In my daily show, I interview today’s latest, bestselling, buzziest, or underrated authors whose work I think is worth your time -- in 30 minutes or less. As a bookstore owner, publisher, author and (obviously) podcaster, I get a comprehensive look at everything that’s coming out and spend my time curating the best books so you don’t have to. Stay in the know, get insider insights, and connect with guests like I do. Every single day. With 2,000+ episodes to choose from, you'll never run out of book talk. For more information, go to zibbymedia.com and follow the show on Instagram at @totallybookedwithzibby. Please rate and review the show. And go buy the books!
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In my daily show, I interview today’s latest, bestselling, buzziest, or underrated authors whose work I think is worth your time -- in 30 minutes or less. As a bookstore owner, publisher, author and (obviously) podcaster, I get a comprehensive look at everything that’s coming out and spend my time curating the best books so you don’t have to. Stay in the know, get insider insights, and connect with guests like I do. Every single day. With 2,000+ episodes to choose from, you'll never run out of book talk. For more information, go to zibbymedia.com and follow the show on Instagram at @totallybookedwithzibby. Please rate and review the show. And go buy the books!
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Actor, director, producer, podcaster, and bestselling author Penn Badgley joins Zibby to discuss his debut essay collection, CRUSHMORE: Essays on Love, Loss, and Coming-of-Age, which he wrote with his podcast co-hosts. Penn reflects on the origins of his podcast show and why adolescence is such a powerful entry point into storytelling. He opens up about his insecurities (from curly hair to fame itself), sharing what it’s like to grow up on camera and how celebrity shapes and distorts identity. They also dive into middle-school angst, the cultural impact of the selfie, the pressures of visibility, and the parts of fame most people never see. He also speaks vulnerably about miscarriage, marriage, and becoming a father of twins.
Share, rate, & review the podcast, and follow Zibby on Instagram @zibbyowens!
** Follow @totallybookedwithzibby on Instagram for listening guides and more. **
(Music by Morning Moon Music. Sound editing by TexturesSound. To inquire about advertising, please contact allie.gallo@acast.com.)
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Recorded live at the Whitby Hotel, Zibby interviews renowned, #1 New York Times bestselling poet Kate Baer about her latest work, a raw, luminous, and urgent collection titled HOW ABOUT NOW. Kate opens up about the health crisis that reshaped her life and work, her evolving relationship with her body, and the lingering impact of past trauma. She also talks candidly about motherhood, marriage, anxiety, and the strange intimacy of writing poems that expose so much and still leave room for humor and tenderness.
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** Follow @totallybookedwithzibby on Instagram for listening guides and more. **
(Music by Morning Moon Music. Sound editing by TexturesSound. To inquire about advertising, please contact allie.gallo@acast.com.)
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Totally Booked: LIVE! In this special episode of the podcast (in-person at the Whitby Hotel with a live audience!), Zibby interviews entrepreneur, 2x CEO, author, and single mom Amanda Goetz about TOXIC GRIT: How to Have it All and (Actually) Love What You Have. Amanda opens up about building a high-powered career while raising three kids, navigating divorce, and redefining what it means to “have it all.” She introduces her concept of “character theory,” encouraging women to embrace the many parts of themselves—career-driven, maternal, fun, sensual—and to eliminate guilt by living with intention. She also explains “toxic grit” as hustle without purpose and explains how to create balance over a lifetime rather than in a single day.
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** Follow @totallybookedwithzibby on Instagram for listening guides and more. **
(Music by Morning Moon Music. Sound editing by TexturesSound. To inquire about advertising, please contact allie.gallo@acast.com.)
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Totally Booked: LIVE! In this special episode of the podcast (in-person at the Whitby Hotel with a live audience!), Zibby interviews journalist Lili Anolik about her vivid, engrossing, and outrageously provocative dual biography, DIDION & BABITZ. Lili describes the obsessive hunt that led her to Babitz, and then delves into the complex friendship between Babitz and Didion, the trove of unseen letters that changed everything, and the surprising love story that shaped Didion’s life and work. Lili also talks about her compulsive curiosity, her unconventional research methods, and what it really means to write about obsession.
