Totally Booked with Zibby

Kara Kavensky sits down with Zibby Owens to talk about her memoir Tell Me About Joy , inspired by WWII veteran Bob who shared with her his greatest regret: “I missed out on marrying the love of my life. Her name is Joy.” Interwoven with her own personal story, Kara writes about her journey to find Bob’s long-lost love and how it changed her life. She touches on her own healing after being married...

Jonathan Santlofer joins Zibby Owens for a deep dive into his new novel Ten Perfect Guests , an immersive, fun, “whodunit” thriller following the aftermath of a beloved art figure’s death and the people summoned to a remote island under threat of losing their inheritance.  Jonathan discusses the challenges of juggling ten different points of views, the joy of playing with familiar tropes like...

Eriq La Salle joins Zibby Owens to discuss his new thriller Laws of Solomon , the fourth book in his Martyr Maker series, which takes a previous side character who was inspired by The Godfather’s Luca Brasi and lifts him up to the lead.  Eriq discusses the ever-present question of ‘can our most villainous, vile characters find redemption?’, the journey of a character’s soul, how his favorite...

Amanda Peters sits down with Zibby Owens to discuss her new novel (and Zibby’s November Book Club pick!) The Birthing Tree, the story of a young girl growing up in a family with secrets, her withdrawal from the grandmother who raised her among the generational traditions of Mi’kmaq women, and what eventually draws her back home as an adult.  Rooted in community and feeling, The Birthing Tree...

Sarah Addison Allen’s book Paper Ghosts was, quite fittingly, haunting. We discussed grief, loss, fiction, writing, and more. I left feeling like I had a new friend.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jonah Platt and I both have TV shows on the JBS network which is how we connected for this episode. I’d been dying to interview Jonah about his Jewish advocacy and what he’d learned from interviewing so many leaders in the field. What he answered surprised me. I also learned about how he’s raising his children and more.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Beth Ricanati, MD, and I made challah together in my kitchen in L.A. eight years ago — and filmed it. Since then, our lives continue to intersect from the podcast to the bookstore to her being part of the On Being Jewish Now anthology. In this conversation recorded at Zibby’s Bookshop, we covered health benefits to baking, her suggestions as a physician for how to live more healthfully, and the wi...

Laurie Notaro makes me laugh. A bestselling humorist, Laurie writes about whatever life stage she’s in with wit and bluntness. We talked about her hilarious parents and how her dad often says he’s glad Laurie didn’t have a twin, how we regress as soon as we go “home,” the indignities of aging, and the free cosmetic procedure she tried and had her skin burned off.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.c...

Today’s episode features female founders of two communities: Jennifer Shoop, Magpie , and Aly Wente and Niki Wente, The Wine Sisters Book Club . Both groups have prioritized books — in addition to birds, wine, and more interests and avenues. Jennifer Shoop’s book, Small Wonders: A Field Guide to Life’s Quiet Joys , was absolutely beautiful.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more inf...

Pain psychologist Dr. Rachel Zoffness sits down with Zibby Owens to discuss her new book, Tell Me Where It Hurts: The New Science of Pain and How to Heal . Prompted by one parent’s powerful question and the transformative experience of working with teenagers, Rachel reflects on her personal and professional experiences with pain and her goal of sharing the true science with the world.  They d...

Sara Goodman Confino’s high school journalism teacher was the first person who told her “you can do better than this.” And she did.  Sara joins Zibby Owens for an intimate talk about her new novel Off The Record, a fun, thrilling, and mysterious romantic comedy set in 1962 about 22-year-old Judy Greenberg looking to be the next big reporter as a young Jewish woman in a male-dominated field.&n...

