Fully Booked by Kirkus Reviews

Latest Episodes:

Edna Bonhomme Apr 08, 2025

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Edna Bonhomme joins us to discuss A History of the World in Six Plagues: How Contagion, Class, and Captivity Shaped Us, From Cholera to COVID-19 (One Signal/Atria, March 11). Kirkus: “ A searing attack on historical injustices.” Then our editors share their top picks in books for the week.

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Best Books of the 21st Century (so far!) Apr 01, 2025

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On this special episode of Fully Booked, Kirkus’ editors join us for a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the current issue of Kirkus Reviews celebrating the best books of the 21st Century (so far). Then each editor chooses one book from the past 25 years they think everyone should read.

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Bob the Drag Queen Mar 25, 2025

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Bob the Drag Queen discusses his eagerly anticipated speculative novel Harriet Tubman: Live in Concert (Gallery Books, March 25). Kirkus: “The literary debut by Bob the Drag Queen—Instagram star, Madonna concert emcee, and winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race—imagines a host of famous figures returning to life: Cleopatra is a fashion influencer, John D. Rockefeller is a robber baron all over again, and Harriet Tubman, a key figure in the Underground Railroad, wants to share her story via a Hamilton-style album.” Then our editors share their top picks in books for the week.

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Deb Caletti Mar 18, 2025

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Acclaimed author Deb Caletti discusses her latest YA novel, True Life in Uncanny Valley (Labyrinth Road, March 18). Kirkus: “A Seattle teen conceals her true identity as the long-abandoned daughter of a celebrated tech giant to gain entry into his household….[in this] at times heartbreaking but ultimately hopeful story about chosen family.” Then our editors share their top picks in books for the week.

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Karen Russell Mar 11, 2025

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Karen Russell discusses her eagerly anticipated second novel, The Antidote (Knopf, March 11). “In the wake of the destructive Black Sunday dust storm in 1935, four outcasts dare to offer their dying town a radical vision of the future,” Kirkus writes in a starred review of this “storytelling tour de force” that “lives up to the promise of its name.” Then our editors share their top picks in books for the week.

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Best March Books With Laila Lalami Mar 04, 2025

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

Lidia Yuknavitch Feb 25, 2025

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

Erin Crosby Eckstine Feb 18, 2025

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

Paul Lisicky Feb 11, 2025

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

Best Books of February with Kate Beaton Feb 04, 2025

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