Totally Booked with Zibby

Former Christian pop star turned activist Julianna Glasse speaks with Zibby Owens about her new book This is What Happens When Women Read. Her memoir shares the same name as her global foundation which supports women’s autonomy through education, curriculum, and community.

Julianna shares what happened when she started reading. She liberated herself, leading to the end of a marriage, a dark period of shame including suicidal ideation, and a new period of play and discovery, and ultimately finding the hero in herself.

She also discusses the work of her foundation and ho...

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A story for the messy middle. Zibby's essay collection Between Chapters is out now!

Love to listen? She narrated the audiobook.

Listen on Spotify here.

Listen on Apple here.

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New York Times bestselling author Mary Beth Keane talks with Zibby Owens about her new book, this month’s GMA Book Club pick Whale Harbor, an epic, multigenerational story about 11 brothers in Ireland in 1963 who become scattered after their mother’s death. The author of Ask Again, Yes shares how her new book focuses on “love and forgiveness” and especially “forgiveness of one’s self.”

Mary Beth explains how the story is based on two events from her own family: the death of her father’s mother and the disappearance of one of her father’s brothers. She touc...

Wall Street Journal journalist Meghan Cox Gurdon talked to Zibby Owens about her new book Free Range Girl: A Memoir which focuses on the year that twelve-year-old Meghan spent with her father in rural Maine in 1976.

Meghan shares how her life shifted from conventional (with her mother) to highly unconventional on a homestead with her father and how memoir writing helped her make sense of her life and unearth memories.

She and Zibby also talked extensively about the role of books. Meghan went from being a "greedy reader" as a kid to reading...

Jessica Radloff joins Zibby Owens to chat about her new book Young Sheldon: The (Juicier-Than-Meemaw's-Brisket) Inside Story of the Hit Comedy which gives readers an inside look at the hit comedy and spotlights interviews with the cast and crew.

In addition to discussing Young Sheldon, Jessica talks about the surprises her own career has brought and how she started writing about The Big Bang Theory and Young Sheldon. She discusses being a late bloomer, feeling shy growing up, and navigating new stages in life and work.

Follow Jessica Radloff on Instagram and Substack...

Actress Jane Leeves talks with Zibby Owens about her new book Daphne & Me: My Life on Frasier (And a Bit More) which gives a glimpse behind the scenes of her time on the hit show. Jane wrote Daphne & Me with her daughter Isabella Kathryn Coben, who also wrote the foreword.

Jane shares memories from her eleven seasons of portraying Daphne on Frasier and how having nothing to fall back on helped her varied, successful career in show business. She also touches upon the tragic loss felt by the show’s cast and crew on 9/11 and how th...

New York Times bestselling author of The Invisible Kingdom Meghan O’Rourke sits down with Zibby Owens to talk about her new, slim, poetry anthology The Story of the Body, a collection of 82 poems about illness, pain, and recovery.

Meghan talks about her own experience of falling ill in her early twenties and navigating the onset of symptoms that eventually led to a diagnosis a decade later. She also discusses the process of compiling the anthology with her students at Yale and the magic and power of poetry as a way to make sense of the wo...

Israeli novelist and contributor to On Being Jewish Now Noa Yedlin speaks with Zibby Owens about her novel House Arrest, a story about a Jerusalem family and the scandal that leads to their downfall.

Noa discusses how she first approached writing the book and how it is not just an Israeli story but also a family one, focusing on the relationship between parent and child: a relationship everyone can relate to in one way or another. She also talks about her journey as a writer and her perspective on life in Tel Aviv versus Jerusalem.

Co-authors Christine Pride and Jo Piazza join Zibby Owens to discuss their new book I Never Knew You At All, the story of Simone and the investigation into her husband’s grandfather that exposes secrets, traumas, and moral dilemmas around her interracial marriage.

Christine and Jo talk about the secrets we keep from not only others but from ourselves, how family can serve as a mirror for self-realization, and the throughline of friendship in their stories.

They also share their exploration of ‘what if’ in this story, writing about dementia, and why they add gr...

In this special double episode, Zibby Owens talks to author Kate Hash and podcaster Kara Infante about book clubs, the power of community, and how reading can change lives.

First up, Kate Hash tells Zibby about her new book The Mother-In-Law Book Club, a story of friendship, unexpected chances, and found family. Kate talks about exploring empathy in this book, how she collects real stories to use in her novels, and the way homes shape both lives and stories. She also shares the power of women getting together for a book club, the reinvention required when...

Bonnie Garmus joins Zibby Owens to talk about her new novel Peck & Peck, the story of recent graduate Batter Gray who struggles with what to do with his arts degree after college, only to find himself at a prestigious poetry quarterly in the midst of a secret war between two editors.

Bonnie discusses why poetry continues to evade extinction, the themes of theft and dishonesty explored in this book, the plagiarism of AI in writing, the importance of reading, and why she doesn't outline her stories.

She also talks about dealing with the...

Julie Orringer sits down with Zibby Owens to discuss her new novel Luna, Phoenix, Queen, a multiple narrative story about a husband who steals his wife’s novel while she suffers from early-onset Alzheimer’s and the people in the orbit of this betrayal.

