Shelf Care Society by @Brian.Reads

Brian Larson
  • 4.7 (23)
  • Books

Shelf Care Society by @Brian.Reads is the podcast for readers who treat their TBR ("to-be-read") pile as part of their self-care routine. Hosted by Brian Larson, each episode brings you into intimate, curiosity-driven interviews with authors, artists, activists, and culture-shapers who are asking better questions about ambition, creativity, identity, belonging, and what it really takes to build a life that feels like yours. Expect thoughtful storytelling, big ideas made personal, & the occasional moment that cracks something open. Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts & join the Society.

  1. Sep 30

    What should be on your reading radar as we head into the final stretch of 2026?

    In this episode of Shelf Care Society, I’m talking through some of the books I can’t stop thinking about, from major new novels by Min Jin Lee, Barbara Kingsolver, Hernan Diaz, and V. E. Schwab to Robert Kolker’s extraordinary reporting on a family confronting inherited dementia and Ted Scheinman’s deeply personal account of electroconvulsive therapy. And about halfway through the episode, we take a detour: I sit down with comedian Taylor Tomlinson on the eve of the launch of her first book, “Actually, Nevermind,” to talk about what she’s reading on tour, the book that kept her awake until 3 a.m., audiobooks, creativity, and the writing book she has returned to again and again. Books discussed in this episode: • “American Hagwon” by Min Jin Lee• “The Vanishing Family” by Robert Kolker• “Ply” by Hernan Diaz• “Victorious” by V. E. Schwab• “Partita” by Barbara Kingsolver• “The Betrayal of Cora Wexford” by Bethany Joy Lenz• “Luna, Phoenix, Queen” by Julie Orringer• “Public Access World” by Jane Schoenbrun• “Jolt: My Electric Journey Out of Darkness” by Ted Scheinman• “Music Against the Night” by Yiyun Li Plus, in my conversation with Taylor: • “Actually, Nevermind” by Taylor Tomlinson• “Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow” by Gabrielle Zevin• “Fruit Fly” by Josh Silver• “The Artist’s Way” by Julia Cameron• “Walking in This World” by Julia Cameron Come for the books. Stay for the conversation.

    What should be on your reading radar as we head into the final stretch of 2026?

  2. Sep 21

    Kathryn Stockett on “The Calamity Club,” 17 Years After “The Help”

    Seventeen years after “The Help” became a publishing phenomenon, Kathryn Stockett is back with “The Calamity Club,” her sprawling, funny, devastating new novel and a #1 New York Times bestseller. Kathryn joins Brian to talk about what really happened during those 17 years, including false starts, losing her publishing home, finding the editor who helped her see the book clearly again, and the moment she discovered the disturbing history that ultimately became one of the novel’s driving forces. They also get into Depression-era Mississippi, compulsory sterilization and the eugenics movement, creating the unforgettable 11-year-old Meg, writing women who refuse to fit neatly into society’s expectations, queerness in the 1930s South, the influence of Kathryn’s rebellious mother, and why she bought an old Victrola while researching the music of the period. Plus, Kathryn shares the “YES! moment” that helped unlock the novel after years of work. “The Calamity Club” is available now wherever books are sold.

  3. Sep 17

    Josh Silver on “Fruit Fly,” Sobriety, Queer Storytelling & Who Gets to Tell Our Stories

    Josh Silver joins Brian Larson on “Shelf Care Society” to talk about “Fruit Fly,” his buzzy adult debut, available now. Josh takes us inside the darkly funny, deeply unsettling novel about Mallory Maddox, a blocked writer who goes looking for her next bestseller and finds Leo, a young gay man struggling with addiction whose life she begins turning into material. Together, Brian and Josh dig into some of the biggest questions behind the book: Who gets to tell whose story? What does “authentic” storytelling actually mean? And when does fascination with someone else’s pain become exploitation? Josh also opens up about his own sobriety, his years working as a mental health nurse, the complicated relationship between addiction and social media, and why there is no single path to recovery. They discuss queer representation in publishing, the rise of “MM” fiction, the influence of R.F. Kuang’s “Yellowface,” and why Josh completely rewrote the ending of “Fruit Fly” just before the book went to proofreaders. Plus: Malala Yousafzai posting about the book, its whirlwind success, and what Josh can share about the A24 television adaptation. “Fruit Fly” by Josh Silver is available now wherever books are sold.

  4. Sep 16

    Jodi Picoult on "Hollow Bones," Her 30th Novel, Postpartum Psychosis & the Stories We’re Afraid to Tell

    Jodi Picoult has spent more than three decades writing directly into some of the most complicated questions of our time. In this episode of Shelf Care Society, Brian sits down with the #1 New York Times bestselling author to discuss her 30th novel, "Hollow Bones," a haunting, deeply researched story set against the legacy of September 11 and arriving September 15. Jodi shares the anonymous PostSecret confession that sparked the novel, why she became fascinated by the question of someone using 9/11 to disappear, and how correspondence with an incarcerated mother led her to research postpartum psychosis in extraordinary depth. The conversation gets especially urgent as Brian and Jodi discuss the real-world case of Lindsey Clancy, the profound differences between postpartum depression and postpartum psychosis, the ways women can fall through gaps in the healthcare system, and what happens when serious mental illness collides with the criminal justice system. They also talk about the erosion of America's public-health infrastructure, conspiracy theories surrounding 9/11, why fiction can sometimes reach people when political arguments cannot, and Jodi's continued fight against book bans. Plus, longtime Picoult readers will want to hear why she decided to bring back Jesse Fitzgerald from "My Sister's Keeper," what happened when Jodi took a real polygraph test for research, and the remarkable moment early in her career when she nearly gave up writing and applied for a job at Home Depot. It's a conversation about grief, truth, motherhood, public tragedy, the lies we tell to protect the people we love, and the extraordinary power of fiction to open a door where an argument cannot. "Hollow Bones" by Jodi Picoult is out now!

