Fully Booked by Kirkus Reviews

Xochitl Gonzalez joins us to discuss Olga Dies Dreaming (Flatiron Books, Jan. 4), the hotly anticipated debut novel Kirkus calls a “warmhearted but tough-minded story of a sister and brother grappling with identity, family, and life goals in gentrifying Brooklyn” (starred review). Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week, with books by David Valdez, Nikole Hannah-Jones & Caitlin Roper & Elena Silverman & Jake Silverstein, and Jessamine Chan.

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Happy New Year, listeners! Editor-in-chief Tom Beer and journalist Michael Schaub join host Megan Labrise for an extra-special Fully Booked Year-in-Review, featuring a spirited discussion of the wackiest book news to come out of 2021, followed by the revelation and celebration of our most downloaded episode of the year. You won’t want to miss it.

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On this special holiday episode, host Megan Labrise looks back on the year in podcasting and reintroduces two of her favorite conversations from 2021: with Kazuo Ishiguro, author of Klara and the Sun (Knopf), and with Mary Roach, author of Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law (Norton). Thanks for listening in, and cheers to another great year in podcasting!

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On our final Best Books episode, Cynthia Barnett discusses The Sound of the Sea: Seashells and the Fate of the Oceans (Norton, July). This “absolutely captivating nature book” is one of Kirkus’ Best Books in young readers’ literature for 2021 (starred review). Then nonfiction editor Eric Liebetrau joins Megan to discuss the year in memoir, biography, science writing, history, criticism, and more.

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On our second Best Books episode, Kelly Loy Gilbert discusses When We Were Infinite (Simon & Schuster, March). Gilbert’s “beautifully, achingly cathartic” YA novel (starred review), is one of Kirkus’ Best Books in young readers’ literature for 2021. Then young readers’ editor Laura Simeon joins Megan to discuss the year in picture books, middle grade, and YA.

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On our first Best Books episode, Lily King discusses Five Tuesdays in Winter (Grove, Nov. 9), one of Kirkus’ Best Books in fiction for 2021. Kirkus: “The first collection of stories from an acclaimed novelist…. Full of insights and pleasures” (starred review). Then fiction editor Laurie Muchnick joins Megan to talk titles, trends, and the year in fiction.

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It's the fourth annual Fully Booked Holiday Gift Guide! Adrian Miller, author of Black Smoke: African Americans and the United States of Barbecue (UNC Press) and Jacob Gallagher of The Men’s Fashion Book (Phaidon) join editor-in-chief Tom Beer and host Megan Labrise for some good cheer and great stories. And Kirkus’ editors present their top gift book picks.

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James Beard Award-winning journalist Mayukh Sen joins us to discuss Taste Makers: Seven Immigrant Women Who Revolutionized Food in America (Norton, Nov. 16). Kirkus calls this groundbreaking group biography “Well-crafted, engaging portraits of culinary and cultural pioneers.” Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week, with books by Dan Murphy and Aubrey Plaza, Katie Heaney, and Louise Erdrich.

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Model, actor, activist, entrepreneur and author Emily Ratajkowski joins us to discuss My Body (Metropolitan Books, Nov. 9). Kirkus calls her standout debut essay collection “a refreshingly candid, fearless look into a model’s body of work and its impact on her identity and politics.” Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week, with books by Donna Jo Napoli and Naoko Stoop, Harmony Becker, and Claire Vaye Watkins.

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Cultural critic Rax King joins us to discusses Tacky: Love Letters to the Worst Culture We Have to Offer (Vintage, Nov. 2), “an engaging, hilarious, unabashed look at what we love in culture and why we should value it for what it is” (starred review). Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week, with books by Winsome Bingham and Charles G. Esperanza, Amy Butler Greenfield, Tom Vitale, and Asali Solomon.

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