Last month I had to go to Atlanta for a few days for work. Once the plans were in motion, I wondered how far Thomasville was from Atlanta. You see, I've long wanted to visit The Bookshelf, owned by my internet friend Annie B. Jones, and I figured this might be the closest I'd get.

It's about a four hour drive from Atlanta, which is a little long for a day trip but I was up for it. I reached out to my friend Lindsay who owns Pen & Paint and lives about an hour away from Thomasville. If you follow me on Instagram, you know I'm obsessed with her mugs and totes. We hatched a plan for me to drive to Lindsay and then she'd drive us the rest of the way down. Should I mention this was the first time Lindsay and I met in person? It was no matter because we barely stopped to breathe during our conversation on the drive.

My day in Thomasville was all about the transition from internet friends to real life friends. While I'll argue that my internet friends and I have very real friendships even if we sadly never get to meet in person, there is something undeniably special about being face to face. It's freeing to no longer be limited by texts or Voxer or DMs. The conversation can spill all over itself and you can see the expression on their face as they laugh or cringe or tear up. Whenever I have the chance to get together with one of my internet friends, I take it and I'm better for it.

Ashley, me, Lindsay, Annie

Before I go into the particulars of The Bookshelf, I want to note Thomasville is a gem of a small town. There's a great vibe, fun shops to visit, and some great food. There's even a wine bar where you can do tastings! What's not to love? Lindsay and I had a great time exploring and then once the bookstore closed, Annie joined us and Ashley for dinner. It was such a treat to have the time together.

The Bookshelf was as dreamy as I thought it would be. It's a well curated store and there are so many fun details. You can see Annie's handprint all over it, from the design elements to what's stocked. 

I browsed the store to my heart's content, debating about which book to buy. And then I landed on the best idea: I asked Annie to recommend me some literary fiction. About a week before I visited, Annie and I had been voxing about the definition of literary fiction vs genre fiction. She reads more of the former; I read more of the latter and I was curious about what she thought I might like. I told her a few favorites: A Prayer For Owen Meany, Americanah, and Homegoing. She wandered the shelves and handed me a stack of books to look over, which all sounded promising.

But then our conversation turned to Taylor Jenkins Reid, whom I hadn't read before, and what genre her latest release Daisy Jones & The Six belongs to, which was fascinating. Annie's enthusiasm over the book made me even more intrigued so that's what I ended up buying. About a week later, I read Daisy Jones in one day. I inhaled it and I couldn't have loved it more. (Read my review.)

If you're ever near Thomasville, The Bookshelf is well worth the stop. Tell Annie I sent you.