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** Follow @totallybookedwithzibby on Instagram for listening guides and more. **
(Music by Morning Moon Music. Sound editing by TexturesSound. To inquire about advertising, please contact allie.gallo@acast.com.)
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Zibby talks with Emmy Award–winning journalist Bianna Golodryga and Israeli news anchor Yonit Levi about their middle-grade novel DON’T FEED THE LION. The book follows three young teens as they confront antisemitism in their school and community, inspired by the authors’ own experiences as mothers navigating rising hate after October 7. Bianna and Yonit share how the story grew from personal conversations into a poignant resource for families, discuss the challenges of helping children understand prejudice, and reflect on balancing their high-profile journalism careers with motherhood and activism.
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** Follow @totallybookedwithzibby on Instagram for listening guides and more. **
(Music by Morning Moon Music. Sound editing by TexturesSound. To inquire about advertising, please contact allie.gallo@acast.com.)
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Zibby interviews author and speaker Jennifer Butler about her honest and moving memoir, MOM, REDISCOVERED: My Midlife Breakup with Drinking and Diet Culture. Jen opens up about her journey from “wine mom” to mid-life unraveling to self-acceptance and self-compassion, sharing how she broke free from gray-area drinking, diet culture, and the pressure to be the perfect mom. She and Zibby also reflect on their own friendship and the full-circle moment that brought them together, from a Totally Booked event to publication.
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** Follow @totallybookedwithzibby on Instagram for listening guides and more. **
(Music by Morning Moon Music. Sound editing by TexturesSound. To inquire about advertising, please contact allie.gallo@acast.com.)
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In this special episode of the podcast (recorded live at Zibby’s Petite Retreat in Greenwich), Zibby interviews bestselling debut author Heather Aimee O’Neill about her achingly poignant and gripping novel, THE IRISH GOODBYE (which was a Read With Jenna book club pick!). Zibby and Heather discuss the novel’s exploration of sisterhood, grief, and forgiveness as three women return home to confront their brother’s death and the secrets that have haunted them for years. Heather opens up about her family’s connection to 9/11, how that experience shaped her understanding of loss, and the power of compassion and humor in healing.
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** Follow @totallybookedwithzibby on Instagram for listening guides and more. **
(Music by Morning Moon Music. Sound editing by TexturesSound. To inquire about advertising, please contact allie.gallo@acast.com.)
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Nigerian-American travel writer, speaker, photographer, and bestselling author Lọlá Ákínmádé Åkerström joins Zibby to discuss BITTER HONEY, a radiant, deliciously addictive family drama about a mother and daughter divided by long-buried secrets, struggling to understand each other as they forge their own paths. Lola reveals how navigating her own divorce informed the emotional depth of the book, and then delves into the story’s themes of generational trauma, fame, secrets, and addiction.
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(Music by Morning Moon Music. Sound editing by TexturesSound. To inquire about advertising, please contact allie.gallo@acast.com.)
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Totally Booked: LIVE! In this special episode of the podcast (in-person at the Whitby Hotel with a live audience!), Zibby interviews Rabbi Angela Buchdahl (Senior Rabbi of Central Synagogue and the first Asian American rabbi) about her astonishingly beautiful, searing new memoir (and an instant New York Times bestseller), HEART OF A STRANGER: An Unlikely Rabbi’s Story of Faith, Identity, and Belonging. Rabbi Buchdahl shares her extraordinary journey, from Seoul to New York City, weaving together personal stories, Jewish wisdom, and lessons on belonging, grief, empathy, and resilience. She even sings for the audience, which you don’t want to miss!
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** Follow @totallybookedwithzibby on Instagram for listening guides and more. **
(Music by Morning Moon Music. Sound editing by TexturesSound. To inquire about advertising, please contact allie.gallo@acast.com.)
