Andrea Giroux is that person the next table over at a coffee shop engaged in a fabulous conversation. You want an ear on it.  Now you can.  The daughter of an educator and one of five siblings, reading and conversation are a way of life.

If there's anyone with a zest of life greater than Andrea, we don't know who that is.  She's hardly kidding when she says she makes love to a book emotionally.  What's really interesting is how difficult reading is for her.  She's dyslexic, and not at all afraid to talk about it.   No wonder she reads The Road Less Traveled over and over again.  Life is hard.  Embracing the struggle can bring great joy and reward. 

It's Andrea's love of the written word, and a desire to share the treasures within the text that will make you love your reading experience even more.  The married mother of six children lives in the Desert Southwest but returns to her Boston roots each summer to crack open a book, and dig her feet into the sand of Nantucket. 

View the full transcript at https://whyireadnonfiction.com/006-i-make-love-to-books-with-andrea-giroux/

Oh, you forgot to bring a book?  If you're on a long flight or a drive, and you didn't bring something to help pass the time, you could only wish you had sportswriter Joe McDonald sitting next to you. Joey Mac, as he's known to readers, is forever interesting.

His reading life story started in Providence, Rhode Island.  Want a guy who's equal parts grit, polish and Irish humor?  Joey Mac's your guy.  He weaves stories about professional athletes, cops, corrupt politicians and renegade writers together as if they'll all a part of his life's story, which of course they are!

McDonald's reading life was born on the 4th of July after reading Ron Kovic's Born on the Fourth of July.  Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson didn't just read well, in many ways it taught him how to write with guts.

You'll bust a gut laughing while listening to Joe.  And really, about that car ride… you're about to take one with him behind the wheel, and you riding shotgun.

View the full transcript at https://whyireadnonfiction.com/005-i-have-a-real-life-version-of-that-with-joe-mcdonald/

Amalie Benjamin is not kidding when she talks about her need of reading.  She is hardly, if ever, without a book or access to one.  She has a goal this year to read 50 books.  That's a noble goal for anyone, let alone the mother of a young, growing family, and a traveling sports columnist for NHL.com.

Amalie's life as a reader comes to life as she talks about growing up in a household with dedicated reading parents and having a best friend, a high school history teacher, who's an endless resource of good book referrals.

Amalie is just as comfortable talking about Hop on Pop and other children's books as she is about real-life journalistic thrillers:  Five Days at Memorial: Life and Death in a Storm, and Bad Blood.  She really shines when she makes herself vulnerable.  Her husband, fellow journalist and Dueling with Kings author Daniel Barbarisi, immersed himself deeply into the world of professional sports betting, sometimes putting more on the line than he let on.  For anyone who's ever felt the intoxication of winning, and the despair of losing, you'll identify with Amalie and Daniel.

View the full transcript at https://whyireadnonfiction.com/004-to-me-reading-is-everything-with-amalie-benjamin/

Some people can't move on from the past fast enough. Not Mike Petraglia. Not now, not ever. Mike is a well-read, highly respected sports journalist in Boston, Massachusetts, with Cincinnati roots and Midwestern sensibilities.

As much as his work brings him into exceptionally loud and feverishly energetic arenas and stadiums, Trags, as the locals know him, is most at peace in a quiet place immersed in a book that captures themes of values and doing things the right way.

A subscription to Sports Illustrated sparked his love of reading and writing, and not just about sports. Mike recalling his father's urging to "read, read and read some more" are touching. So too is his honesty of fudging when his dad asked about his reading list. And his description of getting the "evil eye" from his high school librarian is laugh out loud funny.

Listen to what Trags says, and read what he writes. He's a reading, writing and talking treasure.

View the full transcript at https://whyireadnonfiction.com/i-never-want-to-forget-about-the-past-with-mike-petraglia/

Admit it, you do it. So do we. What does that have to do with reading? Everything if you want to know what's good to read next. If Eunice Groark sees a book in your hands, your chest heaving with laughter, or tears rolling down your cheeks, she might just come over and ask what it is you're reading. Know this, that's what happens to her when a book captures her spirit. And, yes, you're welcome to ask the book title while she's having a moment.

Who is Eunice Groark? She's my neighbor, and she could be yours too. Raised in New England, she recalls summers spent in Vermont in which half the fun was getting lost in the woods, or the stacks of local libraries, and checking out books to read in the shadows of trees.

Eunice is a student of history who loves books that combine historical time periods with compelling stories of human interest. No wonder she loved Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand, gave it to me as a birthday gift, and gushed over the details of why she thought I'd like it. Boy did I ever!

The conversation with Eunice not only takes you into her reading world, it also takes you into her family life. She's the oldest of three sisters. They all read, a lot, and they have their own reading club. And if it's good enough for them, it's probably good enough for you. View the full transcript at https://whyireadnonfiction.com/were-all-people-watchers-with-eunice-groark/

Who says? David McCullough, Jr., that's who. He's the guy who said 'You Are Not Special' over and over and over again to a graduating class of high school seniors in a wealthy Boston community, leaving some shocked, others puzzled, but most inspired. Why would you say such a thing to an accomplished group on their day to be feted? Because it needed it. And what David McCullough, Jr. said that day has been repeated millions of times, becoming a YouTube sensation and eventually leading to a book deal: You Are Not Special: And Other Encouragements.

At the heart of it all David McCullough, Jr. is a modest man who lives simply and teaches high school English. His deep love of reading and discussing the books he's read is captivating. Listening to a chat with him could very well influence your next book choice. Not long after recording, host Kevin Walsh went out and purchased Zorba the Greek.

If the name sounds familiar, it should. He shares a name with his famous father, David McCullough Sr., perhaps America's most accomplished author of American and Presidential history. David Jr shares wonderful stories of commandeering his father's typewriter at a young age and bringing to his dad the typed version of chicken scratch. Well imagine a father's pride when the same son presented him with the finished version of his own book years later.

If anyone has a good handle on the struggles of today's kids, you'd have to think David McCullough Jr. is more than qualified to speak about it. And he does so with a passion and zest that's delightfully wise. View the full transcript at https://whyireadnonfiction.com/you-are-not-special-with-david-mccullough-jr/