Fully Booked by Kirkus Reviews

A trio of struggling teens meets by chance in Central Park and becomes everything to one another in bestseller Gayle Forman's new YA novel, I HAVE LOST MY WAY. We catch up with Forman in this week’s episode and also see what it was like for Michael Benson to write the definitive account of the making of the film 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY. Benson's new book is titled SPACE ODYSSEY and it’s fascinating. And our editors reveal which books they think you ought to dig into this week!

With a title like HOW DEMOCRACIES DIE, you’d be forgiven if you assumed the book is a dire read. The nationally bestselling book actually has some hope in it; we ask the book’s co-author, Daniel Ziblatt, about the state of American democracy in this week’s episode. We also ask Dr. Daniela J. Lamas about the research she did to write YOU CAN STOP HUMMING NOW: A DOCTOR’S STORIES OF LIFE, DEATH AND LIFE IN BETWEEN. And our editors share their insights about the best new books to read!

Alan Hollinghurst's new novel, THE SPARSHOLT AFFAIR, is about a young gay man growing up as his father is involved in a major sex scandal in Great Britain in the late Sixties. This week, we ask the Booker Prize winner about the novel and his career. We also catch up with comedy writer Laurie Kilmartin about her irreverent, thoughtful new book, DEAD PEOPLE SUCK: A GUIDE FOR SURVIVORS OF THE NEWLY DEPARTED. And our editors tell you which new bestsellers are worth your time!

Univision anchor Jorge Ramos famously got into a tussle with Donald Trump when he was a candidate for the presidency; his new book, STRANGER, reveals what happened after that incident and explains Ramos' point that immigrants make America a better, not worse, place. We also ask Shannon Hitchcock why she set her new middle-grade novel, ONE TRUE WAY, in 1977 North Carolina as two seventh-grade girls fall for one another. And we talk to our editors about which bestsellers are worth your reading time!

Dhonielle Clayton's new YA novel THE BELLES, which Kirkus gave a starred review to, is on the New York Times bestseller list, but that’s not the only reason to celebrate Clayton: she’s also a co-founder of We Need Diverse Books and has been holding publishers accountable for publishing more diverse writers. We also check in with historical novelist Elizabeth Crook, whose new novel THE WHICH WAY TREE is a gripping, fascinating story set in Civil War-era Texas. And our editors reveal which bestsellers are worth your time!

Jason Matthews is a former CIA agent whose writing career has turned out pretty spectacularly: his debut thriller, RED SPARROW, will be a movie starring Jennifer Lawrence and Joel Edgerton released on March 2. The latest novel in his bestselling RED SPARROW trilogy, THE KREMLIN'S CANDIDATE, is timely and thrilling. We also check in with Danielle Lazarin, whose debut collection of stories, BACK TALK, our critic calls "sensitive, intricate, and quietly powerful;" her stories give voice to women learning to live on their own terms. And our editors let you know which bestselling books are worth a read!

Tayari Jones's new novel, AN AMERICAN MARRIAGE, was recently chosen by Oprah for her book club and is No. 2 on the New York Times bestseller list. The novel is, at its heart, a love story, but a love story warped by racial injustice. We also catch up with presidential historian Mark Updegrove, whose latest book, THE LAST REPUBLICANS, broke news recently for divulging that both Bush presidents didn't vote for Donald Trump. And our editors reveal which bestsellers are worth your reading time!

Young adult writer Neal Shusterman isn’t just a bestseller; he's also won the National Book Award. His new novel, THUNDERHEAD, is, our critic says, an "intelligent and entertaining blend of dark humor and high death tolls." We ask him about it on this week’s episode. Francisco Cantú is being praised for his debut memoir, THE LINE BECOMES A RIVER; a former Border Patrol agent, Cantú writes beautifully about what's really happening on the U.S.-Mexico border. And our editors reveal which bestsellers are really worth your time!

This week, we catch up with Kristin Hannah, author of the international bestseller THE NIGHTINGALE. Her new novel, THE GREAT ALONE, is a nail-biter about a trouble Vietnam vet who takes his family to rural Alaska to live off the land as they encounter harsh winters, hungry animals, and the vet's increasingly paranoid mind. Megan talks to debut novelist Joseph Cassara, whose novel THE HOUSE OF IMPOSSIBLE BEAUTIES, set in queer Harlem in the 1980s, our reviewer calls "fierce, tender, and heartbreaking." And our editors reveal which new bestsellers are up to snuff!

This week, we talk to bestseller Bryan Mealer, whose new memoir, THE KINGS OF BIG SPRING, is an affecting account of his family's life in the tumultuous, wild oil industry of West Texas. And Downton Abbey fans will want to check out our interview with Jessica Fellowes, the niece of Downton Abbey's creator; the first in her new series of mysteries, THE MITFORD MURDERS, is just out now. Our editors then join us for their thoughts about which bestselling books are worth your time!