About Chris Wolak: Books were a big part of my childhood, but it wasn't until middle school, when I discovered Dracula in a Scholastic catalog, that I fell in love with reading. Bela Lugosi was great, but the novel was so much richer. I asked a bookseller to recommend another vampire novel, and he put ‘Salem's Lot by Stephen King in my hands. I was officially hooked on reading.

It took a while to get there, but after a stint in the Marine Corps and some odd jobs, my love of reading led me to college and graduate school. I taught college English for five years. A friend recruited me to work at Borders. My reading life exploded (in a good way. I dipped into all the genres). I thought it would be a transition job, but I stayed for almost thirteen years, until the company folded. Recently, I earned my MLIS and now work as a college reference and instruction librarian and archivist.

In 2013, my wife Laura and I moved from Chicago to the Connecticut Shoreline. We wanted to live by the water, explore New England, and be close to NYC. I love road trips, kayaking, exploring nature, and hanging out with our dogs, Buddy Fitzwilliam and Robie. And, of course, talking with Emily about books! You can also find me writing about books, libraries, and history on my blog, chriswolak.com.

About Emily Fine: Most of my adult life has been spent wishing I had been working with or around books. Alas, I have spent a lot of time in the business sector with an emphasis in the delicious world of restaurants. I love to read all sorts of books but my sweet spot is a book that somehow combines my love of words and food: a chef memoir, work of fiction with recipes, or a good old fashioned cookbook.

In 2015, I relocated from Ohio to Connecticut so that I could live by the Long Island Sound and pursue my love of kayaking and paddleboarding. My other non-bookish interests include spending time with my two adult children, cooking, taking long walks, swimming, watching movies, and traveling. Although I’d really rather be reading or going on a Biblio Adventure with my buddy Chris!

How we met: We were attending a book event hosted by Ann Kingman and Michael Kindness – the hosts of the podcast Books on the Nightstand (which is no longer being recorded but you can check out www.booksonthenightstand.com to hear previously recorded episodes) – called Booktopia. This was in May of 2015. We were told by mutual friends that we had both relocated to the same town – Guilford, Connecticut. We didn’t actually meet at the book event but later in July of 2015. We became fast friends and started a friendship that includes lots of chatter about books and frequent literary adventures together. We thought it would be fun to share our mutual love of all things books. So, in December of 2016 – the Book Cougars podcast was born!