Fully Booked by Kirkus Reviews: Recent Episodes

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Get the ultimate insider's scoop on the best new books. The editors at Kirkus Reviews interview your favorite authors, tell you whether or not the books on the bestseller list are worth the read, give you behind-the-scenes insights, and introduce you to great books you may otherwise never find.

Paul Lisicky discusses Song So Wild and Blue: A Life With the Music of Joni Mitchell (HarperOne, Feb. 25). Kirkus calls his latest memoir “a beautiful tribute to a legendary musician and the act of creation” (starred review). Then our editors share their top picks in books for the week.

On our Best February Books episode, Kirkus’ editors share their top titles for the month. Then Kate Beaton joins us to discuss her funny and fierce new picture book, Shark Girl (Roaring Brook Press, Feb. 25). Kirkus: “Stand aside, little mermaids. The true, pointy-toothed protector of the seas is here!”

Celebrated author Edmund White discusses The Loves of My Life: A Sex Memoir (Bloomsbury, Jan. 28). Kirkus: “An irreverent and unapologetically provocative scrapbook of an aging author’s sex life” (starred review). Then our editors share their top picks in books for the week.

Environmental and climate activist Catherine Coleman Flowers discusses Holy Ground: On Activism, Environmental Justice, and Finding Hope (Spiegel & Grau, Jan. 28), and essay collection Kirkus calls “a passionate and thoughtful exploration of social injustice” (starred review). And in a sponsored interview, Megan speaks with Cheryl Willis Hudson and London Ladd, the author and the illustrator of When I Hear Spirituals (Holiday House, Jan. 5), “an exuberant and picturesque celebration of African American spirituals” (starred review). Then our editors share their top picks in books for the week.

On this episode, dedicated to the Most Anticipated Books of 2025, Cynthia Weiner joins us to discuss A Gorgeous Excitement (Crown, Jan. 21), a brilliant debut novel inspired by her 1980s childhood on New York’s Upper East Side, and a personal connection to an infamous murder. Kirkus: “Carefully paced and beautifully written, this edgy coming-of-age novel succeeds on all counts” (starred review). Then our editors share some of this spring’s most eagerly awaited titles.

In this special repisode, recorded live at the Texas Book Festival in Austin, host Megan Labrise moderates featured panel “The Art of Mystery” with New York Times bestselling authors Jean Hanff Korelitz (The Sequel) and Liz Moore (The God of the Woods).

Happy New Year, listeners! It’s the Fully Booked Year in Review, featuring editor-in-chief Tom Beer and Kirkus correspondent Michael Schaub. On this jolly special episode, we take a deep dive into the weirdest book news of 2024 and reveal the year’s most popular episode.

On this special holiday episode, Megan presents her favorite interviews of 2024, featuring Danzy Senna, author of Colored Television (Riverhead), and J. Drew Lanham, author of Joy Is the Justice We Give Ourselves (Hub City Press).

We conclude our Best Books of 2024 coverage with a special episode dedicated to YA. First, debut graphic novelist Agnes Lee joins us to discuss 49 Days (Levine Querido, March 5), one of Kirkus’ Best YA Books of 2024: “A moving portrayal of mortality and its aftermath, shown from both sides” (starred review). Then editor Laura Simeon explores some more of the year’s best YA.

We continue our Best Books of 2024 coverage with a special episode dedicated to MIDDLE GRADE. First, New York Times-bestselling author Annie Barrows joins us to discuss Stella & Marigold, illustrated by Sophie Blackall (Chronicle Books, Oct. 1), one of Kirkus’ Best Books of 2024.Kirkus: “All the heart. None of the pablum. Sisterhood at its finest and freshest” (starred review). Then editors Laura Simeon and Mahnaz Dar highlight more of the year’s best middle grade.

We continue our Best Books of 2024 coverage with a special episode dedicated to PICTURE BOOKS. First, Ying Chang Compestine joins us to discuss Growing Up Under a Red Flag, illustrated by Xinmei Liu (Rocky Pond Books/Penguin, May 7), one of Kirkus’ Best Picture Books of 2024. Kirkus“A vivid glimpse into a childhood under communist rule.” Then young readers’ editor Mahnaz Dar highlights more of the year’s best picture books.

We continue our Best Books of 2024 coverage with a special episode dedicated to NONFICTION. First, Nell Irvin Painter joins us to discuss I Just Keep Talking: A Life in Essays (Doubleday, April 23), one of Kirkus’ Best Nonfiction Books of 2024. Kirkus: “A vibrant, insightful collection from an indispensable voice” (starred review). Then nonfiction editor John McMurtrie discusses more of the year’s best nonfiction.

We’re kicking off our Best Books of 2024 coverage with a special episode dedicated to FICTION. First, Elise Bryant joins us to discuss on of Kirkus’ Best Fiction Books of 2024: the tantalizing mystery novel It’s Elementary (Berkley, July 9). Then fiction editor Laurie Muchnick dishes on the year’s best novels and story collections.

It’s the seventh annual Fully Booked Holiday Gift Guide! On the second of two special episodes, we’re delving art books, travel, fun fresh holiday reads, and more. Special guest cohost Tom Beer joins host Megan Labrise conviviality and good cheer with curator and writer Lisa Le Feuvre (Great Women Sculptors; Phaidon) and Rosie Schaap, (The Slow Road North: How I Found Peace in an Improbable Country; Mariner Books). Then Kirkus’ editors present their top holiday gift book picks.

It’s the seventh annual Fully Booked Holiday Gift Guide! On the first of two special episodes, we’re delving into Books for Cooks, cookbooks, culinary histories, foodie fiction, and more. Special guest cohost Laurie Muchnick joins host Megan Labrise for spirited conversations with Rose Levy Beranbaum, author of The Cake Bible, 35th Anniversary Ed. (William Morrow Cookbooks, Oct. 22) and Paola Velez, author of Bodega Bakes: Sweets and Treats Inspired by My Corner Store (Union Sq. & Co., Oct. 1). Then Kirkus’ editors present their top culinary gift book picks.

Debut novelist Nayantara Roy discusses The Magnificent Ruins (Algonquin, Nov. 12). “Lila De’s life in Brooklyn is a success, but a bereavement that pulls her back to her homeland of India forces her to confront her demons” in this “rich” family saga, Kirkus writes. Then our editors share their top picks in books for the week.

Abbott Kahler discusses Eden Undone: A True Story of Sex, Murder, and Utopia at the Dawn of World War II (Crown, Sept. 24). Kirkus calls this standout narrative nonfiction, set on a small Galapagos island, “a spirited page-turner.” Then Kirkus’ editors share their top picks in books for the week.

Amy Reading discusses The World She Edited: Katherine S. White at the New Yorker (Mariner Books, Sept. 3). Kirkus calls this standout biography “an entertaining and expansive study of a pioneering literary editor and the era that shaped her legendary tenure” (starred review). Then Kirkus’ editors share their top picks in books for the week.

On this special episode, editor-in-chief Tom Beer and host Megan Labrise dish on the 2024 Kirkus Prize, one week ahead of the 11th Kirkus Prize Awards Ceremony in New York City. Then Kirkus’ editors take us behind the scenes of the monthslong Kirkus Prize process.

On our Best October Books episode, sponsored by Flying Eye Books, Kirkus’ editors share their top titles for the month. Then Betsy Lerner joins us to discuss her distinctive debut novel, Shred Sisters (Grove, Oct. 3). Kirkus: “A seamlessly constructed and absorbing fictional world, full of insight about how families work” (starred review).

Rumaan Alam discusses Entitlement (Riverhead, Sept. 17), the scintillating follow-up to his National Book Award-nominated novel Leave the World Behind (2020). “A billionaire philanthropist’s ambitious young protégé wants her slice of the pie,” Kirkus writes in a starred review. “[Entitlement] cements Alam’s status as a talented truth-teller willing to tackle tough issues with grace, generosity, and sensitivity.” Then Kirkus’ editors share their top picks in books for the week.

Garth Greenwell discusses Small Rain (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Sept. 3), a profound new novel in which an unnamed narrator faces a medical emergency in Iowa City at the height of the pandemic. Kirkus: “Greenwell—such a finely tuned, generous writer—transforms a savage illness into a meditation on a vital life” (starred review). Then our editors share their top picks in books for the week.

Devika Rege discusses her standout debut novel, Quarterlife (Liveright, Sept. 10), which Kirkus calls “an ambitious, unusual, formally risky novel that attempts nothing less than a full-scale portrait of India circa 2014.” Then our editors share their top picks in books for the week.

On our Best September Books episode, Kirkus’ editors share their top titles for the month. Then Danzy Senna joins us to discuss her highly anticipated new novel, Colored Television (Riverhead, Sept. 3). “When her second novel hits a wall, a biracial California writer makes a desperate attempt to sta

Award-winning author and journalist Gayle Forman discusses Not Nothing (Aladdin, Aug. 27), an unforgettable middle grade novel narrated by a 107-year-old man who befriends a troubled 12-year-old boy. Kirkus: “Powerful, heartbreaking, and hopeful” (starred review). Then our editors share their top picks in books for the week.

Chris La Tray discusses Becoming Little Shell: A Landless Indian’s Journey Home (Milkweed Editions, Aug. 20), a standout memoir that tells the story of embracing his identity as a member of the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians. Kirkus: “A brilliant contribution to the canon of Native American literature” (starred review). Then our editors share their top picks in books for the week.

Caro De Robertis discusses The Palace of Eros (Atria, Aug. 13), a queer, genderqueer retelling of the Greek myth of Psyche and Eros. Kirkus: “A vulnerable, sensual, and joyous journey about living and loving in one’s truth” (starred review). Then our editors share their top picks in books for the week.

On our Best August Books episode, Kirkus’ editors share their top titles for the month. Then novelist Abi Daré joins us to discuss And So I Roar (Dutton, Aug. 6), the followup to her breakout debut, The Girl With the Louding Voice. Kirkus: “Part old-fashioned adventure yarn, part feminist manifesto, and completely captivating” (starred review). And in a sponsored interview, Megan chats with Barbara O’Neal, author of Memories of the Lost (Lake Union, July 30).

Author Kyle Lukoff discusses two new picture books: Just What To Do, illus. by Hala Tahboub (Dial Books, July 16), about supporting loved ones through loss; and I’m Sorry You Got Mad, illus. by Julie Kwon (Dial Books, Aug. 23), “A master class in apologies and in storytelling through words and art” (starred review). Then our editors share their top picks in books for the week.

J. Courtney Sullivan discusses her new novel, The Cliffs (Knopf, July 2): “A novel about a woman, a house, and the history that haunts them” (starred review). And in a sponsored interview, Megan speaks with Dan Yaccarino, author-illustrator of The Luna Sisters and Their Amazing Lunafish (Holiday House, July 9), a fun, fast-paced beginning reader graphic novel. Then our editors share their top picks in books for the week.

Stacey D’Erasmo discusses her new essay collection, The Long Run: A Creative Inquiry (Graywolf, July 9): “A rich meditation on the artist’s life and work over time” (starred review). Then our editors share their top picks in books for the week.

Claire Messud discusses her new novel, This Strange Eventful History (Norton, May 14). Kirkus: “A family rides the waves of current events and personal conflicts across three generations….Brilliant and heart-wrenching; Messud is one of contemporary literature’s best” (starred review). Then our editors share their top picks in books for the week.

On our Best July Books, Kirkus’ editors share their top titles for the month. Then debut novelist Meriam Metoui joins us to discuss one of the best books of July, Portrait of a Shadow (Henry Holt, July 16), in which “a girl’s search for her missing sister peels back a deeper mystery….Masterfully written, this is a deceptively charming horror story that also skillfully weaves in romance, sacrifice, and heartbreak” (starred review). And in a sponsored interview, Megan chats with A.J. Sass, author of Just Shy of Ordinary, a “moving and memorable” middle grade novel out now from Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.

Olivia Laing joins us to discuss The Garden Against Time: In Search of a Common Paradise (Norton, June 25). Kirkus: “The award-winning author pens a fascinating and personal journey of paradise….An intellectually verdant and emotionally rich narrative journey” (starred review). Then our editors share their top picks in books for the week.

On the Fully Booked Takeover, special guest host Karen M. McManus (One of Us Is Lying) welcomes friend and fellow #1 New York Times bestselling author Kathleen Glasgow (Girl in Pieces) for an illuminating conversation about writing and publishing. Then our editors share their top picks in books for the week.

On our third annual Pride Episode, novelist Yael van der Wouden joins us to discuss The Safekeep (Avid Reader Press, May 28). Kirkus: “Two women spend a fraught summer together in the Dutch countryside…. [in this] this brilliant debut, as multifaceted as a gem” (starred revew). Then Kirkus’ editors recommend some exciting new books by LGBTQIA+ authors.

On this Best June Books episode, Kirkus’ editors share their top titles for the month. Then bestselling YA author Nicola Yoon joins us to discuss her hotly anticipated adult fiction debut, One of Our Kind (Knopf, June 11). In this scintillating psychological thriller, a successful young family moves to a wealthy Black enclave where all is not as it seems... Kirkus: “An artful page-turning thriller… constantly mindful that decisions about community and identity can put lives at stake” (starred review).

Emma Copley Eisenberg discusses her debut novel Housemates (Hogarth, May 28). Kirkus: “A timely coming-of-age story about art and love from the author of The Third Rainbow Girl (2020)… Emotionally rich and quietly thought-provoking, this is simply a stunning fiction debut.” Then our editors share their top picks in books for the week.

On the Fully Booked Takeover, special guest host Christopher Paolini welcomes fellow fantasy phenoms Rachel Hartman and Marie Brennan for a spirited discussion of process, publishing, dragons, and more. Then our editors share their top picks in books for the week.

Filmmaker, artist, and author Miranda July discusses her new novel, All Fours (Riverhead, May 14), in which a woman on a cross-country road trip takes an irresistible detour. Kirkus: “This tender, strange treatise on getting out from the “prefab structures” of a conventional life is quintessentially July.” Then our editors share their top picks in books for the week.

On this special episode, Kirkus’ share some of the Best May Books and a behind-the-scenes glimpse at the making our book lists. Then Aimee Nezhukumatathil joins us to discuss Bite by Bite: Nourishments and Jamborees (Ecco, April 30), a gorgeous memoir-in-essays showcasing the sweet and bitter memories associated with 40 significant foods. Kirkus: “A collection of flavorful memories” that’s both “graceful” and “delectable.”

Alexandra Tanner discusses her debut novel, Worry (Scribner, March 26): “A dark millennial comedy starring testy, needy Floridian Jewish sisters who move in together in New York City and drive each other nuts” (starred review). Then our editors share their top picks in books for the week.

On the Fully Booked Takeover, special guest host David Levithan celebrates the publication of Wide Awake Now (Knopf, April 16) with friend and fellow #1 New York Times-bestselling author Gayle Forman (If I Stay, I Have Lost My Way, etc.). Then our editors share their top picks in books for the week.

Darcie Little Badger joins us to discuss Sheine Lende (Levine Querido, April 16), a magnificent prequel to her acclaimed YA debut Elatsoe. Kirkus: “Two generations before the events of Elatsoe (2020), Shane, a 17-year-old Lipan Apache girl, helps her mother, Lorenza, perform volunteer search-and-rescue operations….A classic fantasy adventure and a balm for any soul weary of oppression” (starred review). Then our editors share their top picks in books for the week.

Ornithologist, professor, poet, and essayist J. Drew Lanham joins us to discuss Joy Is the Justice We Give Ourselves (Hub City Press, April 2), “another luminous mixture of prose and poetry…. that memorably, vibrantly shows how choosing joy is an act of resilience, courage, and power” (starred review). Then our editors share their top picks in books for the week.

Kirkus’ editors join host Megan Labrise in celebration of the Best Books of April, with their top picks in books for the month and a behind-the-scenes glimpse at the making our book lists. Then Julia Alvarez joins us to discuss The Cemetery of Untold Stories (Algonquin, April 2), in which a retiring Dominican American professor and novelist conceives of a unique way to contend with her unpublished manuscripts. Kirkus: “Buried stories find their way to the light in this finely crafted novel” (starred review).

Illustrator Nikki McClure joins us to discuss Something About the Sky (Candlewick Studio, March 12), her stunning new picture book with words by Rachel Carson. Kirkus: “Reflections on clouds and other wonders of our atmospheric ‘ocean’….Contemplative and stirring—definitely for wonderers” (starred review). Then our editors share their top picks in books for the week.

On this week's Fully Booked Takeover, special guest host Téa Obreht, author of The Tiger’s Wife, Inland, and The Morningside—out today, from Random House—talks with friend and fellow novelist Parini Shroff (The Bandit Queens). Then our editors share their top picks in books for the week.

New Yorker cultural critic Vinson Cunningham joins us to discuss his debut novel, Great Expectations (Hogarth, March 12), which Kirkus calls “a top-shelf intellectual bildungsroman” (starred review). Then our editors share their top picks in books for the week.

Tricia Romano joins us to discuss The Freaks Came Out To Write: The Definitive History of the Village Voice, the Radical Paper That Changed American Culture (PublicAffairs, Feb. 27). Kirkus: “Journalist Romano makes a zesty book debut with a polyphonic oral history of the iconic Village Voice.” Then our editors share their top picks in books for the week.

Breanna J. McDaniel joins us to discuss Go Forth and Tell: The Life of Augusta Baker, Librarian and Master Storyteller (Dial Books, Feb. 6), an outstanding picture book celebrating a legendary librarian “who sought out every gap a tale could bridge, who shattered barriers to ensure Black children would see themselves on library shelves, and whose legacy continues to this day exactly as it began—in the thrall of good stories” (starred review). Then our editors share their top picks in books for the week.

On this week's Fully Booked Takeover, special guest host Nita Prose, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller The Maid and The Mystery Guest, talks with award-winning Irish crime writer Liz Nugent. Then our editors share their top picks in books for the week.

Internationally bestselling Canadian romance author Amy Lea joins us to discuss The Catch (Berkley, Feb. 13), “A sweet conclusion to a swoony contemporary romance trilogy” (starred review). Then our editors share their top picks in books for the week.

Shayla Lawson joins us to discuss How to Live Free in a Dangerous World: A Decolonial Memoir (Tiny Reparations, Feb. 6): “A stunning essay collection about travel, mortality, and liberation” (starred review). Then Kirkus’ editors share their top picks in books for the week.

Venita Blackburn joins us to discuss Dead in Long Beach, California (MCD/Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Jan. 23), “an astonishing debut novel from a remarkably creative writer” (starred review). Then our editors share their top picks in books for the week.

Veera Hiranandani joins us to discuss the novel Amil and the After (Kokila, Jan. 23), a standalone companion to her 2019 Newbury Honor winner The Night Diary. Kirkus: “A quietly brilliant, deeply insightful story of living in uncertain times” (starred review). Then our editors share their top picks in books for the week.

On a special Spring Preview episode, Marie-Helene Bertino joins us to discuss the novel Beautyland (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Jan. 16). Kirkus: “A heartbreaking book that staggers with both truth and beauty” (starred review). Then our editors share some of their most anticipated spring 2024 titles.

On this week's Fully Booked Takeover, special guest host Stuart Gibbs (Spy School, FunJungle, etc.) talks with YRL powerhouse Christina Soontornvat (2020 Kirkus Prize winner All Thirteen, etc.). Then our editors share their top picks in books for the week.

Erika Howsare joins us to discuss The Age of Deer: Trouble and Kinship With Our Wild Neighbors (Catapult, Jan. 2). Kirkus: “A fascinating exploration….Outstanding natural history writing” (starred review). Then our editors share their top picks in books for the week.

Happy New Year, Fully Booked fans! Kirkus correspondent Michael Schaub joins editor-in-chief Tom Beer and host Megan Labrise for the annual Fully Booked Year in Review. Our merry crew discusses 2023's weird book news and announces the most popular episode of the year.

