Fully Booked by Kirkus Reviews
Get the ultimate insider's scoop on the best new books. The editors at Kirkus Reviews interview your favorite authors, tell you whether or not the books on the bestseller list are worth the read, give you behind-the-scenes insights, and introduce you to great books you may otherwise never find.
Episodes
On this special episode, we present the 8th annual Fully Booked Holiday Gift Guide. Guest cohost Tom Beer joins host Megan Labrise in welcoming authors Ben Schott (Schott’s Significa; Workman) and Michael W. Twitty (Recipes From the American South; Phaidon). And Kirkus’ editors present their top holiday gift book picks.
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New York Times bestselling author Catherine Newman joins us to discuss Wreck (Harper/HarperCollins, October 28), the follow-up to 2024’s Sandwich. Kirkus calls the new novel, “A heartbreaking, laugh-provoking, and absolutely Ephron-esque look at the beauty and fragility of everyday life” (starred review). Then our editors recommend their top picks in books for the week.
Former U.S. Attorney Joyce Vance joins us to discuss Giving Up Is Unforgivable: A Manual for Keeping a Democracy (Dutton, October 21). Kirkus calls it, “A hopeful manifesto for a renewed democracy.” Then our editors recommend their top picks in books for the week.
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...On a special Mystery, Thrillers, and Horror episode, Janice Hallett joins us to discuss her latest murder mystery, The Killer Question (Atria, September 23). Kirkus: “A quintessential British pub, an escalating quiz-night rivalry, and a deeply personal mystery unfold in this clever epistolary tale.” Then our editors share some thrilling, chilling book recommendations.
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On a special episode of Fully Booked, we’re celebrating the 2025 Kirkus Prize finalists, ahead of our annual awards ceremony on Oct. 8. First, fiction judge Thérèse Purcell Nielsen joins us to discuss the process of selecting six outstanding works of fiction from hundreds of eligible titles. Then Kirkus’ editors add their insights to this year’s prize process.
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On our Best October books episode, Kirkus’ editors share their top titles for the month. Then Kate McKinnon joins us to discuss Secrets of the Purple Pearl, book two in her #1 New York Times-bestselling middle grade series, “The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science” (Little, Brown, September 30). “In a race against their enemies...
Author-illustrator YY Liak joins us to discuss Curious Coffins and Riveting Rituals: Death Practices Around the World (Chronicle Books, September 30), a vibrant volume Kirkus calls “an endearing and lighthearted look at the fate that awaits us all.” Then our editors recommend their top picks in books for the week.
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Bestselling author Leni Zumas (Red Clocks) joins us to discuss her latest novel, Wolf Bells (Algonquin, September 16). “A young girl and her autistic cousin seek refuge in an intergenerational community,” Kirkus writes in a review of this “tender and well-told story about the meaning of family.” Then our editors recommend their top picks in books for the week.
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National Book Award finalist and PEN/Faulkner Award winner Rabih Alameddine joins us to discuss The True True Story of Raja the Gullible (And His Mother) (Grove, September 2). Kirkus calls his latest novel “a sharp exploration of resilience in dark times.” Then our editors recommend their top picks in books for the week.
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On our Best September books episode, Kirkus’ editors share their top titles for the month. Then Eliana Ramage joins us to discuss To the Moon and Back (Avid Reader Press, September 2), a debut novel about a gifted young woman who dreams of becoming the first Cherokee astronaut. Kirkus: “This author is as ambitious as her protagonist: There are three novels worth of mat...
Tess Holliday joins us to discuss Take Up Space, Y’All: Your Bold & Bright Guide to Self-Love (Running Press Kids, Aug. 26), a body-positive wellness book for teens co-written with Kelly Coon. Kirkus: “Plus-size supermodel and activist Holliday empowers readers to love themselves, inside and out.” Then our editors recommend their top picks in books for the week.
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Charlie Jane Anders joins us to discuss her eagerly anticipated new novel, Lessons in Magic and Disaster (Tor, Aug. 19), about a young witch who teaches her mother how to do magic. In a starred review, Kirkus says it offers “much to ponder, much to cry over and rage against, much to appreciate.” Then our editors recommend their top picks in books for the week.
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On a special Romance Episode, Ivy Fairbanks joins us to discuss Heart Strings (Putnam, Aug. 12), the second book in her popular “Love in Galway” series. Kirkus: “When two exes reunite to attend a weekend-long wedding in Ireland, old feelings resurface” in this “charming and spicy” second-chance romance. Then our editors recommend some of their favorite romances and books about love.
On our Best August books episode, Kirkus’ editors share their top titles for the month. River Selby joins us to discuss Hotshot: A Life on Fire (Atlantic Monthly, Aug. 5), a debut memoir chronicling their time as an elite firefighter. Kirkus: “With fortitude and admirable vulnerability, Selby brings readers directly into a tumultuous time and place. Like fire, this book burns ho...
Joseph Lee joins us to discuss Nothing More of This Land: Community, Power, and the Search for Indigenous Identity (One Signal/Atria, July 15). Kirkus: “A Wampanoag journalist looks at what it means to be Native American….A searching and timely exploration of indigeneity and its many interpretations” (starred review). Then our editors recommend their top picks in books for the week.
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Adriana Trigiani joins us to discuss her latest novel, The View From Lake Como (Dutton, July 8)—an instant New York Times bestseller. Kirkus: ““A good Italian American daughter’s 30-something rebellion forces her entire family to reckon with their choices, resulting in a happily-ever-after for all that’s like the best affogato: rich, bitter, sweet.” Then our editors recommend their t...
Bruce Holsinger joins us to discuss Culpability (Spiegel & Grau, July 8), an Oprah’s Book Club pick. Kirkus: “Medieval historian-turned-novelist Holsinger seems to have created his own subgenre of psychosocial thriller, spinning super-smart, propulsive page-turners out of zeitgeisty worries like ultracompetitive school admissions (The Gifted School, 2019), disaster relief (The Displacements, 2022), and n...
On a special episode celebrating graphic literature, author-illustrator Chanté Timothy joins us to discuss her middle-grade debut, Supa Nova (Nosy Crow, June 3). Kirkus: “Ecological concerns prompt a young Black inventor to create a plastic-eating creature….Just the ticket for unstoppable young mixers and makers with big dreams.” Then our editors recommend their top picks in graphic literature...
On our Best July Books episode, Kirkus’ editors share their top titles for the month. Then essayist and critic Maris Kreizman joins us to discuss I Want To Burn This Place Down (Ecco, July 1). Kirkus calls Kreizman’s latest “an intelligent and entertaining read” featuring “unexpectedly charming personal essays about disillusionment, diabetes, and despair.”
Grace Flahive joins us to discuss her debut novel, Palm Meridian (Avid Reader Press, June 24). Kirkus: “The funnest book about death and post-apocalyptic living to date.” Then our editors recommend their top picks in books for the week.
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