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Zibby welcomes former Dance Moms star Nia Sioux to the podcast to discuss her powerful new memoir, BOTTOM OF THE PYRAMID: A Memoir of Persevering, Dancing for Myself, and Starring in My Own Life. Joined by a few young fans (Zibby’s kids!), Nia answers heartfelt questions about growing up on reality TV, dealing with pressure and criticism, and learning to stay true to herself. She also opens up about stage fright, friendship, sibling dynamics, and managing her chronic pain disorder.
Share, rate, & review the podcast, and follow Zibby on Instagram @zibbyowens!
** Follow @totallybookedwithzibby on Instagram for listening guides and more. **
(Music by Morning Moon Music. Sound editing by TexturesSound. To inquire about advertising, please contact allie.gallo@acast.com.)
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Zibby Publishing alert! Bestselling Israeli author Lihi Lapid chats with Zibby about I WANTED TO BE WONDERFUL, her gut-wrenching, lyrical, and sharply observed novel about marriage, motherhood, sacrifice, and self-discovery. Originally published in Israel as Woman of Valor, the novel intertwines fiction and memoir, portraying both a woman’s inner life and the complexities of family, love, and identity. Lihi shares the real-life inspiration behind the book, including her journey as a mother to a daughter with autism, her experience as the wife of a public figure, and the struggle to reclaim her own creative voice.
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** Follow @totallybookedwithzibby on Instagram for listening guides and more. **
(Music by Morning Moon Music. Sound editing by TexturesSound. To inquire about advertising, please contact allie.gallo@acast.com.)
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Pastor Shawn Johnson joins Zibby to discuss his powerful new book, KISS THE FIRE: 7 Ways to get Back Up When You Want to Give Up. Shawn opens up about his diagnosis with an incurable brain disease, his lifelong struggles with anxiety and depression, and how faith and vulnerability helped him find purpose in pain. He and Zibby also discuss how vulnerability creates connection, why sharing our struggles can be freeing, and how even in life’s darkest moments, hope and purpose can emerge.
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** Follow @totallybookedwithzibby on Instagram for listening guides and more. **
(Music by Morning Moon Music. Sound editing by TexturesSound. To inquire about advertising, please contact allie.gallo@acast.com.)
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Totally Booked: LIVE! In this special episode of the podcast (in-person at the Whitby Hotel with a live audience!), Zibby interviews beloved New York Times bestselling author Susan Orlean about her brilliant, high-spirited, exhilarating debut memoir, JOYRIDE. Susan reflects on the “reign of good fortune” that has shaped her career and personal life, from serendipitous early writing breaks to the heartbreaks and rebirths that followed. She also opens up about her complicated first marriage, a surprising post-divorce romance in Bhutan, and rebuilding her life after loss, from 9/11 to the California wildfires.
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** Follow @totallybookedwithzibby on Instagram for listening guides and more. **
(Music by Morning Moon Music. Sound editing by TexturesSound. To inquire about advertising, please contact allie.gallo@acast.com.)
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Totally Booked: LIVE! In this special episode of the podcast (in-person at the Whitby Hotel with a live audience!), Zibby interviews journalist and New York Times bestselling author Marisa Meltzer about her dazzling and intimate new book, IT GIRL: The Life and Legacy of Jane Birkin. Together, they explore the iconic muse’s complex life beyond the famed Hermès bag, from her bohemian beginnings and creative triumphs to the deep personal losses that shaped her. Marisa shares what drew her to Birkin’s story, her research adventures in Paris, and what she’s learned from studying a woman who lived boldly, loved deeply, and refused to conform.
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** Follow @totallybookedwithzibby on Instagram for listening guides and more. **
(Music by Morning Moon Music. Sound editing by TexturesSound. To inquire about advertising, please contact allie.gallo@acast.com.)
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Totally Booked: LIVE! In this special episode of the podcast (in-person at the Whitby Hotel with a live audience!), Zibby interviews economist Dr. Corinne Low about her groundbreaking new book, HAVING IT ALL: What Data Tells Us About Women’s Lives and Getting the Most Out of Yours. Corinne shares how thinking like an economist can help women redefine what it truly means to “have it all”—not by maximizing achievement, but by maximizing utility: joy, meaning, and fulfillment over a lifetime. She opens up about her own life changes—from leaving a high-pressure job and a long commute to reshaping her marriage and motherhood—and offers data-driven insights on why modern women feel so squeezed, how to find balance, and what it really takes to create an equitable partnership at home and at work.
