Fully Booked by Kirkus Reviews

Salman Rushdie joins us this week on Fully Booked to talk about his new novel, THE GOLDEN HOUSE, a sort of GREAT GATSBY for our time: everyone is implicated, no one is innocent, and no one comes out unscathed, no matter how well padded with cash, as our reviewer puts it in a starred review. And if the widening gap between rich and poor in America concerns you, check out our interview with John Freeman, the editor of TALES OF TWO AMERICAS. Lastly, our editors weigh in with their recs for some excellent new books to read!

This week, we talk to debut novelist Cherise Wolas about THE RESURRECTION OF JOAN ASHBY. "Can you be a mother and also be an artist -- or, by extension, pursue any serious ambition at all?" our reviewer asks in our starred review of the novel. "This is the question taken up with urgency and all due complexity in lawyer and film producer Wolas' debut novel." And our editors speak up with their recommendations of what to read, and what to skip!

Gabrielle Zevin is best-known for her bestseller from a few years ago, THE STORIED LIFE OF A.J. FIKRY; today we ask her about her new novel, YOUNG JANE YOUNG, which is funny, insightful, and a real pleasure to read. We also catch up with debut YA writer F.C. Yee, whose humorous debut novel, THE EPIC CRUSH OF GENIE LO, is just out. And our editors pipe up with their suggestions of which bestsellers to read and which to avoid!

Who knows more about the Amish than almost anyone? A bestselling thriller writer who lives in Amarillo, Texas named Linda Castillo. This episode, we ask Castillo about the latest in her Kate Burkholder series, DOWN A DARK ROAD. Debut novelist Ayobami Adebayo also joins us to talk about her affecting novel, STAY WITH ME. And children's-teen editor Vicky Smith takes the stage to highlight an excellent new novel and one you can safely avoid.

We gave a rare starred review to bestselling thriller writer Karin Slaughter's new novel THE GOOD DAUGHTER. Slaughter talks to us on todays episode about why she sets all of her novels in Georgia, what it's like being a continual bestseller, and where she gets her ideas from. And pioneering tech worker and writer Ellen Ullman also joins us to talk about her new memoir, LIFE IN CODE: A PERSONAL HISTORY OF TECHNOLOGY, which our critic calls, "a sharply written, politically charged memoir of life in the data trenches." Our editors talk about which bestsellers they think are worth your time and which you can safely skip!

Tom Perrotta - the author of THE LEFTOVERS (which became the HBO series), LITTLE CHILDREN, and ELECTION, among others - has a funny, brand-new novel, MRS. FLETCHER, that our reviewer says is "more spot-on satire with heart and soul from a uniquely gifted writer." We also talk to memoir writer Heather Harpham about her honest new memoir, HAPPINESS. And if you're looking for a few good summer reads, our editors are here to help you out!

This week, we catch up with bestselling thriller writer Ace Atkins and ask him about the latest in his series of crime novels starring detective Quinn Colson, who's on the trail of bank robbers and sex traffickers in THE FALLEN. We also talk to Jardine Libaire, whose new novel WHITE FUR has been picked up for development by Amazon Studios. And our editors pipe up with their latest recommendations!

We talk to the author of one of the most intriguing summer novels published this year, SPOONBENDERS, by Daryl Gregory, the story of a family of people gifted with psychic abilities. And Monica Hesse joins us to talk about her new nonfiction book, AMERICAN FIRE, about a series of odd arsons in Virginia. That book is turning out to be a great summer read, too. Our editors also join us to give their takes on which bestsellers are worth your time.

You may not have heard of Gin Phillips since she's a debut writer but we think her thriller FIERCE KINGDOM has the potential to be a huge summer hit. We also talk to Joshua Cohen, whose insightful and funny new novel MOVING KINGS packs a lot into a short amount of pages. And we ask our senior editors which bestsellers out this week are worth the read!

Nina George is the mega-bestselling author of THE LITTLE PARIS BOOKSHOP; she's in our studio this week to answer our questions about her brand-new novel, THE LITTLE FRENCH BISTRO. We also catch up with Matthew Klam, whose anticipated, funny new novel, WHO IS RICH?, is just out. And thriller and Edgar Award winner Meg Gardiner stops by the studio to talk about UNSUB, her new thriller loosely based on the Zodiac killings. Find out which bestsellers our editors think you ought to race out and buy and which you can safely avoid!