Totally Booked with Zibby

Author Charleen Hurtubise paints a picture of a woman reinvented. We meet Saoirse on an airplane, faking her identity with a friend’s passport, on her way to start over entirely overseas. Why? You’ll find out. Art plays a central role in Saoirse’s new life — and in her unraveling. Does her husband know? You’ll find out. (Note: We had some technical issues during this episode, but we’ve edited them so you’ll never know. It is a bit shorter than usual as a result.) Share, rate, & review the podcast, and follow Zibby on Instagram @zibbyowens! ** Check out the Z.I.P. membership program—Zibby’s Important People! As a Z.I.P., you’ll get exclusive essays, special author access, discounts at Zibby’s Bookshop, and more. Head to zibbyowens.com to subscribe or upgrade and become a Z.I.P. today! ** Follow @totallybookedwithzibby on Instagram for more about today's episode. (Music by Morning Moon Music. Sound editing by TexturesSound. To inquire about advertising, please contact allie.gallo@acast.com.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sometimes you just click with someone. By the end of my in-person interview with Israeli poet Rachel Tzvia Back, we were hugging — having laughed, cried, and truly connected in just 30 minutes. Why? Because she’s awesome, yes, but also because her memoir, The Dark-Robed Mother, is so intimate, vulnerable, and beautiful that it would endear her to anyone. It’s funny and hopeful, dark and poignant. It also portrays what happens to those who love you when you go through something no one can fix. This is why I do my podcast. For moments like this. I hope you’ll listen. Share, rate, & review the podcast, and follow Zibby on Instagram @zibbyowens! ** Check out the Z.I.P. membership program—Zibby’s Important People! As a Z.I.P., you’ll get exclusive essays, special author access, discounts at Zibby’s Bookshop, and more. Head to zibbyowens.com to subscribe or upgrade and become a Z.I.P. today! ** Follow @totallybookedwithzibby on Instagram for more about today's episode. (Music by Morning Moon Music. Sound editing by TexturesSound. To inquire about advertising, please contact allie.gallo@acast.com.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Share, rate, & review the podcast, and follow Zibby on Instagram @zibbyowens! ** Check out the Z.I.P. membership program—Zibby’s Important People! As a Z.I.P., you’ll get exclusive essays, special author access, discounts at Zibby’s Bookshop, and more. Head to zibbyowens.com to subscribe or upgrade and become a Z.I.P. today! ** Follow @totallybookedwithzibby on Instagram for more about today's episode. (Music by Morning Moon Music. Sound editing by TexturesSound. To inquire about advertising, please contact allie.gallo@acast.com.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This Book Made Me Think of You, an instant USA Today Bestseller by top UK author Libby Page, is an ode to bookstores, an ode to love, and an ode to the power of books to get us through anything. Libby came to my home and stayed for lunch when she was in town from the U.K. We could’ve talked about books forever. I don’t know what was cuter — the book or the purse she brought with her, shaped like the front of an old-fashioned bookstore. Share, rate, & review the podcast, and follow Zibby on Instagram @zibbyowens! ** Check out the Z.I.P. membership program—Zibby’s Important People! As a Z.I.P., you’ll get exclusive essays, special author access, discounts at Zibby’s Bookshop, and more. Head to zibbyowens.com to subscribe or upgrade and become a Z.I.P. today! ** Follow @totallybookedwithzibby on Instagram for more about today's episode. (Music by Morning Moon Music. Sound editing by TexturesSound. To inquire about advertising, please contact allie.gallo@acast.com.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jennifer Reid, MD, author of Guilt Free, has the answers. For those of us who feel guilty about almost everything having to do with parenting, psychiatrist Dr. Reid hears us — and has solutions. I recorded this live at my children’s school, where I peppered her with questions that were, perhaps, too personal?! Share, rate, & review the podcast, and follow Zibby on Instagram @zibbyowens! ** Check out the Z.I.P. membership program—Zibby’s Important People! As a Z.I.P., you’ll get exclusive essays, special author access, discounts at Zibby’s Bookshop, and more. Head to zibbyowens.com to subscribe or upgrade and become a Z.I.P. today! ** Follow @totallybookedwithzibby on Instagram for more about today's episode. (Music by Morning Moon Music. Sound editing by TexturesSound. To inquire about advertising, please contact allie.gallo@acast.com.