On this special holiday episode, Megan presents her favorite interviews of 2023, featuring Ilyon Woo, author of Master Slave Husband Wife (Simon & Schuster), and Jeopardy! champion Amy Schneider, author of In the Form of a Question (Avid Reader Press).

Our Best Books of 2023 coverage concludes on this special episode featuring Brandy Colbert, author of The Blackwoods (Balzer + Bray, Oct, 3). “Colbert’s sprawling novel is a deeply felt love letter to Black Hollywood’s groundbreaking forebears and a tribute to the transformative power of maternal love,” Kirkus writes in a starred review of The Blackwoods, one Kirkus’ Best YA Books of 2023. Then young readers’ editor Laura Simeon shares some of the titles on this year’s best books list.

Our Best Books of 2023 coverage continues on this special episode featuring Zach Weinersmith, author of Bea Wolf (First Second, March 21). This cheeky retelling of the first part of Beowulf, illustrated by Boulet, is one Kirkus’ Best Middle Grade Books of 2023. Then young readers’ editors Laura Simeon and Mahnaz Dar discuss their approach to collaborating on this year’s middle grade list.

Our Best Books of 2023 coverage continues with picture books. On this special episode, Leah Henderson joins us to discuss The Courage of the Little Hummingbird (Abrams, April 11), illustrated by Magaly Morales, one Kirkus’ Best Picture Books of 2023. Then editor Mahnaz Dar tells us all about the making of this year’s Best Books list.

Our Best Books of 2023 coverage continues with nonfiction. On this special episode, Curtis Chin joins us to discuss Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant (Little, Brown, Oct. 17), one Kirkus’ Best Nonfiction Books of 2023. Then editor Eric Liebetrau highlights some of the titles you’ll find on this year’s nonfiction list.

We’re kicking off our Best Books of 2023 coverage with fiction. On this special episode, Bryan Washington joins us to discuss Family Meal (Riverhead, Oct. 10), one Kirkus’ Best Fiction Books of 2023. Then fiction editor Laurie Muchnick tells us what it takes to determine the year’s top 100 titles.

It's the sixth annual Fully Booked Holiday Gift Guide! Editor-in-chief Tom Beer and host Megan Labrise welcome Margaret Renkl, author of The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year (Spiegel & Grau), and Ben Nadler, author of The Jewish Deli: An Illustrated Guide to the Chosen Food (Chronicle Books), for some good cheer and gift book recommendations. And Kirkus’ editors present their top books to give this holiday season.

Deirdre Sullivan joins us to discuss Savage Her Reply (Little Island, Oct. 3), a feminist retelling of Irish folktale The Children of Lir. “Haunting and lyrical” (starred review). Then our editors share their top picks in books for the week.

Former FBI agent and author Jana Monroe joins us to discuss her new memoir Hearts of Darkness: Serial Killers, the Behavioral Science Unit, and My Life as a Woman in the FBI (Abrams, Oct. 10). Kirkus: “Fans of true crime will find much to enjoy in this absorbing chronicle of criminology.” Then our editors share their top picks in books for the week.

Jeopardy! champion Amy Schneider joins us to discuss her memoir In the Form of a Question: The Joys and Rewards of a Curious Life (Avid Reader, Oct. 3). Kirkus: “[F]or a funny, memorable, philosophical take on life, Schneider’s book is far and away the winner.” Then our editors share their top picks in books for the week.

On this week's Fully Booked Takeover, special guest host Cassandra Clare is joined by friends Holly Black and Kelly Link, in celebration of the publication of Sword Catcher (Oct. 10, Del Rey), “A whirlwind epic fantasy featuring secret plots, ancient magic, and hidden identities” (Kirkus). Then our editors share their top picks in books for the week.

On a special episode, editor-in-chief Tom Beer and host Megan Labrise discuss all things Kirkus Prize, one week ahead of our 10th anniversary celebration and awards ceremony in New York City. And in a sponsored interview, Megan talks with Sydney Smith, author-illustrator of the poignant picture book Do You Remember? (starred review). Then our editors share some of their favorite memories from Kirkus Prize celebrations gone by.

Poet and essayist Ross Gay joins us to discuss The Book of (More) Delights (Algonquin, Sept. 19). Kirkus: “Keenly observed and delivered with deftness, these essays are a testament to the artfulness of attention and everyday joy” (starred review). Then our editors share their top picks in books for the week.

On this week's Fully Booked Takeover, sponsored by Penguin Young Readers Group, special guest host Jason Reynolds (Stuntboy, In-Between Time, etc.) talks with author and activist Christine Platt (The Afrominimalist’s Guide to Living With Less, etc.). Then our editors share their top picks in books for the week.

Critically acclaimed novelist Mona Awad joins us to discuss Rouge (Marysue Rucci Books, Sept. 12). Kirkus: “A woman tangles with a cultlike spa and her own obsession with physical beauty in the wake of her mother’s death in this hypnotic tour de force” (starred review). Then our editors share their top picks in books for the week.

Alice Carrière joins us to discuss Everything/Nothing/Someone (Spiegel & Grau, Aug. 29), a memoir of mental illness from the daughter of American artist Jennifer Bartlett and German actor Mathieu Carrière. Kirkus: “[Carrière’s] artistic prowess and determination to unearth and interpret the true narrative arc of her life and healing shine through… A spellbinding memoir” (starred review). Then our editors share their top picks in books for the week.

Jamel Brinkley joins us to discuss Witness (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Aug. 1), a story collection from the author of National Book Award finalist A Lucky Man (2018). “After just two collections, Brinkley may already be a grand master of the short story,” Kirkus writes in a starred review. Then our editors share their top picks in books for the week.

Jenn Shapland joins us to discuss Thin Skin: Essays (Pantheon, Aug. 15), an “eloquent and vibrantly lucid collection” of essays that explore “the permeability of human bodies” (starred review), from the author of 2020 National Book Award finalist My Autobiography of Carson McCullers. Then our editors share their top picks in books for the week.

On this week's Fully Booked Takeover, special guest host Karin Slaughter (After That Night, Aug. 22, 2023) interviews crime writer Wanda M. Morris (All Her Little Secrets, Anywhere You Run). Then our editors share their top picks in books for the week.

Arianne Shahvisi joins us to discuss Arguing for a Better World: How Philosophy Can Help Us Fight for Social Justice (Penguin, July 18). Using the tools of philosophy, Shahvisi, a senior lecturer in ethics at the Brighton and Sussex Medical School, shows readers how to contemplate, comprehend, and substantiate their moral positions, with the express purpose of fostering understanding in divisive political conversations. Then our editors share their top picks in books for the week.

Brando Skyhorse joins us to discuss My Name Is Iris (Avid Reader Press, Aug 1). Kirkus calls this sophomore novel from the author of The Madonnas of Echo Park, “a well-imagined allegory of divisive racial politics.” Then our editors share their top picks in books for the week.

On this week's Fully Booked Takeover, special guest host Megan Abbott (Beware the Woman) interviews novelist Ivy Pochoda (Sing Her Down). And in a sponsored interview, Megan talks with Preeti Chhibber and Alex Segunda, authors of original Spider-Man stories for young readers from publisher Marvel. Then our editors share their top picks in books for the week.

On this week’s Fully Booked Takeover, we’re thrilled to welcome special guest host Sarah MacLean (Knockout, Aug. 2023), in conversation with rising star romance novelist Adriana Herrera (An Island Princess Starts a Scandal). Then our editors share their top picks in books for the week.

Caldecott medalist Jon Klassen joins us to discuss The Skull (Candlewick, July 11), a brilliant retelling of a Tyrolean folktale from the Canadian-born author/illustrator of I Want My Hat Back, et al. Kirkus: “Employing his customary pitch-perfect tonal gymnastics, only Klassen could inspire readers to want craniums as pals” (starred review). Then our editors share their top picks in books for the week.

Joy McCullough joins us to discuss Code Red (Atheneum, June 13), an engaging new middle-grade novel that takes on menstruation, friendship, and activism. “Character-driven, thought-provoking, often funny, and, above all, timely,” Kirkus writes in a starred review. Then our editors share their top picks in books for the week.

Debut novelist K Patrick joins us to discuss Mrs. S (Europa Editions, June 20): “Dark academia meets forbidden love as an English boarding school matron [falls for a] headmaster’s wife…An erotic yet high-minded literary achievement,” Kirkus writes in a starred review. Then our editors share their reading recommendations for the week.

On this week’s inaugural Fully Booked Takeover, we’re thrilled to welcome special guest host Owen King (The Curator, etc.), in conversation with debut novelist Jacqueline Holland (The God of Endings). Then our editors share their top picks in books for the week.

On our second annual Pride Episode of the podcast, Amelia Possanza joins us to discuss Lesbian Love Story: A Memoir in Archives (Catapult, May 30) Kirkus: “Detailed and immensely readable, this is a generous history of lesbian love” (starred review). Then our editors highlight some of their favorite books by LGBTQIA+ authors.

Happy summertime, readers! S.A. Cosby joins us to discuss All the Sinners Bleed (Flatiron, June 6) on this special Summer Reads episode. Kirkus: “A gripping cat-and-mouse game between a twisted White religious killer and the first Black sheriff of a small Virginia community.” Then our editors highlight some of their favorite books of summer.

Luis Alberto Urrea joins us to discuss Good Night, Irene (Little Brown, May 30), a novel inspired by his mother’s service in the Red Cross’ Clubmobile Corps in World War II. Kirkus: “Top-shelf historical fiction delivered with wit and compassion” (starred review). Then our editors share their reading recommendations for the week.

Max Porter joins us to discuss Shy (Graywolf, May 2), a slim, introspective new novel from the inventive author of Grief is the Thing With Feathers (2016) and Lanny (2019). Then our editors share their reading recommendations for the week.

Katherine Heiny joins us to discuss Games and Rituals (Knopf, April 18), her funny, frank sophomore story collection. Kirkus: “With this irresistibly amusing, bighearted collection, Heiny again proves she is a master of the short story form” (starred review). Then our editors offer their reading recommendations for the week.

Novelist Brendan Slocumb joins us to discuss Symphony of Secrets (Anchor, April 18), a vibrant musical mystery from the author of The Violin Conspiracy (2022). Kirkus: “A scholar discovers his favorite composer's secret in this page-turning thriller….Sophomore novels don’t get much better than this” (starred review). Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week.

Abraham Verghese joins us to discuss The Covenant of Water (Grove, May 2), a standout sophomore novel from the author of 2009 bestseller Cutting for Stone. “Three generations of a South Indian family are marked by passions and peccadillos, conditions and ambitions, interventions both medical and divine,” Kirkus writes in a starred review. And in a sponsored interview, Megan talks with novelist Nana Kwame Adjei Brenya, author of Chain-Gang All-Stars (Pantheon, May 2; starred review). Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week.

Jonathan Rosen joins us to discuss The Best Minds: A Story of Friendship, Madness, and the Tragedy of Good Intentions (Penguin Press, April 18), “An affecting, thoughtfully written portrait of a friendship broken by mental illness and its terrible sequelae” (starred review). Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week.

Mark Oshiro joins us to discuss their latest YA novel, Into the Light (Tor Teen, March 28), “An important and searing read on the value of family, agency, and belief” (starred review). Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week.

Idra Novey joins us to discuss her new novel, Take What You Need (Viking, March 14). Kirkus: “Transforming the odd and the homely into something beautiful is both the subject and the accomplishment of this book” (starred review). Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week.

Susanna Hoffs joins us to discuss her debut novel, This Bird Has Flown (Little Brown, April 4). Kirkus: “A fun read that’s perfect for lovers of pop music, classic books, and romantic comedies.” Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week.

Kelly Link joins us to discuss White Cat, Black Dog (Random House, March 28). Kirkus: “Seven modern fairy tales by a master of the short form…. Enchanting, mesmerizing, brilliant work” (starred review).Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week.

Shelley Read joins us to discuss Go As a River (Spiegel & Grau, March 7). Kirkus: “With delicate precision, Read evokes both Colorado’s rugged wilderness and the landscapes of her characters’ troubled hearts. An auspicious debut” (starred review).Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week.

Alexandra Robbins joins us to discuss The Teachers: A Year Inside America’s Most Vulnerable, Important Profession (Dutton, March 14): “An important and eye-opening book that all parents, teachers, and educational administrators should read” (starred review). Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week.

Jenny Jackson joins us to discuss her debut novel Pineapple Street (Pamela Dorman Books, March 7): “Rich-people jokes, cultural acuity, and entertaining banter keep this novel moving at a sprightly pace as the characters learn their lessons about money and morals” (Kirkus). And in a sponsored interview, Megan talks with Jordan Scott and Sydney Smith, author and illustrator of My Baba’s Garden (Neal Porter Books, March 7), “A quiet, tender, and profoundly moving celebration of intergenerational love” (starred review). Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week.

Asale Angel-Ajani joins us to discuss A Country You Can Leave (MCD/Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Feb. 21). Kirkus: “The focus of this sharp, observant debut novel, which deftly blends humor and hard truths while examining economic inequities and the emotional toll they take, is [a] fraught mother-daughter connection.” Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week.

Roshani Chokshi joins us to discuss The Last Tale of the Flower Bride (Morrow/HarperCollins, Feb. 14), “A singular, unforgettable tale of love and magic” (starred review). Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week.

Ilyon Woo joins us to discuss Master Slave Husband Wife: An Epic Journey From Slavery to Freedom (Simon & Schuster, Feb. 7). Kirkus: “An engaging tale of one enslaved couple’s journey to freedom and a love that conquered all” (starred review). Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week.

Kenji Yoshino and David Glasgow join us to discuss Say the Right Thing: How To Talk About Identity, Diversity, and Justice (Atria, Feb. 7). Kirkus: “A sensitive and sensible handbook for encouraging positive conversations about identity” (starred review). Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week.

V (formerly Eve Ensler) joins us to discuss Reckoning (Bloomsbury, Jan. 31), an “elegant and timely” memoir about the personal traumas that paved her path as a world-renowned artist and lifelong activist. Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week.

Novelist Deepti Kapoor joins us to discuss Age of Vice (Riverhead Books, Jan. 3), a fast-paced cinematic thriller centering on a rich and powerful family from Uttar Pradesh and their associates. Kirkus: “Fans of crime novels will find much to admire in this quite entertaining book.” Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week.

1 bestselling author Leigh Bardugo joins us to discuss Hell Bent (Flatiron Books, Jan. 10), the second book in her high-octane “Alex Stern” fantasy series, set at Yale University. Kirkus: “The plot is relentless and clever, and the writing is vivid, intelligent, and funny at just the right moments, but best of all are the complex characters…each with a backstory that makes it possible for the reader to trust them to enter hell and have the strength to leave again” (starred review). Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week.

Bestselling author Talia Hibbert joins us to discuss her first YA romance, Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute (Joy Revolution, Jan. 3), “A zippy rom-com with strong characterization, bursting with Gen Z–approved verbal sparring and stolen kisses” (starred review). Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week.

Bestselling author and psychology professor Dacher Keltner joins us to discuss Awe: The New Science of Evryday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your LIfe (Penguin Press, Jan. 3), “[an] insightful… focused guide to discovering awe and bliss in the human experience.” Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week.

Happy New Year, Fully Booked fans! Another fabulous year in podcasting concludes with our annual Year in Review, as Kirkus correspondent Michael Schaub joins editor-in-chief Tom Beer and host Megan Labrise for a merry discussion of 2022’s weird book news and the announcement of our most popular episode of the year.

On this special holiday episode, Megan presents her favorite interviews of 2022: with Kirkus Prize winner Ling Ma, author of Bliss Montage (Farrar, Straus and Giroux); and Anton Hur, translator of Violets by Kyung-sook Shin (Feminist Press).

In this special episode, celebrating Kirkus’ Best YA Books 2022, author S.K. Ali discusses Love From Mecca to Medina (Salaam Reads, Oct. 18), the follow-up to her 2019 novel Love From A to Z. Kirkus calls this stunning sequel, “A contemplative exploration of faith, love, and the human condition” (starred review). Then young readers’ editor Laura Simeon highlights some more of the best YA books of the year.

In this special episode, celebrating Kirkus’ Best Middle Grade Books 2022, we’re joined by L.D. Lapinski, author of The Secrets of the Stormforest (Aladdin, Sept. 13). Kirkus: “A moving conclusion to a delightful trilogy” (starred review). Then young readers’ editors Laura Simeon and Mahnaz Dar discusses our favorite middle grade books of the year.

n this special episode, celebrating Kirkus’ Best Picture Books 2022, we’re joined by P.J. Lynch, illustrator of Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost (Candlewick, Nov. 8). Kirkus: “Lovely pictures newly elucidate this renowned, euphonious work” (starred review). Then young readers’ editor Mahnaz Dar discusses our favorite picture books of the year.

In the second of five Best Books episodes, celebrating our favorite fiction, nonfiction, children’s books, middle grade, and YA of 2022, we’re joined by Jazmina Barrera, author of Linea Nigra: An Essay on Pregnancy and Earthquakes (Two Lines Press, May 3) that Kirkus calls, “a uniquely lyrical account of early motherhood” (starred review). Then nonfiction editor Eric Liebetrau discusses the Best Nonfiction Books of 2022. And in a sponsored interview, Megan talks with Candace Fleming, author of Polar Bear, illustrated by Eric Rohmann (Neal Porter Books, Nov. 22).

It’s time for the Best Books of 2022! This week kicks off a five-episode series celebrating la crème de la crème in fiction, nonfiction, children’s books, middle grade, and YA for the year. First, for fiction, Julia May Jonas joins us to discuss her “remarkable” debut novel Vladimir (Avid Reader Press, Feb 1). Then fiction editor Laurie Muchnick highlights some more extraordinary titles from this year’s list.

It’s the Fully Booked Holiday Gift Guide! Mary E. Pearson, author of Morrighan: The Beginnings of the Remnant Universe (Henry Holt), and Tim Laman, author of Bird Planet (Abrams) join editor-in-chief Tom Beer and host Megan Labrise in conversation. And Kirkus' editors present their top gift book picks.

Lynn Melnick joins us to discuss I've Had to Think Up a Way to Survive: On Trauma, Persistence, and Dolly Parton (Texas Univ. Press, Oct. 4). Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week.

On this special episode, we’re celebrating the 2022 Kirkus Prizes! Featuring behind-the-scenes interviews with judges Deesha Philyaw (fiction), Hanif Abdurraqib (nonfiction), and Jerry Craft (young readers’ literature). And in a sponsored interview, host Megan Labrise talks with Carmen Agra Deedy, author of Wombat Said Come In, illustrated by Brian Dies (Margaret Quinlin Books, Oct. 4).

National Book Award finalist Lydia Millet joins us to discuss her latest novel Dinosaurs (W.W. Norton, Oct. 11), “another life-affirming work from a writer who always carves her own literary path” (starred review). Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week.

Rita Zoey Chin joins us to discuss The Strange Inheritance of Leah Fern (Melville House, Oct. 4), in which a young woman embarks on a wonder-filled journey across the U.S. and Canada. Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week.

Namwali Serpell joins us to discuss The Furrows (Hogarth, Sept. 27), in which a woman grieves the loss of her younger brother. The sophomore novel is “stylistically refreshing and emotionally intense, cementing Serpell’s place among the best writers going” (starred review). Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week.

Kirkus Prize winner Christina Soontornvat joins us to discuss The Tryout (Scholastic, Sept. 6), illustrated by Joanna Cacao. Kirkus calls this standout graphic memoir, about going out for the cheerleading squad in a small Texas town in the 1990s, “a funny, relatable, and genuine story of friendship and belonging” (starred review). Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week.

Debut novelist Carolyn Huynh joins us to discuss The Fortunes of Jaded Women (Atria, Sept. 6), “a funny, sharp, and insightful look at family bonds and the effects of tradition on modern life” (Kirkus). Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week.

