Fully Booked by Kirkus Reviews

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.