Julie talks about the reason for showing readers a sympathetic version of a character before revealing their moral faults, how writing fiction has given her the control that real life often denies, and the positivity her husband brings in light of his own early-onset Alzheimer’s diagnosis.

She also shares...

Maria Shriver and Zibby Owens speak in-person at Zibby’s Bookshop about their life and work inspired by Zibby’s new book Between Chapters and Maria’s poetry collection I Am Maria.

Zibby talks about how starting a podcast was a turning point in her life, the fear of unfulfilled dreams at any age, the shame surrounding changing your identity, and her hope that this book helps start the conversation for people going through similar struggles.

Maria shares her post-First Lady identity struggles, her commitment to her friends and family, and how faith gets h...

Endocrinologist and longevity expert Dr. Florence Comite joins Zibby Owens to discuss Invincible, her new book that dives deep into genetics, aging, longevity, and reclaiming your health.

Dr. Florence Comite talks about how having an identical twin made her realize that genetics wasn’t the only answer, learning about disease in medical school instead of health, how a person’s life tells the story of how their genes will react, and the importance of health security over even financial security.

She also shares the experience of testing a GLP-1 on herself twenty years ago...

Audrey Niffenegger sits down with Zibby Owens to talk about her new novel Life Out of Order, a follow-up to her bestselling book The Time Traveler’s Wife.

Audrey discusses how she ended up returning to this story years later, her artistic childhood, the themes of loss and love in her work, and the novel’s exploration of people trying to teach each other.

She also shares the biological mechanism to her characters’ time traveling, writing’s attempt to create a tunnel between the mind of the author and reader, and how composition is large...

Shai Davidai joins Zibby Owens to discuss his book American Intellectual Antisemitism, the story of how he went from Columbia business professor to accidental activist after the attacks on October 7th.

Shai shares the shock he experienced regarding Columbia’s reaction to the attacks, what led to his remarks going viral, how hatred starts in the syllabus, and how regaining agency has driven his activism.

He also talks about his attempt to separate his public image from the message, how the first version of this book was a letter to his son, and wh...

Michael Lewis sits down with Zibby Owens to discuss his new book Blockers, a deep dive into the early days of Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency through the lens of six targeted public servants.

Michael discusses how the title was inspired by an Elon Musk quote, the fascinating work into fire research that the government made difficult, and why narrative matters.

He also shares what actions readers can take, how government and politics are related but not the same, the process of “casting” this book out of the thousands of workers he could...

Erin Schlozman joins Zibby Owens to discuss her book The Myth of the Perfect Mom, a guide to new motherhood and postpartum that rejects the idea of the perfect mother in place of authenticity, self-compassion, and joy.

Erin talks about debunking the aspiration to be perfect, how her experience as a licensed therapist working on an addiction medicine team led her to opening her own private practice, her daughter being born eight weeks early, and launching 4th Trimester Wellness on Instagram.

She also shares working through imposter syndrome while writing this book, the...

Hank Phillippi Ryan sits down with Zibby Owens to chat about her new novel Mother Daughter Sister Stranger, a twisty thriller about Eliza’s search for her sister Bea who goes missing on the eleventh anniversary of the plane crash they survived but killed their parents.  

Hank talks about how stories shape our lives, family lore, the experience of writing a young character on the cusp of growing up, and why reading the end of a book first teaches her about story construction. 

She also recounts growing up as the oldest of five child...

Rebekah Lowin sits down with Zibby Owens to discuss A Year of Jewish Joy, her new cookbook full of meaningful recipes, homemade crafts, and table guides for the Jewish holidays.

Rebekah talks about being inspired by her grandmother, the impossible joy of the Jewish people, her experience working for Martha Stewart in New York City years ago, and how the blog she started in 2019 led to this book.

She also shares her experience growing up in Connecticut without a Jewish community, reverence for tradition while making things new, how pressure is part of...

Elizabeth Wellington Rollins joins Zibby Owens to discuss her debut novel and Book of the Month Club Pick The Three Graces of Pearl Street, the story of an Italian American grandmother, daughter, and granddaughter who must all live together again after years apart and what that collision stirs up.  

Elizabeth talks about the little threads of home she wove into this story, her inspiration from the Roman myth of the three graces, the story’s intentional conversation with The Godfather, and distilling the big energy of her grandmother and great-aunts into her character Graziella. 

Eli...

Meg Mason joins Zibby Owens to discuss her new novel (and Zibby’s October Book Club pick!) Sophie, Standing There, the story of book lover Sophie Pattison who finds herself living alone and isolated, and how her favorite author provides solace when she needs it most. 

Meg talks about the surreal success of her first novel, her struggles while trying to write another book, depression after touring, and the moderating mess while interviewing Ann Patchett that inspired Sophie’s story. 

She also shares how the literary landscape had changed between publishing her first and se...

Susan Coll sits down with Zibby Owens to discuss her new novel Word Salad, a bookish comedy about former economics major Matilda who finds herself working at her hometown bookstore where she must navigate the nonsensical business of publishing and the people in it. 

