Totally Booked with Zibby

Zibby interviews debut novelist Julia Langbein about American Mermaid, a hysterical and brilliantly sharp new book about a broke high-school English teacher, her bestselling feminist mermaid novel, and her misadventures adapting it for the big screen in Hollywood. Julia discusses the themes she loved exploring: intergenerational conflict, the desire for financial security, and the beauty of teachi...

Bozoma and Zibby unexpectedly laughed their way through their conversation about loss, connecting over how important it is to find the humor in the atrociously bad stretches of life. Bozoma discussed her late husband's illness and her relationship with God (her "homie"), which she wrote about in her memoir, and how her losses and experiences have made her question her religion. They bonded over Zi...

Zibby speaks to award-winning author and founding editor of Gotham Books Lauren Marino about Bookish Broads: Women Who Wrote Themselves into History, a vibrantly illustrated celebration of 50 fierce, trailblazing female writers who dared to write about their experiences when the world tried to silence them. Lauren reveals the inspiration behind this project – knowing that female writers have been...

Zibby is joined by Stacy Igel, founder of BOY MEETS GIRL and author of the empowering new guidebook Embracing the Calm in the Chaos: How to Find Success in Business and Life Through Perseverance, Connection, and Collaboration. Stacy describes the origins of her entrepreneurial spirit and tireless work ethic, from begging for a job at Delia’s and selling the shirt off her back during a wild spring...

John Irving, one of the world’s greatest novelists of all time, joins Zibby (who idolizes him!!) in this once-in-a-lifetime interview to discuss The Last Chairlift, a sweepingly cinematic, multigenerational ghost story about a slalom skier, her accidental pregnancy, and, years later, the son who returns to Aspen to uncover her story. After discussing this latest release, Mr. Irving describes the f...

Zibby speaks to critically acclaimed author and repeat MDHTTRB guest Shelli R. Johannes-Wells about She Persisted: Florence Nightingale, an inspiring chapter book biography about the woman who revolutionized modern nursing, with a foreword by Chelsea Clinton! Shelli shares Florence Nightingale’s story – from abandoning high society and refusing to marry to treating soldiers on the frontlines and t...

Zibby interviews Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Amy Dockser Marcus about We the Scientists: How a Daring Team of Parents and Doctors Forged a New Path for Medicine , a gripping and deeply compassionate account of a fatal genetic disease and the collaboration between families and researchers to one day vanquish it. Amy talks about her mother, who died of a rare form of cancer and inspired this inc...

Debut author Emma Fedor joins Zibby to discuss At Sea, a mesmerizing, haunting, and genre-defying novel about a whirlwind romance with a charismatic soldier, his unimaginable ability to breathe underwater, and his sudden, traceless disappearance with the baby they had together. Emma discusses the themes she enjoyed exploring: the irresistible pull of first love, the fierceness of motherhood, and t...

Zibby speaks to TV writer and novelist Amanda Pellegrino about The Social Climber, a gripping page-turner about Eliza Bennett, her glittery wedding to Upper East Sider Graham Walker, and the secrets that might ruin it all. Amanda talks about her protagonist’s eating disorder, desperate need for control, and past involvement with an evangelical megachurch (which was inspired by her fascination with...

Zibby interviews author Jess Keefe about Thirty-Thousand Steps: A Memoir of Sprinting Toward Life After Loss, a powerful and transformative memoir about grieving the loss of a brother and numbing the pain by training for a marathon. Jess describes her relationship with her younger brother, his drug addiction, and the horror of finding him while he died of an overdose. She also talks about her madd...

Zibby speaks to author, writing coach, and publishing industry veteran Elizabeth Lyons about Write the Damn Book Already: Tell Your Story. Share Your Message. Make Your Impact., a lighthearted and encouraging roadmap for anxious would-be authors. Elizabeth discusses the most common anxieties for writers (aspiring and bestselling alike) and shares her best tips for book proposals, outlining, identi...

Zibby interviews author Patrick Brigley about All the Beauty in the World: The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Me, an illuminating and beautifully written memoir about one of the world’s greatest museums and the guard who roamed its halls for a decade. Patrick shares his memories of his late brother, who died at age 28 and was the catalyst for a career change. Then, he describes what the museum, it...

Zibby interviews acclaimed novelist, scholar, and repeat MDHTTRB guest Daniel Black about Black on Black: On Our Resilience and Brilliance in America, a piercing, vulnerable collection of essays about being black in America and the ongoing fight for change. Daniel reveals what inspired him to be so raw and vulnerable for this new project. He also talks about his journey to accepting and embracing...

