Fully Booked by Kirkus Reviews

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. See Privacy...

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. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at http...

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. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy No...

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. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-in...

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. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/priva...

#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 rea...

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. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California...

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. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California P...

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. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at ht...

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). See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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...

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. And in a sponsored interview, Megan talks with Je...

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. See Privacy Policy at https://art1...

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 N...

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...

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. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.c...

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. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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). See Privac...

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. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-...

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. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and Ca...

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 we...

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. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info...

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. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.