Fully Booked by Kirkus Reviews

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. And in a sponsored interview, Megan talks with Jeff Smulyan, author of Never Ride a Roller Coaster Upside Down (BenBella, Dec. 6).

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. 

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.