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Wall Street Journal journalist Francesca Fontana shares her surprising journey of researching her own father’s jail time, crimes, and friendships in this fast-paced story. Ultimately, she not only finds the truth, but herself. Dive into The Family Snitch. Share, rate, & review the podcast, and follow Zibby on Instagram @zibbyowens! ** Check out the Z.I.P. membership program—Zibby’s Important People! As a Z.I.P., you’ll get exclusive essays, special author access, discounts at Zibby’s Bookshop, and more. Head to zibbyowens.com to subscribe or upgrade and become a Z.I.P. today! ** Follow @totallybookedwithzibby on Instagram for more about today's episode. (Music by Morning Moon Music. Sound editing by TexturesSound. To inquire about advertising, please contact allie.gallo@acast.com.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I interviewed Gillian Deacon in person at Totally Booked: Live about her book A Love Affair with the Unknown. Both the guests and I were riveted by her story. Gill’s medical mystery unfolds slowly in her book. Instead of coping in solitude, Gill turns to research and learns everything about uncertainty. Now we can, too, thanks to her. Share, rate, & review the podcast, and follow Zibby on Instagram @zibbyowens! ** Check out the Z.I.P. membership program—Zibby’s Important People! As a Z.I.P., you’ll get exclusive essays, special author access, discounts at Zibby’s Bookshop, and more. Head to zibbyowens.com to subscribe or upgrade and become a Z.I.P. today! ** Follow @totallybookedwithzibby on Instagram for more about today's episode. (Music by Morning Moon Music. Sound editing by TexturesSound. To inquire about advertising, please contact allie.gallo@acast.com.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Have you listened to Dan Senor’s podcast Call Me Back? If you have, you’ll know how incredibly bright he is and how informed he is on all things Israel. In his book,The Genius of Israel, co-written with Saul Singer, Dan writes vignettes and stories about Israelis who make a difference and how societal norms created such a unique and often rated as “happy” country despite it all. We recorded this live as part of Totally Booked: Live at the Whitby Hotel in New York. Check out zibbymedia.com/events so you don’t miss the next event! Share, rate, & review the podcast, and follow Zibby on Instagram @zibbyowens! ** Check out the Z.I.P. membership program—Zibby’s Important People! As a Z.I.P., you’ll get exclusive essays, special author access, discounts at Zibby’s Bookshop, and more. Head to zibbyowens.com to subscribe or upgrade and become a Z.I.P. today! ** Follow @totallybookedwithzibby on Instagram for more about today's episode. (Music by Morning Moon Music. Sound editing by TexturesSound. To inquire about advertising, please contact allie.gallo@acast.com.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Suzy Ultman is a gifted artist who has turned her gifts into a series of children’s board books designed to elevate the Jewish experience in a fun, whimsical way. Think: gifts for a bris and beyond. How Do You Jew is the latest in the series. Hear how she turned to this format, her own experiences as a mother and artist, and where she finds hope. Share, rate, & review the podcast, and follow Zibby on Instagram @zibbyowens! ** Check out the Z.I.P. membership program—Zibby’s Important People! As a Z.I.P., you’ll get exclusive essays, special author access, discounts at Zibby’s Bookshop, and more. Head to zibbyowens.com to subscribe or upgrade and become a Z.I.P. today! ** Follow @totallybookedwithzibby on Instagram for more about today's episode. (Music by Morning Moon Music. Sound editing by TexturesSound. To inquire about advertising, please contact allie.gallo@acast.com.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Matt Fogelson shares his thoughts and feelings about becoming a new dad having lost his own father in Restrung: Fatherhood in a Different Key. He retraces the relationship, describes coping with his dad’s diagnosis and subsequent loss, and makes sense of the senseless in time to parent his own son. All of this is set to music as Matt navigates his life through the tunes that matter. (For those who know Phyllis Fogelson, this is her son.) Share, rate, & review the podcast, and follow Zibby on Instagram @zibbyowens! ** Check out the Z.I.P. membership program—Zibby’s Important People! As a Z.I.P., you’ll get exclusive essays, special author access, discounts at Zibby’s Bookshop, and more. Head to zibbyowens.com to subscribe or upgrade and become a Z.I.P. today! ** Follow @totallybookedwithzibby on Instagram for more about today's episode. (Music by Morning Moon Music. Sound editing by TexturesSound. To inquire about advertising, please contact allie.gallo@acast.com.