Kirkus Prize-winning novelist Ling Ma joins us to discuss her new story collection Bliss Montage (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Sept. 13), which Kirkus calls “haunting and artful” (starred review). Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week.

On this special Work Episode of the podcast, Ellyn Gaydos joins us to discuss Pig Years (Knopf, June 14), a lyrical debut memoir of four years of seasonal farm work in New York and Vermont. Kirkus: “Lyrical and cleareyed insight into farming from a writer devoted to both crafts.” Then our editors recommend some of their favorite books contending with jobs and professions.

Sidik Fofana joins us to discuss Stories From the Tenants Downstairs (Scribner, Aug. 16), eight interconnected stories set in a fictional high-rise in Central Harlem. Kirkus: “A potentially significant voice in African American fiction asserts itself with wit and compassion” (starred review). Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week.

Carmen Rita Wong joins us to discuss Why Didn’t You Tell Me?: A Memoir (Crown, July 12). Kirkus: “The gradual unraveling of lifelong deceptions about her parenthood teaches a Dominican Chinese woman unsettling lessons about the mutability of identity” (starred review). Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week.

On our 2022 Fall Preview episode, Beth Macy discusses Raising Lazarus: Hope, Justice, and the Future of America’s Overdose Crisis (Little, Brown, Aug. 16), “a profoundly disconcerting book that, with luck, will inspire reform to aid the dopesick and punish their suppliers” (starred review). Then our editors highlight a few of their favorite titles from the Fall Preview issue of Kirkus Reviews.

In this episode, sponsored by Amazon Original Stories, Mohsin Hamid joins us to discuss the novel The Last White Man (Riverhead, Aug. 2), “a provocative tale that raises questions of racial and social justice at every turn” (starred review). Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week.

Monique Roffey joins us to The Mermaid of Black Conch (Knopf, July 12). Kirkus: “In this Costa Award–winning novel, the discovery of a mermaid makes waves on a fictional Caribbean island….A mournful tour through Caribbean history via one of its most indelible legends.” Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week.

Oscar Hokeah joins us to discuss Calling for a Blanket Dance (Algonquin, July 26), an outstanding debut novel about the life of Ever Geimausaddle, a Kiowa-Cherokee-Mexican American man, artfully told from the perspectives of 11 family members, as well as his own. Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week.

Chrysta Bilton joins us to discuss Normal Family: On Truth, Love, and How I Met My 35 Siblings (Little, Brown, July 19), the debut memoir Kirkus calls “a wholly absorbing page-turner that everyone will want to read. You should probably buy two” (starred review). Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week.

Mecca Jamilah Sullivan joins us to discuss Big Girl (Liveright, July 12). Kirkus: “In this debut novel set in 1990s Harlem, a young girl learns—and redefines—what it means to take up space….A lyrical and important coming-of-age novel.” Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week.

New York Times-bestselling author Tom Perrotta joins us to discuss Tracy Flick Can’t Win (Scribner, June 7). In this 10th novel from the “master of dark comedy,” “the campaign to create a Hall of Fame at a suburban New Jersey high school lures a few skeletons out of their closets” (Kirkus). Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week.

Literary critic and cultural historian Joanna Scutts joins us to discuss Hotbed: Bohemian Greenwich Village and the Secret Club That Sparked Modern Feminism (Seal Press, June 7), “an enlightening contribution to the history of feminism” (Kirkus). Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week.

Ada Calhoun joins us to discuss Also a Poet: Frank O’Hara, My Father, and Me (Grove, June 14). Kirkus: “Art critic Peter Schjeldahl's daughter takes a shot at finishing her father's derailed biography of Frank O'Hara and ends up writing a fascinating memoir….A wonderfully convoluted, catty, candid, and clever piece of work” (starred review). Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week.

Joseph Han joins us to discuss the novel Nuclear Family (Counterpoint, June 7), “a raucous and adroit debut” in which “an immigrant family is haunted by the past” (Kirkus). Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week.

Julio Torres joins us to discuss I Want To Be a Vase (Atheneum, June 7), illus. by Julian Glander, a gorgeous debut picture book about the self-actualization of everyday objects. Kirkus: “Great for stimulating creative thinking and art activities: What else can ordinary objects be?” Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week.

Ann Leary joins us to discuss The Foundling (Marysue Rucci Books, May 31), a “thoroughly satisfying novel” in which the New York Times bestselling author “turns her mordant eye to the interplay of feminism, racism, and eugenics at a state institution for women deemed unfit to bear children in 1927” (starred review). Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week.

Author Marie Myung-Ok Lee joins us to discuss her new novel The Evening Hero (Simon & Schuster, May 24), the story of Yungman Kwak, a Korean American doctor grappling with forced retirement and family secrets. Kirkus says Lee’s brilliant novel is “filled with as much heartache and healing as it is historical significance.” Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week.

New York Times bestselling author Emma Straub joins us to discuss her latest novel, This Time Tomorrow (Riverhead, May 17). “Combine Straub's usual warmth and insight with the fun of time travel and you have a winner,” Kirkus writes in a starred review. Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week.

Margo Jefferson joins us to discuss Constructing a Nervous System: A Memoir (Pantheon, April 12), “a dynamic, unflinchingly candid examination of the impacts of race and class on culture and the author’s own life” (starred review). Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week.

R.M. Romero joins us to discuss The Ghosts of Rose Hill (Peachtree Teen, May 10), a magical realist romance in verse Kirkus calls “a must-read for lost souls everywhere” (starred review). Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week.

Leigh Newman joins us to discuss Nobody Gets Out Alive (Scribner, April 12), “bighearted stories of domestic discord by a writer with a cleareyed view of Alaska's romance and hardscrabble realism” (starred review). Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week.

Rhea Ewing joins us to discuss Fine: A Comic About Gender (Liveright, April 2), a work of graphic nonfiction Kirkus calls “A vital, richly textured resource for anyone seeking a better understanding of gender identity” (starred review). Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week.

Booker Prize-winning author Douglas Stuart joins us to discuss his new novel, Young Mungo (Grove, April 2), a sophomore effort Kirkus calls “romantic, terrifying, brutal, tender, and, in the end, sneakily hopeful” (starred review). Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week.

Novelist Grant Ginder joins us to discuss Let’s Not Do That Again (Henry Holt, April 5), a “ timely comic novel set in New York and Paris” wherein “a political family deals with drama past and present” (starred review) Then our editors offer their weekly reading recommendations.

Writer and humorist Jill Gutowitz joins us to discuss Girls Can Kiss Now (Atria, March 8), “a witty essay collection about pop culture and queerness” (Kirkus). Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week, with books by Kate Folk and Matt Phelan.

Future forecaster and game designer Jane McGonigal joins us to discuss Imaginable: How To See the Future Coming and Feel Ready for Anything—Even Things That Seem Impossible Today (Spiegel & Grau, March 22), “a fascinating book about how the future does not have to be an undiscovered country.” Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week, with books by Adib Khorram, Chuck Klosterman, and Joe Mungo Reed.

Aisha Saeed joins us to discuss Omar Rising (Nancy Paulsen Books, Feb. 1). Kirkus calls this companion to her New York Times-bestselling middle-grade debut Amal Unbound “a powerful tale about a preteen pushing back against systemic injustice” (starred review). Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week, with books by Sara Zarr, Ian O’Connor, and Sarah Moss.

Meghan O’Rourke joins us to discuss The Invisible Kingdom: Reimagining Chronic Illness (Riverhead, March 8), an “emotionally compelling and intellectually rich” exploration of chronic illness compelling told through “personal narrative and science journalism, with deep dives into the technicalities of the immune system and the microbiome.” Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week, with books by Lillie Lainoff, Dan Charnas, and Karen Joy Fowler.

On this special International Episode, Anton Hur joins us to discuss his forthcoming translation of Violets by Man Asian Prize-winning novelist Kyung-Sook Shin (April 12). Then our editors join with their international reading recommendations for early 2022, with books by Sang-Keun Kim (tr. Ginger Ly), Chesil (tr. Takami Nieda), Olga Tokarczuk, Shen Fuyu, and Kerri ní Dochartaigh.

Dr. Neil Bradbury joins us to discuss A Taste for Poison: Eleven Dealy Molecules and the Killers Who Used Them (St. Martin’s Press, Feb. 1), a fascinating blend of science, medical history, and true crime that ably illustrates what we can learn about how the human body works from poisons employed in famous murder plots and assassination attempts. Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week, with books by Kathy Z. Price and Carl Joe Williams, Carolyn Tara O’Neil, Michael Schur, and Julie Otsuka.

Charmaine Wilkerson joins us to discuss her novel Black Cake (Ballantine Books, Feb. 1), “an ambitious and accomplished debut” centering on estranged siblings discover “almost everything they know about their Caribbean-born parents is a lie” (Kirkus). Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week, with books by Taiye Selasi and Tinuke Fagborun, Jean-Claude van Rijckeghem and Kristen Gehrman, and Lan Samantha Chang.

Sara Gran joins us to discuss The Book of the Most Precious Substance (Dreamland Books, Feb. 8), a delightful erotic literary thriller from the author of the Claire DeWitt mystery series and founder of Dreamland Books. Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week, with books by Traci Sorell, Ruta Sepetys, Carl Bernstein, and Antoine Wilson.

Jessamine Chan joins us to discuss her debut novel The School for Good Mothers (Simon & Schuster, Jan. 4), a brilliant social satire centering on one Philadelphia mother’s “very bad day.” Kirkus: “An enthralling dystopian drama that makes complex points about parenting with depth and feeling” (starred review). Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week, with books by Ruth Behar and Devon Holzwarth, Bernardine Evaristo, and Julia May Jonas.

John Darnielle joins us to discuss Devil House (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Jan. 25), “an impressively meta work that delivers the pleasures of true-crime while skewering it.” This third novel from the New York Times bestselling author and singer-songwriter of Mountain Goats fame is his best yet, according to our starred review. Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week, with books by Marieke Nijkamp, Nilah Magruder, Stanley Tucci, and Claire Messud

Debut author Gwen E. Kirby joins us to discuss Shit Cassandra Saw (Penguin, Jan. 11), a standout, feminist short story collection with “zany plots, unconventional forms, and playful, poetic language” that “delight[s] at every turn” (starred review). Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week, with books by Zoey Abbott, Corey Ann Haydu, Paul McCartney, and Jonathan Evison.

Antoine Wilson joins us to discuss Mouth to Mouth (Avid Reader Press, Jan. 11), an intriguing novel Kirkus calls “a deliciously nasty morality play in the guise of a thriller.” Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week, with books by Sophie Burrows, Claire Alexander, and Hanya Yanagihara.

Xochitl Gonzalez joins us to discuss Olga Dies Dreaming (Flatiron Books, Jan. 4), the hotly anticipated debut novel Kirkus calls a “warmhearted but tough-minded story of a sister and brother grappling with identity, family, and life goals in gentrifying Brooklyn” (starred review). Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week, with books by David Valdez, Nikole Hannah-Jones & Caitlin Roper & Elena Silverman & Jake Silverstein, and Jessamine Chan.

Happy New Year, listeners! Editor-in-chief Tom Beer and journalist Michael Schaub join host Megan Labrise for an extra-special Fully Booked Year-in-Review, featuring a spirited discussion of the wackiest book news to come out of 2021, followed by the revelation and celebration of our most downloaded episode of the year. You won’t want to miss it.

On this special holiday episode, host Megan Labrise looks back on the year in podcasting and reintroduces two of her favorite conversations from 2021: with Kazuo Ishiguro, author of Klara and the Sun (Knopf), and with Mary Roach, author of Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law (Norton). Thanks for listening in, and cheers to another great year in podcasting!

On our final Best Books episode, Cynthia Barnett discusses The Sound of the Sea: Seashells and the Fate of the Oceans (Norton, July). This “absolutely captivating nature book” is one of Kirkus’ Best Books in young readers’ literature for 2021 (starred review). Then nonfiction editor Eric Liebetrau joins Megan to discuss the year in memoir, biography, science writing, history, criticism, and more.

On our second Best Books episode, Kelly Loy Gilbert discusses When We Were Infinite (Simon & Schuster, March). Gilbert’s “beautifully, achingly cathartic” YA novel (starred review), is one of Kirkus’ Best Books in young readers’ literature for 2021. Then young readers’ editor Laura Simeon joins Megan to discuss the year in picture books, middle grade, and YA.

On our first Best Books episode, Lily King discusses Five Tuesdays in Winter (Grove, Nov. 9), one of Kirkus’ Best Books in fiction for 2021. Kirkus: “The first collection of stories from an acclaimed novelist…. Full of insights and pleasures” (starred review). Then fiction editor Laurie Muchnick joins Megan to talk titles, trends, and the year in fiction.

It's the fourth annual Fully Booked Holiday Gift Guide! Adrian Miller, author of Black Smoke: African Americans and the United States of Barbecue (UNC Press) and Jacob Gallagher of The Men’s Fashion Book (Phaidon) join editor-in-chief Tom Beer and host Megan Labrise for some good cheer and great stories. And Kirkus’ editors present their top gift book picks.

James Beard Award-winning journalist Mayukh Sen joins us to discuss Taste Makers: Seven Immigrant Women Who Revolutionized Food in America (Norton, Nov. 16). Kirkus calls this groundbreaking group biography “Well-crafted, engaging portraits of culinary and cultural pioneers.” Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week, with books by Dan Murphy and Aubrey Plaza, Katie Heaney, and Louise Erdrich.

Model, actor, activist, entrepreneur and author Emily Ratajkowski joins us to discuss My Body (Metropolitan Books, Nov. 9). Kirkus calls her standout debut essay collection “a refreshingly candid, fearless look into a model’s body of work and its impact on her identity and politics.” Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week, with books by Donna Jo Napoli and Naoko Stoop, Harmony Becker, and Claire Vaye Watkins.

Cultural critic Rax King joins us to discusses Tacky: Love Letters to the Worst Culture We Have to Offer (Vintage, Nov. 2), “an engaging, hilarious, unabashed look at what we love in culture and why we should value it for what it is” (starred review). Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week, with books by Winsome Bingham and Charles G. Esperanza, Amy Butler Greenfield, Tom Vitale, and Asali Solomon.

It’s time for the 2021 Kirkus Prizes! In a YouTube livestream on Thursday, Oct. 28, we'll reveal our judges' picks for the best books of the year in fiction, nonfiction, and young readers' literature, with each of the winners taking home a $50,000 prize. On this special episode, we go behind the scenes with YRL judge Naomi Shihab Nye, nonfiction judge Masha Gessen, and fiction judge Rumaan Alam to find out what went into making the short lists for this year’s awards. Then our editors join to further discuss the finalists.

Novelist Tiphanie Yanique joins us to discusses Monster in the Middle (Riverhead, Oct. 19), “A rich and honest examination of family histories, cultural disconnection, and the way people fall in love” (Kirkus). And in a special segment, we get to know Kirkus’ new Young Readers’ Editor Summer Edward, who will join us on the editors’ roundtable starting in November.

New Yorker staffer Susan Orlean joins us to discuss On Animals (Avid Reader Press, Oct. 12), a wide-ranging selection of essays and in-depth profiles of the finned and furred, from a beloved writer and avowed animal lover (starred review). Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week, with books by Jodi Kantor, Megan Twohey, and Ruby Shamir, Tarana Burke, and Hilma Wolitzer.

Novelist Chibundu Onuzo joins us to discuss Sankofa (Catapult, Oct. 5), the story of a biracial British woman who begins a quest to find her African father. And in a sponsored interview, Megan talks with Brittney Cooper and Chanel Craft Tanner, authors, with Susana Morris, of guide to girlhood Feminist AF (Norton Books for Young Readers, Oct .5; starred review). Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week, with books by Eugene Yelchin, Daniel de Visé, and John McGregor.

On this episode celebrating Banned Books Week, Qian Julie Wang joins us to discuss Beautiful Country (Doubleday, Sept. 7), an affecting account of her family’s journey from China to the U.S., and her challenging early years as an undocumented elementary schooler in New York’s Chinatown (starred review). Then editors Vicky Smith, Eric Liebetrau, and Laurie Muchnick join us for a spirited discussion of the importance of the right to read whatever you choose. This episode is sponsored by Lake Union Publishing, home of What Passes as Love by Trisha R. Thomas.

Feminist writer and independent scholar Sara Ahmed joins us to discuss Complaint! (Duke University Press, Sept. 21), a critical-philosophical consideration of what happens when professors and students file formal complaints against abuses of power in academic institutions. And in a sponsored interview, Megan talks with Julie Morstad, author-illustrator of Time Is a Flower (Tundra Books, Sept. 21; starred review). Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week, with books by Craig Whitlock, Colson Whitehead, and Yoon Choi.

Bestselling science writer Mary Roach discusses ‘Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law’ (Norton, Sept 14), about what happens when the instinctive behaviors of animals (and plants!) run afoul of human laws. “From the terrifying to the frustrating, a great starting point for understanding the animal world” (starred review). Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week, including books by Trang Nguyen and Jeet Dzung, Wab Kinew, and Mirin Fader.

Shruti Swamy discusses ‘The Archer’ (Algonquin, Sept 7), an “incantatory and often lovely” debut novel in which “an ancient dance form becomes a paradoxical route to escape for a girl growing up in poverty in India” (Kirkus). Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week, including books by Marcia Argueta Mickelson and Jo Hamya.

On this special Crime Episode of the podcast, sponsored by Amazon Publishing, S.A. Cosby discusses ‘Razorblade Tears’ (Flatiron, July 6), in which “violence and love go hand in hand in this tale of two rough men seeking vengeance for their murdered sons” (starred review). Then our editors talk crime and mystery titles, with recommendations for books by Iain Lawrence, Angeline Boulley, Ioan Grillo, and Charlotte Carter.

Kat Chow joins us to discuss the memoir Seeing Ghosts (Grand Central, Aug. 24), a deeply loving account of her mother’s life and death, and and investigation into the ways we help shape the narratives of those we love. And in a sponsored interview, Megan talks with Chuck Wendig, author of Dust and Grim (Little, Brown, Oct. 5; starred review). Then our editors join with their top picks in books for the week.

In this special Fall Preview episode, sponsored by Dear Highlights: What Adults Can Learn from 75 Years of Letters and Conversations with Kids (Highlights Press, Aug. 10), Veronica Chambers joins us to discuss ‘Call and Response: The Story of Black Lives Matter’ (Versify, Aug. 17), “an educational introduction for young readers and a comprehensive primer for adults” on the movement for racial justice. And in a sponsored interview, Megan talks with Lesa Cline-Ransome, author of Being Clem (Holiday House, Aug. 3), the highly anticipated conclusion to the “Finding Langston” trilogy. Kirkus: “A compelling work whose intriguing characters readers will miss when they turn the last page” (starred review). Then our editors join with their favorite books from our Fall Preview lists.

In this episode, sponsored by Dear Highlights: What Adults Can Learn from 75 Years of Letters and Conversations with Kids (Highlights Pres, Aug 10), Kaveh Akbar discusses ‘Pilgrim Bell’ (Graywolf, Aug 3), a stellar sophomore poetry collection in which “words assume physical, palpable form—as reverberations in the mouth and ear—but can just as easily take on a spectral aura, reminding us of worlds and selves no longer within reach….” (Andrew Chan, The New Yorker). Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week, including books by Reem Faruqi and Mikela Prevost, Raquel Vasquez Gilliland, Peter Bergen, and Anthony Veasna So.

Britta Lundin discusses ‘Like Other Girls’ (FreeForm Books, Aug 3), an standout YA novel about an Oregon girl who goes out for her high school football team. Kirkus: “Fiercely charming and achingly relatable—a glorious, empowering touchdown” (starred review). And in a sponsored interview, Megan talks with Bill Harley, author of ‘Now You Say Yes’ (Peachtree Publishing, Aug 21), a poignant middle-grade novel Kirkus calls, “a grand journey measured in both physical and emotional distance.” Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week, including books by Adama Bah, Alex Richards, and Katie Kitamura.

