Nonfiction4Life Host & Founder Janet Perry celebrates her 56th birthday along with the posting of the 56th episode. She shares her story of falling in love...with learning! Connecting words to books and books to ideas, she takes listeners along her journey and explains how she chose to become a podcaster of nonfiction books.

She also invites all to subscribe to the email list so she can share a gift with them--"Janet's List of 56 Things"--that includes book lists, apps, movies, and other things that shaped her and her love of learning.

00:15   Taking a departure from standard author interviews

00:25   Today is Janet Perry's 56th birthday and N4L’s 56th podcast episode

00:35   She’s celebrating by sharing her own story

01:25   Welcome to those just discovering N4L

01:50   Two moments that illustrate Janet’s love for learning

02:30   The story of how Janet fell in love…with words, books, and ideas

02:55   She can’t remember not knowing how to read

03:20   Instead of collecting dolls, Janet collected words (homonyms)

03:45   Her mom was a natural grammarian who loved words

04:15   Parents’ teachings made Janet’s Modern American Usage college course a breeze

04:25   Pronunciation of words also important

05:00   Janet fell in love with the world of books in Tanner Manor, her childhood home

05:45   The Tanner Manor library was filled with solid-oak bookshelves and ceiling beams

06:20   One of her favorite assignments was dusting the library

07:00   A nondescript downstairs closet was filled with paperbacks of classics and new releases

07:50   South Pasadena Public Library was funded by Andrew Carnegie

08:15   Library built in same Classic/Mediterranean Revival style as Tanner Manor

08:30   Boasted columns on separate entrances for adult library and children’s library

09:05   Tanner family culture included frequenting the public library

09:40   Library located across the street from El Centro, Janet’s elementary school

09:50   Lost a library book and panicked she’d have to pay for overdue fines

10:30   Spent Wednesdays after school listening to children’s librarian read aloud

11:15   Loved sneaking up inside staircase to the adult section

12:00   Books led her to the world of ideas

12:15   Feared turning into “an economic zero” by becoming an English major

12:45   Found people discussing books and ideas – the “white noise” of Tanner Manor

13:10   Collected and memorized quotes of great thinkers

13:45   Book groups and podcasts sparked her love of great ideas

14:00   Gave herself permission to read books, even when busy and sick

14:30   Podcasts helped her satisfy the itch to learn

14:45   How she narrowed the scope of Nonfiction4Life

15:30   Summary of Janet (from About page on Nonfiction4Life website)

15:45   “So many books, so little time!”

16:20   To celebrate her 56th birthday, she offers a gift to all email subscribers

16:50   All subscribers will receive “Janet’s List of 56 Things”

17:20   Janet invites all listeners to stay on the journey to discover and discuss great nonfiction books

Subscribe here to the Nonfiction4Life email list.

For more stories about Tanner Manor, go to Janet’s personal blog.

For pictures mentioned in the podcast, go to the Nonfiction4Life Website.

Connect with Nonfiction4Life on social media:

• Facebook
• Instagram
• Twitter
• YouTube 

Special thanks…

• Music Credit
• Sound Editing Credit