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 G...
Jun 22, 2021•1 hr 3 min
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 Cali...
Jun 15, 2021•56 min
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.
Jun 08, 2021•48 min
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://...
Jun 01, 2021•54 min
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/p...
May 25, 2021•44 min
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.
May 18, 2021•49 min
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...
May 11, 2021•46 min
Joan Silber discusses ‘Secrets of Happiness’ (Counterpoint, May 4), “a new novel in stories from the master of the form” (starred review). In a sponsored interview, host Megan Labrise talks with Jessamyn Stanley, author of ‘Yoke: My Yoga of Self-Acceptance’ (Workman, June 22). Then our editors offer their reading recommendations, with books by Muon Thi Van and Victo Ngai, Stacey Lee, John McWhorter, and Maggie Shipstead. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Noti...
May 04, 2021•58 min
Science writer Alex Riley discusses ‘A Cure for Darkness: The Story of Depression and How We Treat It’ (Scribner, April 13), “a welcome examination, both studious and intimate, of one of humanity’s great miseries” (starred review). Then our editors offer their reading recommendations for the week, with books by Sarah Miller, Don Lemon, and Haruki Murakami. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Apr 27, 2021•51 min
Poet and cultural critic Hanif Abdurraqib discusses ‘A Little Devil in America: Notes in Praise of Black Performance’ (Random House, March 30), a sublime essay collection Kirkus calls “another winner from Abdurraqib, a writer always worth paying attention to” (starred review). Then our editors offer their reading recommendations for the week, with books by Kyle Lukoff, Paula Yoo, Malcolm Gladwell, and Elizabeth McCracken. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Not...
Apr 20, 2021•49 min
Lauren Hough discusses ‘Leaving Isn’t the Hardest Thing’ (Vintage, April 13), a knockout debut essay collection that “explores the shaping power of the past and also raises provocative questions about what really constitutes a cult” (Kirkus). Then our editors offer their reading recommendations for the week, with books by Warren Binford, Kwame Onwuachi, Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney, and Beatriz Bracher. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com...
Apr 13, 2021•49 min
Novelist Kirstin Valdez Quade discusses ‘The Five Wounds’ (Norton, April 6), an intimate, finely wrought family saga set in New Mexico. In a sponsored interview, host Megan Labrise talks with Elliott Young, author of ‘Forever Prisoners: How the United States Made the World’s Largest Immigrant Detention System’ (Oxford University Press, Jan 12). Then our editors offer their reading recommendations, with books by Tasha Spillett-Sumner and Michaela Goade, Anton Treuer, Emmanuel Acho, and Kazuo Ishi...
Apr 06, 2021•57 min
Melissa Febos discusses ‘Girlhood’ (Bloomsbury, March 30). Kirkus: “In her latest powerful personal and cultural examination, Febos interrogates the complexities of feminism and the ‘darkness’ that has defined much of her life and career…. Consistently illuminating, unabashedly ferocious writing” (starred review). Then our editors offer reading recommendations for the week, with books by Don Brown, Albert Marrin, and Jonathan Allen. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California ...
Mar 30, 2021•1 hr
Jess Zimmerman discusses debut essay collection ‘Women and Other Monsters: Building a New Mythology’ (Beacon Press, March 9), “a sparkling and perceptive critique of ancient ideas that still hold women back” (starred review). Then our editors offer reading recommendations for the week, with books by María José Ferrada and María Elena Valdez (trans. by Lawrence Schimel), Margarita Engle, Mark Kurlansky, and Andrea Lee. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice ...
Mar 19, 2021•46 min
Annabelle Gurwitch discusses her latest memoir ‘You’re Leaving When? Adventures in Downward Mobility’ (Counterpoint, March 2). Kirkus: “Erma Bombeck meets Dorothy Parker in this topical and often laugh-out-loud funny take on our modern malaise.” Then our editors offer reading recommendations for the week, with books by Linda Sue Park and Robert Sae-Heng, Kate Alice Marshall, Bill Gates, and Talia Hibbert. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://ar...
Mar 16, 2021•58 min
Patricia Engel discusses her latest novel ‘Infinite Country’ (Avid Reader Press, March 2). Kirkus: “Engel’s vital story of a divided Colombian family is a book we need to read” (starred review). Then our editors offer reading recommendations for the week, with books by Traci Sorell and Natasha Donovan, Kelly Loy Gilbert, and Lauren Oyler. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Mar 09, 2021•44 min
In this special episode, editor in chief Tom Beer hosts Pulitzer Prize winner Viet Thanh Nguyen to discuss ‘The Committed’ (Grove, March 2), a new novel Kirkus calls “a quirky intellectual crime story that highlights the Vietnam War’s complex legacy” (starred review). Then our editors offer reading recommendations for the week, with books by Shaw Kuzki and Emily Balistrieri, Anna-Marie McLemore, Walter Isaacson, and Naima Coster. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Pri...
Mar 04, 2021•54 min
Kazuo Ishiguro discusses his latest novel ‘Klara and the Sun’ (Knopf, March 2), “a haunting fable of a lonely, moribund world that is entirely too plausible” (starred review). Then our editors offer reading recommendations for the week, with books by Juliet Menéndez, Safia Elhillo, Ibram X. Kendi and Keisha N. Blain, and Jack Livings. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Mar 02, 2021•53 min
Paisley Rekdal discusses ‘Appropriate: A Provocation’ (Norton, Feb. 16), “An astute, lucid examination of an incendiary issue” (starred review). And in a sponsored interview, Megan talks with debut author Kate Albus about A Place to Hang the Moon (Margaret Ferguson Books/Holiday House, Feb. 2). Then our editors offer reading recommendations for the week, with books by Phùng Nguyên Quang and Huynh Kim Liên, Nicole Lesperance, James Nestor, and Lauren Fox. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/p...
