Explore every episode of the podcast Fully Booked by Kirkus Reviews

On our Best March Books episode, Kirkus’ editors share their top titles for the month. Then Pulitzer Prize finalist Laila Lalami joins us to discuss her latest novel, The Dream Hotel (Pantheon, March 4). Kirkus: “A woman is detained under an American regime where even dreams are being surveilled….An engrossing and troubling dystopian tale” (starred review).

Lidia Yuknavitch discusses Reading the Waves: A Memoir (Riverhead, Feb. 4). Kirkus: “A noted writer and teacher explores the uses of memoir to recast and heal the wounds of the past…. Full of the messy, moving, in-your-face inspiration and storytelling for which Yuknavitch is beloved.” Then our editors share their top picks in books for the week.

On a special episode celebrating debut authors, Erin Crosby Eckstine discusses her novel, Junie (Ballantine, Feb. 4), who Kirkus calls “a talented writer to watch.” “On the eve of the Civil War, an enslaved Black teen awakens her sister’s ghost and embarks on a dangerous journey to freedom in this debut novel,” Kirkus writes in a review. “Featuring a spirited protagonist, this compelling mix of the historical and the supernatural will resonate.” Then our editors highlight some more of the season’s most exciting debuts.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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