Fully Booked by Kirkus Reviews

Aisha Saeed joins us to discuss Omar Rising (Nancy Paulsen Books, Feb. 1). Kirkus calls this companion to her New York Times-bestselling middle-grade debut Amal Unbound “a powerful tale about a preteen pushing back against systemic injustice” (starred review). Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week, with books by Sara Zarr, Ian O’Connor, and Sarah Moss.

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Meghan O’Rourke joins us to discuss The Invisible Kingdom: Reimagining Chronic Illness (Riverhead, March 8), an “emotionally compelling and intellectually rich” exploration of chronic illness compelling told through “personal narrative and science journalism, with deep dives into the technicalities of the immune system and the microbiome.” Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week, with books by Lillie Lainoff, Dan Charnas, and Karen Joy Fowler.

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On this special International Episode, Anton Hur joins us to discuss his forthcoming translation of Violets by Man Asian Prize-winning novelist Kyung-Sook Shin (April 12). Then our editors join with their international reading recommendations for early 2022, with books by Sang-Keun Kim (tr. Ginger Ly), Chesil (tr. Takami Nieda), Olga Tokarczuk, Shen Fuyu, and Kerri ní Dochartaigh.

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Dr. Neil Bradbury joins us to discuss A Taste for Poison: Eleven Dealy Molecules and the Killers Who Used Them (St. Martin’s Press, Feb. 1), a fascinating blend of science, medical history, and true crime that ably illustrates what we can learn about how the human body works from poisons employed in famous murder plots and assassination attempts. Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week, with books by Kathy Z. Price and Carl Joe Williams, Carolyn Tara O’Neil, Michael Schur, and Julie Otsuka.

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Charmaine Wilkerson joins us to discuss her novel Black Cake (Ballantine Books, Feb. 1), “an ambitious and accomplished debut” centering on estranged siblings discover “almost everything they know about their Caribbean-born parents is a lie” (Kirkus). Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week, with books by Taiye Selasi and Tinuke Fagborun, Jean-Claude van Rijckeghem and Kristen Gehrman, and Lan Samantha Chang.

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Sara Gran joins us to discuss The Book of the Most Precious Substance (Dreamland Books, Feb. 8), a delightful erotic literary thriller from the author of the Claire DeWitt mystery series and founder of Dreamland Books. Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week, with books by Traci Sorell, Ruta Sepetys, Carl Bernstein, and Antoine Wilson.

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Jessamine Chan joins us to discuss her debut novel The School for Good Mothers (Simon & Schuster, Jan. 4), a brilliant social satire centering on one Philadelphia mother’s “very bad day.” Kirkus: “An enthralling dystopian drama that makes complex points about parenting with depth and feeling” (starred review). Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week, with books by Ruth Behar and Devon Holzwarth, Bernardine Evaristo, and Julia May Jonas.

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John Darnielle joins us to discuss Devil House (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Jan. 25), “an impressively meta work that delivers the pleasures of true-crime while skewering it.” This third novel from the New York Times bestselling author and singer-songwriter of Mountain Goats fame is his best yet, according to our starred review. Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week, with books by Marieke Nijkamp, Nilah Magruder, Stanley Tucci, and Claire Messud

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Debut author Gwen E. Kirby joins us to discuss Shit Cassandra Saw (Penguin, Jan. 11), a standout, feminist short story collection with “zany plots, unconventional forms, and playful, poetic language” that “delight[s] at every turn” (starred review). Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week, with books by Zoey Abbott, Corey Ann Haydu, Paul McCartney, and Jonathan Evison.

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Antoine Wilson joins us to discuss Mouth to Mouth (Avid Reader Press, Jan. 11), an intriguing novel Kirkus calls “a deliciously nasty morality play in the guise of a thriller.” Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week, with books by Sophie Burrows, Claire Alexander, and Hanya Yanagihara.

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