Fully Booked by Kirkus Reviews

On this week’s special Debuts Episode—in honor of the 3/15 Debuts Issue of Kirkus Reviews, celebrating standout first books across genres—first-time novelist Rebecca Lehmann joins us to discuss The Beheading Game (Crown, March 24). “The further adventures of Anne Boleyn, post-decapitation,” Kirkus writes in a starred review. “Brilliantly imagined, stylishly written, satisfyingly plotted, full of delicious surprises: all in all, hella fun.” 

THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS:

• The Biotech Murders by Ronenn Roubenoff
• Deepstone by Dean Lappi
• Momentum Lost by Jeffrey E. Denning
• Prose Pizza by Cynthia Schumacher
• The Terminal Gene by John H. Thomas

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On this week’s episode, New York Times and internationally bestselling thriller writer Lisa Unger joins us to discuss Served Him Right (Park Row Books, March 10). Kirkus: “Breaking up isn’t just hard to do—it can be fatal,” in this “twisty, satisfying thriller” (starred review).

THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS:

• Dance With Me, Franny Nice Shirt by Elizabeth Kelly Stephenson
• Blanket Party in Desert Storm by Darnnell Reese & Deidra Wilson
• Echoes of Fortune by David R. Leng
• The Past Is Not at Rest by Katherine Bennett
• From the Cold by Mia K. Rose

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On this week’s episode, New York Times bestselling memoirist Lindy West joins us to discuss Adult Braces: Driving Myself Sane (Grand Central Publishing, March 10). Kirkus: “The author of a memoir (Shrill, 2016) and two essay collections (The Witches Are Coming, 2019, and Shit, Actually, 2020)…tackles big subjects…[in] a well-realized, candid memoir that reveals an unconventional approach to life” (starred review).

THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS:

• The Prophecy by Kim Sakwa
• Murder on the Interstellar Express by Gregory D. Little
• Season of Night by Vicki Draeger
• The Elusive Conquest of Queen Califa by Alan Ehrgott
• The Mystery in the Room by Dr. Chuck Radis

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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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