Totally Booked with Zibby

Latest Episodes:

Beth Macy, PAPER GIRL: A Memoir of Home and Family in a Fractured America Oct 10, 2025

Show notes

New York Times bestselling author and journalist Beth Macy chats with Zibby about PAPER GIRL: A Memoir of Hope and Family in a Fractured America, an essential, searingly poignant reckoning with the changes that have rocked her beloved small Ohio hometown. Beth describes her mother’s final days after the 2020 election and her journey back home to understand how division, disinformation, and economic decline tore families and communities apart. She also delves into what’s left of local journalism, how education and opportunity have eroded for working-class Americans, and what it takes to rebuild trust, compassion, and hope in a polarized nation.

Purchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/4nh6atr

Share, rate, & review the podcast, and follow Zibby on Instagram @zibbyowens!

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A story for the messy middle. Zibby's essay collection Between Chapters is out now!

Love to listen? She narrated the audiobook.

Listen on Spotify here.

Listen on Apple here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jane Hamilton, THE PHOEBE VARIATIONS: A Novel Oct 09, 2025

Show notes

Totally Booked: LIVE! In this special episode of the podcast (in-person at the Whitby Hotel with a live audience!), Zibby interviews two-time Oprah’s Book Club pick and New York Times bestselling author Jane Hamilton about her first novel in nearly a decade, THE PHOEBE VARIATIONS (which is published by Zibby Publishing!). Jane shares the inspiration behind Phoebe’s story, an exploration of girlhood, friendship, identity, and found family set in 1970s Oak Park. She and Zibby also discuss motherhood, regret, creative persistence, and what it means to hold a book close to one's heart.

Purchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/46RwvJD

Share, rate, & review the podcast, and follow Zibby on Instagram @zibbyowens!

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A story for the messy middle. Zibby's essay collection Between Chapters is out now!

Love to listen? She narrated the audiobook.

Listen on Spotify here.

Listen on Apple here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mitch Albom, TWICE: A Novel Oct 08, 2025

Show notes

Totally Booked: LIVE! In this special episode of the podcast (in-person at the Whitby Hotel with a live audience!), Zibby interviews America’s favorite storyteller, Mitch Albom, about his new novel, TWICE, a magical and deeply moving story about regret, love, and second chances. Mitch shares how the idea came to him (in the shower!), the themes that drive his work, and how his own experiences with loss and his orphanage in Haiti inspired the book’s emotional core. Together, they discuss the novel’s time-bending premise, its detective storyline, the limits of love, and the lesson at its heart: if we were always given second chances, we’d never learn a thing.

Purchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/3IX5OK5

Share, rate, & review the podcast, and follow Zibby on Instagram @zibbyowens!

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A story for the messy middle. Zibby's essay collection Between Chapters is out now!

Love to listen? She narrated the audiobook.

Listen on Spotify here.

Listen on Apple here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Eli Sharabi, HOSTAGE Oct 07, 2025

Show notes

Today, on the anniversary of the attacks of October 7th, I'm releasing my conversation with Eli Sharabi who I interviewed yesterday about his new book HOSTAGE. If you only read one book all year, read this one. HOSTAGE is a story detailing everything that happened to Eli from his being abducted from his home on October 7th to after his release at a time when he hit bottom and vowed to really live. The book -- and our short conversation were inspiring beyond measure. As we pray for the release of the hostages, two years later, Eli's calm, optimistic, practical, and utterly inspiring message will buoy our spirits. And during a time of incomprehensible societal division, Eli's words are the balm we all need. May his human story of overcoming the odds with the help of his massive intellect and dogged determination to survive help everyone navigate the challenges ahead. Never forget. Again.

Purchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/48RiBbA

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A story for the messy middle. Zibby's essay collection Between Chapters is out now!

Love to listen? She narrated the audiobook.

Listen on Spotify here.

Listen on Apple here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Wendy I. Zierler, GOING OUT WITH KNOTS: My Two Kaddish Years with Hebrew Poetry Oct 06, 2025

Show notes

Rabbi Wendy I. Zierler joins Zibby to discuss her memoir GOING OUT WITH KNOTS: My Two Kaddish Years with Hebrew Poetry, a profound exploration of grief, faith, and resilience. Rabbi Wendy describes losing both parents within eleven months, navigating the demanding ritual of daily Kaddish, and finding solace through poetry, prayer, and teaching during the pandemic. She also reflects on her path to becoming an Orthodox rabbi and the feminist challenges within Jewish liturgy.

Purchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/46LCE8M

Share, rate, & review the podcast, and follow Zibby on Instagram @zibbyowens!

*********

A story for the messy middle. Zibby's essay collection Between Chapters is out now!

