Totally Booked with Zibby

Zibby was one of the countless people who lost a loved one on 9/11. Stacey Sanders, Zibby’s college roommate, worked in the North Tower of the World Trade Center. To process the loss, Zibby wrote an essay for her business school newspaper, The Harbus, two weeks after it happened. She reads it here to pay tribute to the 25th anniversary of the attacks. 

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Lea Vale joins Zibby Owens to discuss her new novel Blue Sky Black, the second-chance romance told across two timelines that she wrote as a love letter to the friend she lost on 9/11.

Lea shares her own experience in New York City that day 25 years ago, the trauma of having to cope with a loved one simply disappearing, and the importance of talking about tragedy. She also recounts how the romance genre finally allowed her to write this story, infusing hope and light into such a difficult subject. 

Learn more about Lea Vale a...

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 to a narcissist, the human face of war, sharing stories of resilience, the heaviness of losing a child, and ultimately, finding joy again...

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 greed, lust, and betrayal, and the beauty of finding empathy for his most villainous characters. 

He also recounts the discovery of his mild dyslexia in art school, how losing ten year...

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 films have inspired his work, and the coming of age story of a man. 

He also touches on his transition from actor to author, the duality of...

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 weaves together the chase for identity, connection to home, repairing wounds from the past, and revering not only nature and the land, but the extraordinary feats of the h...

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. 

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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. 

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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 windy path to her second book. (If you want to watch our original film, click here!) 

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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. 

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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. 

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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 dive deep into overcoming imposter syndrome, how to identify the ingredients of a bad pain day, the genetics of highly sensitive people, and Rachel’s own struggles with chronic pain. 

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. 

Sara opens up about the challenges she faced as a female teacher with male administrators, the long road from writing to becoming a published author, and how...

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. 

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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. 

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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!)

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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. 

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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 as she becomes a global adventurer.  

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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 exploration of grief is also a manual for anyone else struggling with how to help an addicted loved one. Our conversation ranged from entrepreneurship and what it takes to start something new to...

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 yet, after October 7th, Alyssa became a vocal proponent of the Jewish people, leading political and societal change efforts in her community. She contributed to my anthology On Bei...

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. 

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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 history of the hit album Graceland — one of my favorites! — made me rethink music history. Our talk was as interesting to me as the beats of the songs...

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 of overcoming and persevering. 

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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, meaningful lives.

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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!

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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. 

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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 music versus writing. 

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I loved this book! Couldn’t put it down. Join me in September (9/15 at 7 pm ET) to discuss When Lemons Give You Life by Australian author Anna Johnston, whose prior novel, The Secret Life of Frederick Fife, is being adapted by Netflix. It’s about a retired Michelin-star chef who ends up at a nursing home, wondering if life is still worth living, who finds a new sense of purpose and connection through cooking again. It sounds depressing, but it isn’t. It’s light and entertaining but has heart and soul, plus many twists and turns. I won’t give anything...

I don’t know what Jaclyn Moriarty’s parents did so right to raise a slew of brilliant women writers, but Jaclyn has a few ideas. Hear from her about the games her family played including sister Liane Moriarty, Big Little Lies, how she got the idea for the book on a bus ride, the lives not lived, and fate itself. The books is so fun; Jaclyn’s prose is so witty I continually chuckled as I read it. Her observational prowess knows no bounds.

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Bestselling author Chris Bohjalian has written 26 books, including mega-bestsellers Oprah’s Book Club pick Midwives and The Flight Attendant, adapted into an Emmy-winning TV series — and yet he still worries that his next book won’t be any good. Isn’t it funny that even the greats of the field still worry?! But not to fear: Chris is no amateur and his latest book is thought-provoking, different, gripping, and memorable. When a bright young woman, about to head to Yale, swings a golf club at the range of her club, her life changes in an instant. The ball blasts through...

I reread (and listened to) one of my favorite books, When Breath Becomes Air, before speaking to late author Dr. Paul Kalanithi’s widow, Lucy. The book was as moving, thought-provoking, and immersive now as it was when I first inhaled it. It’s no surprise that the book spent 68 weeks on the New York Times nonfiction list and was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. Dr. Paul Kalinithi was obsessed with life and death, philosophy, literature, and science, delving deep into the why of it all, before falling terminally ill with cancer himself, dying at age 37. He left his book...