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bestselling author and Reese’s Book Club pick for The House of Eve, Sadeqa Johnson has been on this podcast several times and is now back to discuss her latest historical novel, Keeper of the Lost Children. We discussed writing itself, her new book, and more. Share, rate, & review the podcast, and follow Zibby on Instagram @zibbyowens! ** Check out the Z.I.P. membership program—Zibby’s Important People! As a Z.I.P., you’ll get exclusive essays, special author access, discounts at Zibby’s Bookshop, and more. Head to zibbyowens.com to subscribe or upgrade and become a Z.I.P. today! ** Follow @totallybookedwithzibby on Instagram for more about today's episode. (Music by Morning Moon Music. Sound editing by TexturesSound. To inquire about advertising, please contact allie.gallo@acast.com.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Share, rate, & review the podcast, and follow Zibby on Instagram @zibbyowens! ** Check out the Z.I.P. membership program—Zibby’s Important People! As a Z.I.P., you’ll get exclusive essays, special author access, discounts at Zibby’s Bookshop, and more. Head to zibbyowens.com to subscribe or upgrade and become a Z.I.P. today! ** Follow @totallybookedwithzibby on Instagram for more about today's episode. (Music by Morning Moon Music. Sound editing by TexturesSound. To inquire about advertising, please contact allie.gallo@acast.com.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Never mind the fact that I accidentally deleted my first podcast interview recording with Susan Lucci. She’s just that gracious that we re-recorded in person in New York the next day. You may know her from “All My Children.” But while Susan’s latest memoir, La Lucci, does focus on that, it focuses more on the behind-the-scenese: how she parented while acting for decades, what came before and after, how she felt. It also delves deep into the now and the aftermath of Susan’s loss of her husband. In our first recording, she cried. In this one, recorded in a closet audio-booth at her publisher’s office, we laughed. I now absolutely adore her. Give this book to someone. Share, rate, & review the podcast, and follow Zibby on Instagram @zibbyowens! ** Check out the Z.I.P. membership program—Zibby’s Important People! As a Z.I.P., you’ll get exclusive essays, special author access, discounts at Zibby’s Bookshop, and more. Head to zibbyowens.com to subscribe or upgrade and become a Z.I.P. today! ** Follow @totallybookedwithzibby on Instagram for more about today's episode. (Music by Morning Moon Music. Sound editing by TexturesSound. To inquire about advertising, please contact allie.gallo@acast.com.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This book isn’t just about running. It’s about perseverance, focus, choices, mastery, drive, and fatherhood. Nicholas Thompson has had many swoon-worthy literary jobs, including being an editor at The New Yorker, editor-in-chief at Wired magazine, and now running The Atlantic. His personal story includes his career trajectory and how he became one of the top runners in his age group worldwide. The Running Ground is instructive, inspirational, and truly interesting. We spoke about all of it. Share, rate, & review the podcast, and follow Zibby on Instagram @zibbyowens! ** Check out the Z.I.P. membership program—Zibby’s Important People! As a Z.I.P., you’ll get exclusive essays, special author access, discounts at Zibby’s Bookshop, and more. Head to zibbyowens.com to subscribe or upgrade and become a Z.I.P. today! ** Follow @totallybookedwithzibby on Instagram for more about today's episode. (Music by Morning Moon Music. Sound editing by TexturesSound. To inquire about advertising, please contact allie.gallo@acast.com.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Just Watch Me has such a creative concept behind it. Each chapter starts with how many fictitious streaming followers the main character has on her feed. She livestreams her life including eating hot peppers and more funny antics to survive but also to help her sister who is ill. It’s subversive and quirky and really funny. Plus the author shares her ties to Israel which I loved. Share, rate, & review the podcast, and follow Zibby on Instagram @zibbyowens! ** Check out the Z.I.P. membership program—Zibby’s Important People! As a Z.I.P., you’ll get exclusive essays, special author access, discounts at Zibby’s Bookshop, and more. Head to zibbyowens.com to subscribe or upgrade and become a Z.I.P. today! ** Follow @totallybookedwithzibby on Instagram for more about today's episode. (Music by Morning Moon Music. Sound editing by TexturesSound. To inquire about advertising, please contact allie.gallo@acast.com.