Love to listen? She narrated the audiobook.

Listen on Spotify here.

Listen on Apple here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gus Morais, TAYLOR SWIFT: Unofficial Search and Find Biographies Oct 03, 2025

Show notes

Zibby chats with award-winning Brazilian illustrator Gus Morais about TAYLOR SWIFT: Unofficial Search and Find Biographies, a visual exploration of the star’s groundbreaking music career, celebrating every album era and iconic outfit. Gus shares how he went from knowing little about Taylor Swift to immersing himself in her music, lyrics, and imagery to create a vibrant, detail-packed book that’s like Where’s Waldo for Swifties. He talks about the extensive research process, the hidden Easter eggs woven into each illustration, and why even non-Swifties can enjoy the book.

Purchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/4nWLkjt

Share, rate, & review the podcast, and follow Zibby on Instagram @zibbyowens!

*********

A story for the messy middle. Zibby's essay collection Between Chapters is out now!

Love to listen? She narrated the audiobook.

Listen on Spotify here.

Listen on Apple here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Alisha Fernandez Miranda, SOMEONE'S GOTTA GIVE: A Novel Oct 02, 2025

Show notes

In this special episode of the podcast (in-person at the Whitby Hotel with a live audience!), Zibby interviews bestselling author Alisha Fernandez Miranda about her fun, witty new novel, SOMEONE’S GOTTA GIVE. Alisha shares the inspirations behind her story of Lucia, a Venezuelan American fundraiser-turned-expat navigating motherhood, marriage, and the high-stakes world of philanthropy in London. She also talks about her “What If Year” of internships (that led her to writing her memoir, MY WHAT IF YEAR); the paradoxes of wealth and giving; and the challenges of balancing ambition with parenthood.

Purchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/3Ky7Kcq

Share, rate, & review the podcast, and follow Zibby on Instagram @zibbyowens!

*********

A story for the messy middle. Zibby's essay collection Between Chapters is out now!

Love to listen? She narrated the audiobook.

Listen on Spotify here.

Listen on Apple here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lily King, HEART THE LOVER Oct 01, 2025

Show notes

Zibby interviews New York Times bestselling author Lily King about HEART THE LOVER, her magnificent and intimate new novel about literature, forgiveness, and the transformative bonds that shape our lives. Lily opens up about the long, winding path that led to the book, from a shelved murder mystery draft to a spark of inspiration after reading a friend’s manuscript. She shares how themes of love, loss, friendship, and time weave through the story, and how her personal history and family experiences shaped her sensitivity to life’s smallest details.

Purchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/46KSQal

Share, rate, & review the podcast, and follow Zibby on Instagram @zibbyowens!

*********

A story for the messy middle. Zibby's essay collection Between Chapters is out now!

Love to listen? She narrated the audiobook.

Listen on Spotify here.

Listen on Apple here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jake Cohen, DINNER PARTY ANIMAL: Recipes to Make Every Day a Celebration Sep 30, 2025

Show notes

Chef and New York Times bestselling author Jake Cohen joins Zibby to discuss his fun, unfussy, and inventive new cookbook, DINNER PARTY ANIMAL: Recipes to Make Every Day a Celebration. Jake describes his shy childhood in Queens, how hosting early dinner parties helped him build confidence and community, and his journey from restaurant kitchens to cookbook success. He also discusses the joy and intimacy of gathering people around the table, the role of Shabbat in his life, a few of the fabulous recipes (such as brown butter Parker House rolls and tiramisu cake), and why hosting should feel fun rather than intimidating.

Purchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/46t9aO5

Share, rate, & review the podcast, and follow Zibby on Instagram @zibbyowens!

*********

A story for the messy middle. Zibby's essay collection Between Chapters is out now!

Love to listen? She narrated the audiobook.

Listen on Spotify here.

Listen on Apple here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nicole Madigan, TORN: Four Women's Stories of Why They Left – or Why They Stayed Sep 29, 2025

Show notes

Zibby chats with journalist and author Nicole Madigan about her harrowing, compelling, and utterly enlightening book, TORN: Four Women’s Stories of Why They Left – or Why They Stayed, which explores the painful, confusing period of indecision after betrayal in a long-term relationship—when you’re caught between staying and leaving. Nicole shares her own experiences of love, loss, and resilience, as well as the deeply honest stories of four women who trusted her with their private struggles. Together, they discuss shame, secrecy, attachment, and what it means to navigate that limbo of not knowing what comes next.

Share, rate, & review the podcast, and follow Zibby on Instagram @zibbyowens!

*********

A story for the messy middle. Zibby's essay collection Between Chapters is out now!

Love to listen? She narrated the audiobook.

Listen on Spotify here.

Listen on Apple here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.