Leigh Patel discusses ‘No Study Without Struggle: Confronting Settler Colonialism in Higher Education’ (Basic Books, July 20), “a lively, politically engaged jeremiad on issues of identity, multiculturalism, and efforts to redress enduring wrongs.” Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week, with books by Victoria Ying, Dana Spiotta, and Rachel Cusk.

7/20 episode summary: Katie Kitamura discusses ‘Intimacies’ (Riverhead, July 20), “a barbed and splendid meditation on peril” (starred review). And in a sponsored interview, Megan talks with Victor Piñeiro, author of ‘Time Villains’ (Sourcebooks, July 6), a “magnificent” new middle grade adventure (starred review). Then our editors join with their top picks in books for the week.

7/13 episode summary: On this special Audiobooks Episode, Helen Ellis discusses recording the audiobook for her “smart, sassy, page-turning” new essay collection ‘Bring Your Baggage and Don’t Pack Light’ (Doubleday/Penguin Random House Audio, July 13). And in a sponsored interview, Megan talks with Christine French Cully, Editor-in-Chief of Highlights for Kids, about the forthcoming anthology ‘Dear Highlights: What Adults Can Learn from 75 Years of Letters and Conversations with Kids’ (Highlights Press, Aug. 10). Then editors Tom Beer, Vicky Smith, and Laura Simeon join Megan to discuss all things audiobook.

6/29 episode summary: Anuk Arudpragasam discusses the novel ‘A Passage North’ (Hogarth, July 6), “A luminously intelligent, psychologically intricate novel - slow in always rewarding ways” (starred review). Then our editors offer their reading recommendations for the week, with books by Shakirah Bourne, Yvonne Woon, and Diane Johnson.

6/29 episode summary: Marie-Helene Bertino discusses the novel ‘Parakeet’ (Farrar, Straus and Giroux; June 2020), out now in paperback, “a vivid book about lives visited by violent strangeness but lived with authentic humor and hope” (starred review). Then our editors offer their reading recommendations for the week, with books by Marilyn Singer and Leah Nixon, Kalynn Bayron, and Elin Hilderbrand.

Philip D’Anieri discusses ‘The Appalachian Trail: A Biography’ (HMH, June 8), “an incisive take on an American treasure that shines with illuminating detail and insight” (starred review). Then our editors offer their reading recommendations for the week, with books by Eva Montanari, Dhonielle Clayton et al, Matt Sullivan, and Jonathan Lee. And in a sponsored interview, Megan talks with Dylan Thuras and Cecily Wong of Atlas Obscura about their forthcoming book Gasto Obscura: A Food Adventurer’s Guide (Workman, Oct. 12).

It’s the Pride Episode! celebrating the work of LGBTQ+ authors creators around the world. Author Grace Perry discusses ‘The 2000s Made Me Gay: Essays on Pop Culture’ (St. Martin’s Griffin, June 1), “a humorous and reflective journey of self-discovery via pop culture.” Then our editors offer their reading recommendations for Pride 2021, with books by Robin Stevenson and Julie McLaughlin, Adiba Jaigirdar, Sarah Schulman, and Casey McQuiston.

Elissa Washuta discusses essay collection ‘White Magic’ (Tin House, April 27), which Kirkus calls “a fascinating magic trick of a memoir that illuminates a woman's search for meaning” (starred review). Then our editors offer their reading recommendations for the week, with books by Alex Aster, Caroline O’Donoghue, Suzanne Simard, and Zakiya Dalila Harris.

Clint Smith discusses ‘How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America’ (Little, Brown, June 1), a profound investigation of how nine historic sites address the legacy of American slavery. Then our editors offer their reading recommendations for the week, with books by Matt Ringler, Raúl the Third, and Elaine Bay, Deb Caletti, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and Jean Hanff Korelitz.

Tristan Gooley discusses ‘The Secret World of Weather: How to Read Signs in Every Cloud, Breeze, Hill, Street, Plant, Animal, and Dewdrop (The Experiment, May 25), a fascinating account of the many signs in nature that can help us understand and predict our local weather. Then our editors offer their reading recommendations for the week, with books by Julie Flett, S.K. Ali, and Alexandra Andrews.

Anjali Enjeti discusses ‘The Parted Earth’ (Hub City Press, May 4), the “illuminating, absorbing, and resonant” story of three generations of a family profoundly impacted by the 1947 Partition of India. Then our editors offer their reading recommendations for the week, with books by Huy Voun Lee, Sheba Karim, Patrick Radden Keefe, and Andy Weir.

Traci Sorell discusses ‘We Are Still Here! Native American Truths Everyone Should Know (Charlesbridge, April 20), illustrated by Frané Lessac, a “meticulously researched nonfiction picture book… that answer[s the] question: What has happened to Native Nations and their citizens after the treaties with the U.S. government ended in 1871?” (starred review). Then our editors offer their reading recommendations for the week, with books by Sarah Dass, Tracy K. Smith and John Freeman, and Laurie Colwin.

Joan Silber discusses ‘Secrets of Happiness’ (Counterpoint, May 4), “a new novel in stories from the master of the form” (starred review). In a sponsored interview, host Megan Labrise talks with Jessamyn Stanley, author of ‘Yoke: My Yoga of Self-Acceptance’ (Workman, June 22). Then our editors offer their reading recommendations, with books by Muon Thi Van and Victo Ngai, Stacey Lee, John McWhorter, and Maggie Shipstead.

Science writer Alex Riley discusses ‘A Cure for Darkness: The Story of Depression and How We Treat It’ (Scribner, April 13), “a welcome examination, both studious and intimate, of one of humanity’s great miseries” (starred review). Then our editors offer their reading recommendations for the week, with books by Sarah Miller, Don Lemon, and Haruki Murakami.

Poet and cultural critic Hanif Abdurraqib discusses ‘A Little Devil in America: Notes in Praise of Black Performance’ (Random House, March 30), a sublime essay collection Kirkus calls “another winner from Abdurraqib, a writer always worth paying attention to” (starred review). Then our editors offer their reading recommendations for the week, with books by Kyle Lukoff, Paula Yoo, Malcolm Gladwell, and Elizabeth McCracken.

Lauren Hough discusses ‘Leaving Isn’t the Hardest Thing’ (Vintage, April 13), a knockout debut essay collection that “explores the shaping power of the past and also raises provocative questions about what really constitutes a cult” (Kirkus). Then our editors offer their reading recommendations for the week, with books by Warren Binford, Kwame Onwuachi, Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney, and Beatriz Bracher.

Novelist Kirstin Valdez Quade discusses ‘The Five Wounds’ (Norton, April 6), an intimate, finely wrought family saga set in New Mexico. In a sponsored interview, host Megan Labrise talks with Elliott Young, author of ‘Forever Prisoners: How the United States Made the World’s Largest Immigrant Detention System’ (Oxford University Press, Jan 12). Then our editors offer their reading recommendations, with books by Tasha Spillett-Sumner and Michaela Goade, Anton Treuer, Emmanuel Acho, and Kazuo Ishiguro.

Melissa Febos discusses ‘Girlhood’ (Bloomsbury, March 30). Kirkus: “In her latest powerful personal and cultural examination, Febos interrogates the complexities of feminism and the ‘darkness’ that has defined much of her life and career…. Consistently illuminating, unabashedly ferocious writing” (starred review). Then our editors offer reading recommendations for the week, with books by Don Brown, Albert Marrin, and Jonathan Allen.

Jess Zimmerman discusses debut essay collection ‘Women and Other Monsters: Building a New Mythology’ (Beacon Press, March 9), “a sparkling and perceptive critique of ancient ideas that still hold women back” (starred review). Then our editors offer reading recommendations for the week, with books by María José Ferrada and María Elena Valdez (trans. by Lawrence Schimel), Margarita Engle, Mark Kurlansky, and Andrea Lee.

Annabelle Gurwitch discusses her latest memoir ‘You’re Leaving When? Adventures in Downward Mobility’ (Counterpoint, March 2). Kirkus: “Erma Bombeck meets Dorothy Parker in this topical and often laugh-out-loud funny take on our modern malaise.” Then our editors offer reading recommendations for the week, with books by Linda Sue Park and Robert Sae-Heng, Kate Alice Marshall, Bill Gates, and Talia Hibbert.

Patricia Engel discusses her latest novel ‘Infinite Country’ (Avid Reader Press, March 2). Kirkus: “Engel’s vital story of a divided Colombian family is a book we need to read” (starred review). Then our editors offer reading recommendations for the week, with books by Traci Sorell and Natasha Donovan, Kelly Loy Gilbert, and Lauren Oyler.

In this special episode, editor in chief Tom Beer hosts Pulitzer Prize winner Viet Thanh Nguyen to discuss ‘The Committed’ (Grove, March 2), a new novel Kirkus calls “a quirky intellectual crime story that highlights the Vietnam War’s complex legacy” (starred review). Then our editors offer reading recommendations for the week, with books by Shaw Kuzki and Emily Balistrieri, Anna-Marie McLemore, Walter Isaacson, and Naima Coster.

Kazuo Ishiguro discusses his latest novel ‘Klara and the Sun’ (Knopf, March 2), “a haunting fable of a lonely, moribund world that is entirely too plausible” (starred review). Then our editors offer reading recommendations for the week, with books by Juliet Menéndez, Safia Elhillo, Ibram X. Kendi and Keisha N. Blain, and Jack Livings.

Paisley Rekdal discusses ‘Appropriate: A Provocation’ (Norton, Feb. 16), “An astute, lucid examination of an incendiary issue” (starred review). And in a sponsored interview, Megan talks with debut author Kate Albus about A Place to Hang the Moon (Margaret Ferguson Books/Holiday House, Feb. 2). Then our editors offer reading recommendations for the week, with books by Phùng Nguyên Quang and Huynh Kim Liên, Nicole Lesperance, James Nestor, and Lauren Fox.

Jeremy Atherton Lin discusses ‘Gay Bar: Why We Went Out’ (Little, Brown, Feb. 9), “A vibrant and wistful report on a bygone era in gay culture” (starred review). Then our editors offer reading recommendations for the week, with books by Joyce Sidman, Joy McCullough, Amber Ruffin and Lacey Lamar, and Brandon Hobson.

Edward Carey discusses ‘The Swallowed Man’ (Riverhead, Jan. 26), an author-illustrated retelling of ‘Pinocchio’ from Geppetto’s point of view: “A deep and grimly whimsical exploration of what it means to be a son, a father, and an artist” (Kirkus). Then our editors offer reading recommendations for the week, with books by Carole Boston Weatherford (illus. by Floyd Cooper), Aimee Nezhukumatathil, and Tove Ditlevsen.

Michelle Duster discusses ‘Ida B. the Queen: The Extraordinary Life and Legacy of Ida B. Wells” (One Signal, Jan. 26), an illustrated biography and “warm remembrance of a civil rights icon” (Kirkus). Then our editors offer reading recommendations for the week, with books by Dovey Roundtree Johnston and Katie McCabe, Tess Sharpe, Jerry Seinfeld, and Sarah Moss.

Matthew Salesses discusses ‘Craft in the Real World: Rethinking Fiction Writing and Workshopping’ (Catapult, Jan. 19), “fresh view of teaching craft to writers of diverse backgrounds” (Kirkus). Then our editors offer reading recommendations for the week, with books by B.B. Alston, Malinda Lo, Gabriel Byrne, and Anna North.

George Saunders discusses ‘A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russian Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life’ (Random House, Jan. 12), in which “a master of contemporary fiction joyously assesses some of the best [short stories] of the 19th century” (starred review). Then our editors offer reading recommendations for the week, with books by Helen Yoon, Angie Thomas, Ram Dass, and Torrey Peters.

Koa Beck discusses White Feminism: From the Suffragettes to Influences and Who They Leave Behind (Atria, Jan. 5), “A timely, compelling dissection of feminism's reliance on consumerism and useful suggestions for paths forward” (starred review). Then our editors offer reading recommendations for the week, with books by JonArno Lawson and Qin Leng, Maika and Maritza Moulite, Charles M. Blow, and Mateo Askaripour.

Happy New Year, listeners! Editor-in-chief Tom Beer joins host Megan Labrise for the Fully Booked Year-in-Review, reintroducing two of our favorite conversations from 2020. First up, Beer talks with Claudia Rankine, author of Just Us: An American Conversation (Graywolf); then Labrise speaks with Julia Alvarez, author of Afterlife (Algonquin). Thanks for joining us, and cheers to another great year in podcasting.

We’re celebrating Kirkus’ Best Books of 2020! Best Books honoree Maria Dahvana Headley (Beowulf) chats with editor-in-chief Tom Beer; and novelist Carter Sickels (The Prettiest Star) talks with host Megan Labrise. Then our editors each highlight a title from our Best Books lists, including books by David A. Robertson, Liz Hyder, Hugh Raffles, and Emma Donoghue.

Nicole Krauss discusses her short story collection To Be a Man (Harper, Nov. 3). Kirkus: “A tremendous collection from an immensely talented writer” (starred review). And in a sponsored interview, Megan talks with Pat and Frankie Vegas about the YA graphic biography Redbone: The True Story of a Native American Rock Band (IDW Publishing, Oct. 27, starred review). Then our editors offer up another round of holiday gift picks, with books by Clotilde Perrin and Daniel Hahn, David Sedaris, James McBride, and Danielle Evans. Sponsored in part by Amazon Original Stories.

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Ringer columnist Claire McNear discusses her first book, Answers in the Form of Questions: A Definitive History and Insider’s Guide to Jeopardy! (Twelve, Nov. 10), an entertaining look behind the scenes of “America’s Favorite Quiz Show.” And in a sponsored interview, Megan chats with middle-grade novelist Bridget Krone, author of Small Mercies (Catalyst Press). Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week, with books by Rio Cortez and Lauren Semmer, Karen M. McManus, Barack Obama, and Lorrie Moore.

It's the third annual Fully Booked Holiday Gift Guide Extravaganza! Simon Doonan (How To Be Yourself: Life-Changing Advice From a Reckless Contrarian) and Kevin Young (ed. African American Poetry: 250 Years of Struggle & Song) join editor-in-chief Tom Beer and host Megan Labrise for a little holiday cheer. And our editors present their top gift picks, with books by Dav Pilkey, Sara Zarr, Jimmy Page, Tom Morello, and Claire Saffitz. And in a sponsored interview, Megan talks with Karen Schneemann and Lily Williams, authors of Go With the Flow (First Second).

Emmy-winning comedy writer Merill Markoe discusses We Saw Scenery: The Early Diaries of Merrill Markoe (Algonquin, Oct. 20), a subversive graphic memoir based on her childhood journals from the 1950s and ‘60s. Kirkus: “Markoe's bold, sometimes absurdist drawings and the often chiding conversations she imagines between her mature and adolescent selves enhance the comedy at the heart of this thought-provoking story...” Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week, with books by Isabel Thomas and Sara Gillingham, Gavriel Savit, Andrew Cuomo, and Bryan Washington. And in a sponsored interview, Megan talks with Jordan Scott and Sydney Smith, author and illustrator of I Talk Like a River (Neal Porter Books, Sept. 1).

Dwight Garner discusses Garner’s Quotations: A Modern Miscellany (FSG, Nov. 10), an uncommon collection of quotations from the New York Times book critic’s own commonplace book. Kirkus: “Garner delights in including words not printable in his newspaper, and his selections privilege the sly and irreverent…. A diverting trove of witty remarks.” Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week, with books by Isabel Thomas and Sara Gillingham, Gavriel Savit, Andrew Cuomo, and Bryan Washington.

Bett Williams discusses The Wild Kindness: A Psilocybin Odyssey (Dottir Press, Sep. 1), a shimmering literary memoir about growing and taking psychedelic mushrooms in the New Mexican desert. Kirkus: “An exuberant endorsement of the use of psychedelics as an instrument of self-discovery.” Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week, with books by Ruby Bridges, Gloria Chao, and Shirley Hazzard.

We're just two days away from this year's (virtual) Kirkus Prize ceremony! In a YouTube livestream on Thursday, Nov. 5, we’ll reveal our judges’ picks for the best books of the year in fiction, nonfiction, and young readers’ literature; and the winners will each take home a $50,000 prize. In this special Kirkus Prize podcast, we go behind the scenes with fiction judge Chang-rae Lee, nonfiction judge Kiese Laymon, and YRL judge Nicola Yoon to find out what it took to make this year’s six-book shortlists. Then our editors join to discuss all 18 finalists.

Ruby Hamad discusses White Tears/Brown Scars: How White Feminism Betrays Women of Color (Catapult, Oct. 6), a profound work of cultural criticism that shows how white womanhood is weaponized against Black and Indigenous women, and women of color. Kirkus: “An extraordinary book for anyone who wishes to pay more than lip service to truly inclusive, intersectional feminism” (starred review). Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week, including books by Bill Nye, Lucinda Robb and Rebecca Boggs Roberts, David Attenborough, and V.E. Schwab.

Novelist emily m. danforth discusses Plain Bad Heroines (William Morrow, Oct. 20), a spooky and substantial queer horror-comedy that opens on two girls in love at a Rhode Island boarding school, in 1902, and swiftly takes a turn for the macabre. Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week, including books by Jon J. Muth, eds. Nova Ren Suma and Emily X. R. Pan, Mariah Carey, and Tana French.

Journalist Sarah Smarsh discusses She Come By It Natural: Dolly Parton and the Women Who Lived Her Songs (Scribner, Oct. 13), an in-depth consideration of Dolly Parton’s contributions to American culture and evolving role in the popular imagination. “A highly readable treat for music and feminist scholars as well as Parton's legion of fans” (Kirkus). Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week, including books by Christina Soontornvat, Trung Le Nguyen, and Dolly Parton.

Debut novelist K-Ming Chang discusses Bestiary (One World, Sep. 29), a “visceral book that promises a major new literary voice” (starred review). Rooted in myth and magic, the story is told by the daughter, mother, and grandmother of a Taiwanese American family that settles in California by way of Arkansas. After an altercation with her mother, the daughter grows a tiger tail, heralding a spate of strange occurrences. Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week, including books by Shinsuke Yoshitake, Jon Meacham, and Rumaan Alam.

Francina Simone discusses Smash It! (Inkyard Press, Sep. 22), a “stellar” YA novel starring 17-year-old Olivia James, who decides it’s time to confront her fear of standing out - starting with auditioning for the school musical. Kirkus: “Readers will find themselves rapt with anticipation and excitement and filled with compassion for Olivia’s journey to self-acceptance and self-love” (starred review). Then our editors join the podcast to discuss the importance of Banned Books Week (Sep. 27-Oct. 3, 2020).

Anne Helen Petersen discusses Can’t Even: How Millennials Became the Burnout Generation (HMH, Sep. 22), “A well-researched and -rendered analysis of why so many millennials feel overwhelmed despite their best efforts” (starred review). Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week, including books by Daniel Pinkwater and Aaron Renier, Justin A. Reynolds, Jeff Benedict, and Louise Penny.

Vanessa Veselka discusses The Great Offshore Grounds (Knopf, Aug. 26), an exquisite, freewheeling character-driven novel that ponders the possibility of reinvention, the meaning of family, and the American Dream. Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week, including books by Amra Sabic-El-Rayess, Ben Macintyre, and Sigrid Nunez.

Award-winning author Claudia Rankine joins editor-in-chief Tom Beer to discuss Just Us: An American Conversation (Graywolf Press, Sept. 8), a paradigm-shifting cross-disciplinary collection of essays, poems, and images that contend with the perceptual and experiential divide between Black and White Americans. And in a sponsored interview, host Megan Labrise talks with Swedish hip hop star Jason Diakité, author of A Drop of Midnight: A Memoir (Amazon Crossing). Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week, including books by Mychal Denzel Smith, Yaa Gyasi, and Helen Macdonald.

Poet and essayist Eula Biss joins us to discuss Having and Being Had (Riverhead, Sept. 1), an exquisite essay collection that interrogates the trappings of American affluence. Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week, including books by Aimee Nezhukumatathil, Elena Ferrante, and Deesha Philyaw.

