Totally Booked with Zibby

Latest Episodes:

Tessa Hadley, FREE LOVE: A Novel Feb 02, 2022

Show notes

Zibby is joined by best-selling writer Tessa Hadley to talk about her latest — and highly anticipated — novel, Free Love, which captures the emotions and consequences of a 1960s affair. The two talk about how Tessa has relaxed into her writing style over the course of her last four books, her journey from a lifelong writer and storyteller to published author in her forties, and what classic works of literature may have been like if authors always had access to the copy and paste feature. Zibby and Tessa also compare the different idiosyncrasies between British and American dialects.

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Amazon: https://amzn.to/32MEn0H

Bookshop: https://bit.ly/3Hk3O8J

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Brendan Slocumb, THE VIOLIN CONSPIRACY: A Novel Feb 01, 2022

Show notes

Zibby is joined by debut novelist Brendan Slocumb to talk about one of her favorite new releases, The Violin Conspiracy, which is this month's GMA pick! Brendan shares which parts of the book were inspired by his own life story, how this book grew from a failed attempt at a science fiction manuscript in 2007, and what he loves most about teaching music. Brendan also shares how he wrote this novel in two and a half months during the pandemic and why it is so important to bring more people of color into the world of music, especially at the highest echelons. Join Zibby and Brendan for an event with Politics & Prose on 2/9 by registering here!

Purchase on Amazon or Bookshop.

Amazon: https://amzn.to/35yk0W0

Bookshop: https://bit.ly/3g7vHoI

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Zoe Whittall, THE SPECTACULAR: A Novel Jan 31, 2022

Show notes

Poet and author Zoe Whittall joins Zibby to discuss her latest novel, The Spectacular. Zoe shares how her recent relationships inspired the multigenerational story, as well as how her experience of losing a pregnancy at the start of the pandemic deepened its significance. Zoe and Zibby also talk about the importance of writing commercially for and about the queer community, why grappling with anxiety is a core theme throughout all of her work, and what projects she's working on next.

Purchase on Amazon or Bookshop.

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3rTDaNw

Bookshop: https://bit.ly/3G9ZOGo

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Judy Bolton-Fasman, ASYLUM: A Memoir of Family Secrets Jan 30, 2022

Show notes

Zibby is joined by Judy Bolton-Fasman to talk about her debut memoir, Asylum, and the different threads throughout her life that led to that title. The two discuss the unique dynamic that existed between Judy's parents and how it fostered a number of secrets she sought to uncover throughout her childhood, as well as the different iterations this project has taken over the sixteen years it took her to write. Judy also openly shares her experience living with panic attacks in the book and in conversation with Zibby because she wants to destigmatize mental illnesses and the different ways we can manage them.

Purchase on Amazon or Bookshop.

Amazon: https://amzn.to/340bH4S

Bookshop: https://bit.ly/3u7lYXz

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Halimah Marcus, HORSE GIRLS: Recovering, Aspiring, and Devoted Riders Redefine the Iconic Bond Jan 29, 2022

Show notes

Executive editor of Electric Literature Halimah Marcus joins Zibby to talk about her new anthology, Horse Girls, which was inspired by her lifelong love of horses. The two discuss the unique dynamic that seems to exist between women and horses, how each essay — penned by an impressive roster of writers — captures a piece of this relationship, and what events in Halimah's personal history have endeared her to loving these animals forever.

Purchase on Amazon or Bookshop.

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3GbDsEG

Bookshop: https://bit.ly/32ELIPG

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Jenny Pentland, THIS WILL BE FUNNY LATER: A Memoir Jan 28, 2022

Show notes

Screenwriter Jenny Pentland joins Zibby to discuss her first memoir, This Will Be Funny Later, which largely looks at her life following the success of her mother Rosanne Barr's show. The two talk about the different ways seeking control has manifested in their lives, how motherhood often feels like a constant effort to not make the mistakes your parents made, and why it was cathartic to re-evaluate her traumatic childhood from her family's perspective. Jenny also shares how this book began as Tweets written to help calm her mind and the ways in which this project has been transformative for how she copes with her PTSD.

Purchase on Amazon or Bookshop.

Amazon: https://amzn.to/33SDV1f

Bookshop: https://bit.ly/3FU6M2p

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Margarita Gokun Silver, I NAMED MY DOG PUSHKIN (AND OTHER IMMIGRANT TALES): Notes From a Soviet Girl on Becoming an American Woman Jan 27, 2022

Show notes

Zibby is joined by writer and journalist Margarita Gokun Silver to talk about her collection of essays, I Named My Dog Pushkin (And Other Immigrant Tales), which follows her journey from growing up in the Soviet Union to America. The two discuss the role Judaism played in Margarita's upbringing and family history in the USSR, how their time at Yale overlapped by a few years, and what efforts Margarita has made to parent her daughter differently than her parents raised her. Margarita also shares the heartbreaking news of her husband's passing and how this book stands as a testament to his life as well as her own.

Purchase on Amazon or Bookshop.

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3rMpX9f

Bookshop: https://bit.ly/3G02DK4

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Sarah Hall, BURNTCOAT: A Novel Jan 26, 2022

Show notes

Novelist Sarah Hall joins Zibby to discuss her not-quite-pandemic book, Burntcoat, which was just nominated for this year's National Book Critics Circle Awards. Sarah also shares how her role as a single mother inspired elements of this novel, the ways in which writing has allowed her to truly express herself throughout her life, and what notions of identity and relationships she sought to analyze. Sarah also wants readers to know that despite almost being about the pandemic, this book is actually very funny.

Purchase on Amazon or Bookshop.

Amazon: https://amzn.to/33SAF61

Bookshop: https://bit.ly/3u6mxke

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María Amparo Escandón, L.A. WEATHER: A Novel Jan 25, 2022

Show notes

New York Times best-selling novelist María Amparo Escandón joins Zibby to talk about her book, L.A. Weather, which was a Reese's Book Club Pick. The two talk about the things all mothers find themselves fearing, why María's father would call with weather reports for L.A. even though he lived in Mexican City, and what inspired her to start writing when she was in the second grade. María also shares how even though her children are grown adults, moms still don't have time to read books!

Purchase on Amazon or Bookshop.

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3fVb9zq

Bookshop: https://bit.ly/3Aq5cUN

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Allison Larkin, THE PEOPLE WE KEEP Jan 24, 2022

Show notes

Bestselling author Allison Larkin joins Zibby to talk about her latest novel, The People We Keep, and its protagonist who Allison loves dearly. The two discuss the fifteen-year journey Allison went on to write this book, the reason she feels such a deep connection to the story, and why she didn't feel the need to create a main character who everyone finds likable. Allison also shares how her eclectic life story has influenced her writing and how her next project began with crayons and butcher paper.

Purchase on Amazon or Bookshop.

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3Kz0FUw

Bookshop: https://bit.ly/32kp7Yy

Subscribe to Zibby's weekly newsletter here.

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