Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast Fully Booked by Kirkus Reviews

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.