On this week’s episode, No. 1 New York Times bestselling romance author B.K. Borison joins us to discuss And Now, Back to You (Berkley, Feb. 24). Kirkus: “Opposites attract when meteorologists are forced to work together during a massive snowstorm…. [in] a wonderfully cozy and warm romance in a cold, snowy setting.” 

THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS:

• Ruta’s Closet by Keith Morgan with Ruth Kron Sigal
• The Prophecy by Kim Sakwa
• Murder on the Interstellar Express by Gregory D. Little
• The Path to Heaven by Emily Minjun Chung
• It Always Rains in Estaran by Murat Boyner

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On this week’s episode, Eugene Robinson joins us to discuss Freedom Lost, Freedom Won: A Personal History of America (Simon & Schuster, Feb. 3). As Kirkus writes in a starred review of Freedom Lost, Freedom Won, the author skillfully illuminates a “central truth of African American history: that for every advance toward being seen as truly American, ‘in short order, that full citizenship would be revoked.’” Then Kirkus’ editors offer their top picks in books for the week.

THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS:

• They Could Be Saviors by Diana Colleen
• The Privilege of Aging by Kamla K. Kapur
• The Prophecy by Kim Sakwa
• The Holy Nail by Michael J. Serby
• Murder on the Interstellar Express by Gregory D. Little

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On this week’s episode, Allegra Goodman joins us to discuss This Is Not About Us (Dial Press, Feb. 10). “Goodman offers an unsparingly frank, wryly funny take on a multigenerational American family.,” Kirkus writes in a starred review. “Like an exquisitely baked apple cake, Goodman’s delicious and deeply perceptive novel is something to savor.” Then Kirkus’ editors offer their top picks in books for the week.

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On our Best February Books episode, Kirkus’ editors share some of the month’s most highly anticipated titles. Then Sara Pennypacker joins us to discuss The Lions’ Run (Balzer + Bray, Feb. 3). “An orphan in occupied France during World War II finds his courage and a sense of family,” Kirkus writes in a starred review, calling this middle-grade historical fiction, “compassionate and complex.”

THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS:

• Born Sick in the USA by Stephen Bezruchka (Cambridge Univ. Press)
• Prey Before Bed by James Sackos
• We Met at a Halloween Party by Marcus R. Ferrell
• Karl Marx and the Lost California Manifesto by Scott D. Carlson
• Peace Warrior by Greg Payton, with J.T. Molloy

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Amy DuBois Barnett joins us to discuss If I Ruled the World (Flatiron Books, Jan. 27). “A young Black woman navigates the treacherous world of New York magazines in the 1990s,” Kirkus writes in an admiring review of Barnett’s fiction debut: “Style, love, and hip hop converge in this lively, likable novel.” Then our editors recommend their top picks in books for the week.

THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS:

• Children of the Fullness by Cyd Ropp, illus. by Elfaza Studio
• We Met at a Halloween Party by Marcus R. Ferrell
• What We Hold No Longer by Aaron Gedaliah
• The Beekeeper’s Question by Christina Baldwin
• Unbuttoning by Ross Taosaka

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On our special Spring Preview episode, celebrating the most anticipated titles of 2026, New York Times bestselling writer and artist Chanel Miller joins us to discuss The Moon Without Stars (Philomel, Jan. 13). “After her zines launch her into the popular crowd, seventh grader Luna must decide what she’s willing to sacrifice to stay there,” Kirkus writes in a starred review of Miller’s latest middle-grade novel. “Genuine and poignant; [The Moon Without Stars] has the makings of a modern classic.” Then our editors recommend some of 2026’s most anticipated titles.

THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS:

• 50 Secrets Nobody Tells You in Hollywood by Mike Kimmel
• The Compass Room by Mark James
• Twelve Purposeful Immersions by Jess Barcco
• The Last Wizard by Alex Mizgailo
• Ruled by Fate by Sam Withrow & Amelia Pinkis

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Culture journalist and critic Adam Morgan joins us to discuss A Danger to the Minds of Young Girls: Margaret C. Anderson, Book Bans, and the Fight to Modernize Literature (One Signal, Dec. 9, 2025), which Kirkus calls “a lively biography of a bold woman.” Then our editors recommend their top picks in books for the week.

THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS:

• One Ordinary Man: A Novel Based on the True Story of Harry Hopkins by Steve Vesce
• The Real Conversation Jesus Wants Us To Have by Regina V. Cates
• Sammy Goes to the Doctor by Brittany Feria, illus. by Wandson Rocha
• The Angry Skies by Blake Kerr
• On Earth As It Is in Heaven by Joseph Hawke

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On our Best January Books episode, Kirkus’ editors share some of the month’s most highly anticipated titles. Then Alia Hanna Habib joins us to discuss Take It From Me: An Agent’s Guide to Building a Nonfiction Writing Career From Scratch (Pantheon, Jan. 20). Kirkus: “An invaluable resource for aspiring and professional writers alike.”

THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS:

That Kind of Girl by Jacey Bici

Use Your Palabras, Jovita! by Keishia Lee Louis, illus. by Diego Alejandro Escobar Triana

Midnight at Sea by Hoyt Rogers with Artemisia Vento and Frank Báez

Bone of Contention by Jan S. Gephardt

Digital Odyssey by SE Quinn

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Happy New Year, listeners! It’s the Fully Booked Year in Review, featuring editor-in-chief Tom Beer and Kirkus contributing writer Michael Schaub. On this jolly special episode, we take a deep dive into the weird book news of 2025 and reveal the year’s most popular episode.

THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS:

Fighting Bullies by William T. Reid, IV

Harlo by Brian Petersen

Bailing Out by Leonard Ruhl

The Nameless Dead by Leta Serafim 

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On this special holiday episode, Megan presents her favorite nonfiction interviews of 2025, featuring Edmund White (The Loves of My Life) and Caro De Robertis (So Many Stars: An Oral History of Trans, Nonbinary, Genderqueer, and Two-Spirit People of Color).

THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS:

The Zygan Emprise by Y.S. Pascal

Course Over Ground by Bill C. Wilson

Between Wounded and Well by Debra Palmer

Prophets of War by Jack Brown

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