Laura Bush to appear on XM's "The Big Read"

First Lady Laura Bush will appear on the premiere episode of the new XM series "The Big Read" on Sonic Theater (ch 163) on September 10th.

Sonic Theater host Jo Reed recently taped an interview with the Mrs. Bush in the China Room of the White House (pictured). The First Lady is not only a book lover, but the honorary chair of the NEA reading initiative The Big Read, which is of course the namesake for the XM show.

"Reading has been so inspirational and influential in my life that I can't imagine a life without reading, and I want other people who may not spend that much time reading to know how beneficial reading can be, in an emotional and spiritual way," Mrs. Bush told XM. "When it comes to the whole idea of how we let the next generations know what our values are, and how we teach the next generation what's important to us, and how we learn from previous generations, literature really is the best way to teach it, and to share it."

Fun fact: The White House is a mere 2.4 miles from XM's headquarters.

Photo caption: Laura Bush (left) interviewed by XM's Josephine Reed in the China Room of the White House, Washington, DC, on August 31, 2007.

In addition, Audible now has a page devoted to XM's "The Big Read" show up at audible.com/thebigread.