Bangles co-founder Susanna Hoffs finds her voice—as a novelist.

On this week’s episode, Susanna Hoffs joins us to discuss This Bird Has Flown (Little, Brown; April 4), a debut novel Kirkus calls, “a fun read that’s perfect for lovers of pop music, classic books, and romantic comedies.” With delectable nods to Jane Eyre, Hoffs tells the pitch-perfect story of a washed-up singer’s second chance at superstardom—and love.

When readers meet 33-year-old Jane Start, her star is on the decline: Her sophomore album fizzled. Her ex-boyfriend cheated on her with the lingerie model he’s currently dating. And she can’t refuse licensing her hit song to a toilet paper company in Holland (she needs the money).

Kirkus: “Ten years ago, she found success with a cover of a song by the enigmatic rock star Jonesy. But she hasn’t had a hit since, and now she finds herself so desperate for work that she’s playing a private gig at a bachelor party. Her manager and best friend, Pippa, sends Jane to London to recuperate from the humiliation of singing karaoke to a group of drunk bachelors and the pain of being recently dumped by her boyfriend of four years. On the plane, Jane meets an Oxford literature professor…and the two manage to charm each other with their in-flight conversation.…When Jane gets to London, her life becomes all about another unexpected connection—Jonesy himself wants Jane to perform at his upcoming show at the Royal Albert Hall.”

Hoffs introduces protagonist Jane Start to listeners. Then she and host Megan Labrise discuss the songs that pervade the novel—many of which lend their titles to various chapters; the novel’s opening paragraph; how to capture in prose the physicality and spirituality of singing; approaching novel-writing as a lifelong reader; the personal significance of Jane Eyre, Fear of Flying by Erica Jong, The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters; and much more.

Then editors Laura Simeon, Mahnaz Dar, Eric Liebetrau, and Laurie Muchnick share their top picks in books for the week.

Editors’ picks:

Funeral Songs for Dying Girls by Cherie Dimaline (Tundra Books)

Nic Blake and the Remarkables: The Manifestor Prophecy by Angie Thomas, illus. by Setor Fiadzigbey (Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins)

Ordinary Notes by Christina Sharpe (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)

Künstlers in Paradise by Cathleen Schine (Henry Holt)

Also mentioned on this episode:

I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness by Austin Channing Brown (Convergent/Crown)

I’m Still Here (Adapted for Young Readers): Loving Myself in a World Not Made for Me by Austin Channing Brown with Andrea Williams (Convergent/Crown)

The Thunderbird series by Sonia Nimr, trans. by M. Lynx Qualey (Center for Middle Eastern Studies)

The American Way: A True Story of Nazi Escape, Superman, and Marilyn Monroe by Helene Stapinski and Bonnie Siegler (Simon & Schuster)

Venco by Cherie Dimaline (Morrow/HarperCollins)

Thanks to our sponsors:

Scavenger Tides: A Mystery by Susan Hanafee

Stolen Moments of Joy by Hamour Baika

Augusta by Celia Ryker

The Sound of Her Voice: My Blind Parents’ Story by Mary Pieroni Harper

The Tree You Come Home To by Jane Olmsted

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