Midlife desperately needs a rebrand. Dr. Margie Lachman is doing just that with her research at the Lifespan Lab at Brandeis University where she teaches psychology. She has pioneered the lifespan psychology approach to midlife. We talked about the joys midlife can bring and why her academic approach is so essential.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tokyo-born Lisa Katayama took her parenting techniques with her to Northern California and found that what Japanese culture had to offer was quite useful when it came to raising kids. We discussed the pain points of parenting, how she puts her ideas into practice, and how she pulled off writing a book in the midst of all of it.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ann Tashi Slater and I spoke about life, meaning, the role of literature, travel, family, and more, inspired by her book Traveling in Bardo: The Art of Living in an Impermanent World. (Special thanks to past podcast guest Lauren Grodstein for the introduction!) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jackie Friedland, a contributor to my anthology On Being Jewish Now and past podcast guest, returns with her latest novel, Breathing Under Water ! A poignant story about life around the pool, an unfair accusation, an autistic main character, and a community shaken, this book will make you think and feel. Jackie and I discussed parenting, coaching, writing, and more.  Hosted on Acast. See acas...

Eva Zu Beck seems like an unlikely solo pioneer in the wilds of Pakistan, but her fearlessness has taken her around the world with just a van, a dog, and a camera. What does it take to live like that? To call off an engagement and a way of life and, instead, bring millions of others on international adventures with her? She shares her self-destructive behaviors, her doubts, and her inner monologue...

I’m insanely impressed by Stephanie Wittels Wachs, not just because she’s the co-founder and CEO of Lemonada Media, an award-winning podcast network with a mission to "make life suck less,” but because of her ability to use humor and wit to get through loss. She lost her brother, writer-producer-comedian Harris Wittels, to the opioid crisis and has now written multiple books on the topic. This raw...

I first met Alyssa Rosenheck at a coffee shop in Nashville, TN, with my husband, Kyle. She was a notable architectural photographer whose book was being sold at the Draper James boutique, which I’d just visited, and she offered to show us the town. I didn’t know then that she was also Jewish, which, in the pre-October 7th days, wasn’t necessarily something that would come up in conversation. And y...

Anyone else a bit obsessed with the royal family? (I have a girl crush on Princess Catherine.) Caroline Hallemann, digital director of Town & Country magazine, delves deep into the overlapping histories of the British Royal Family and our own U.S. royals: the Kennedys. We discussed fandom, coincidence, leadership, and more.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ashley Kahn was sitting on a terrace in Italy as we talked about his love letter to Paul Simon and the album Graceland, Days of Miracle and Wonder . I couldn’t help getting distracted by the fabulous view (an inner sigh as I sat inside at my desk on a beautiful day) but then I realized that his view — his perspective — was something I could internalize and share. Ashley’s deep dive into the histor...

Cinelle Barnes was nervous. This was her first interview about her book after her brain injury which, having read the book, I completely understood. Cinelle shared openly about what her life has been like in the before and after, the accommodations she needs to function at 100%, her new lease on life, and how she pivoted an existing book project (this!) into what became a powerful, memorable story...

Chris Young was beyond impressive! I loved talking to him about his experience in prison, how he turned to books and philosophy, his views on overcoming obstacles, resilience, and fate, and how he sees the world. Chris is incredibly inspiring. Prediction: he’ll hold office later in life. Just saying. Listen to us discuss his powerful story and how it can inspire everyone to lead more authentic, me...

I feel like Dr. Lucy McBride and I could’ve grown up as friends. She’s so relatable despite her brilliance that taking her advice feels like a no-brainer. Hear from her as she shares the medical “stuff” you need to know and feel inspired to get the care you need. Lucy will be part of Totally Booked : Live on October 25th. Get your tickets now! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more inform...

Dara Levan is a contributor to my anthology On Being Jewish Now: Reflections from Authors and Advocates , who is the first person to show up for friends and colleagues alike. In her latest novel Shaken to the Core , she portrays a loss in vivid detail, family dynamics, loss, and more.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

David K. Israel, one of the contributors to my anthology On Being Jewish Now: Reflections from Authors and Advocates , has a quirky, dry sense of humor that permeates his latest release, The Lost Mozart . A composer, David shared fun details about his entry into the world of symphonies and sounds, how it felt to lose his home in the Palisades where we were neighbors, and the creativity involved in...