Fully Booked by Kirkus Review‪s‬ PodcastOne

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.