Novelist David Heska Wanbli Weiden joins us to discuss Winter Counts (Ecco, Aug. 25), an intense crime thriller set on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota. Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week, including books by Daniel Nayeri, Darcie Little Badger, Isabel Wilkerson, and Ali Smith.

Debut YA novelist Jordan Ifueko joins us to discuss Raybearer (Amulet Books, Aug. 18), “A fresh, phenomenal fantasy that begs readers to revel in its brilliant world” (Kirkus, starred review). Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week, including books by Veronica Chambers, Raquel Vasquez-Gilliland, Ilan Stavans, and Margot Livesey.

Brazilian American novelist Gabriella Burnham joins us to discuss It Is Wood, It Is Stone (One World, July 28), “A transporting debut that deftly probes the complex nature of relationships between women” (Kirkus). Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week, including books by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley, M.T. Anderson and Jo Rioux, and Raven Leilani.

Melissa Faliveno joins us to discuss Tomboyland (Little A, Aug. 1), an expansive essay collection exploring Midwestern values, families and teams, natural disasters, gender identity, and New York City. As our reviewer writes, this promising debut showcases “an expressive voice evolving deliberately, resisting having to be one thing or the other.” Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week, including books by Aunty Joy Murphy, Andrew Kelly, and Lisa Kennedy, Syed M. Masood, Jacob Soboroff, and Maggie O'Farrell.

Michelle Bowdler joins us on this week’s episode to discuss Is Rape a Crime? A Memoir, an Investigation, and a Manifesto (Flatiron Books, July 28). In 2007, the author was called to activism after reading a Boston Globe article exposing thousands of unexamined rape kits in the possession of police departments across the country. Kirkus calls her personal, powerful, profound debut, “An urgent, necessary, stark exploration of ‘one of the most horrific violations that can happen to a human being.’” Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week, including books by Hannah Barnaby, Eddie Glaude, and Sarah MacLean.

Emma Donoghue joins us on this week’s episode to discuss The Pull of the Stars (Little, Brown, July 21). The bestselling author, screenwriter, and literary historian’s latest novel is inspired by the 1918 flu pandemic; set in the maternity/flu ward of a Catholic hospital in Dublin, it is “Darkly compelling, illuminated by the light of compassion and tenderness: Donoghue’s best novel since Room (2010)” (starred review). Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week, including books by Julie Lee, Margot Harrison, Mary L. Trump, and Lynn Steger Strong.

Marke Bieschke discusses Into the Streets: A Young Person’s Visual History of Protest in the United States (Zest Books, July 7), “an engaging overview to inspire socially minded readers.” From the Pueblo Revolt to 2018’s March for Our Lives, Bieschke provides a vivid chronology of the many movements that shaped the course of our country and a primer for staging your own protest. Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week, including books by Lisa Moore Ramée, Sarah Crossan, Joe Sacco, and David Mitchell.

Anonymous discusses Becoming Duchess Goldblatt (HMH, July 7), the story of the person behind the saucy-yet-supportive Twitter persona that became a favorite of the literati and Lyle Lovett. Kirkus: “A fascinating memoir by a 21st-century original” (starred review). Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week, including books by Kate Messner, Brandy Colbert, Bakari Sellers, and Talia Hibbert.

Welcome to Fully Booked: Summer Reading 2020! In this special episode, editor in chief Tom Beer joins host Megan Labrise to present the hottest books for the sultriest months. First up, young readers editors Vicky Smith and Laura Simeon give their top picks in children’s, middle-grade, and YA books for July and August. Then fiction editor Laurie Muchnick and nonfiction editor Eric Liebetrau sign on for a second segment celebrating novels, memoirs, essay collections, and more. We’ve got frontlist, we’ve got backlist, we’ve got reading recommendations from former Kirkus Prize winners and finalists, and one spirited debate on the merits of summer reading programs. You won’t want to miss it.

Jia Lynn Yang discusses One Mighty and Irresistible Tide: The Epic Struggle Over American Immigration, 1924-1965 (W.W. Norton, May 19), an outstanding history of the fight for U.S. immigration reform. Exploring questions of what it means to be an “American,” who gets to be one, and who gets to decide, Yang’s authorial debut is “critical in understanding today’s immigrations issues” (starred review). Then Kirkus’ editors make their weekly reading recommendations, with books by Lauren Soloy, Deb Caletti, Masha Gessen, and Brit Bennett.

This week’s episode is sponsored by Penguin Young Readers Group, publishers of Darius the Great Deserves Better by Adib Khorram (https://www.kirkusreviews.com/contest/darius-the-great/). In our lead interview, bestselling novelist Max Brooks discusses Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre (Dey Street, June 16). Then Kirkus’ editors make their weekly reading recommendations, with books by Ben Clanton, Abdi Nor Iftin, Robert Kolker, and Connie Schultz.

TIME national political correspondent Molly Ball discusses Pelosi (Henry Holt, May 5), an intriguing portrait of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the highest-ranking woman in U.S. government history. Ball’s “top-notch political biography” is “a cradle-to-today portrait of a master politician who ‘shattered the “marble ceiling” and blazed a new trail for women’” (starred review). Then Kirkus’ editors make their weekly reading recommendations, with books by Jules Feiffer, Lillian Clark, Willie Mays with John Shea, and Elin Hilderbrand.

Megha Majumdar discusses her highly anticipated debut novel, A Burning (Knopf, June 2). Set in contemporary Kolkata, A Burning opens with an extraordinary act of domestic terrorism at a train station. Amid mass confusion and alarm, Jivan, a Muslim woman living in a nearby slum, posts a Facebook message that proves incendiary, landing her in prison. Her voice is soon joined by others in a polyphonic tale exploring politics, class, ambition, labor, and love. Then Kirkus’ editors make their weekly reading recommendations, with books by Stella Dreis, Kimberly Drew, and Madeleine St. John.

Journalist James Nestor discusses Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art (Riverhead, May 26), a deep dive into the history and function of the human respiratory system, and the changes we can make to start breathing better today. Then Kirkus’ editors make their weekly reading recommendations, with books by Jeremy Tankard and Hermione Tankard, Lisa Allen-Agostini, and Ilhan Omar.

Veteran journalist Jim Newton discusses Man of Tomorrow: The Relentless Life of Jerry Brown (Little, Brown, May 12), a brilliant biography of California’s self-reliant, iconoclastic longest-serving governor. Then our editors offer their reading recommendations for the week, with books by Sarah S. Brannen and Lucia Soto, Candy J. Cooper and Marc Aronson, and Curtis Sittenfeld

NYT multimedia reporter Walter Thompson-Hernandez discusses The Compton Cowboys: The New Generation of Cowboys in America’s Urban Heartland (William Morrow, April 28), chronicling a year in the lives of the men and women fighting to keep black cowboy culture alive in Los Angeles. And in a sponsored interview, we talk with child psychologist Dr. Abigail Gewirtz, author of When the World Feels Like a Scary Place: Essential Conversations for Anxious Parents & Worried Kids (Workman, May 12). Then our editors make their weekly reading recommendations, with books by Carlos Hernandez, Gene Luen Yang and Gurihiru, Erik Larson, and Joanna Hershon.

On this episode Tori Amos discusses the powerful new memoir chronicling her journey through music and activism. Resistance: A Songwriter’s Story of Hope, Change, and Courage (Atria, May 5) interweaves song lyrics and wide-ranging personal stories, exploring the artist’s charge in the face of threats to freedom and democracy. In a sponsored interview, we talk with Caldecott-winning author-illustrator Matthew Cordell, whose latest book is Hello, Neighbor! The Kind and Caring World of Mr. Rogers (Holiday House, April 7). Then our editors make their weekly reading recommendations, with books by Carlos Hernandez, Gene Luen Yang and Gurihiru, Erik Larson, and Joanna Hershon.

1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Weiner joins us this week to discuss Big Summer (Atria, May 5). This delightful fiction features fat acceptance Instagram influencer Daphne Berg, who journeys to Cape Cod to be a bridesmaid in her long-lost, über-privileged best friend’s beachfront wedding and gets mixed up in a murder mystery. Told with signature wit and charm, Weiner’s 14th novel is sure to be one of this summer’s big books. Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week, including books by Leslie Bulion and Robert Meganck, George M. Johnson, Shaun Bythell, and Kevin Nguyen.

On this week’s episode, New York Times reporter and standup comic Sopan Deb discusses Missed Translations: Meeting the Immigrant Parents Who Raised Me (Dey Street, April 21). Deb’s “refreshing” debut memoir is the story of his journey to India (and select parts of New Jersey) in search of answers to the many questions surrounding his family’s estrangement. Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week, including books by Vikram Madan, Deborah Wiles, John Freeman, and C Pam Zhang.

On this episode, Chelsea Bieker discusses Godshot (Catapult, March 31), a dynamic debut novel set in the drought-stricken town of Peaches, California: 14-year-old Lacy May Herd and her mother, a beautiful woman with a troubled past, are acolytes of Gifts of the Spirit church. Pastor Vern, their Christ-like leader, promises to bring back the rains to the land - as he’s reputed to have done before - if his congregants remain devout and carry out the “assignments” he gives them. Kirkus: “A dark, deft first novel about the trauma and resilience of both people and the land they inhabit.” (starred review) Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week, including books by Carole Boston Weatherford and Michele Wood, Dean Atta, David Carr, and Mary Pauline Lowry.

Legendary poet, author, and essayist Julia Alvarez joins us on this episode to discuss Afterlife (Algonquin Books, April 7), her first adult novel in 14 years. A modern “Book of Job,” it is the story of Antonia Vega, a recently widowed and retired English professor, who’s discovering life’s next chapter. Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week, including books by David Elliott and Rob Dunlavey, Samira Ahmed, and Emily St. John Mandel.

Bestselling thriller icon Dean Koontz joins us on this week’s episode to discuss DEVOTED, the heart-pumping novel kicking off a new five-book deal with Thomas & Mercer. The standalone thriller centers on a brilliant mute 11-year-old boy, his attentive artistic mother, and a dangerous old acquaintance with the power to upend their lives and wreak havoc worldwide. Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week, including books by N. K. Jemisin, Maira Kalman, Jenny Valentine, and Ernesto Cisneros.

Kirkus’ editors lead this episode with an acknowledgement of the COVID-19 pandemic and special segment on quarantine reading. Host Megan Labrise welcomes poet and essayist Cathy Park Hong, author of Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning (One World, March 3), “a fierce and timely meditation” on her lived experience as a Korean American woman and artist. Then our editors rejoin with their weekly reading recommendations, including books by Brandy Colbert, Ashley Woodfolk, Ross Gay, and Lily King.

This week’s guest is Deb Olin Unferth, author of Barn 8 (Graywolf Press, March 3), a blazing heist story starring a sharp and funny 15-year-old from Brooklyn who, through a series of misfortunes over a number of years, becomes a U.S. egg industry auditor and foments a revolution. Kirkus: “If this novel isn’t a movement, it has enough heart to start one” (starred review). Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week, including books by Carole Lindstrom and Michaela Goade, Gene Luen Yang, Rebecca Solnit, and Lorrie Moore.

Kate Elizabeth Russell discusses her highly anticipated debut novel, My Dark Vanessa, about an affair between a 15-year-old student and her 42-year-old English teacher at a boarding school in Maine. The narrative flows between 2000, when the affair takes root, and 2017, when The MeToo movement forces Vanessa, as a struggling thirtysomething, “to confront the abusive relationship that defines her sexual and romantic past” (starred review). Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week, including books by Maya Tatsukawa, Samantha Mabry, Andy Greene, and Hilary Mantel.

On this special episode - The Woman Episode, sponsored by Sourcebooks - director and screenwriter Jan Eliasberg discusses her debut novel, Hannah’s War, a thrilling story inspired by the life of the brilliant unsung woman who discovered nuclear fission. Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week, including books from Sayantani DasGupta, David Enrich, and Quan Barry.

On this episode, TIME national correspondent Charlotte Alter discusses We Are the Ones We’ve Been Waiting For: How a New Generation of Leaders Will Transform America. Centering on 10 millennial political officials, from Mayor Pete Buttigieg to Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Alter’s new nonfiction offers a spirited analysis of the events that shaped them and the many ways they’re diverging from their predecessors. Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week, including books from Nikki McClure, Alechia Dow, Ezra Klein, and Aravind Adiga.

On this episode, Alaskan explorer and ecologist Roman Dial discusses The Adventurer’s Son, a highly affecting account of the tragic disappearance of his 27-year-old son, Cody Roman Dial, from Costa Rica’s Corcovado National Park in 2014. “A poignant, highly moving memoir of tragic circumstances and a lifelong love of exploring” (Kirkus). Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week, including books from Margaret McNamara (ill. by Micah Player), Jenny Offill, and Jenn Shapland.

TV personality and bestselling author Ross Mathews joins us on this week’s episode to discuss Name Drop: The Really Good Celebrity Stories I Usually Only Tell at Happy Hour (Atria). Mathews graciously brings us behind the scenes of talk shows and awards shows, and shares some of his best red carpet interview tips with host Megan Labrise. And in a sponsored interview, Megan talks with actor, musician, comedian, and writer Steven Banks, author of Middle School Bites (Holiday House), a funny new middle-grade novel for vampire-werewolf-zombie fans. Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week, with books from Megan Dowd Lambert and Jessica Lanan, Juleah del Rosario, and Douglas Stuart.

New York Times bestselling novelist Lidia Yuknavitch (The Book of Joan, etc.) joins us on this week’s episode to discuss Verge, a passionate short story collection featuring characters on the brink. She and host Megan Labrise discuss the qualities of misfits, communities as organisms, and gut-punch endings. Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week, including books from Candace Fleming (ill. by Eric Rohmann), Justina Ireland, Roman Dial, and Kiley Reid.

On this episode, Harvard Business School professor Laura Huang discusses Edge: Turning Adversity into Advantage, an atypical career management guide that teaches readers to overcome implicit bias by turning stereotypes into strengths. Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week, including books from Cheryl Wills (ill. by Sue Cornelison), Maria Padian, Michael Chabon and Ayelet Waldman, and Miranda Popkey.

Scottish crime writer Ian Rankin joins us on this week’s episode to talk about something quite mysterious: Westwind, a little-known, standalone techno-thriller he wrote in 1990, is being publishing for the first time in the United States. Rankin discusses what it’s like to revisit this early work after 30 years, what prompted him to do so, and the challenges his best-known character, Detective Inspector John Rebus, might encounter if he began his law enforcement career in the 2020s instead of the 1980s. Then our editors offer their reading recommendations for the week, with books by Julie Paschkis (ill. by Margaret Chodos-Irvine), Lamar Giles, Patrick Radden Keefe, and Benjamin Black.

On this episode, author Kiley Reid explains why she’s calling her hotly anticipated debut novel “a comedy of good intentions.” Such a Fun Age explores the complicated relationship between Emira Tucker, a 25-year-old black babysitter living in Philadelphia, and her employer, Alix Chamberlain, a white thirtysomething blogger/influencer/mother of two. Reid’s fun, funny, and incisive novel is, “Charming, challenging, and so interesting you can hardly put it down,” Kirkus writes (starred review). Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week, including books by Rebecca Roanhorse, Anna-Marie McLemore, and Randall Munroe.

Thanks for listening to Fully Booked - - but when’s the last time you felt like someone truly listened to you? Journalist Kate Murphy joins us on this week’s episode to discuss You’re Not Listening: What You’re Missing and Why It Matters, an investigation into why we’re not listening to one another, what we can do to reverse the trend, and the deleterious effects of distraction and disinterest on our bodies and society. Then our editors each share several of their most anticipated books of 2020.

12/31 Episode: Just in time for the New Year, “anti-guru” Sarah Knight shows how saying “yes” a little less might vastly improve your life. She joins us to discuss her latest book, Fck No! How to Stop Saying Yes When You Can’t, You Shouldn’t, or You Just Don’t Want To, the fifth in her internationally bestselling self-help series of “No Fcks Given Guides.” Then our editors offer up their reading recommendations for the week, with books by Kaya Doi, Andrew Fukuda, and the Washington Post.

12/24 Episode: Happy holidays, listeners! On this week’s episode, editor-in-chief Tom Beer joins host Megan Labrise for the Fully Booked Year-in-Review, reintroducing two of their favorite interviews from 2019. First up is National Book Award winner Susan Choi (Trust Exercise), followed by visionary fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi (I.M.: A Memoir). Then our editors join with a look back at the spiciest book world scandals of the year. Trust us: you won’t want to miss it.

This week’s episode celebrates Kirkus’ Best Books of 2019 with special guest Carolina De Robertis, whose fourth novel, Cantoras, was a Best Fiction pick and Kirkus Prize finalist. (Our best books lists are the 100 top titles in fiction, nonfiction, YA, and children's literature, chosen from the more than 7,000 books we reviewed this year.) Then our editors highlight some hidden gems from the Best Books lists.

On this week’s episode, debut author Shannon Pufahl suggests her new novel, On Swift Horses, might make you a better card player (but she could be bluffing). Set in the late 1950s, her unique Western centers on the lives and luck of two characters questioning the hands they’ve been dealt. Megan also talks with #1 New York Times bestselling author and polymath Maggie Stiefvater, in an interview sponsored by Scholastic Press. Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week.

It's the second annual Fully Booked Holiday Gift Guide Extravaganza! Editor-in-chief Tom Beer joins Megan in rounding up all the books you’ll want to give (and get) this December. Guests include Toshi Reagon, author of an introduction to a gorgeous new edition of Octavia Butler’s “Parable” novels, and Vicky Bennison, author of Pasta Grannies, a story-filled cookbook that’ll have you whipping up gnocchi like a nonna in no time. Then our editors join with their top gift picks, including books by Anouck Boisrobert (illus. by Louis Rigaud, trans. by Kevin St. John), Nahoko Uehashi (trans. by Cathy Hirano), Dayton Duncan and Ken Burns, and the editors at Phaidon Press.

In the second of two special episodes recorded live at the Texas Book Festival, Editor-in-Chief Tom Beer joins Megan to moderate the Kirkus Prize Panel, featuring the winners and finalists of this year’s awards for fiction, nonfiction, and young readers’ literature. Young readers literature winner Jerry Craft, nonfiction winner Saeed Jones, and Kirkus Prize finalists Carolina De Robertis, Laila Lalami, Kwame Alexander, Kadir Nelson, Lauren Castillo, Rosalind Harvey, and Alicia D. Williams each share a little bit about their celebrated work. Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week, including books by Cece Bell, Geraldine McCaughrean, Prince (with Dan Pipenbring), and Kevin Wilson.

Law professor and bankruptcy expert Jodie Adams Kirshner discusses Broke: Hardship and Resilience in a City of Broken Promises, which Kirkus calls, “Eye-opening and sometimes heartbreaking …. A significant work of social sciences and urban studies” (starred review). Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week, including books by Kwame Mbalia, Lance Rubin, and Leigh Bardugo.

Ambassador Samantha Power joins Megan in conversation for this special episode of Fully Booked, recorded live for CSPAN2/BookTV at the Texas Book Festival in October. Power’s phenomenal autobiography, The Education of an Idealist, charts her rise to Washington insider, serving beside President Barack Obama on National Security Council and, later, as the U.S.’s 28th Permanent Representative to the United Nations. Bold, humane, and incredibly personal, The Education of an Idealist should be required reading for anyone who wants to make a difference in the world. Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week, including books by Alan Gratz, ed. Sangu Mandanna, Ronan Farrow, and Talia Hibbert.

Fire signs Alex Dimitrov and Dorothea Lasky join us on this week’s episode to discuss poetry, the zeitgeist, and their hotly anticipated new book, Astro Poets: Your Guides to the Zodiac. This compelling compendium (think Linda Goodman’s Sun Signs, updated for the Beyoncé years) extends the collaborative wit, lyricism, and heart of their viral Twitter account @poetastrologers. Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week, including books by Lupita Nyong'o (illus. by Vashti Harrison), Cynthia Hand, Elton John, and Elizabeth Strout. This week also features a sponsored indie interview with Teri Case.

