Totally Booked with Zibby

Zibby is joined by author and dog mother Chloe Shaw to discuss her debut memoir,  What Is a Dog?  Chloe shares her unique literary career as well as the stories of some of the dogs who have impacted her the most. The two also talk about the importance of community in Chloe's life, why this is the perfect book to gift any dog lover, and how the many forms grief may take are all equally va...

Zibby is joined by Nora Zelevansky to talk about her latest novel,  Competitive Grieving . The two discuss how the death of a friend often also means the loss of a shared history, why moms often feel the need to conceal their grief from their children, and what they each have planned for their own funerals. Read  Nora's essay  on  Moms Don't Have Time to Write . Purchase o...

Although Jodi Picoult is the bestselling author of 26 novels which have collectively sold over 40 million copies, the pandemic affected her just like everyone else. After interviews with frontline workers, Covid-19 survivors, and a man who accidentally got trapped on the Galapagos Islands in March 2020, Jodi wrote  Wish You Were Here,  her take on a pandemic book. She joined Zibby to tal...

Pamela Paul, editor of the  New York Times  Book Review, joins Zibby to discuss her latest book,  100 Things We've Lost to the Internet.  The two joke about the irony of their meeting about this book on Zoom as well as all of Pamela's promotional coverage on social media. They also talk about the pandemic's effect on our online activity, how our online consumption is a&nbs...

Zibby is joined by Bernhard Schlink, author of the international bestselling book,  The Reader , to discuss his latest novel,  Olga . Bernhard shares how the titular character was inspired by the women in his family, which of his own experiences shaped the novel's premise, and why he prefers to read a very specific type of book. Purchase on Amazon or Bookshop. Amazon: https://amzn.to/3Gr...

"I think making mistakes is a really important part of parenting. It's actually good for our kids when we screw up because it's an opportunity for us to take responsibility." Melinda Wenner Moyer joined Zibby and former podcast guest  Christina Hillsberg  for a virtual event with the Strand Bookstore to discuss her first book,  How to Raise Kids Who Aren't Assholes , and p...

Educator, parenting coach, and author of  Social Justice Parenting  Dr. Traci Baxley joins Zibby to talk about her work on and off the page. Traci and Zibby discuss how to talk about marginalization with children to start raising compassionate and active allies, the impact that radical love can have in a child's life, and why maternal activism is magical to Traci. She also shares her ROC...

When photographer Gillian Laub completed her visual book  Family Matters  last Thanksgiving, she had no idea where her family would be today. Although Gillian had been photographing her family consistently since 1990, the 2016 presidential election and their subsequent support for Donald Trump changed the shape of her work and the dynamics of their tight-knit clan. Gi...

Journalist, producer, and author Denise Kiernan joins Zibby to talk about her latest book,  We Gather Together.  Denise shares how she sought to weave together the history of Thanksgiving, a biography of the woman who helped make it a national holiday, and research on the benefits of actively practicing gratitude. The two also talk about what it was like to write about coming togeth...

Zibby is joined by former  Wall Street Journal  editor Melanie Kirkpatrick to discuss her book,  Thanksgiving . Melanie shares how her research for  Thanksgiving  led to her most recent work of non-fiction,  Lady Editor , about the often-overlooked life story of Sarah Josepha Hale, the woman who helped make Thanksgiving a national holiday.   Melani...

Zibby is joined by Kris Clink to talk about her sophomore novel,  Sissie Klein Is Completely Normal , which dives into the life story of a minor character from her debut. Kris and Zibby talk about their respective podcasts, how Kris's friends have inspired her stories, and which book is coming next in her Lark Lovejoy series. Read  Kris's article for Moms Don't Have Time to Wri...

"The thread that runs through all of my work is that I don't like when people are not heard or seen." Zibby is joined by short story writer, professor, and novelist Carolyn Ferrell to talk about her latest book,  Dear Miss Metropolitan . The two talk about the real-life events that partially inspired this novel, how Carolyn handled her own mental health as she dove deeply into her charac...

