It’s time for the fifth episode of our chart-topping new podcast, and we're SO glad we’re sharing this episode ahead of the Christmas holidays, because you’re going to need some serious down time to make any kind of dent in this guest’s EPIC reading list.
Professional reader and writer Lucy Pearson lives and works between Bondi (Australia) and London (UK), curating libraries and book collections for hotels, homes and airbnbs, as well as working as a freelance travel journalist and book blogging at her Substack, The Literary Edit.
Lucy takes reading seriously. So seriously that she has a tattoo dedicated to her favourite author (Hanya Yanagihara), and is regularly up with the Sydney sunrise at 5am to complete her latest reading challenge.
But she also just loves books. And words. In any format.
And as you’ll hear in our interview, she loves to inspire others to read too, having created possibly the world’s most brilliant job in which, as a roving Bibliotherapist, she’s able to combine her love of reading, writing and travel to light up the world’s bookshelves
IN THIS EPISODE (LUCY’S TIPS FOR READING MORE):
* Always give a new book at least one hour at the start.
* Leave your phone in another room and have a notebook handy to scribble down anything you’re desperate to google/share/screenshot etc as you read (you can do that after reading, instead of getting lost in the scroll when you really want to be lost in a book).
* Schedule it in your diary and set aside intentional, undistracted time for reading, treating it as a well-being ritual akin to yoga or journaling.
* Replace the mindset of "I don’t have time" with "It’s not a priority" to remind yourself what truly matters in life.
* Use whatever format works for you. Audible if you’re on the move, Kindle when you’re travelling. "The best way (to read) is what suits you best," she says.
* Join the 5am club!
* Set yourself a reading challenge. Lucy loves a list, crediting the discovery of Rebecca (by Daphne du Maurier) and subsequently the rest of BBC’s Top 100 Books list with changing the trajectory of her life as a hungover and lost double English graduate in her 20s. She’s currently on a mission to complete the New York Times Top 100 Books of the 21st Century before her 40th birthday (February 2026). She says that working to a list like this - and shouting about it - gives her accountability and motivation and also means she reads all kinds of different books she wouldn’t otherwise make the time for.
SHOW NOTES:
In this episode Lucy references and recommends at least 20 different books, including;
* The 5am Club by Robin Sharma
* A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
* A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving
* Places I stopped on the Way Home by Meg Fee
* Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier
* Sandwich by Catherine Newman
* Under the Influence by Joyce Maynard
* The Shell Seekers by Rosamund Pilcher
We can’t wait for you to listen.
Please share with the people you love, let us know what you think, and - of course - what you are reading right now…
Toni (& Tanya)
xx
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ABOUT THE BIBLIOTHERAPISTS:
The Bibliotherapists, is a new podcast from Substackers and community builders Tanya Lynch (EASE Retreats) and Toni Jones (The Shelf Help Club) exploring the healing power of words.
(You can read all about how our story began in Episode #1 and Episode #2 - in which Tanya and I interview each other).
This podcast is a love letter to reading and writing and storytelling and this weekly digital retreat features conversations with some of our favourite Substack writers and authors, sharing about the the books that have shaped their lives and their relationships with themselves, the books they wish everyone would read, how they use reading and writing to support their mental health, and the books they are reading right now.
We’ve spent the last two months interviewing some incredible writers and creatives, including Beth Kempton, Claire Venus (she/her) ✨, Women Are Mad with Jen&Salima, Anne Boyd, Laura Pashby, Lucy Pearson, Tamu Thomas and Emma Gannon to close Series 1.
Thank you so much for the love so far, please keep listening and liking and sharing where it’s needed…
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit shelfhelpclub.substack.com/subscribe