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(Music by Morning Moon Music. Sound editing by TexturesSound. To inquire about advertising, please contact allie.gallo@acast.com.)
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Purchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/47we0tk
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** Follow @totallybookedwithzibby on Instagram for listening guides and more. **
(Music by Morning Moon Music. Sound editing by TexturesSound. To inquire about advertising, please contact allie.gallo@acast.com.)
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Zibby interviews neuroscientist Ben Rein about his exquisite and insightful new book, WHY BRAINS NEED FRIENDS: The Neuroscience of Social Connection. Ben explains complex neuroscience in an accessible, engaging way, sharing insights about how even small, everyday interactions boost mental health, creativity, and a sense of belonging. The two discuss everything from the neuroscience of empathy and “Zoom fatigue” to why dogs make us happier and how emojis can improve digital communication.
Purchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/3KWxyiS
Share, rate, & review the podcast, and follow Zibby on Instagram @zibbyowens!
** Follow @totallybookedwithzibby on Instagram for listening guides and more. **
(Music by Morning Moon Music. Sound editing by TexturesSound. To inquire about advertising, please contact allie.gallo@acast.com.)
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World-famous designer, educator, and play advocate Cas Holman joins Zibby to discuss her radiant, provocative, and essential new book, PLAYFUL: How Play Shifts Our Thinking, Inspires Connection, and Sparks Creativity. Cas—best known for her Netflix Abstract episode and her imaginative creations like Rigamajig—shares how decades of designing for children led her to explore why adults need play just as much. She and Zibby discuss the “three conditions” for rediscovering play, how play fosters creativity and connection, and why letting go of rules and expectations can help us live more authentically.
Purchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/3JhkXWX
Share, rate, & review the podcast, and follow Zibby on Instagram @zibbyowens!
** Follow @totallybookedwithzibby on Instagram for listening guides and more. **
(Music by Morning Moon Music. Sound editing by TexturesSound. To inquire about advertising, please contact allie.gallo@acast.com.)
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New York Times bestselling author and bookstore owner Peter H. Reynolds joins Zibby to discuss his simple, witty, and marvelously illustrated new children’s book, THE DOT. Peter delves into his creative journey, from illustrating JUDY MOODY to founding International Dot Day, a global celebration of creativity and confidence now honored in 190 countries. He also shares the moving story that inspired this book, the importance of encouraging imagination in children (and adults!), and his mission to make the world a kinder, more creative place through books, art, and community.
Purchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/3ITzQyE
Share, rate, & review the podcast, and follow Zibby on Instagram @zibbyowens!
** Follow @totallybookedwithzibby on Instagram for listening guides and more. **
(Music by Morning Moon Music. Sound editing by TexturesSound. To inquire about advertising, please contact allie.gallo@acast.com.)
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Zibby chats with Tiffany Graham Charkosky about her honest and unflinching new memoir, LIVING PROOF: How Love Defied Genetic Legacy. Tiffany shares the difficult journey that began when she discovered she might carry Lynch syndrome, a genetic mutation linked to early-onset cancers—the same condition that likely caused her mother’s death when Tiffany was just 11. Tiffany opens up about grief, motherhood, and resilience, as well as what it means to live in a body that feels suddenly unfamiliar. She and Zibby also discuss writing through trauma, finding empathy for our younger selves, and learning to accept help—both medically and emotionally.
Purchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/43o4Rl3
Share, rate, & review the podcast, and follow Zibby on Instagram @zibbyowens!
** Follow @totallybookedwithzibby on Instagram for listening guides and more. **
(Music by Morning Moon Music. Sound editing by TexturesSound. To inquire about advertising, please contact allie.gallo@acast.com.)
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.