On this week’s episode, New Yorker staffer, sustainability expert, and tinnitus sufferer David Owen discusses the fascinating science of sound. His latest book, Volume Control: Hearing in a Deafening World, is a peek into the complicated machinery of the inner ear, a history of American Sign Language and deaf education, and an entreaty to listeners to protect their ears. Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week, including books by Kate DiCamillo, Camryn Garrett, and Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey.

Two-time Grammy nominee, music journalist, and professor Holly George-Warren joins us on this week’s episode to discuss the bold and brilliant life of the legendary Janis Joplin. George-Warren’s latest, Janis: Her Life and Music, is “A top-notch biography of one of the greatest performers to emerge from a brilliant era” (starred review). Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week, including books by Ibtihaj Muhammad (with S.K. Ali, illus. by Hatem Aly), Ruta Sepetys, Garrett Graff, and Ann Patchett.

Award-winning poet and former BuzzFeed culture editor Saeed Jones joins us to discuss his exquisite memoir, How We Fight for Our Lives. His story of growing up black and gay in the South in the Nineties and Aughts, “marks the emergence of a major literary voice,” Kirkus writes in a starred review. (Nonfiction editor Eric Liebetrau calls it one of the best memoirs he’s ever read, period.) Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week, including books by Ashley Bryan, Tochi Onyebuchi, Jim Mattis, and Cathleen Schine.

We’re just two weeks away from this year’s Kirkus Prize ceremony in Austin, Texas! On October 24, three of the authors of this year’s best books, as determined by judges’ panels comprised of eminent writers, Kirkus critics, booksellers, and librarians, will take home $50,000 each. In this special episode of Fully Booked, editor-in-chief Tom Beer interviews Kirkus Prize writer-judges Min Jin Lee (fiction), Jack E. Davis (nonfiction), and Mitali Perkins (young readers’ literature) about the responsibility of judging, the deliberation process, what makes a book prizeworthy, and much more. You won’t want to miss this behind-the-scenes look at one of the richest literary awards in the world.

1 New York Times-bestselling YA author Leigh Bardugo joins us on this week’s episode to discuss her hotly anticipated adult debut, Ninth House, a literary fantasy set in a spooky world not unlike New Haven, Connecticut... Starring Galaxy “Alex” Stern, a high school dropout from LA who’s recruited to oversee the occult activities of Yale University’s secret societies, Ninth House is a “compulsively readable novel [that] leaves a portal ajar for equally dazzling sequels,” Kirkus writes (starred review). Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week, including books by Jason Reynolds, Kim Liggett, Malcolm Gladwell, and Margaret Atwood.

Since 1994, forensic ecologist, botanist, and palynologist Patricia Wiltshire has been using her expertise to aid police forces in England and beyond in proving - through microscopic environmental evidence - that a suspect was present where a crime occurred. That a getaway car did indeed cross a fallow field. That a dead body was buried in early summer, not late fall. On this week’s episode, she discusses her stunning new memoir The Nature of Life and Death: Every Body Leaves a Trace. Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week, including books by Sonia Sotomayor (ill. Rafael López) and Marc Favreau.

In 2014 Leslie Jamison established herself as one of the savviest and most soulful American essayists writing today. On this episode, she discusses the symbiotic relationship between memoir, journalism, and criticism in her latest collection, Make It Scream, Make It Burn. After the break, Megan speaks with writer and memoirist Nefertiti Austin, author of Motherhood So White: A Memoir of Race, Gender, and Parenting in America (sponsored interview). Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week, including books by Kwame Alexander and Dawud Anyabwile, Morgan Parker, and David McCullough.

National Book Award winner Jacqueline Woodson (Brown Girl Dreaming, 2014) discusses her stunning new novel, Red at the Bone. Realistic fiction at its finest, Red at the Bone thoughtfully contends with decisions, desire, consequences, gentrification, and the Great Migration, as a Brooklyn family celebrates a sonorous cotillion in their Park Slope brownstone in spring 2001. Woodson talks craft, cultural touchstones, and an artist’s debt to past and future generations. Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week, including books by Carol Anderson and Tonya Bolden, Toni Morrison, and Salman Rushdie.

New York Times bestselling author Ibram X. Kendi joins us on this week’s episode to discuss How to Be an Antiracist, a powerful primer for combatting racism. Kendi, who is founding director of the Antiracist Research and Policy Center at American University, uses his own journey from racist to antiracist to show how anyone can choose their words and deeds to actively participate in building an antiracist society. And in a sponsored interview, NYT Children’s Books Editor Maria Russo joins us to discuss How to Raise a Reader, a genial guide for bibliophilic parents written with NYTBR Editor Pamela Paul. Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week, including books by David Yoon, Cara Wall, and Petina Gappah.

Writer, journalist, and educator Lauren Markham joins us on this week’s podcast to discuss the YA adaptation of The Far Away Brothers: Two Teenage Immigrants Making a Life in America. “One of the most searing books on illegal immigration since Sonia Nazario’s Enrique’s Journey” (starred review), it’s the unforgettable story of Ernesto and Raúl Flores, identical twins growing up in rural El Salvador until the threat of gang violence forces them to flee to the United States. She and Megan talk ethical storytelling, what it means to be an unaccompanied minor, and why she chose to adapt the book for young readers. Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week, including books by Thanhha Lai, Ibram X. Kendi, and Carolyn Forché.

Elite cave diver Jill Heinerth joins on this week’s podcast to discuss her vivid new memoir, Into the Planet. It’s a deep dive into the formative experiences that taught her to face and harness fear, enabling her to build a remarkable career that has taken her to the literal ends of the earth. Heinerth shares the narrative arc of a dive, what it’s like to explore places on earth less traveled than the face of the moon, and the responsibilities that come along with being the Royal Canadian Geographical Society’s first-ever Explorer in Residence. Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week, including books by Shannon Hale (ill. LeUyen Pham), Rainbow Rowell, Ian Urbina, and Bruce Holsinger.

Reports of death of the book may be greatly exaggerated. English professor and book historian Leah Price joins us on this week’s podcast to discuss What We Talk About When We Talk About Books, a series of essays chronicling the evolution of the book, from codex through paperback and .pdf. She and Megan talk shifting reading habits, bookish myths, and the fact that a “golden age of reading” may never have existed. Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week, including books by Brandy Colbert and Mara Rockliff.

In Gods of the Upper Air: How a Circle of Renegade Anthropologists Reinvented Race, Sex, and Gender in the Twentieth Century, Georgetown University professor Charles King chronicles the lives of cultural anthropology founder Franz Boas and the female scientists he encouraged to explore civilizations around the globe, including Ruth Benedict, Ella Cara Deloria, Zora Neale Hurston, and Margaret Mead. Charles and Megan talk cultural relativism, how anthropology differs from other disciplines, Hurston’s work in Jamaica and Haiti, and the struggle to debunk theorists who would divide the world into “us” and “them.” Then our editors offer their weekly reading recommendations, with books by Mo Willems, Stacey Lee, Howard Stern, and Taffy Brodesser-Akner.

Force of nature Candace Bushnell revolutionized our understanding of 20th-century dating and mating in Sex and the City. Her latest book isn’t exactly a sequel but a companion: following a new group of fifty-something female friends as they deal with divorce, online dating, and sex. Candace and Megan talk menopause, profound loss, fresh starts, and Candace’s signature blend of sharp, funny fiction inspired by her own life. And in a sponsored interview, Megan speaks with singer-songwriter Rhett Miller about the inspiration for his debut picture book, No More Poems! A Book in Verse that Just Gets Worse. Then our editors offer their weekly reading recommendations, with books by Daria Peoples-Riley, Katie Henry, and Jennifer Weiner.

This week we’re thrilled to welcome New York Times-bestselling romance novelist Sarah MacLean, whose artistry and activism are helping to push the genre in exciting new directions. Her latest book, Brazen and the Beast (“Bareknuckle Bastards” series, book two), is the story of Henrietta “Hattie” Sedley, a voluptuous, business-savvy, Victorian-era noblewoman with ambitious plans to claim her due in business and in pleasure. Sarah and Megan talk body positivity, women’s empowerment, genre-specific vocabulary, and more. Then our editors offer reading recommendations for the week, including books by Gail D. Villanueva, Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz (adapted by Jean Mendoza, Debbie Reese), and Elizabeth Gilbert.

On this week’s episode, Megan interviews modern noir superstar Laura Lippman, whose latest standalone novel, Lady in the Lake, is inspired by two real-life crimes committed in 1960s Baltimore: the unsolved drowning of 35-year-old Shirley Parker and the murder of 11-year-old Esther Lebowitz. They talk opening sentences, the transgressive nature of watching, Lippman’s recent Washington Post piece (“Is it ok for white authors to write black characters? I’m trying.”), and more. Then our editors offer their weekly reading recommendations, with books by Blair Thornburgh, Cassandra Clare et al, Jeff Gordinier, and Linda Holmes.

In a special segment recorded live at Austin Central Public Library, Clay interviews pioneering novelist Nicole Dennis-Benn about writing women’s lives and the inspiration for her powerful sophomore novel, Patsy, “a profound book about sexuality, gender, race, and immigration that speaks to the contemporary moment” (starred review). Then our editors offer their reading recommendations for the week, with books by Brian Floca, Sam Quinones, Jim Ottaviani (ill. Leland Myrick), and Colson Whitehead.

In a special segment recorded live at Austin Central Public Library, Clay interviews Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Rick Atkinson, author of the Liberation Trilogy (An Army at Dawn, etc.), about the first book in his new Revolution Trilogy, The British Are Coming: The War for America, Lexington to Princeton, 1775-11777. Then our editors offer their reading recommendations for the week, including books by Katherine Johnson, Rory Power, Bill Streever, and Ocean Vuong.

With vim and virtuosity, debut author Lauren Mechling captures the messiness, testiness, comfort, competition, and fun of female friendship. Her novel, How Could She, is the cringingly funny story of swiftly titling dynamics between three New York City thirtysomethings on the cusp of several life-changing events. Mechling joins us on this week’s episode to discuss friends/frenemies, the compromises we make to “have it all,” podcasting, the Toronto-New York cultural exchange, and more. Then our editors recommend books by Sean Williams, Rick Atkinson, and Mary Beth Keane.

On this week’s episode, we’re delighted to welcome Linda Holmes, host of NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast, to discuss her sparkling debut novel, Evvie Drake Starts Over (that’s “‘Evvie like Chevy, not Evie like Max Greevey.’”). Evvie is a smart, vibrant thirty-something from small-town Maine who loses her husband and takes a tenant, a handsome Major League Baseball pitcher who’s lost his mojo, maybe for good. We talk the “yips,” platonic soulmates, auditory writing, cultural criticism, and more. Then our editors recommend books by Kwame Alexander, Kat Cho, and Kristen Arnett.

1 New York Times-bestselling author Blake Crouch (Dark Matter) is our guest on this week’s episode, recorded live at BookExpo America. Crouch met Clay and Megan at an undisclosed location at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York City to discuss his mysterious new novel, Recursion, a sci-fi thriller centering on two characters’ complex relationships to time, grief, memory, and one another. And our editors recommend books by Rosanne Parry, Sophie Cameron, Anna Fifield, and Elin Hilderbrand.

This week we’re working blue in an episode that might have you seeing red: Linguist and journalist Amanda Montell joins us to discuss Wordslut: A Feminist Guide to Taking Back the English Language, a sparkling analysis of our quirky, biased gendered vernacular. Montell shines a light on curse words, code switching, grammar, pronunciation patterns, and how we might make language more inclusive moving forward. Then our editors present their top picks in books this week.

On this very special episode of Fully Booked, podcast royalty Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark (“My Favorite Murder”) join us to discuss their joint memoir, Stay Sexy & Don’t Get Murdered: The Definitive How-To Guide, a book that’s funny & fearsome & close to the bone. Then our editors present their top picks in books this week.

On this week’s episode, Oscar Cásares joins Clay and Megan to discuss Where We Come From, a compassionate portrait of life along the Texas-Mexico border at Brownsville and Matamoros, centering on one woman’s reluctant involvement with a human smuggling ring. “In some ways timely, this quiet, delicate book delivers a truly timeless emotional punch,” Kirkus writes (starred review). Then our editors join with their top picks in books this week.

In Julia Phillips’ stunning debut novel, Disappearing Earth, two sisters are taken from a seaside city on a summer day, affecting the lives of women and girls in diverse communities throughout Russia’s majestic Kamchatka Peninsula. She joins us on this week’s podcast to discuss her “unusual, cleverly constructed thriller” (starred review) and race, class, and culture in the Russian Far East. Then our editors join with their top picks in books this week.

John Burnham Schwartz joins us on this week’s episode to discuss The Red Daughter, a novel inspired by the remarkable life of Svetlana Alliluyeva, Joseph Stalin’s youngest child, whose 1967 defection from the Soviet Union to the United States caused an international uproar. A surprising personal connection gave Schwartz unprecedented access to historical documents that helped him tell her intriguing story. After the interview, our editors join with their top book recommendations for the week.

We’ve never read anything quite like YA star A.S. King’s “stunningly original” new novel, Dig, the meditative saga of a white Pennsylvania family with agricultural roots and a few dirty secrets. On this week’s episode, King discusses confronting racism, classism, and misogyny in an informed and compassionate way, and our editors join with their top picks in books this week.

In Christian Kiefer’s Phantoms, a white American Vietnam vet contends with legacies of racism, violence, and imperialism in a small agricultural town in Placer County, California. Kiefer joins us on this week’s podcast to discuss the incandescent new novel, which Kirkus calls, “certainly anti-war, certainly condemning our country’s dark past ... full of quavering beauty, unbreakable love, and fragile, relentless hope” (starred review). Then our editors join with their weekly book recommendations.

When it comes to Susan Choi’s inventive new novel, Trust Exercise, believe the hype. Set primarily at an exclusive performing arts high school in an unnamed southern city, it’s the story of a steamy, driver-license-less teen love affair … that morphs, via shocking shifts in perspective, into a profound interrogation of how personal mythologies - and perceptions of trauma and abuse - are written and rewritten over time. Choi joins us on this week’s episode for a deep dive into Trust Exercise, followed by our editors’ weekly book recommendations.

On this episode of Fully Booked, American housewife, humorist, professional poker player, and native Alabaman Helen Ellis teaches Clay and Megan all about “Southern Lady Code” (“a technique by which, if you don’t have something nice to say, you say something not so nice in a nice way”) as they discuss her delightful, double-entendre-stuffed essay collection by the same name. Then our editors join with top picks in books this week.

What happens when a Type A needs a plan B? Essayist and bookseller Mary Laura Philpott joins us on this week’s episode for a funny and frank discussion of I Miss You When I Blink, a memoir-in-essays about reinvention, confirmation bias, and identity crisis at home and abroad. Then our editors join with their top picks in books this week.

Inspired by an invigorating walk in Italy, award-winning poet Ross Gay set an intention to write on delight each day for one year. He joins us on this week’s “Rebels Issue” episode to discuss The Book of Delights, a collection of essays contending with the sweet and bitter of everyday life, from plants, animals, politics, and racism to pop music, dreams, and expressions of joy. And our editors offer their top picks in revolutionary books with the power to change hearts and minds.

This week’s episode is sponsored by Holiday House, publishers of Music for Mister Moon, a notable new picture book from Philip C. Stead and Erin E. Stead, the author and illustrator of 2011 Caldecott Medal Book A Sick Day for Amos McGee. Make sure to stay tuned for our intriguing interview with Erin E. Stead later in the podcast. In our lead interview, Margaret Leslie Davis joins Clay and Megan to discuss the most important book in the history of printing, the Gutenberg Bible. Her exciting new nonfiction, The Lost Gutenberg: The Astounding Story of One Book’s Five-Hundred-Year Odyssey, chronicles one exceptional copy’s various owners, including the boldest female book collector in American history. Then our editors join with their top picks in books this week.

This week’s episode is sponsored by Holiday House, publishers of Music for Mister Moon, a notable new picture book from Philip C. Stead and Erin E. Stead, the author and illustrator of 2011 Caldecott Medal Book A Sick Day for Amos McGee. Make sure to stay tuned for our intriguing interview with Erin E. Stead later in the podcast. In our lead interview, Margaret Leslie Davis joins Clay and Megan to discuss the most important book in the history of printing, the Gutenberg Bible. Her exciting new nonfiction, The Lost Gutenberg: The Astounding Story of One Book’s Five-Hundred-Year Odyssey, chronicles one exceptional copy’s various owners, including the boldest female book collector in American history. Then our editors join with their top picks in books this week.

Former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Preet Bharara joins us on this week’s episode to discuss Doing Justice: A Prosecutor’s Thoughts on Crime, Punishment, and the Rule of Law. Then our editors join with their top picks in books this week.

This week's Woman Episode is sponsored by Penguin Young Readers Group. Meet Laurie Halse Anderson (Speak), Stacey Lee, and Joy McCullough, three YA authors who look to the past to tend a feminist future, in our Woman Issue and online at Kirkus.com. Enter to win the Woman Issue Prize Pack, which includes an Away Luggage carry-on, IPad, Airpods and 4 feminist reads, here: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/contest/feminist-reads-prize-pack/.

In our lead interview, meet Namwali Serpell, whose brilliant debut novel could be the big book of 2019. She joins us on this week's episode to discuss The Old Drift, the genre-bending tale of three generations of three Zambian families whose histories entwine in mysterious and magical ways. Then our editors join with their top picks in books this week.

This week’s episode is sponsored by Scholastic. Check out the details in this week’s episode about the giveaway contest Kirkus and Scholastic are doing for young adult writer Bill Konigsberg’s latest novel, The Music of What Happens, plus our intriguing interview with Bill in this episode. And in our lead interview, we talk to Jacob Tobia. Life as a gender nonconforming person hasn’t always been easy for Jacob Tobia, but it has come with a fair heap of fabulousness. On this week’s podcast, the Los Angeles-based writer, producer, and performer joins us to discuss Sissy: A Coming-of-Gender Story, an incisive, sometimes fraught, often funny account of interrogating their identity and confronting gender-based trauma. Then our editors join with their top picks in books this week.

The incomparable Isaac Mizrahi - fashion designer, performer, talk show host, crossword puzzle aficionado, visionary - joins us on this week’s episode to discuss his generous and funny new memoir, I.M. Then our editors join with their top picks in books this week.

Acclaimed journalist Dave Cullen changed the way we think and talk about mass shootings with a definitive account of the 1999 Columbine massacre and its aftermath. On this week’s Fully Booked, he joins us to discuss Parkland: Birth of a Movement, a heartbreaking and hopeful chronicle of the student-led revolution launched just hours after the 2018 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Our editors join later in the episode with their top picks in books this week.

You may have heard of Hedy Lamarr … but what you don’t know about the glamorous movie star might shock you. On this week’s Fully Booked, historical novelist Marie Benedict joins us to discuss The Only Woman in the Room, a New York Times bestseller based on the incredible true story of Lamarr’s escape from Austria, journey to Hollywood, and invention of a secret weapon against Nazi Germany that made her a pioneer in wireless communications. Then our editors join with their top picks in books this week.

In Elizabeth McCracken’s latest novel, a woman seemingly drops from the sky (she’s discovered in a cemetery, with a bowling ball, a candlepin, and fifteen pounds of gold nearby). On this week’s episode, McCracken drops by the recording studio to discuss Bowlaway, the story of three generations of alley owners in a small Massachusetts town, and touches on genealogy, the Great Molasses Flood of 1919, and nearly life-sized, fully articulated wooden women, in fiction and the home. And our editors join with their top picks in books this week.

