Totally Booked with Zibby
Zibby Owens
Hi! I'm Zibby Owens, host of Totally Booked with Zibby (formerly Moms Don’t Have Time to Read Books). In my daily show, I interview today’s latest, bestselling, buzziest, or underrated authors and story creators whose work I think is worth your time. As a bookstore owner, publisher, author and (obviously) podcaster, I get a comprehensive look at everything that’s coming out and spend my time curating the best books so you don’t have to. Stay in the know, get insider insights, and connect with guests like I do. Every single day.FYI, my show has won many awards! It was one of Oprah's top literary podcasts - twice! - and has been downloaded 15 million+ times. With 2,000+ episodes to choose from, you'll never run out of book talk. For more information, go to zibbymedia.com and follow me on Instagram at @zibbyowens. If you love the show, please rate and review it. And go buy the books!(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.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Mar 26, 2025 • 28min
Tamron Hall, HARLEM HONEY: The Adventures of a Curious Kid
Emmy Award-winning television host, veteran journalist, and bestselling author Tamron Hall returns to the podcast to discuss her delightful children’s book, HARLEM HONEY: The Adventure of a Curious Kid. Inspired by Tamron’s real-life son and his adventure visiting Harlem’s most iconic spots, the book’s protagonist navigates a bustling new neighborhood. Zibby and Tamron discuss the themes of patience, presence, curiosity, and the power of slowing down and appreciating first-time experiences.Purchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/4j5JCtTShare, rate, & review the podcast, and follow Zibby on Instagram @zibbyowens! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mar 25, 2025 • 25min
Tamsen Fadal, HOW TO MENOPAUSE: Take Charge of Your Health, Reclaim Your Life, and Feel Even Better Than Before
Emmy award-winning journalist, documentary filmmaker, and menopause advocate Tamsen Fadal joins Zibby to discuss her must-read guide, HOW TO MENOPAUSE. Tamsen opens up about her unexpected health crisis during a live news broadcast in 2019, which led to her shocking discovery that she was in menopause. She talks about her pivot from decades of TV journalism to creating a documentary, The End Factor: Shredding the Silence on Menopause, and writing this book to help women navigate this often misunderstood stage of life. She and Zibby discuss everything from perimenopause symptoms and hormonal shifts to self-advocacy in the doctor’s office and the beauty and freedom that emerge from embracing midlife changes. Purchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/4hExVcsShare, rate, & review the podcast, and follow Zibby on Instagram @zibbyowens! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mar 24, 2025 • 25min
Charlotte McConaghy, WILD DARK SHORE: A Novel
Zibby is joined by New York Times bestselling author Charlotte McConaghy to discuss her enthralling and tense new novel, WILD DARK SHORE, a gripping mystery set on a remote, storm-battered island near Antarctica. Charlotte shares the inspiration behind this exploration of grief, love, sacrifice, and the natural world. Together, they dive into the novel’s environmental focus, from a humpback whale’s surprising empathy to the harsh legacy of human exploitation of wildlife. Zibby describes her own powerful reaction to the book, confessing she couldn’t put it down—even while walking off a plane.Purchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/4iPasX7Share, rate, & review the podcast, and follow Zibby on Instagram @zibbyowens! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mar 21, 2025 • 27min
Joshua A. Miele and Wendell Jamieson, CONNECTING DOTS: A Blind Life
Zibby welcomes prominent blind scientist Dr. Joshua A. Miele and award-winning journalist Wendell Jamieson to discuss their extraordinary, captivating, and unexpectedly funny new memoir, CONNECTING DOTS: A Blind Life. Joshua, who became blind at a young age, shares how he has navigated the world around him, from the NYC public school system to teenage rebellion to finding purpose as a thought leader and advocate for accessible technology. Wendell and Josh also discuss how they balanced recounting Josh’s shocking early trauma and emphasizing his joyful, resilient life thereafter.Purchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/4kRFKOGShare, rate, & review the podcast, and follow Zibby on Instagram @zibbyowens! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mar 20, 2025 • 27min
Georgia Hunter, ONE GOOD THING: A Novel