  5. Sep 8

    R.F. Kuang on Writing Her Latest Novel, "Taipei Story," Reclaiming Language, & Finding Home

    R.F. Kuang joins Brian for an intimate conversation about Taipei Story, her shortest and perhaps most personal novel yet. She shares how the death of her grandfather and a disorienting summer in Taipei first inspired a collection of private notes, written during a period when grief had left her feeling incapable of writing, and how those fragments eventually became Lily Chen’s story. Rebecca discusses writing an intelligent but imperfect Gen Z protagonist without condescension, the shame that can surround losing a heritage language, and why language is not something inherited through blood, but a connection that can be rebuilt. She and Brian also explore the ways different languages shape our understanding of time, memory, identity, and belonging; Taipei’s complicated meaning as a place of cultural homecoming; generational trauma and family silence; and the responsibility writers assume when portraying communities beyond their own experiences. The conversation also turns to the decline of sustained reading, Rebecca’s embrace of digital minimalism, and what educators can do to help students rediscover the pleasure of sitting with a challenging book. Finally, Rebecca shares the music she listened to while writing Taipei Story, her favorite Chinese idioms, the books she recommends for escaping a reading slump, and an early glimpse at the historical and artistic questions driving her next fantasy novel.

  6. Aug 31

    Cole Brauer on Sailing Solo Around the World, Betting on Yourself, and "First Light"

    Cole Brauer made history as the first American woman to race solo, nonstop around the world, but getting to the starting line required almost as much determination as crossing the finish. In this episode of Shelf Care Society, Brian sits down with the record-breaking sailor and author of First Light: Sailing Solo But Not Alone to talk about the extraordinary journey behind her memoir and what it means to build a life outside the routes other people expect you to follow. Cole opens up about entering the notoriously male-dominated world of offshore sailing, learning to trust herself and the people behind her, and fighting for the sponsorship and resources necessary to pursue an ambition few believed was possible. She and Brian also discuss dyslexia and finding success outside traditional measures of achievement, the fear and isolation of sailing alone across some of the most dangerous waters on Earth, and why resilience does not have to mean doing everything by yourself. They also get into Cole's relationship with her boat, First Light, the intimacy that develops between sailor and vessel, surviving brutal storms and "Hell Week," sharing an intensely solitary experience through social media, and the difference between recklessness and the kind of leap of faith required to chase an enormous dream. Plus, Cole reflects on saying yes before you have all the proof, funding, or permission, what crossing the finish line actually felt like, and the call with her mom waiting on the other side. First Light: Sailing Solo But Not Alone is available wherever books are sold.

  7. Aug 18

    Raphael Montes: Dinner, Death & the Deliciously Twisted

    What happens when four broke roommates in Rio de Janeiro discover that wealthy strangers will pay an obscene amount of money for the ultimate forbidden dining experience? Brazilian bestselling author Raphael Montes joins Brian for a deliciously dark conversation about The Secret Dinner, his wildly entertaining new thriller about friendship, greed, desire, addiction, and a supper club with one very horrifying secret. They talk about the real Rio behind the novel, writing characters who keep crossing lines they swore they never would, Dante’s queerness and recovery, the uneasy relationship between appetite and morality, and why a book about cannibalism can also be very, very funny. Editor Ryan Doherty joins the conversation to tell the story of acquiring The Secret Dinner at auction, the moment in the manuscript that made him know he wanted to publish it, working with translator Zoe Perry, and bringing one of Brazil’s biggest thriller writers to a new audience. Come hungry. Maybe don’t ask what’s for dinner.

    Raphael Montes: Dinner, Death & the Deliciously Twisted

  8. Aug 10

    André Aciman on Elio, Oliver, and Returning to "Call Me By Your Name"’.

    Nearly two decades after “Call Me By Your Name” first introduced readers to Elio and Oliver, André Aciman is returning to their story in an entirely new form. In this episode of Shelf Care Society, Brian sits down with André Aciman to talk about “Call Me By Your Name: The Graphic Novel,” illustrated by Sarah Maxwell. They explore what it means to revisit such an iconic story years later, how illustration can make Elio’s interior world visible in ways prose cannot, and the moments from the original novel that take on new life on the page. André also reflects on desire, memory, love, and why Elio and Oliver continue to resonate with readers across generations. Plus, the conversation turns to one of the novel’s most enduring passages: the extraordinary conversation between Elio and his father about love, loss, and allowing yourself to feel deeply. “Call Me By Your Name: The Graphic Novel” is available August 11 wherever books are sold.

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4.7
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About

Shelf Care Society by @Brian.Reads is the podcast for readers who treat their TBR ("to-be-read") pile as part of their self-care routine. Hosted by Brian Larson, each episode brings you into intimate, curiosity-driven interviews with authors, artists, activists, and culture-shapers who are asking better questions about ambition, creativity, identity, belonging, and what it really takes to build a life that feels like yours. Expect thoughtful storytelling, big ideas made personal, & the occasional moment that cracks something open. Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts & join the Society.

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