Fully Booked by Kirkus Reviews

Karen Russell discusses her eagerly anticipated second novel, The Antidote (Knopf, March 11). “In the wake of the destructive Black Sunday dust storm in 1935, four outcasts dare to offer their dying town a radical vision of the future,” Kirkus writes in a starred review of this “storytelling tour de force” that “lives up to the promise of its name.” Then our editors share their top picks in books for the week.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On our Best March Books episode, Kirkus’ editors share their top titles for the month. Then Pulitzer Prize finalist Laila Lalami joins us to discuss her latest novel, The Dream Hotel (Pantheon, March 4). Kirkus: “A woman is detained under an American regime where even dreams are being surveilled….An engrossing and troubling dystopian tale” (starred review). See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Lidia Yuknavitch discusses Reading the Waves: A Memoir (Riverhead, Feb. 4). Kirkus: “A noted writer and teacher explores the uses of memoir to recast and heal the wounds of the past…. Full of the messy, moving, in-your-face inspiration and storytelling for which Yuknavitch is beloved.” Then our editors share their top picks in books for the week. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On a special episode celebrating debut authors, Erin Crosby Eckstine discusses her novel, Junie (Ballantine, Feb. 4), who Kirkus calls “a talented writer to watch.” “On the eve of the Civil War, an enslaved Black teen awakens her sister’s ghost and embarks on a dangerous journey to freedom in this debut novel,” Kirkus writes in a review. “Featuring a spirited protagonist, this compelling mix of the historical and the supernatural will resonate.” Then our editors highlight some more of the season’s most exciting debuts. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Paul Lisicky discusses Song So Wild and Blue: A Life With the Music of Joni Mitchell (HarperOne, Feb. 25). Kirkus calls his latest memoir “a beautiful tribute to a legendary musician and the act of creation” (starred review). Then our editors share their top picks in books for the week. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On our Best February Books episode, Kirkus’ editors share their top titles for the month. Then Kate Beaton joins us to discuss her funny and fierce new picture book, Shark Girl (Roaring Brook Press, Feb. 25). Kirkus: “Stand aside, little mermaids. The true, pointy-toothed protector of the seas is here!” See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Celebrated author Edmund White discusses The Loves of My Life: A Sex Memoir (Bloomsbury, Jan. 28). Kirkus: “An irreverent and unapologetically provocative scrapbook of an aging author’s sex life” (starred review). Then our editors share their top picks in books for the week. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Environmental and climate activist Catherine Coleman Flowers discusses Holy Ground: On Activism, Environmental Justice, and Finding Hope (Spiegel & Grau, Jan. 28), and essay collection Kirkus calls “a passionate and thoughtful exploration of social injustice” (starred review). And in a sponsored interview, Megan speaks with Cheryl Willis Hudson and London Ladd, the author and the illustrator of When I Hear Spirituals (Holiday House, Jan. 5), “an exuberant and picturesque celebration of African American spirituals” (starred review). Then our editors share their top picks in books for the week. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On this episode, dedicated to the Most Anticipated Books of 2025, Cynthia Weiner joins us to discuss A Gorgeous Excitement (Crown, Jan. 21), a brilliant debut novel inspired by her 1980s childhood on New York’s Upper East Side, and a personal connection to an infamous murder. Kirkus: “Carefully paced and beautifully written, this edgy coming-of-age novel succeeds on all counts” (starred review). Then our editors share some of this spring’s most eagerly awaited titles. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this special repisode, recorded live at the Texas Book Festival in Austin, host Megan Labrise moderates featured panel “The Art of Mystery” with New York Times bestselling authors Jean Hanff Korelitz (The Sequel) and Liz Moore (The God of the Woods). See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.