New York Times bestselling author Georgia Hunter returns to the podcast to discuss ONE GOOD THING, a stunning and deeply meaningful story of hardship and hope that follows one young woman’s journey through war-torn Italy during the Holocaust. Georgia reflects on her connection to Italy, her family’s history, and the extensive research that shaped this novel—including a trip through the towns where her story unfolds. She also touches on the novel’s themes of friendship and resilience, the impossible choices made in times of war, and the emotional weight of writing about the past.Purchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/4kzezrRShare, rate, & review the podcast, and follow Zibby on Instagram @zibbyowens! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mar 19, 2025 • 30min
Jennifer Lang, LANDED: A Yogi's Memoir in Pieces & Poses
Zibby chats with author Jennifer Lang about her lyrical, poignant, and funny memoir, LANDED: A Yogi’s Memoir in Pieces & Poses. Jennifer describes how her book is a reckoning—both on and off the yoga mat—with her adopted country of Israel, her cross-cultural marriage to a Frenchman, her merciless midlife hormones, and her imminent empty next. She opens up about the emotional toll of navigating home and belonging and also about releasing a book amid rising antisemitism and the ongoing war.Purchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/3XWprpTShare, rate, & review the podcast, and follow Zibby on Instagram @zibbyowens! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mar 18, 2025 • 27min
Jill Santopolo, THE LOVE WE FOUND
Jill Santopolo returns to the podcast to discuss THE LOVE WE FOUND, the long-awaited follow-up to the Reese’s Book Club pick, and New York Times bestselling global phenomenon, THE LIGHT WE LOST. Jill shares the inspiration behind revisiting Lucy’s story, the emotional themes of love, loss, and second chances, and how her own experiences with grief and motherhood influenced the novel. They also talk about the novel’s evocative settings, including Italy’s Lampedusa, the challenges of writing romance and passion within the complexities of adulthood, and how Jill balances her dual roles as a publisher and an author.Purchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/3Fxj3iFShare, rate, & review the podcast, and follow Zibby on Instagram @zibbyowens! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mar 17, 2025 • 22min
Samina Ali, PIECES YOU'LL NEVER GET BACK: A Memoir of Unlikely Survival
Award-winning author Samina Ali joins Zibby to discuss her harrowing and redemptive memoir, PIECES YOU’LL NEVER GET BACK. Samina describes her near-fatal childbirth complications: unchecked eclampsia led to a major brain injury and coma as she gave birth. She delves into the long and painful recovery, her struggles with memory loss, and what it was like to write this book—structuring it in short, fragmented chapters to mirror how her brain now processes information. Samina also touches on the systemic medical bias that led to her concerns being ignored, the importance of self-advocacy, and how she has reclaimed her life and her relationship with her now-adult son.Purchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/3R0IlIqShare, rate, & review the podcast, and follow Zibby on Instagram @zibbyowens! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mar 14, 2025 • 22min
Nicole Graev Lipson, MOTHERS AND OTHER FICTIONAL CHARACTERS: A Memoir in Essays
Zibby is joined by Best American Essayist Nicole Graev Lipson to discuss her searingly intelligent, revealing, and nourishing memoir-in-essays, MOTHERS AND OTHER FICTIONAL CHARACTERS. She explores the ways in which women are often reduced to societal archetypes and how they, at times, internalize and perform these roles. She also shares insights on beauty standards, motherhood, marriage, authenticity, and self-acceptance, weaving together personal experience with cultural critique.Purchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/4kEJfYCShare, rate, & review the podcast, and follow Zibby on Instagram @zibbyowens! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mar 13, 2025 • 27min
Amy Griffin, THE TELL: A Memoir
OPRAH’S BOOK CLUB PICK! Zibby interviews her friend, accomplished investor and talented writer, Amy Griffin, about THE TELL, an astonishing and courageous memoir that explores how far we’ll go to protect ourselves, and the healing made possible when we finally face our past. Amy reflects on her buried childhood trauma and what it was like to finally confront her secrets. She delves into the process of healing through writing, the misconception of seemingly perfect lives, the power of vulnerability and connection, and the unexpected ways sharing her truth has deepened her relationships.Purchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/3XJnUU2Share, rate, & review the podcast, and follow Zibby on Instagram @zibbyowens! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