With the money she made from her first book, Cowboys Are My Weakness, 31-year-old Pam Houston bought a 120-acre ranch near the headwaters of the Rio Grande. She joins us on this week’s episode—25 years later—to discuss Deep Creek: Finding Hope in the High Country, a profound new essay collection expressing a deep appreciation for the lessons she learned from the land.

Kristen Roupenian proved short stories can go viral. Soon after publication in the New Yorker, “Cat Person” became a full-fledged cultural phenomenon—the magazine’s second “most popular” piece of 2017, right behind Ronan Farrow’s Harvey Weinstein exposé—forever altering Roupenian’s life. She joins us on this week’s podcast to discuss that experience, power dynamics in a patriarchy, and her debut short story collection, You Know You Want This; and our editors offer their top picks in books this week.

Self-proclaimed skeptic Victoria Loustalot’s first encounter with a real-life psychic left her with more questions than answers. But when some of the seer’s predictions came true, Loustalot began an earnest investigation into the “modern mystical complex.” She joins us on this week’s episode to discuss her witty, wondrous third memoir, Future Perfect: A Skeptic’s Search for an Honest Mystic, and our editors share their top picks in book this week.

Ultrabestselling novelist Brad Meltzer is back with a thrilling new nonfiction based on little-known fact, The First Conspiracy: The Secret Plot Against George Washington and the Birth of American Counterintelligence. On this episode, Meltzer speaks candidly with Clay and Megan about the plot against the General, plot (in general), and working with longtime collaborator Josh Mensch. And our editors join with their top picks in books this week.

One need not be a royalist to enjoy Lucy Worsley’s radiant new biography of Queen Victoria, the “hard-working, energetic, [and] resilient” woman who saved the status of the British monarchy. Worsley, an English historian, author, curator, and television presenter, joins us on this week’s Fully Booked for a spirited discussion of Queen Victoria: Twenty-Four Days That Changed Her Life, and our editors name their most anticipated books and trends of 2019.

Happy holidays, Fully Booked fans! In this special episode, Clay and Megan reintroduce two of their favorite 2018 interviews — Susan Orlean and David Sedaris. Thanks for listening! We’ll see you in the new year.

Investigative journalist Christopher Goffard’s stories grab you, shake you, and don’t let go. On this week’s Fully Booked, Goffard joins Clay and Megan to discuss Dirty John and Other True Stories of Outlaws and Outsiders, “a collection of swift-flowing pieces about outliers, liars, victims, and victimizer” (Kirkus) whose unforgettable titular tale inspired a megapopular podcast and Bravo TV show. Nonfiction editor Eric Liebetrau rounds out the hour with continuing coverage of the Best Books of 2018.

The first person we meet in Karina Longworth’s Seduction: Sex, Lies, and Stardom in Howard Hughes’s Hollywood isn’t Howard Hughes—it’s screenwriter Frederica Sagor— a clue to the true focus of her provocative popular history. On this week’s Fully Booked, Clay and Megan chat with the author and creator of the You Must Remember This podcast about the highly varied experiences of the talented and ambitious women in Hughes’s orbit (1920s-1950s) and nonfiction editor Eric Liebetrau signs on for continuing coverage of the Best Books of 2018.

It’s the first-ever Fully Booked Holiday Gift Guide Extravaganza! The eggnog flows freely as Clay and Megan round up the crème de la crème in photography, cooking, games, health, beauty, and more. Guests include photographer Beowulf Sheehan (Author: The Portraits of Beowulf Sheehan), Brooklyn-based restauranteur Doug Crowell (Kindness & Salt: Recipes for the Care & Feeding of Your Friends & Family), bookseller Abby Fennewald of Book People in Austin, and YA editor Laura Simeon with continuing coverage of the Best Books of 2018.

In Everything’s Trash, But It’s Okay, Phoebe Robinson offers readers a beacon of light and hope for these dumpster fire times. This frank and funny second essay collection by the NYT-bestselling author, cultural critic, and 2 Dope Queens cohost tackles feminism, race, class, body image, Bono, and much more. Today’s episode of Fully Booked features a standup set and Q&A by Robinson, recorded live at the Texas Book Festival, as well as continuing coverage of the Best Books of 2018 with children’s editor Vicky Smith.

Michelin-starred chef Anita Lo hasn’t always been lucky in love … but the fruit of her solitude is sweet. On this week’s podcast, she joins Clay and Megan for a spirited discussion of Solo: A Modern Cookbook for a Party of One, a personal and playful collection of repasts for the unattached. Lo proves to be an unforgettable guest, serving up stories of an only-in-New-York dating disaster and an only-in-Mongolia dining experience, and children’s editor Vicky Smith signs on for continuing coverage of the Best Books of 2018.

Part madcap comedy, part post-Election 2016 primal scream, Jonathan Lethem’s The Feral Detective is a veritable carnival of hardboiled delights from the author of Motherless Brooklyn. On this week’s episode, Lethem joins Clay and Megan in eternal debates- East Coast vs. West Coast, Democrat vs. Republican, Rabbits vs. Bears (trust us)- and fiction editor Laurie Muchnick introduces the Best 100 Fiction Books of 2018.

Kirkus Reviews asked the finalists for the 2018 Kirkus Prize—which recognizes excellent literature every year, from picture books to adult books, rewarding three writers $50,000 each—to talk about their new books at the recent Texas Book Festival in Austin. This week’s episode, which is sponsored by Penguin Young Readers Group, is a recording of that panel of prominent, nationally known writers of many genres. Join us as the writers talk about their inspirations.

Joseph Fink is one of the creators of the popular Welcome to Night Vale and Alice Isn’t Dead podcasts. Now Alice Isn’t Dead is a suspenseful novel filled with misshapen serial killers, an exhausted long haul trucker who believes her wife isn’t deceased even though there was a funeral for her, and a bunch of missing people. Megan and Clay ask Fink about the inspirations for Alice Isn’t Dead and our editors pipe up with their fave picks!

Glory Edim is the founder of Well-Read Black Girl, which has blossomed from an online sensation to a book club to a fascinating anthology of essays by well-known and debut writers discussing their lives as readers and thinkers. We ask Edim about the anthology in this week’s episode. And our editors reveal which bestsellers are worth your reading time!

In late April 1986, as the world was learning about the Chernobyl disaster, the beautiful central library of Los Angeles Public Library system was burning. A troubled actor named Harry Peak was arrested for starting the fire. The Library Book is Susan Orlean’s fascinating story of the attack; in typical Orlean fashion, the story gets deeper and weirder than its ostensible subject. And we also bring our editors on the line to talk about which bestsellers they think you ought to be reading this week!

Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera are two of the most popular young adult writers publishing today; Albertalli’s novel Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda became the hit movie Love, Simon. The two writers collaborated to write What If It’s Us, a sweet novel about a summer romance between Ben and Arthur. The editors talk about Banned Books Week and reveal which bestsellers are worth your time!

Bestselling thriller writer Lisa Unger’s new novel, Under My Skin, is about a young woman struggling with the aftermath of her husband’s murder finds herself in escalating danger in this novel of psychological suspense. Unger brings the reader along as her narrator's grip on reality is tested and keeps the twists coming in this standout thriller. Megan and Clay and our children’s and YA book editors Vicky Smith and Laura Simeon talk about the finalists for the 2018 Kirkus Prize for Young Readers’ Literature and they also talk about some great new books!

This week, we talk to Gary Shteyngart about his new novel, Lake Success, about a hedge fund manager on the skids who takes a cross-country Greyhound bus trip to reconnect with his college girlfriend, leaving his wife to deal with their autistic 3-year-old. The novel is smart, relevant, fundamentally warm-hearted, and hilarious. Megan and Clay talk about the finalists of the 2018 Kirkus Prize for Nonfiction and our editors reveal which new bestsellers are worth your time!

This week, we’re asking New Yorker staff writer and Harvard historian Jill Lepore about her great new book of the entire history of the U.S., These Truths, which our reviewer calls “a splendid rendering—filled with triumph, tragedy, and hope—that will please Lepore’s readers immensely and win her many new ones.” Megan and Clay also talk about the new Bob Woodward book, Fear: Trump in the White House, and our editors reveal their picks for the best reads this week!

This week, we talk to the author of one of the most-anticipated nonfiction books of the fall: Sarah Weinman, whose The Real Lolita: The Kidnapping of Sally Horner and the Kidnapping That Scandalized the World is a tantalizing, entertaining true-life detective and literary story whose roots were hidden deep in a novel that has perplexed and challenged readers for decades. This episode is sponsored by Baker & Taylor, a leading distributor of books, video and music to libraries, institutions, and retailers. To learn more about how Baker and Taylor can help your library visit www.baker-taylor.com.

This week, Megan and Clay talk to civil rights activist and Pod Save the People host DeRay McKesson. His new book, On the Other Side of Freedom: The Case for Hope, is a compelling account of technology-powered protest. And it’s a fascinating read, full of his personal stories in addition to his ideas about activism. We also preview some of the great interviews on our site right now from our recent Legends Issue and our editors pipe up with their favorite new reads!

In Randy Kennedy's debut novel, PRESIDIO, two estranged brothers and an unexpected passenger embark on a road trip through Texas to recover stolen money. What starts out as a literary meditation on all that space in West Texas becomes a propulsive literary thriller. Megan and Clay talk about Keanu Reeves' publishing imprint and our editors speak up with their favorite picks for this week!

Making a quick trip into a store, Kim Brooks was only gone for five minutes, leaving her 4-year-old son in his car seat inside the locked car, with the windows ajar. Yet those moments transformed her life in more ways than she could have imagined. Megan and Clay ask Brooks about that day and her investigation of "helicopter parenting," SMALL ANIMALS, which is one of this fall's most anticipated books. Curious to know a few of this fall's other big books? Megan and Clay reveal their best bets and our editors join the podcast to talk about this week's most exciting books!

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The film version of Meg Wolitzer's novel THE WIFE, starring Glenn Close, is being released this Friday, so Megan and Clay are asking Wolitzer in this week's podcast about the adaptation. And beloved children's writer Jewell Parker Rhodes stops by the studio to talk about her tough but touching new novel, GHOST BOYS. And our editors reveal which new books are really worth your time!

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This week's episode is brought to you by Scholastic.

Megan and Clay ask comedian Guy Branum about his wickedly smart and funny memoir, MY LIFE AS A GODDESS: A MEMOIR THROUGH (UN)POPULAR CULTURE, including that time in college when he wrote an article about Chelsea Clinton and got a special visit from the Secret Service. And we catch up with Scholastic young adult writer Kody Keplinger, whose new novel, THAT'S NOT WHAT HAPPENED, is a timely page-turner with a fascinating premise: a school shooting survivor is determined to correct untrue stories about the tragic event. And our editors reveal which new books they think are really worth your time!

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PARADOX is the 22nd mystery by bestseller Catherine Coulter starring detectives Sherlock and Savich but it’s far from the 22nd novel Coulter's written during her career. She’s also written numerous romance novels and co-writes a series of thrillers with J.T. Ellison. We talk to the pro this week about what it’s like writing about the FBI, the writer who taught her well, and living in a politicized America. Our editors also join us to talk about their best bets for new books to read.

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This week, we talk to the author of one of 2018's most unique books, THE DESERT AND THE SEA: 977 DAYS CAPTIVE ON THE SOMALI PIRATE COAST. Michael Scott Moore is a journalist who was curious why some Somalian men became pirates...and then he was kidnapped by them. Megan and Clay talk about some outrageously priced books and our editors reveal which new books are their best bets!

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In Megan Abbott's smart new thriller, GIVE ME YOUR HAND, Kit Owens, a rising star in a famous laboratory can track her success back to the one person in her life she'd like to forget. And that person doesn't want to leave Kit alone. "It will take more than a cold shower to still the blood thumping in your ears when you finish this," our reviewer writes in a starred review. Megan and Clay catch up with Megan on this week’s episode.

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The protagonist of Ottessa Moshfegh's new novel, MY YEAR OF REST AND RELAXATION, doesn't just take some time off from her job; she spends a year hibernating with strong sedatives, in the hope that she'll emerge transformed. The novel is a nervy modern-day rebellion tale that isn't afraid to get dark or find humor in the darkness and we ask Moshfegh about writing it. Megan and Clay recommend some overlooked summer reading picks and our editors talk about their favorite reads this week.

Angie Thomas' debut novel, THE HATE U GIVE, has spent an astounding 69 weeks on the New York Times young adult bestseller list and will be released as a movie this fall. In the novel, 16-year-old Starr Carter is a black girl and an expert at navigating the two worlds she exists in: her black neighborhood, and the other at her suburban, mostly white high school. Walking the line between the two becomes immensely harder when Starr is present at the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend by a white police officer. We caught up with Thomas recently and asked her about writing the novel. And our editors reveal which books are this week's best bets!

This week, Megan and Clay ask David Sedaris about the snapping turtle he tried to feed his benign tumor to (the turtle's name was Granddaddy; the serious drift in his new collection of essays, CALYPSO; and what his siblings think about being written about so often by him. Have you ever wondered why your grade school English teacher insisted you stop ending a sentence with a preposition? We have the answer. And our editors reveal their favorite new books!

This week, we catch up with one of the bestselling YA writers publishing today – Cassandra Clare. She talks to us about her latest books, her upcoming series, and what it's like wanting to satisfy a lot of fans who have different ideas about what her characters should be doing. Megan and Clay speculate on the working method James Patterson and Bill Clinton used to co-write THE PRESIDENT IS MISSING and our editors reveal which new bestsellers are worth your time!

This week, we're all about great summer reads. We talk to Jessica Knoll, whose debut, LUCKIEST GIRL ALIVE, was a major bestseller; her new thriller, THE FAVORITE SISTER, is an addictive thriller in which the set of a reality TV show gets a little too real and a star is murdered. But the novel is also a trenchant, deep dissection of contemporary feminism. And our editors join us to reveal their favorite summer reads!

Rick Bragg has been telling stories about his family for decades now, including his bestselling books ALL OVER BUT THE SHOUTIN' and AVA'S MAN. His new book, THE BEST COOK IN THE WORLD, is about the "working-class mountain food" of his native Alabama and his mother, who does wonders with all kinds of Southern food. Megan and Clay talk about "trauma envy" among writers and our editors join us to talk about this week's bestellers.

Barbara Ehrenreich is the notable writer who tackles whatever subjects interest her most: American poverty, the American idea of "positivity," and now, in NATURAL CAUSES, she returns with research and rumination on the complexity of our human bodies and the misconceptions of our minds. She urges that we recognize that death is natural, and that we enjoy our lives while we can. Megan and Clay talk about the summer books they're most excited about and our editors join the podcast to reveal which bestsellers are actually worth your time!

This week, Kirkus Reviews editor Clay Smith interviews two-time National Book Award winner Jesmyn Ward live on stage from her recent book tour event in Austin, Texas. Ward's novel SING, UNBURIED, SING is the story of a family in rural Mississippi taking a road trip to the notoriously brutal Parchman prison, where a family member is being released. As with the best and most meaningful American fiction these days, old truths are recast in the novel in new realities rife with both peril and promise.

This week, our hosts catch up with David Duchovny, who in addition to being an actor and musician, is a novelist (three times over!). His latest, MISS SUBWAYS, is an entertaining, postmodern fairy tale that tests the boundaries of love and fate. And our editors reveal which new books they think are well worth your time!

Fully Booked goes to Hollywood this week! We catch up with some of the leading writers covering Hollywood: Joy Press, who profiles the women who've been transforming television in STEALING THE SHOW; Adrienne Sharp, whose new novel, THE MAGNIFICENT ESME WELLS, is set in the old studio system of Hollywood and in Las Vegas in the 1950's; and Ben Fritz, whose book THE BIG PICTURE: THE FIGHT FOR THE FUTURE OF MOVIES, reveals why Hollywood is sticking to safe, reliable movies like superhero series. Meet us under the palm trees.

When Oscar-winning actress Marcia Gay Harden’s mother began to show signs of Alzheimer's disease, Harden decided to try to capture her memories before they were gone. Harden's new book, THE SEASONS OF MY MOTHER, is an affectionate memoir about a spirited mother-daughter relationship and Harden tells us about the book on this week's episode. Why do we always talk about mermaids instead of mermen? In Melissa Broder's buzzy debut novel, THE PISCES, a disaffected academic struggling with a breakup finds love in the arms of a merman. It's a fascinating tale of obsession and erotic redemption told with black humor and biting insight. And our editors stop by to talk about the new books they think are worth your time!

This week, we talk to Luis Alberto Urrea, whose new novel, THE HOUSE OF BROKEN ANGELS, is getting great reviews, including a starred review from Kirkus, whose reviewer writes that the novel is, "a family saga that asks what it means to be American." We also catch up with Cutter Wood, whose debut true crime book, LOVE AND DEATH IN THE SUNSHINE STATE allows Wood to tackle a true-crime story and, in the process, discover some uncomfortable truths about himself. And our editors reveal which new books they think are worth your time.

This week, in our special Woman Episode sponsored by Sourcebooks, we catch up with Cecile Richards, the outgoing president of Planned Parenthood who has led that organization through many bruising tussles with political leaders. Her new memoir, MAKE TROUBLE, is just out this month. We also talk to Alex Wagner, the CBS correspondent and writer; her new book FUTUREFACE: A FAMILY MYSTERY, AN EPIC QUEST, AND THE SECRET TO BELONGING, is a fascinating story about her complicated search for her ancestry. And our editors reveal the best books written by women that are out this week!

In bestseller Sloane Crosley's new essay collection, LOOK ALIVE OUT THERE, the witty, perceptive writer confronts middle age, and she's not exactly loving it. What was life like on the set of the big-budget, Hollywood epic, GIANT, starring Rock Hudson, Elizabeth Taylor, and James Dean (egos clashed, for starters). Don Graham has written GIANT, the definitive account of the making of the movie and we’re asking him about it on this week's episode. And our editors tell us which new books they think are really worth your time!

A trio of struggling teens meets by chance in Central Park and becomes everything to one another in bestseller Gayle Forman's new YA novel, I HAVE LOST MY WAY. We catch up with Forman in this week’s episode and also see what it was like for Michael Benson to write the definitive account of the making of the film 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY. Benson's new book is titled SPACE ODYSSEY and it’s fascinating. And our editors reveal which books they think you ought to dig into this week!

With a title like HOW DEMOCRACIES DIE, you’d be forgiven if you assumed the book is a dire read. The nationally bestselling book actually has some hope in it; we ask the book’s co-author, Daniel Ziblatt, about the state of American democracy in this week’s episode. We also ask Dr. Daniela J. Lamas about the research she did to write YOU CAN STOP HUMMING NOW: A DOCTOR’S STORIES OF LIFE, DEATH AND LIFE IN BETWEEN. And our editors share their insights about the best new books to read!

Alan Hollinghurst's new novel, THE SPARSHOLT AFFAIR, is about a young gay man growing up as his father is involved in a major sex scandal in Great Britain in the late Sixties. This week, we ask the Booker Prize winner about the novel and his career. We also catch up with comedy writer Laurie Kilmartin about her irreverent, thoughtful new book, DEAD PEOPLE SUCK: A GUIDE FOR SURVIVORS OF THE NEWLY DEPARTED. And our editors tell you which new bestsellers are worth your time!

Univision anchor Jorge Ramos famously got into a tussle with Donald Trump when he was a candidate for the presidency; his new book, STRANGER, reveals what happened after that incident and explains Ramos' point that immigrants make America a better, not worse, place. We also ask Shannon Hitchcock why she set her new middle-grade novel, ONE TRUE WAY, in 1977 North Carolina as two seventh-grade girls fall for one another. And we talk to our editors about which bestsellers are worth your reading time!

Dhonielle Clayton's new YA novel THE BELLES, which Kirkus gave a starred review to, is on the New York Times bestseller list, but that’s not the only reason to celebrate Clayton: she’s also a co-founder of We Need Diverse Books and has been holding publishers accountable for publishing more diverse writers. We also check in with historical novelist Elizabeth Crook, whose new novel THE WHICH WAY TREE is a gripping, fascinating story set in Civil War-era Texas. And our editors reveal which bestsellers are worth your time!

