Shelf Life: John Birdsall

The food essayist and former chef explores the complicated legacy of the Dean of American Cookery, James Beard.

Shelf Life: Nic Stone

How the young adult novelist found inspiration in Louis Sachar's classic 1998 novel Holes, and Jeffrey Eugenides' The Virgin Suicides

Shelf Life: Alan Cumming

In this episode, the droll star takes us into a dishy memoir of a Scottish actor and the devastating 1931 novel, Leaving Mr. McKenzie.

Shelf Life: John Waters

For our new podcast, the auteur behind such enduring classics as Pink Flamingos and Hairspray selects a good read for his desert island.