Totally Booked with Zibby

Life coach and longtime columnist at  O, the Oprah Magazine  Martha Beck joins Zibby to discuss her latest book,  The Way of Integrity , and how the root of all psychological suffering is a loss of structural integrity in our lives. Martha shares her personal story of losing and learning to regain her own integrity, as well as a handful of self-help steps readers can use to rebuild...

"People will ask: 'But you love your kids, right?' Of course, I love my kids — that's not the issue. We don't have to always say that when we are talking about how hard it is to be a mother." Karin Tanabe joins Zibby to talk about her sixth novel,  A Woman of Intelligence , and how it portrays motherhood in the 1950s. The two discuss some of the shocking historical events that were featu...

Although many people haven't started flying at the same rate they were pre-pandemic, Clare Mackintosh's latest thriller,  Hostage , might make it hard for anyone to ever get back there. Clare joined Zibby to talk about her love for writing on planes (which partially inspired the story's setting on a 20-hour flight), how her writing habits have changed over the last year, and what she pla...

Zibby is joined by debut memoirist Anna Qu to discuss  Made in China: A Memoir of Love and Labor , which is out today. The two discuss the trauma endured during Qu's childhood, how she managed to reconcile her memory with government documents that didn't tell her full story, and why she remains incredibly grateful for those who saw her value when her family did not. Purchase on Amazon or...

Universal healthcare may be a controversial issue for some, but not for author Deborah Copaken. In her new memoir,  Ladyparts , Deborah shares how her personal and medical history were only made more challenging by the fact that she did not consistently have insurance, despite being a  New York Times  bestselling author with an illustrious career. Using her own body as a metaph...

Critic and essayist Phillip Lopate joins Zibby to discuss his latest anthology, The Contemporary American Essay, and how it fits into his trilogy of American essay collections. Also discussed is Phillip's large body of work (including  The Art of the Personal Essay , which has been a part of every personal library Zibby has had), why anthologies require a certain headspace to assemble, a...

Although it's not surprising that comedy writer Leslie A. Rasmussen's debut novel,  After Happily Ever After , is incredibly funny, the relatability of her characters' experiences is uncanny. Pulling real events and emotions from her and her friends' lives — as well as countless other anonymous women who answered a survey during her long-ago attempt to write a non-fiction book...

Zibby is joined by Sari Botton, the editor of  Goodbye to All That , and two of the authors who contributed essays to the revised anthology, Carolita Johnson and Rosie Schaap. The four women discuss the role New York City has played in each of their lives, as well as how it has changed since the re-release was planned back in 2019. The interview, like the book, was full of nostalgia, reflecti...

"However bad things are, there's a resilience inside us that can actually cope with more than it feels like we can in any given moment." After completing  The Midnight Library  (which has now sold one million copies in the U.S.) at the start of the pandemic, Matt Haig wanted to create a book that was as comforting for others to read as it was for him to create. Having lived with anxiety,...

Although author Carol Edgarian is not a San Francisco native, she has managed to capture both the beauty of the city and the fear that comes from living in a place so frequently touched by natural disasters. Carol joins Zibby to talk about her latest novel,  Vera , which elegantly blends together these two themes, as well as her Instagram Live show about the roots of different words and the w...

CEO of PresenceLearning, Kate Eberle Walker, joins Zibby to talk about her new book,  The Good Boss , and what it actually takes to become one. After deciding to stop telling other women that they needed to change in order to fit into workplaces that were designed by men for men, Kate realized she needed to create a guide to change the workplaces themselves. Kate and Zibby connect over simila...

Growing up, writer and podcaster Ashley C. Ford always felt like her family was keeping secrets from her. As she began to work through the traumas she endured in her relationships both in and outside of her home, Ashley uncovered truths about her family as well as herself, which she shares in her debut memoir,  Somebody's Daughter . She tells Zibby what her journey to self-acceptance has look...