GMA Book Club Pick alert! Zibby speaks to executive editor and debut author Jenny Jackson about Pineapple Street, a vibrant, witty, and deliciously funny intergenerational story of wealth, family, and love, as experienced by three Brooklyn women. Jenny describes her 20-year career in book publishing, the inspiration behind this story (she lives on Pineapple Street in Brooklyn!), and her book's fas...

Zibby is joined by debut author, speaker, and host of the popular podcast The Only One in the Room, Laura Cathcart Robbins, to discuss her propulsive and emotionally riveting new memoir Stash: My Life in Hiding , which details her drug and alcohol addiction, divorce, and journey to sobriety. Laura talks about her relationship with her ex-husband and how she ensured his privacy was respected in wri...

Zibby Books author alert!!! Zibby speaks to Andrea Dunlop about her latest novel Women Are The Fiercest Creatures, a wildly addictive feminist family drama about three women who take on the charming, manipulative tech CEO who wrote them out of his startup’s history. Andrea discusses her book’s striking female protagonists, touching on their motherhood, entrepreneurship, and sacrifice. She also tal...

Zibby interviews author and inspirational speaker Cyndie Spiegel about Microjoys: Finding Hope (Especially) When Life Is Not Okay, a bighearted and intimate book of essays and prompts that shows us how to recognize the joys that are right in front of our eyes, even in moments of profound pain. Cyndie talks about the devastating tragedies that brought her to a dark place and the microjoys that kept...

Zibby speaks to debut author Daisy Alpert Florin about My Last Innocent Year, a propulsive, evocative, and dark coming-of-age story about Isabel Rosen and the sexual assault that throws her final semester at an elite New Hampshire school into controversy, chaos, and an affair with a married professor. Daisy talks about 90s campus culture and her protagonist’s experience with sexual assault and gri...

Zibby interviews bestselling author, editor, journalist, and repeat MDHTTRB guest Will Schwalbe about his moving, funny, and wise new memoir We Should Not Be Friends: The Story of a Friendship , which tells the story of his unexpected and life-changing friendship with Chris Maxey, a jock he met at Yale. Will describes Maxey (a nationally-ranked wrestler/frat boy turned Navy Seal turned eco-warrior...

In this special episode (a live event for the Streicker Center!), Zibby speaks to one of her greatest literary role models, #1 New York Times bestselling author Anna Quindlen, about her latest book, Write For Your Life. Anna talks about how important it is to write – for our mental health, connection with others, and historical record – although it can be intimidating, even for her. She also talks...

Author Tanya Frank joins Zibby to discuss her gut-wrenching and compassionate new book Zig-Zag Boy: A Memoir of Madness and Motherhood , which chronicles her son Zach’s sudden and inexplicable psychotic break at age 19 and her journey to accepting the mysteries of his altered states. Tanya talks about the day of the psychotic break and what her son had been like before it (precocious, kind, and UC...

Zibby speaks to reporter, speaker, and bestselling culture writer David Sax about his approachable, witty, and provocative new book The Future is Analog: How to Create a More Human World. David talks about the pandemic and the lesson it taught us: digital technology has limits and cannot replace the value of physical spaces (like schools, libraries, coffee shops, and parks) and the authentic conne...

Zibby interviews CNN entertainment reporter Chloe Melas and her mother Elizabeth Murphy about their late grandfather and father Frank Murphy’s book, Luck of the Draw: My Story of the Air War in Europe, which tells the epic true story of a WWII hero who cheated death for months in a German POW camp after being shot out of a plane. Elizabeth shares how shocked her family was when her father finally...

Zibby is joined by Dr. Yael Schonbrun, a clinical psychologist, assistant professor at Brown University, parenting coach, podcaster, mother of three, and author of Work, Parent, Thrive: 12 Science-Backed Strategies to Ditch Guilt, Manage Overwhelm, and Grow Connection (When Everything Feels Like Too Much). Dr. Schonbrun talks about using positive psychology to reassess working parenthood, the powe...

Zibby speaks to renowned psychiatrist and Dr. Phil Show regular Dr. Charles Sophy about his clear and compassionate new parenting guide Family Values: Reset Trust, Boundaries, and Connection with Your Child . Dr. Sophy shares his best parenting advice, touching on preexisting parent “baggage”, (re)building a strong family foundation, knowing when to get professional help, and respecting children’s...