IN CONVERSATION: R.F. KUANG ON TAIPEI STORY →
Books. Big ideas. Very good company.

Shelf Care
Society

Come for the books.
Stay for the conversation.

Intimate, curious conversations with the authors, artists, activists, actors, and culture-shapers telling the stories we cannot stop thinking about.

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Malala Yousafzai and Brian Larson in conversation
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Shelf Care Society, The Podcast by @Brian.Reads
R.F. Kuang speaking into a microphone in the studio
Latest episode

R.F. Kuang

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

Taipei Story

R.F. Kuang joins Brian for a conversation about Taipei Story, language, diaspora, and the complicated feeling of belonging.

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R.F. Kuang speaking into a microphone in the studio
Conversation

R.F. Kuang

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

Taipei Story

R.F. Kuang joins Brian for a conversation about Taipei Story, language, diaspora, and the complicated feeling of belonging.

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André Aciman and Brian Larson seated with Call Me By Your Name
Conversation

André Aciman

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

Call Me By Your Name: The Graphic Novel

André Aciman and Brian revisit Elio and Oliver through the graphic-novel adaptation of Call Me By Your Name.

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A little deeper. A little closer.

Not your standard author interview.

Shelf Care Society goes beyond the familiar talking points to explore personal histories, creative decisions, cultural questions, unexpected obsessions, and the experiences that shape the stories we tell.

Behind the scenes with Malala Yousafzai and Brian Larson recording Shelf Care Society
The people behind the pages

Inside the Society

Meet the guests →
Malala Yousafzai and Brian Larson in conversation
Malala Yousafzai
André Aciman and Brian Larson smiling in the studio
André Aciman
R.F. Kuang speaking into a microphone in the studio
R.F. Kuang
Kerry Docherty and Brian Larson holding Selfish at the PRH studio in NYC
Kerry Docherty
Beyond the last page

Things We’re Still
Thinking About

We are all these little cathedrals of contradiction. I don’t think God waits for us to completely clean ourselves out of every possible thing that is detrimental to us before we can receive beauty and grace in our lives.
Bethany Joy LenzOne Tree Hill Actress and New York Times Bestselling Author of The Betrayal of Cora Wexford
You can be determined to bring change in the world, and it’s still okay for you not to have an answer to everything, not to have figured out every part of your life.
Malala YousafzaiNobel Peace Prize Laureate and Bestselling Author of Finding My Way
Watching people choose themselves, and give up something that they know is not making them feel better, is such an act of resistance and proclamation of your truest version of yourself.
Kerry DochertyCo-Founder of Faherty Brand and Author of Selfish
It’s the willingness to take the hits and to have the guts to keep trying and to keep putting yourself out there and to keep being prepared to receive a no.
Virginia Evans#1 New York Times Bestselling Author of The Correspondent
You can always get a language back. It is a connection that you can rebuild. There are communities that you can rejoin.
R.F. Kuang#1 New York Times Bestselling Author of Yellowface, Babel, and Taipei Story
I think literature is an amazing way to create empathy for people that are different from you.
Raphael MontesNetflix and HBO Max Creator and Executive Producer; Author of The Secret Dinner
We don’t need to have a crisis to make a change in life. All we need is some curiosity or recognition that something might be better if we shift something.
Cecily MakCo-Founder of Wisdom Ventures and Author of Undimmed
Now is a really good time to remember how tragedy used to bring us together instead of break us apart.
Jodi Picoult#1 New York Times Bestselling Author of Hollow Bones and My Sister’s Keeper
On the horizon

Coming Soon

Portrait of Min Jin Lee

Min Jin Lee

Coming soon

Portrait of Jodi Picoult

Jodi Picoult

Coming soon

Portrait of V.E. Schwab

V.E. Schwab

Coming soon

Portrait of TJ Klune

TJ Klune

Coming soon

Portrait of Josh Silver

Josh Silver

Coming soon

Brian Larson smiling in a blue shirt
Meet your host

A reader.
A writer.
Endlessly curious.

Brian Larson is a writer, speaker, literary creator, and the host of Shelf Care Society. Through @Brian.Reads, he has built a community around books, big ideas, and conversations that bring readers closer to the people behind the stories.

Brian is also the author of The Afterparty: An Open Invitation to Sobriety, forthcoming from Broadleaf Books on May 4, 2027, an Oprah Daily contributor, and an NBC10 Books contributor.

Cover of The Afterparty: An Open Invitation to Sobriety by Brian Larson
A new chapter from Brian Larson

The Afterparty

An Open Invitation to Sobriety

A forthcoming memoir from the host of Shelf Care Society.

Available May 4, 2027 · Broadleaf Books

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