Good evening and welcome to another episode of Inside to Cover.

I am your host, Ted Ayres, and I am pleased to welcome you to our show.

As always, thanks for watching.

Seriously Good TV here on PBS Kansas, and thanks for letting me join you this evening.

Furthermore, thanks to all of you who stepped up to financially support PBS Kansas during our recent pledge effort.

Your support is critical and so important.

Thank you.

We recently had the pleasure of traveling to San Antonio to celebrate our youngest grandchild's third birthday.

There were seven of us, including Hugo, the grand dog, in a nicely appointed Airbnb, and those special touches included a small bookshelf.

I spotted an interesting book with an adorable Golden Labrador retriever on the cover, and when we were not celebrating Calvin are visiting various destinations in San Antonio.

I began to read the book.

I enjoyed it so much that I found it at the Wichita Public Library so I could finish it.

And I am so glad I did.

Tonight's book is Marley and Me by John Grogan.

It is now time to go inside the cover.

The subtitle Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog.

The book was originally copyrighted in 2005.

Apparently, the book also spawned a successful movie of the same name starring Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston.

Somehow, I missed both the book and the movie.

John Grogan has spent more than 25 years as a newspaper journalist, including service as the metropolitan columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Previously, he worked as a reporter, bureau chief and columnist at newspapers in Michigan and Florida.

He is also the former editor in chief at Rodale Organic Gardening magazine.

His work has won numerous awards, including the National Press Club's Consumer Journalism Award.

The book begins with a preface where Grogan speaks about his first dog, Sean, which he acquired in 1967 as a ten year old boy.

That sets the stage for the adoption of a golden Labrador retriever in 1991 by Grogan and his wife of 15 months, Jennifer.

He writes, We were young.

We were in love.

We were rollicking in those early days of marriage when life seemed as about as good as life can get.

We could not leave well enough alone.

Grogan goes on to write about Marley and his impact on the family, which grew to include three children and the stories of those children after an early miscarriage are integral to the charm of the book.

Marley & Me is one of those books which generates genuine, visceral emotion for the reader.

At least it did for me.

I shook my head at the numerous misadventures involving Marley's upbringing and his domestication.

I laughed at the many misadventures and of course was moved to tears by Grogan's writing as Marley ages and decisions are to be made.

I found this to be an engaging and heartwarming story, and that perhaps is enough.

However, Grogan is also an excellent writer in this regard.

I think it preferable that I let Grogan's words speak for themselves.

Consider the words he wrote after the Grogans faced the difficult decision of ending a pets life.

A person can learn a lot from a dog, even a loopy one like ours.

Marley taught me about living each day with unbridled exuberance and joy, about seizing the moment and following your heart.

He taught me to appreciate the simple things.

A walk in the woods, a fresh snowfall, a nap, and a shaft of winter sunlight.

And as he grow old and achy, he taught me about optimism in the face of adversity.

Mostly, he taught me about friendship and selflessness and above all else, unwavering loyalty.

That's our show.

And tonight's book has been Marley and Me by John Grogan.

Let me also recommend some other fine canine literature: Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo.

Old Yeller by Fred Gipson and The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein.

Just make certain you have your tissues handy.

Goodnight.

See you next time.

It's always a privilege to be with you.