Fully Booked by Kirkus Reviews

7/13 episode summary: On this special Audiobooks Episode, Helen Ellis discusses recording the audiobook for her “smart, sassy, page-turning” new essay collection ‘Bring Your Baggage and Don’t Pack Light’ (Doubleday/Penguin Random House Audio, July 13). And in a sponsored interview, Megan talks with Christine French Cully, Editor-in-Chief of Highlights for Kids, about the forthcoming anthology ‘Dear Highlights: What Adults Can Learn from 75 Years of Letters and Conversations with Kids’ (Highlights Press, Aug. 10). Then editors Tom Beer, Vicky Smith, and Laura Simeon join Megan to discuss all things audiobook. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

6/29 episode summary: Anuk Arudpragasam discusses the novel ‘A Passage North’ (Hogarth, July 6), “A luminously intelligent, psychologically intricate novel - slow in always rewarding ways” (starred review). Then our editors offer their reading recommendations for the week, with books by Shakirah Bourne, Yvonne Woon, and Diane Johnson. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

6/29 episode summary: Marie-Helene Bertino discusses the novel ‘Parakeet’ (Farrar, Straus and Giroux; June 2020), out now in paperback, “a vivid book about lives visited by violent strangeness but lived with authentic humor and hope” (starred review). Then our editors offer their reading recommendations for the week, with books by Marilyn Singer and Leah Nixon, Kalynn Bayron, and Elin Hilderbrand. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Philip D’Anieri discusses ‘The Appalachian Trail: A Biography’ (HMH, June 8), “an incisive take on an American treasure that shines with illuminating detail and insight” (starred review). Then our editors offer their reading recommendations for the week, with books by Eva Montanari, Dhonielle Clayton et al, Matt Sullivan, and Jonathan Lee. And in a sponsored interview, Megan talks with Dylan Thuras and Cecily Wong of Atlas Obscura about their forthcoming book Gasto Obscura: A Food Adventurer’s Guide (Workman, Oct. 12). See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It’s the Pride Episode! celebrating the work of LGBTQ+ authors creators around the world. Author Grace Perry discusses ‘The 2000s Made Me Gay: Essays on Pop Culture’ (St. Martin’s Griffin, June 1), “a humorous and reflective journey of self-discovery via pop culture.” Then our editors offer their reading recommendations for Pride 2021, with books by Robin Stevenson and Julie McLaughlin, Adiba Jaigirdar, Sarah Schulman, and Casey McQuiston. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Elissa Washuta discusses essay collection ‘White Magic’ (Tin House, April 27), which Kirkus calls “a fascinating magic trick of a memoir that illuminates a woman's search for meaning” (starred review). Then our editors offer their reading recommendations for the week, with books by Alex Aster, Caroline O’Donoghue, Suzanne Simard, and Zakiya Dalila Harris. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Clint Smith discusses ‘How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America’ (Little, Brown, June 1), a profound investigation of how nine historic sites address the legacy of American slavery. Then our editors offer their reading recommendations for the week, with books by Matt Ringler, Raúl the Third, and Elaine Bay, Deb Caletti, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and Jean Hanff Korelitz. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Tristan Gooley discusses ‘The Secret World of Weather: How to Read Signs in Every Cloud, Breeze, Hill, Street, Plant, Animal, and Dewdrop (The Experiment, May 25), a fascinating account of the many signs in nature that can help us understand and predict our local weather. Then our editors offer their reading recommendations for the week, with books by Julie Flett, S.K. Ali, and Alexandra Andrews. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Anjali Enjeti discusses ‘The Parted Earth’ (Hub City Press, May 4), the “illuminating, absorbing, and resonant” story of three generations of a family profoundly impacted by the 1947 Partition of India. Then our editors offer their reading recommendations for the week, with books by Huy Voun Lee, Sheba Karim, Patrick Radden Keefe, and Andy Weir. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Traci Sorell discusses ‘We Are Still Here! Native American Truths Everyone Should Know (Charlesbridge, April 20), illustrated by Frané Lessac, a “meticulously researched nonfiction picture book… that answer[s the] question: What has happened to Native Nations and their citizens after the treaties with the U.S. government ended in 1871?” (starred review). Then our editors offer their reading recommendations for the week, with books by Sarah Dass, Tracy K. Smith and John Freeman, and Laurie Colwin. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.