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and author Louise Penny joined Zibby for an event with the Temple Emanu-El Streicker Center to discuss their  New York Times  bestselling political thriller,  State of Terror ,   which centers around one of Secretary Clinton's greatest fears: the possibility that terrorists could get ahold of nuclear weapons. Secretary Cl...

Author of  London's Number One Dog-Walking Agency  Kate MacDougall joins Zibby to discuss not only her memoir but the real-life career change that inspired it. MacDougall shares how she always knew the story had the potential to become a book, what it was like to watch her now-husband fall in love with dogs over the course of their relationship, and which writers she has been t...

Amy Mason Doan joins Zibby to talk about her third novel,  Lady Sunshine , which was inspired in part by a song off of the album,  Mermaid Avenue . Amy shares why all of her books grapple with nostalgia and past friendships, how she used an oft-forgotten story about Woodie Guthrie to shape the premise of her story, and the unique place where she wrote the novel during the Covid-19 l...

Former Ambassador to the United Kingdom and Sweden Matthew Barzun joins Zibby to talk about his latest book, The Power of Giving Away Power , and how the best leaders are often the ones who don't lord their power over others. Matthew shares how his experience with the 2008 Obama presidential campaign and his interactions with Queen Elizabeth sparked his research, as well as how their leadership st...

Clinical psychologist Dr. Inger Burnett-Zeigler joins Zibby to discuss her new book,  Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen , which grew from her 2018  New York Times  article, "The Strong and Stressed Black Woman." Inger and Zibby talk about the different ways in which Black women are sharing their experiences through both fiction and non-fiction, the effects of intergenerational...

Bestselling author Kaira Rouda joins Zibby to talk about her two novels, The Next Wife  and  Somebody's Home , both of which she wrote during the pandemic lockdown. Kaira shares how she took the advice she gave to other women in her career prior to writing and became the novelist she always wanted to be, what inspired her to make the shift to domestic thrillers, and what advice she gives...

"We wanted to give you that final nudge and the permission to understand that you are not alone." Zibby is joined by Zelmira Crespi and Maria Montt, co-authors of  Happy Mom, Happy Kid . The three talk about their experiences as working moms, the research Zelmira and Maria conducted for this book, and what they found to be the best solution for striking the healthiest work-life balance....

Joshua Henkin joins Zibby to discuss his latest novel,  Morningside Heights , which took him eight years and three thousand pages to write. Joshua shares how the story was inspired by his own family's experience with Alzheimer's and his childhood growing up on the Upper West Side. The two also talk about Joshua's MFA program, how growing up in an academic family shaped his career trajectory,...

John Freeman, editor, anthologist, and creator of the literary annual  Freeman's , joins Zibby to discuss how he put together  The Penguin Book of the Modern American Short Story,  as well as his esteemed career in the publishing industry. The two talk about what makes a strong short story, why those who work in publishing are some of the most hopeful people, and how collaboration i...

"I want every parent to just take a deep breath. We give so much weight to our speeches and to the words that we say. We neglect the small atoms of the family atmosphere and the way we share our imperfections with them." Israeli parenting expert and author Einat Nathan joins Zibby to talk about her bestselling memoir,  My Everything . Einat shares how even though she is known for helping...

"Your life is greater than you can imagine. You are more loved and supported than you can imagine." Zibby is joined by author and medium Laura Lynne Jackson to talk about her latest book,  Signs , which shows readers how they can communicate with those who have passed on. Laura Lynne shares what her daily experience is like with so many spirit guides trying to channel messages through her, ho...

New York Times  journalist and author of the memoir  A Cup of Water Under My Bed,  Daisy Hernández, joins Zibby to talk about her latest book,  The Kissing Bug , which was inspired by her own family's story. After watching her aunt endure a painful yet unnamed disease for decades, Daisy spent seven years researching and uncovering the facts of the invisible Chagas disease. She...

When illustrator Jane Mount DM'd bookstagrammer Jamise Harper, Jamise thought she had messaged the wrong person. But now a year later, the two are ready to share their new book,  Bibliophile: Diverse Spines , with the world. Coupling Jamise's book expertise and reading community, Diverse Spines, with Jane's acclaimed artwork, the book invites all kinds of readers to find their next pick — and...