annie and two bonus chapters****
“A beautifully written story of the sweetness of staying put, Jones's book will add depth to any memoir collection.”-Library Journal
Can life be an adventure, even when it's just . . . ordinary?
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.
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:
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.
| ISBN: | 9780063411319 |
| Publication date: | 4th June 2026 |
| Author: | Annie B Jones |
| Publisher: | HarperOne an imprint of HarperCollins |
| Format: | Paperback |
| Pagination: | 256 pages |
| Genres: |
Gender studies: women and girls Religious aspects of sexuality, gender and relationships Personal religious testimony and popular inspirational works Relationships: friends / peer groups Assertiveness, motivation, self-esteem and positive mental attitude Christian life and practice Biography: general Memoirs Literary essays |
****This paperback edition includes an exclusive letter from Annie and two bonus chapters****
“A beautifully written story of the sweetness of staying put, Jones's book will add depth to any memoir collection.”-Library Journal
Can life be an adventure, even when it's just . . . ordinary?
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.
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:
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.
Ordinary Time features in the following genres: Gender studies: women and girls, Religious aspects of sexuality, gender and relationships, Personal religious testimony and popular inspirational works, Relationships: friends / peer groups, Assertiveness, motivation, self-esteem and positive mental attitude, Christian life and practice, Biography: general, Memoirs, Literary essays
Ordinary Time is available in Paperback
Ordinary Time was written by Annie B Jones and published by HarperOne an imprint of HarperCollins
Ordinary Time has 256 pages
£9.89