Novelist Elise Bryant and fiction editor Laurie Muchnick kick off Kirkus’ Best Books coverage.

It’s time for our annual best books coverage! Each year Kirkus’ editors choose from thousands of industry-first reviews to determine the top 100 titles in fiction, nonfiction, picture books, middle grade, and YA. In celebration of their hard work, we’re launching a series of five special episodes, each featuring one best books author, followed by a conversation with the respective section editor. First up is fiction, followed by nonfiction (Nov. 26), children’s books (Dec. 3), middle grade (Dec. 10), and YA (Dec. 17).

On this episode, Elise Bryant discusses It’s Elementary (Berkley, July 9), one of Kirkus’ best fiction books of 2024. The decorated YA novelist’s first book for adults is a tantalizing mystery set in Southern California. “When a Southern California elementary school principal vanishes, an overworked single parent suspects a domineering PTA president of foul play,” Kirkus writes in a starred review. “Myriad mysteries and an enchanting will-they-or-won’t-they romance work in tandem to maintain tension throughout, while boldly drawn characters help spotlight issues such as racism, gentrification, and the devaluation of female labor.…A smart, funny novel that’s certain to make a splash.”

Bryant and I begin with overworked single-parent protagonist Mavis Miller: the questions she’s asking about her own life, the questions she’s asking about the disappearance of her daughter’s elementary school principal. We take a deep dive into PTA dynamics, and the humor that arises from the differing expectations of people from diverse backgrounds. We talk about cozy mysteries, the mysterious hottie who saves Mavis from a parking ticket at the beginning of the book, how romance keeps the lights on in publishing, and the joy of writing (seriously) funny fiction. We talk about physical descriptions, how punishing parenthood can be on the body, the forthcoming sequel to It’s Elementary, and much more.

Then fiction editor Laurie Muchnick joins us to discuss the making of this year’s best fiction books list.

EDITORS’ PICKS:

Small Rain by Garth Greenwell (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)

Colored Television by Danzy Senna (Riverhead)

James by Percival Everett (Doubleday)

Entitlement by Rumaan Alam (Riverhead)

Say Hello to My Little Friend by Jennine Capó Crucet (Simon & Schuster)

The Mighty Red by Louise Erdrich (Harper/HarperCollins)

Prophet Song by Paul Lynch (Atlantic Monthly)

Playground by Richard Powers (Norton)

Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe (Morrow/HarperCollins)

Long Island Compromise by Taffy Brodesser-Akner (Random House)

THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS:

The Jemdar by Gregorio Baca

The Iberian Table by Robin Keuneke

The Curse of Maiden Scars by Nicolette Croft

Echoes of Our Ancestors by Brenda Vicars

Moral Injury by Mhairi Haarsager, M.D.

Fully Booked is produced by Cabel Adkins Audio and Megan Labrise.