Jason Matthews is a former CIA agent whose writing career has turned out pretty spectacularly: his debut thriller, RED SPARROW, will be a movie starring Jennifer Lawrence and Joel Edgerton released on March 2. The latest novel in his bestselling RED SPARROW trilogy, THE KREMLIN'S CANDIDATE, is timely and thrilling. We also check in with Danielle Lazarin, whose debut collection of stories, BACK TALK, our critic calls "sensitive, intricate, and quietly powerful;" her stories give voice to women learning to live on their own terms. And our editors let you know which bestselling books are worth a read!

Tayari Jones's new novel, AN AMERICAN MARRIAGE, was recently chosen by Oprah for her book club and is No. 2 on the New York Times bestseller list. The novel is, at its heart, a love story, but a love story warped by racial injustice. We also catch up with presidential historian Mark Updegrove, whose latest book, THE LAST REPUBLICANS, broke news recently for divulging that both Bush presidents didn't vote for Donald Trump. And our editors reveal which bestsellers are worth your reading time!

Young adult writer Neal Shusterman isn’t just a bestseller; he's also won the National Book Award. His new novel, THUNDERHEAD, is, our critic says, an "intelligent and entertaining blend of dark humor and high death tolls." We ask him about it on this week’s episode. Francisco Cantú is being praised for his debut memoir, THE LINE BECOMES A RIVER; a former Border Patrol agent, Cantú writes beautifully about what's really happening on the U.S.-Mexico border. And our editors reveal which bestsellers are really worth your time!

This week, we catch up with Kristin Hannah, author of the international bestseller THE NIGHTINGALE. Her new novel, THE GREAT ALONE, is a nail-biter about a trouble Vietnam vet who takes his family to rural Alaska to live off the land as they encounter harsh winters, hungry animals, and the vet's increasingly paranoid mind. Megan talks to debut novelist Joseph Cassara, whose novel THE HOUSE OF IMPOSSIBLE BEAUTIES, set in queer Harlem in the 1980s, our reviewer calls "fierce, tender, and heartbreaking." And our editors reveal which new bestsellers are up to snuff!

This week, we talk to bestseller Bryan Mealer, whose new memoir, THE KINGS OF BIG SPRING, is an affecting account of his family's life in the tumultuous, wild oil industry of West Texas. And Downton Abbey fans will want to check out our interview with Jessica Fellowes, the niece of Downton Abbey's creator; the first in her new series of mysteries, THE MITFORD MURDERS, is just out now. Our editors then join us for their thoughts about which bestselling books are worth your time!

This week, we catch up with David Frum, a prominent conservative writer who’s not a fan of the current administration in the White House; his new book is titled TRUMPOCRACY. We also talk to Sarah Vaughn, whose new novel, ANATOMY OF A SCANDAL, is about a handsome British politician—also the prime minister’s oldest, closest friend—who finds himself on trial for rape. And our editors let you know about the best bets for new, excellent books out this week!

Robert Harris is one of the most revered historical novelists writing today. His new novel, MUNICH, is about old friends who reunite in hopes of derailing Hitler’s war machine. The author of POMPEII and numerous other bestsellers, Harris joins us on the podcast this week. We also talk to Leni Zumas, whose novel RED CLOCKS is about the lives of five women in a small Oregon town who are affected by the outlawing of abortion and an imminent ban on single parenthood. And our editors share their thoughts about this week's bestselling books.

Debut writer A.J. Finn's thriller THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW has been sold in 37 countries and Fox 2000 picked up the film rights. The story of an agoraphobic woman who swears she sees a violent act in the brownstone across from hers in Manhattan, the novel is rife with references to classic films and "crackles with tension," our reviewer says. Violence also is at the heart of Christopher J. Yates' psychological thriller, GRIST MILL ROAD, which our reviewer writes in a starred review is, "mesmerizing and impossible to put down." And our editors weigh in with their thoughts about which bestsellers are worth your time.

Bestseller James Lee Burke is one of America's most beloved crime writers, with 36 novels and two short story collections to his name. The latest novel in his Dave Robicheaux series, ROBICHEAUX, is "another 15 rounds of high-fatality crime, alcohol-soaked ruminations, and heaven-storming prose," according to our reviewer. And the authors of CAN I TOUCH YOUR HAIR? POEMS OF RACE, MISTAKES AND FRIENDSHIP, Irene Latham and Charles Waters, both join the podcast to talk about their unique collaboration on this children's book. We also welcome our new Young Adult Editor, Laura Simeon, as the editors talk this week about the publishing trends they hope disappear in 2018!

Earlier this fall, Kirkus Reviews announced the 18 finalists of the 2017 Kirkus Prize. The three winners of the Prize each received $50,000 in November. Five of the finalists attended the Kirkus Prize panel at the Texas Book Festival: Jack E. Davis (THE GULF); Karen English (IT ALL COMES DOWN TO THIS); Patricia Lockwood (PRIESTDADDY): Madeleine Stratford (ME TALL, YOU SMALL); and Laura Dassow Walls (HENRY DAVID THOREAU: A LIFE). In this episode, we hear from these excellent writers as they talk about the ideas behind their latest books.

This week, we put a spotlight on some of the most (unfairly!) overlooked books of 2017, books we think deserve your attention. We talk to Ladee Hubbard about her sharp, insightful novel about a family with peculiar superpowers, THE TALENTED RIBKINS. Julie Buntin also joins the podcast to talk about her novel, MARLENA, which our reviewer calls "as unforgettable as it is gorgeous." And our editors weigh in with some of their favorite overlooked books of the year.

This week, we talk to bestselling film historian Scott Eyman, whose new book, HANK & JIM, is about the 50-year friendship of actors Henry Fonda and James Stewart. We also ask Ivy Pochoda about her latest novel, WONDER VALLEY. And our editors let you know which bestselling books are worth your time and which you might want to avoid!

This week, we interview Paul Kix, a debut writer whose new nonfiction book THE SABOTEUR is one of the most thrilling nonfiction reads of 2017. It’s about French aristocrat Robert de la Rochefoucauld, who could’ve sat through World War II but instead became a resistance commando sabotaging the Nazis. And we also catch up with British novelist Fiona Mozley, whose new novel ELMET was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. Lastly, our editors divulge their picks for bestsellers they think you ought to read and the bestsellers you don’t need to spend you time on.

Welcome to the Texas Book Festival episode of Fully Booked! The Texas Book Festival is one of the nation’s largest and oldest book festivals and the Fully Booked crew had a lot of fun there a few weeks ago. In this episode, you’ll first hear the interview Kirkus editor Clay Smith did with Walter Isaacson in the House Chamber of the Texas State Capitol during the Festival. Isaacson is the author of the number one New York Times bestselling new bio of Leonardo da Vinci. Then Megan sits down with Roger Hodge, whose new nonfiction book, TEXAS BLOOD, is about his family’s life along the Texas-Mexico border. And at the end of this episode, Megan and Clay gather some interesting responses from people attending the Festival.

You know who Anne Rice is and that her son Christopher Rice is a bestselling novelist too. But they've never collaborated together until this week, when they publish RAMSES THE DAMNED: THE PASSION OF CLEOPATRA, the sequel to THE MUMMY (1989). We catch with both of them during this episode. And Joan Silber's brand-new novel IMPROVEMENT has critics raving, including this starred review from our critic: "There is something so refreshing and genuine about this book." She tells us about creating the novel. Our children's and teen editor Vicky Smith talks about a few of her picks of the Best Picture Books of 2017 and our editors tell you which bestsellers are worth your time.

In this weeks episode, we ask MAD MEN creator Matthew Weiner about entering the world of publishing as he debuts his first novel, HEATHER, THE TOTALITY, in which the difficulties created for a Manhattan family by the renovation of the apartment upstairs include a homicidal stalker. And science writer Juli Berwald joins us to talk about SPINELESS, her fascinating new book about jellyfish (and what its like to grow a spine while studying animals who don't have one). And our editors talk about this week's bestsellers, with our fiction editor Laurie Muchnick focusing on the Best Fiction Books of 2017!

We gave a rare starred review to Peter Wohlleben's new book THE INNER LIFE OF ANIMALS Wohlleben is also the author of the bestselling book, THE HIDDEN LIFE OF TREES. Wohlleben joins us from Germany to answer our questions about the emotional lives on animals and how we are treating them well or wrongly. And we also catch up with Anne Fadiman, whose new memoir, THE WINE LOVER'S DAUGHTER, is "not unlike imbibing several equally felicitous glasses of wine, their salutary effects leaving one pleasantly sated," according to our reviewer. And our editors speak up with their choices of which bestsellers you ought to read and which you can safely skip.

Happy Halloween! Joe Hill, the best-selling author of the long novel THE FIREMAN, has a new book of four creepy novellas, STRANGE WEATHER, that each feature some decidedly hostile, freaky weather incidents. We catch up with Hill in this week's episode. But how about some real-world horror? We ask Lindsey Fitzharris about her new nonfiction book of medical history, THE BUTCHERING ART: JOSEPH LISTER'S QUEST TO TRANSFORM THE GRISLY WORLD OF VICTORIAN MEDICINE. And our editors recommend three spooky reads!

Wait, what? The great Lakota chief Sitting Bull and the force behind the famous Wild West show, Buffalo Bill (who also slaughtered Native Americans), were friends? In this week's episode, we talk to one of America's most insightful writers about the West, Deanne Stillman, whose book BLOOD BROTHERS: THE STRANGE FRIENDSHIP BETWEEN SITTING BULL AND BUFFALO BILL, is just out this week. Then we talk with death expert (your heard us right), Caitlin Doughty, as we ask her about FROM HERE TO ETERNITY: TRAVELING THE WORLD TO FIND THE GOOD DEATH. And our editors stop by to tell us which bestsellers this week are worth your time!

Scott Kelly is the American who has spent the longest amount of time in space and this week, he's on Fully Booked talking about what life up there is like and about writing his new memoir, ENDURANCE. We talk to another American hero, Khizr Khan, whose new book, AN AMERICAN FAMILY, offers insight into what it was like for Khan to become a star at the Democratic National Convention. And our editors stop by to give you their thoughts about this week's bestsellers!

This week, we check in with beloved New Yorker cartoonist Roz Chast, whose new book of cartoons, GOING INTO TOWN, is a funny, and even practical, love letter to New York City. Carmen Maria Machado's entrance to the world of books may be the dramatic of the year: her debut short story collection, HER BODY AND OTHER PARTIES, is a finalist for the 2017 Kirkus Prize and a finalist for the National Book Award. We ask her about it all in this episode. And our editors pipe up with their thoughts about this week's bestsellers.

This week's episode is a special live taping of Celeste Ng's recent event at BookPeople in Austin, Texas. Ng's new novel, LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE, has just hit the New York Times bestseller list and is hard to put down. "As in EVERYTHING I NEVER TOLD YOU, Ng conjures a sense of place and displacement and shows a remarkable ability to see -- and reveal -- a story from different perspectives," our critic writes in a starred review. We also check in with a few of BookPeople's booksellers about which new books they're loving.

Does a writer have a duty to be moral? And what happens when a writer tries to be wise? We talk to National Book Award-winning writer James McBride on this week's episode about his new story collection, FIVE-CARAT SOUL, and those vexing questions. And were also joined by Attica Locke, whose new thriller, BLUEBIRD, BLUEBIRD, is a "deftly-plotted whodunit" according to our reviewer in a starred review. And our editors talk about the newly named 2017 Kirkus Prize finalists!

When did Americans come to shun reality? If your answer is "recently," Kurt Andersen, the author of the entertaining book FANTASYLAND: HOW AMERICA WENT HAYWIRE: A 500-YEAR HISTORY, wants you to reconsider. We delve into the book in this week's episode. We also talk to Rene Denfeld, author of the new novel, THE CHILD FINDER, in which a gifted investigator combs Oregon's snowy mountain forests for a missing girl. And our editors reveal which bestsellers this week they think you ought to try out!

We travel to ancient Greece in this week's episode with Daniel Mendelsohn, author of AN ODYSSEY: A FATHER, A SON, AND AN EPIC, in which Mendelsohn's 81-year-old father asks to sit in on the seminar about THE ODYSSEY his son is teaching (complications ensue). We also catch up with Eleanor Henderson, whose new novel, THE TWELVE-MILE STRAIGHT, is an ambitious novel set in the South in 1930. And our editors check in with their latest recommendations!

Salman Rushdie joins us this week on Fully Booked to talk about his new novel, THE GOLDEN HOUSE, a sort of GREAT GATSBY for our time: everyone is implicated, no one is innocent, and no one comes out unscathed, no matter how well padded with cash, as our reviewer puts it in a starred review. And if the widening gap between rich and poor in America concerns you, check out our interview with John Freeman, the editor of TALES OF TWO AMERICAS. Lastly, our editors weigh in with their recs for some excellent new books to read!

This week, we talk to debut novelist Cherise Wolas about THE RESURRECTION OF JOAN ASHBY. "Can you be a mother and also be an artist -- or, by extension, pursue any serious ambition at all?" our reviewer asks in our starred review of the novel. "This is the question taken up with urgency and all due complexity in lawyer and film producer Wolas' debut novel." And our editors speak up with their recommendations of what to read, and what to skip!

Gabrielle Zevin is best-known for her bestseller from a few years ago, THE STORIED LIFE OF A.J. FIKRY; today we ask her about her new novel, YOUNG JANE YOUNG, which is funny, insightful, and a real pleasure to read. We also catch up with debut YA writer F.C. Yee, whose humorous debut novel, THE EPIC CRUSH OF GENIE LO, is just out. And our editors pipe up with their suggestions of which bestsellers to read and which to avoid!

Who knows more about the Amish than almost anyone? A bestselling thriller writer who lives in Amarillo, Texas named Linda Castillo. This episode, we ask Castillo about the latest in her Kate Burkholder series, DOWN A DARK ROAD. Debut novelist Ayobami Adebayo also joins us to talk about her affecting novel, STAY WITH ME. And children's-teen editor Vicky Smith takes the stage to highlight an excellent new novel and one you can safely avoid.

We gave a rare starred review to bestselling thriller writer Karin Slaughter's new novel THE GOOD DAUGHTER. Slaughter talks to us on todays episode about why she sets all of her novels in Georgia, what it's like being a continual bestseller, and where she gets her ideas from. And pioneering tech worker and writer Ellen Ullman also joins us to talk about her new memoir, LIFE IN CODE: A PERSONAL HISTORY OF TECHNOLOGY, which our critic calls, "a sharply written, politically charged memoir of life in the data trenches." Our editors talk about which bestsellers they think are worth your time and which you can safely skip!

Tom Perrotta - the author of THE LEFTOVERS (which became the HBO series), LITTLE CHILDREN, and ELECTION, among others - has a funny, brand-new novel, MRS. FLETCHER, that our reviewer says is "more spot-on satire with heart and soul from a uniquely gifted writer." We also talk to memoir writer Heather Harpham about her honest new memoir, HAPPINESS. And if you're looking for a few good summer reads, our editors are here to help you out!

This week, we catch up with bestselling thriller writer Ace Atkins and ask him about the latest in his series of crime novels starring detective Quinn Colson, who's on the trail of bank robbers and sex traffickers in THE FALLEN. We also talk to Jardine Libaire, whose new novel WHITE FUR has been picked up for development by Amazon Studios. And our editors pipe up with their latest recommendations!

We talk to the author of one of the most intriguing summer novels published this year, SPOONBENDERS, by Daryl Gregory, the story of a family of people gifted with psychic abilities. And Monica Hesse joins us to talk about her new nonfiction book, AMERICAN FIRE, about a series of odd arsons in Virginia. That book is turning out to be a great summer read, too. Our editors also join us to give their takes on which bestsellers are worth your time.

You may not have heard of Gin Phillips since she's a debut writer but we think her thriller FIERCE KINGDOM has the potential to be a huge summer hit. We also talk to Joshua Cohen, whose insightful and funny new novel MOVING KINGS packs a lot into a short amount of pages. And we ask our senior editors which bestsellers out this week are worth the read!

Nina George is the mega-bestselling author of THE LITTLE PARIS BOOKSHOP; she's in our studio this week to answer our questions about her brand-new novel, THE LITTLE FRENCH BISTRO. We also catch up with Matthew Klam, whose anticipated, funny new novel, WHO IS RICH?, is just out. And thriller and Edgar Award winner Meg Gardiner stops by the studio to talk about UNSUB, her new thriller loosely based on the Zodiac killings. Find out which bestsellers our editors think you ought to race out and buy and which you can safely avoid!

Samantha Irby's essays (some of which originated from her popular blog Bitches Gotta Eat) are both hilarious and moving. As she's working on producing an FX series based on her work, we talk to Irby about her new, best-selling collection of essays, WE ARE NEVER MEETING IN REAL LIFE. And who says long-haul truckers cant be writers too? Finn Murphy's new memoir THE LONG HAUL is a fascinating glimpse into life on the American road. And our senior editors call in with recommendations about which bestsellers are worth your time.

Roxane Gay may be best known for her essay collection, BAD FEMINIST, but she joins the podcast this week to talk to us about her new memoir, HUNGER: A MEMOIR OF (MY) BODY, one of the most anticipated books of the year. We also catch up with Katherine Heiny, whose debut novel, STANDARD DEVIATION, is "an amusingly engaging take on long-term marriage with a lovably loopy character at its center," as our critic puts it in a starred review. And our expert editors tell you which bestsellers are worthy of your time.

You probably know that James Patterson is a mega-bestseller but do you know what really keeps him up at night? It's not what you might expect, as he reveals in this weeks episode. We also talk to Gerda Saunders, whose new memoir, MEMORY'S LAST BREATH, is a "fiercely honest" account of her life with dementia. Our reviewer calls MEMORY'S LAST BREATH a "courageous, richly textured, and unsparing memoir." And our sharp-eyed editors give us the low-down on which bestsellers are worth it to purchase and which you can safely avoid.

John Grisham joins the podcast this week to talk about his new thriller, CAMINO ISLAND; we ask Lisa Lucas, the Executive Director of the National Book Foundation, about diversity in publishing, among other topics; and our editors recommend some great summer reads!

We talk to David Sedaris about his new book, THEFT BY FINDING, a collection of his diary entries that allows you to see the source material for some of his funniest stories. He tells us in this episode the names of some beloved spiders he has known. We also catch up with Nathan Hill, whose debut novel THE NIX was a breakout bestseller in 2016; the paperback version was recently published. And our editors drop in to tell us which bestselling books are worth your time and which...aren't!

This week, we catch up with bestselling novelist J. Courtney Sullivan, whose brand-new novel SAINTS FOR ALL OCCASIONS is an "expertly spun family drama," according to our critic, about two sisters whose dark family secret has consequences for years to come. And Ada Calhoun's new nonfiction book WEDDING TOASTS I'LL NEVER GIVE is an expanded version of the popular column on the same subject she wrote for the "Modern Love" column in the New York Times.

Looking for new bestsellers to read? Our editors tell you which to avoid and wish to read!

Fully Booked now has a hotline number (888-245-0618) where readers can leave messages asking for advice about what they should read next, for example. We introduce calls from our listeners in this episode (and one of them is a real doozy).

What exactly does the Chief of Staff at the White House do? Your'e not certain? Neither were we until we talked to filmmaker and writer Chris Whipple about his deeply reported and fascinating new bestseller, THE GATEKEEPERS: HOW THE WHITE HOUSE CHIEFS OF STAFF DEFINE EVERY PRESIDENCY. We also chat up editor and novelist Rakesh Satyal, author of the funny, uplifting new novel NO ONE CAN PRONOUNCE MY NAME.

And our editors spill the beans on which bestsellers you should race out and read and which you can safely skip!