Many authors would feel daunted by the prospect of putting out a new book soon after a multi-award-winning novel. But after writing and teaching for over 40 years, Joan Silber knows the only thing in her control is to continue working on her craft regardless of getting published. Her latest book,  Secrets of Happiness , takes readers around the world, from New York to Thailand...

When Sarah Sentilles realized she wanted to become a parent, she learned that her husband did not want to bring another child into an already overpopulated world. The two looked to foster care and were placed with a three-day-old girl they immediately fell in love with. In her new book,  Stranger Care , Sarah recounts the journey through the system and what happened when their almost daughter...

"People always ask: 'How do you find the time to write?' You have to treat it like a job even if you're not getting paid to do it." Author and self-proclaimed recovering lawyer Lea Geller says the blog she started over ten years ago helped her feel less miserable and led to her successful career as a writer. The two discuss Lea's latest novel,  The Truth and Other Hidden Things,&nbs...

Zibby is joined by best-selling author and journalist Anita Diamant to discuss her latest nonfiction book,  Period. End of Sentence. , and the fight for menstrual justice. Anita explains how this book — which grew out of the Academy Award-winning documentary of the same name — feels like a culmination of her work as a columnist and novelist, and offers action steps we can all take t...

Actress, activist, and author Noa Tishby recently joined Zibby for an in-person event to discuss her new book,  Israel: A Simple Guide to the Most Misunderstood Country on Earth . Tishby talks about her activism, the source of most anti-Semitic attacks on the Internet and across America, and why it's so important for everyone to educate themselves on the history of the hotly contested region....

Zibby is joined by Eleni Gage — novelist, freelance writer, and former executive editor at  Martha Stewart Weddings — to talk about her incredible personal and professional journeys, as well as her book,  Lucky in Love.  Eleni shares how she first became fascinated by folklore and rituals, what she learned about love while studying strangers' weddings on a daily basis...

When Emily Giffin recently joined Zibby to discuss her latest novel,  The Lies That Bind , the two realized they had an uncanny amount in common. The two bonded over their experiences living in New York City immediately before and after 9/11, which celebrities they look to for inspiration on aging gracefully, and how they both find that moments of upheaval in the world can offer us the most p...

"Systemic racism is not something that we made once and we're still under the weight of. It's something we recreate every day." Novelist and professor Calvin Baker joins Zibby to discuss his first nonfiction book,  A More Perfect Reunion , and how the historical reckoning that inspired each of his novels helped him put it together. They discuss the myths of race in American society as well as...

"I learned how strong I was. I learned that I'm a fighter. I learned that failure is never going to break me." Olympic runner and bobsledder Lolo Jones joins Zibby to discuss her new memoir,  Over It , and the importance of reckoning with her recent past. Lolo shares how reading has always served as inspiration for her, the ways her approach to health and fitness have changed o...

Although both of Alex Michaelides' two novels have been instant bestsellers, he still often doubts his writing ability as well as any potential success for his work. Alex shares how he relies on meditation to separate himself from negative thoughts before writing, and an intricate planning method known as mind mapping that he uses to physically lay out his novels. He also tells Zibby abo...

After trying unsuccessfully to sell  Boop and Eve's Road Trip , debut novelist Mary Helen Sheriff was told her manuscript had three red flags that many other first novels have as well. Mary shares her experience with Zibby and other writers who may be facing publication roadblocks, as well as a few funky tips for anyone stuck with writer's block. The two also discuss the differences between m...

"We tell the story we need to tell, and we have no business trying to avoid it." When Suleika Jaouad was twenty-two years old, she was diagnosed with leukemia and was only given a thirty-five percent chance to live. As she moved through her twenties and from the kingdom of the sick to that of the well, Suleika documented her life in both a personal journal and a column in the  New York T...

Zibby was recently joined by three-time guest Elyssa Friedland on IG Live to talk about her latest novel,  Last Summer at the Golden Hotel , set during a pre-COVID summer at the last remaining resort in the Catskills. Elyssa tells Zibby about how she drew just as much inspiration from her own experiences in the Catskills as she did from  Dirty Dancing , why she enjoys creating femal...