Feb 16, 2021•1 hr 1 min
Jeremy Atherton Lin discusses ‘Gay Bar: Why We Went Out’ (Little, Brown, Feb. 9), “A vibrant and wistful report on a bygone era in gay culture” (starred review). Then our editors offer reading recommendations for the week, with books by Joyce Sidman, Joy McCullough, Amber Ruffin and Lacey Lamar, and Brandon Hobson. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Feb 09, 2021•48 min
Edward Carey discusses ‘The Swallowed Man’ (Riverhead, Jan. 26), an author-illustrated retelling of ‘Pinocchio’ from Geppetto’s point of view: “A deep and grimly whimsical exploration of what it means to be a son, a father, and an artist” (Kirkus). Then our editors offer reading recommendations for the week, with books by Carole Boston Weatherford (illus. by Floyd Cooper), Aimee Nezhukumatathil, and Tove Ditlevsen. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at ...
Feb 02, 2021•53 min
Michelle Duster discusses ‘Ida B. the Queen: The Extraordinary Life and Legacy of Ida B. Wells” (One Signal, Jan. 26), an illustrated biography and “warm remembrance of a civil rights icon” (Kirkus). Then our editors offer reading recommendations for the week, with books by Dovey Roundtree Johnston and Katie McCabe, Tess Sharpe, Jerry Seinfeld, and Sarah Moss. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Jan 26, 2021•41 min
Matthew Salesses discusses ‘Craft in the Real World: Rethinking Fiction Writing and Workshopping’ (Catapult, Jan. 19), “fresh view of teaching craft to writers of diverse backgrounds” (Kirkus). Then our editors offer reading recommendations for the week, with books by B.B. Alston, Malinda Lo, Gabriel Byrne, and Anna North. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Jan 15, 2021•48 min
George Saunders discusses ‘A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russian Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life’ (Random House, Jan. 12), in which “a master of contemporary fiction joyously assesses some of the best [short stories] of the 19th century” (starred review). Then our editors offer reading recommendations for the week, with books by Helen Yoon, Angie Thomas, Ram Dass, and Torrey Peters. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at h...
Jan 12, 2021•45 min
Koa Beck discusses White Feminism: From the Suffragettes to Influences and Who They Leave Behind (Atria, Jan. 5), “A timely, compelling dissection of feminism's reliance on consumerism and useful suggestions for paths forward” (starred review). Then our editors offer reading recommendations for the week, with books by JonArno Lawson and Qin Leng, Maika and Maritza Moulite, Charles M. Blow, and Mateo Askaripour. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at http...
Jan 05, 2021•52 min
Happy New Year, listeners! Editor-in-chief Tom Beer joins host Megan Labrise for the Fully Booked Year-in-Review, reintroducing two of our favorite conversations from 2020. First up, Beer talks with Claudia Rankine, author of Just Us: An American Conversation (Graywolf); then Labrise speaks with Julia Alvarez, author of Afterlife (Algonquin). Thanks for joining us, and cheers to another great year in podcasting. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at htt...
Dec 29, 2020•1 hr 18 min
We’re celebrating Kirkus’ Best Books of 2020! Best Books honoree Maria Dahvana Headley (Beowulf) chats with editor-in-chief Tom Beer; and novelist Carter Sickels (The Prettiest Star) talks with host Megan Labrise. Then our editors each highlight a title from our Best Books lists, including books by David A. Robertson, Liz Hyder, Hugh Raffles, and Emma Donoghue. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Dec 22, 2020•59 min
Nicole Krauss discusses her short story collection To Be a Man (Harper, Nov. 3). Kirkus: “A tremendous collection from an immensely talented writer” (starred review). And in a sponsored interview, Megan talks with Pat and Frankie Vegas about the YA graphic biography Redbone: The True Story of a Native American Rock Band (IDW Publishing, Oct. 27, starred review). Then our editors offer up another round of holiday gift picks, with books by Clotilde Perrin and Daniel Hahn, David Sedaris, James McBr...
Dec 15, 2020•1 hr 11 min
Ringer columnist Claire McNear discusses her first book, Answers in the Form of Questions: A Definitive History and Insider’s Guide to Jeopardy! (Twelve, Nov. 10), an entertaining look behind the scenes of “America’s Favorite Quiz Show.” And in a sponsored interview, Megan chats with middle-grade novelist Bridget Krone, author of Small Mercies (Catalyst Press). Then our editors join with their reading recommendations for the week, with books by Rio Cortez and Lauren Semmer, Karen M. McManus, Bar...
Dec 07, 2020•1 hr 3 min
It's the third annual Fully Booked Holiday Gift Guide Extravaganza! Simon Doonan (How To Be Yourself: Life-Changing Advice From a Reckless Contrarian) and Kevin Young (ed. African American Poetry: 250 Years of Struggle & Song) join editor-in-chief Tom Beer and host Megan Labrise for a little holiday cheer. And our editors present their top gift picks, with books by Dav Pilkey, Sara Zarr, Jimmy Page, Tom Morello, and Claire Saffitz. And in a sponsored interview, Megan talks with Karen Schneem...
Dec 01, 2020•1 hr 24 min