The newly minted New York Times bestseller The Renoir Girls by Brit Catherine Ostler tells a hidden story of what really happened to the young girls in Renoir’s famous portraits. As it turns out, they were victims of the Holocaust. How could these high-society children have ended up suffering, one even at Auschwitz? The story digs into government, politics, hatred, antisemitism, art, family, wealth, and class. I adored speaking to Catherine, one of the brightest people I’ve interviewed, and had the pleasure of meeting her in person afterward on the day her book hit “the list.” Huge thanks t...

We can’t all completely start our lives over again. But Cece Downing, down on her luck, tries to do just that. An intriguing neighbor catches her attention. Antics ensue. Soon Wiley captures the interior life of a woman’s mind with brilliance (how does he do it?!) and depicts a turning point with literary prowess. We spoke about his upcoming move, his stage of life, the inspiration for the book, and more. 

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I spoke to Sarah Vaughan about her riveting new novel, Based on a True Story (think: cliffside manor, a matriarch at her 70th birthday party, a secret, a threat). Her prior novel Anatomy of a Scandal was made into a Netflix show in 2022. But Sarah opened up about far more than the book. For the real true story, listen in. 

** Want more? Become a part of my community! Sign up for Zibby's Highlights, which includes a free weekly newsletter, event livestreams, most anticipated book lists, personal essays, and a new essay platform with stories from all of y...

** Want more? Become a part of my community! Sign up for Zibby's Highlights, which includes a free weekly newsletter, event livestreams, most anticipated book lists, personal essays, and a new essay platform with stories from all of you about what chapters you're in (inspired by my upcoming book Between Chapters: How I Started Over, Took Some Chances, and Found the Plot, 9/22/26). And follow me on Instagram @zibbyowens. But really, keep listening here. If you love my show, please tell a friend!

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Kate Doerge is a FORCE. When her daughter Penny passed away, Kate channeled her overwhelming grief into community building, giving back, and even her much-needed workouts. She opened up her home, even when Penny was dying, for all her teenage friends and family friends, to be a part of it. And that's when they saw the angel light in the driveway. Written in collaboration with past podcast guest Sara Bliss, Reimagining Grief is the guide book, clarion call, and bible to living with pain and forging ahead. Kate founded Penny's Flight in honor of Penny to help others. We...

** Want more? Become a part of my community! Sign up for Zibby's Highlights, which includes a free weekly newsletter, event livestreams, most anticipated book lists, personal essays, and a new essay platform with stories from all of you about what chapters you're in (inspired by my upcoming book Between Chapters: How I Started Over, Took Some Chances, and Found the Plot, 9/22/26). And follow me on Instagram @zibbyowens. But really, keep listening here. If you love my show, please tell a friend!

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I’ve been a fan of Justin Halpern’s for years and have read all his hilarious, heartbreaking, original stories. His debut novel Get Lost is a new take on some themes he’s been writing about all along. And it’s funny! We talked about his screenwriting and how an encounter with Quinta Brunson on a studio lot changed everything. You can also watch his hilarious event at Zibby's Bookshop here!!

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Well, he said it. Prize-winning author Michael Cunningham opens up about his formative relationships as he teaches the reader what great writing looks like. I read his unforgettable novel The Hours for a now-defunct book club years ago. I couldn’t wait to discuss! A professor, Michael shares in the book and on the podcast, what his secrets are. By including sample paragraphs throughout, we pick up his vast knowledge. He then intersperses his own story including a chapter that . . . you never would have guessed. Loved this conversation! 

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August Book Club Pick!! You might know bestselling author Matthew Quick from his blockbuster hit Silver Linings Playbook, which became an Academy Award-winning film. Now we not only get a behind-the-scenes look at his personal life, but also his professional struggles, something most accomplished authors don’t open up about.

Matthew shares what happened after Hollywood lost interest and how he dealt with it. He faced many demons in his attempts to cope with his difficult childhood, particularly his volatile relationship with his father, from alcohol to excessive exercise. The writing is exceptional. Th...