Susan talks about teaching herself to write, structuring each chapter as a scene, the remarkable literary community in Washington, DC, and her endless fascination with the publishing industry. 

She also shares her own background as a bookseller, the determination that kept her writing after her first novel died on su...

Fran Hauser joins Zibby Owens to discuss her new book Twenty Minutes is the New Hour, a guide to help women embrace the twenty-minute mindset, reclaim their time, and take small steps towards better productivity. 

Fran talks about the techniques she used to launch her bookstore Bedford Books in just eight weeks, how time becomes the enemy of the good, and adding more kairos over chronos in women's lives. 

She also dives deeper into setting boundaries around notifications, the importance of surrounding yourself with the right people, the fear connected to procrastination, email ma...

Allison Sweet Grant joins Zibby Owens to talk about her new poetic memoir Lump, an unconventional, moving collection of essays and verse about her experience with breast cancer. 

Allison discusses how the book started out as a journal to process the difficult moments of her cancer journey, being diagnosed at the beginning of Covid at forty years old, what kept her from going to the doctor right away, and the psychological weight of this horrible disease. 

She also shares her initial attraction to poetry in elementary school, how intimidating it is to publish a...

Isabel Allende joins Zibby Owens to discuss her new memoir Story Telling, a heartfelt love letter to life and writing that recounts the past forty-five years of her career, the philosophy and emotion behind craft, and the lessons she’s learned along the way. 

Inspired by the masterclass she did with the BBC, Isabel writes about the quiet happiness of aging, how the inner critic never goes away, the loss of her daughter, and the bad aspects of life that make great literature. 

She also shares the challenges of irony and humor in tran...

Bestselling author Renée Rosen interviews Zibby Owens about her new book Between Chapters, a heartfelt and candid collection of essays centered around her decade of extreme change and where it all led. 

Zibby discusses overcoming intense social anxiety as a young girl, the impact of her first published piece in Seventeen Magazine after her parent’s divorce, her editing process, and launching a Between Chapters essay platform on Substack featuring stories from her community. 

She also talks about the overwhelming aspects of motherhood, the rocky journey with weight loss and food noise that...

Laura Moriarty sits down with Zibby Owens to discuss her new novel and August 2026 Read With Jenna Pick Sunlight Finds You, a deeply felt love story set in 1949 that ends in heartbreak and shame, and changes the course of seventeen-year-old Nora’s life forever. 

Laura talks about the book’s look into dealing with uncertainty, her extensive research into the time period, and the conversations with her mother that shed light on both the joys and challenges of being a woman during that time. 

She also shares the hardship of being diagnosed with oral c...

Harlan Coben sits down with Zibby Owens to discuss his new book Plot Twist, a memoir that blends personal narrative and writing advice, acknowledging that both are inevitably connected.

Harlan talks about the importance of critical thinking in fiction, incremental ambition, accepting adaptations as a different perspective, and how insecurity makes good writers. 

He also shares personal experiences, from loving and losing his parents, his time at Amherst College, navigating the blurry line between memoir and fiction, and the magic behind creating from a blank page.

Learn more about Harlan h...

Instant New York Times bestseller!

Dara Horn joins Zibby Owens to discuss her new book The Final Solution to the Jewish Question, an exploration into the lies of antisemitism throughout history and her vision for the future.  

Dara discusses how Holocaust education fails to do its job, her surprise at finding so much more ignorance than malice, how the hate movement has taken over AI, and the big lie of antisemitism. 

She also shares her own personal experiences, from serving on Harvard’s Antisemitism Advisory Group to wrestling with how to he...

USA Today bestseller Sona Movsesian sits down with Zibby Owens to discuss her new book The World’s Worst Mom, a funny and relatable look into motherhood.

Sona discusses her experience with IVF and the conversations that it demands, her obsession with mortality after having kids, the trauma of losing her home in the 2025 Southern California wildfires, and betraying her preconceptions about motherhood. 

She also shares the need for laughter, her experience working with Conan O’Brien for over seventeen years, and how she hopes her sons will see her in twenty years. 

Elizabeth Castellano joins Zibby Owens to talk about her new novel Proof of Progress, the humorous story of B-list actress and comedian Maria Astorini whose second book is thirty-seven years overdue. 

Elizabeth shares how this book was inspired by her own difficulties while writing her second novel under contract, the impact of pressure on her writing, and the pieces of real life that made it into the story. She also discusses unconventional friendship, debunking the myth that book deals are impossible, and imparting little truths through humor. 

Learn more about Elizabeth here https://ww...

Live from the Children’s Museum of the East End, Amy Chozick sits down with Zibby Owens to talk about her new psychological thriller With Friends Like You. In the novel Emily, a struggling new mom in Manhattan, embarks on the search for her long-lost friend Daisy who disappeared years ago after becoming a stripper. But when Emily finally finds her, the question becomes: Is Daisy saving her life or destroying everything?

Amy discusses how her own experiences have influenced her characters, the resentment in postpartum that has nowhere to go, female friendship, and the unique ch...

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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