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I’m obsessed with this book. Meet the Newmans by Jennifer Niven is one of those can’t-put-down stories about a family, a woman coming into her own, coping with the unexpected, all set in the 1950s and 1960s as women came into their own — with the backdrop of a TV sitcom. Just trust me. It’s so good. Jennifer Niven and I did an event together at the Minnie Rose x Zibby’s Bookshop pop-up and she couldn’t have been more delightful. Listen in. Share, rate, & review the podcast, and follow Zibby on Instagram @zibbyowens! ** Check out the Z.I.P. membership program—Zibby’s Important People! As a Z.I.P., you’ll get exclusive essays, special author access, discounts at Zibby’s Bookshop, and more. Head to zibbyowens.com to subscribe or upgrade and become a Z.I.P. today! ** Follow @totallybookedwithzibby on Instagram for more about today's episode. (Music by Morning Moon Music. Sound editing by TexturesSound. To inquire about advertising, please contact allie.gallo@acast.com.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Share, rate, & review the podcast, and follow Zibby on Instagram @zibbyowens! ** Check out the Z.I.P. membership program—Zibby’s Important People! As a Z.I.P., you’ll get exclusive essays, special author access, discounts at Zibby’s Bookshop, and more. Head to zibbyowens.com to subscribe or upgrade and become a Z.I.P. today! ** Follow @totallybookedwithzibby on Instagram for more about today's episode. (Music by Morning Moon Music. Sound editing by TexturesSound. To inquire about advertising, please contact allie.gallo@acast.com.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Podcast guru and bestselling author Krista Williams joined me to discuss her book ALMOST 30 (which would be ALMOST 50 in my book). We really discussed life transitions, creating something from nothing, resilience, pivoting, and how we need to go to lunch together. Share, rate, & review the podcast, and follow Zibby on Instagram @zibbyowens! ** Check out the Z.I.P. membership program—Zibby’s Important People! As a Z.I.P., you’ll get exclusive essays, special author access, discounts at Zibby’s Bookshop, and more. Head to zibbyowens.com to subscribe or upgrade and become a Z.I.P. today! ** Follow @totallybookedwithzibby on Instagram for more about today's episode. (Music by Morning Moon Music. Sound editing by TexturesSound. To inquire about advertising, please contact allie.gallo@acast.com.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Have you heard of the Algemeiner? I must admit, I hadn’t until they made me one of their Jewish 100 in 2024. (I was blown away to be selected as one of the top 100 people in the world who positively affected Jewish life.) Well, anyway, this media organization is amazing in large part thanks to the deft leadership of Rabbi Cohen. Their big gala is coming up. You should check it out. Share, rate, & review the podcast, and follow Zibby on Instagram @zibbyowens! ** Check out the Z.I.P. membership program—Zibby’s Important People! As a Z.I.P., you’ll get exclusive essays, special author access, discounts at Zibby’s Bookshop, and more. Head to zibbyowens.com to subscribe or upgrade and become a Z.I.P. today! ** Follow @totallybookedwithzibby on Instagram for more about today's episode. (Music by Morning Moon Music. Sound editing by TexturesSound. To inquire about advertising, please contact allie.gallo@acast.com.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

No, her name isn’t Carolyn. Hear what other comments and indignities Carol had to put up with on her rise to become one of the most accomplished Asian American woman on-air reporters. No, she isn’t Connie Chung. Plus, read about the devastating loss of her husband. Gutted. Purchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/4rbKlha Share, rate, & review the podcast, and follow Zibby on Instagram @zibbyowens! ** Check out the Z.I.P. membership program—Zibby’s Important People! As a Z.I.P., you’ll get exclusive essays, special author access, discounts at Zibby’s Bookshop, and more. Head to zibbyowens.com to subscribe or upgrade and become a Z.I.P. today! ** Follow @totallybookedwithzibby on Instagram for more about today's episode. (Music by Morning Moon Music. Sound editing by TexturesSound. To inquire about advertising, please contact allie.gallo@acast.com.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.