Fully Booked by Kirkus Reviews

On this special episode, dedicated to Kirkus’ Best Fiction Books of 2026, we welcome No. 1 New York Times bestselling author Leigh Bardugo to discuss Dead Beat (Flatiron Books, Sept. 15), the wildly anticipated final installment in her dark academia Ninth House trilogy. Kirkus: "Sharp writing, vivid characters, and puzzle box plotting bring the trilogy to a ringing conclusion” (starred review).THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS:Blood on the Page by Kate Winkler Dawson (Penguin Random House Audio)Echoes of the Gene by John H. ThomasYour Labs Are Fine. You’re Not. by Joy Stephenson-LawsNative Species by Michael AlbergoThe Spark by Danice RinderknechtSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On this special episode, we present the 9th annual Fully Booked Holiday Gift Guide, with special guest Casey McQuiston, author of Red, White & Royal Blue: The Private Correspondence (St. Martin’s Press, Dec. 1)—an epistolary novella that continues the romance between Alex and Prince Henry sparked in their 2019 blockbuster debut Red, White & Royal Blue. THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS:  Climate Realism: Facing the Facts About Energy by Dieter Helm (Cambridge Univ. Press)Baghdad Underground Railroad by Steve MiskaIthia’s Dance by Dixie L. KingOn the Bayou by Sean BridgesThe Wolves of the Kaiser's War by Johnathon ParhamSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On this week’s episode, Chad Harbach joins us to discuss The Brightness (Little, Brown, Oct. 27), the eagerly anticipated follow-up to his sensational debut novel, 2011’s The Art of Fielding. In a starred review, Kirkus calls The Brightness—which returns readers to fictional Westish, Wisconsin, four years hence—“brilliant, poignant, and absorbing” (starred review).THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: Antichrist by James BeauSeigneurCrypto Island by Georgine HodgkinsonThat Strange Feeling of Freedom by Marina Tyurina Oberlander, trans. by Anya Tucker, illus. by Konstantin F. Weber-ChubaysThe Other Side of Fear by Jan GephardtThe Ashes of the Forest by Güzide ErtürkSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Description:On this week’s special episode, we’re celebrating the 2026 Kirkus Prizes, announced Oct. 7th at a ceremony in New York City. Kirkus Prize for Fiction winner Tayari Jones joins us to discuss the ceremony, literary prizes, and her stellar novel, Kin, which judges selected from 3,584 eligible titles. THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: Poor Farm Meadow by Cynthia CenterbarFrail Blood by Edward StantonUnder an Indiana Sky by Lynne HugoMaybelline Has a Very. Bad. Day. by Dawn Dolan, illus. by Olena KharkovenkoThe Seven by Igor StefanovicSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On this week’s special episode, recorded live at the National Book Festival in Washington, D.C., we’re joined by Jordan Moblo, Executive Vice President of Creative Acquisitions and IP Management at Universal Studio Group, and founder of Jordy’s Book Club, for a conversation about what it takes to develop books for TV series, book clubs, reading recommendations, and more.THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: Where the Wild Horses Are by Amy Alznauer (Neal Porter/Holiday House)World News From Waverly High by Linda KassHugo by Karl LindenSebastian the Belgian Koala by Jill Charlotte Thomas, illus. by Parks SadlerThe Hourglass by Michelle ChristinaSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On this week’s episode, comedian, host, actor, writer, and producer Murray Hill joins us to discuss Showbiz! My Life as a Middle-Aged Man (Gallery Books, Oct. 6). Kirkus: “A rip-roaring story of Liza-esque unsinkability from a Don Rickles–esque entertainer.”THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: It Could Have Been Her by Lisa Jewell (Simon & Schuster Audio)The Stirling Defense by Gerald PatnodeLife With Less of Me by Julianna BurmeschThe Noema Field by Salvatore CataudellaThe Drop by Iohamil NavarroA Stranger in Every House by Richard CarrSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On this week’s special Kirkus Indie Awards episode, C.W. Johnson discusses his award-winning novel, A Life Full of Quarks (Baryon Dreams Press, Sept. 24, 2024). “In Johnson’s novel, a brilliant physicist tries to build a life after narrowly surviving a childhood filled with reanimated dinosaurs, runaway aliens, and mutated Mexican beaded lizards,” Kirkus writes in a starred review. “Heartbreaking and hilarious.”THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: The Inner Compass by S.J. KingBorn Sick in the USA by Stephen BezruchkaGood Lookin’ by T.L. BequetteThe Conclusion of the American Experiment by Jonathan MorrowAdams Morgan Fugue by Alex FardonSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On this week’s episode, actor and writer Nadia Bowers joins us to discuss her stunning debut memoir, Dear Dealer (Gallery Books, Sept. 15). “A sister struggles to accept her sibling’s overdose death,” Kirkus writes in a starred review. “A moving embodiment of the powerful, creative energy of grief.”THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: The Big Dream by Owen ThomasIndigo, The Deep by Kellye Abernathy A Simple Guide to Being Alive by David M.L. RabinTo Be Here Is Immense by Clare SimonsRising Waters by Aleatha RomigSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On this week’s episode, undefeated world champion boxer Laila Ali joins us to discuss A Spark of Greatness: The Autobiography of a Fighter, illustrated by Caldecott honoree Cosby A. Cabrera (Crown, Sept. 8). “Boxing champion Ali describes how, growing up in the shadow of a legend, she at last stepped into the ring on her own terms,” Kirkus writes. “[A]n inspiring portrait of resilience and ambition.”THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: Jack and Lulu Go to the Tree Farm by Julie Ryan McGue, illus. by Mariia StepanovaShallcross by Charles PorterEmil by Patrick MatthewsSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On this week’s episode,  New York Times bestselling translator and classicist Emily Wilson joins us to discuss Crossing the Wine-Dark Sea: Journeys Through Ancient Literature (Liveright/Norton, Sept. 1). “Enchanting academic essays about translating the classics,” Kirkus writes in a starred review, calling this insightful, accessible essay collection, “a lively exploration of ancient literature.” THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: Revenge Is the Best Revenge by James A. ScottMall Goddess by Marilee DahlmanRevelations of Grimm Lohr by William PotterLife and Music by Idil Biret with Dominique Xardel, trans. by Gunesh Guran GeryParrot Heaven by Jessica Howland KanySee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.