Totally Booked with Zibby

Zibby speaks to award-winning writer Ava Chin about Mott Street: A Chinese American Family’s Story of Exclusion and Homecoming, a gorgeously written, deeply researched, and intimate portrayal of the Chinese Exclusion Act and her family’s epic journey to lay down roots in America. Ava shares how this book came to be – from collecting family stories since she was a child, to traveling to Shanghai on a Fulbright to investigate her village, to putting piles and piles of notes into book form. She also talks about her job as a professor of creative writing, the pains of audiobook recording, and her best advice for aspiring writers.  Purchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/44B0rWBShare, 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.

Guest host Julie Chavez interviews New York Times bestselling author Bruce Feiler about The Search: Finding Meaningful Work in a Post-Career World, an insightful, game-changing book that reimagines work and offers actionable steps for living a happy and meaningful work life. Bruce shares how experiencing his own “lifequakes” (like his cancer diagnosis at 43) turned into a love of hearing other peoples’ life stories. And now, a love of nonlinear work-life stories! He also shares fascinating trends and statistics about the American workforce (did you know that one million people quit their job every week?) and then discusses “workquakes”, main jobs vs. side jobs vs. hope jobs, and how we are all slowly starting to prioritize life.Purchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/3OnA2G7Share, 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.

Zibby interviews New York Times bestselling author and repeat MDHTTRB guest Kristy Woodson Harvey about The Summer of Songbirds, a warm and hopeful novel about four women who come together to the save the summer camp that changed their lives. Kristy talks about the camp experience (and sailing fiasco) that inspired this novel and then discusses the themes she loved exploring–lifelong friendships, secrets, and the universal feeling of homesickness. She also talks about Friends & Fiction, her publishing journey, and her next book!Purchase on Zibby's Bookshop: https://bit.ly/44BemftPurchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/3rJpND1Subscribe to Zibby's weekly newsletter here.Purchase Moms Don't Have Time to Read Books merch here.** 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.

In this special weekend re-release, Zibby interviews #1 New York Times bestselling author Brit Bennett about The Vanishing Half, a stunning, immersive, provocative, and compassionate novel about twin sisters, inseparable as children, who ultimately choose to live in two very different worlds, one black and one white."A page-turner." —O, The Oprah Magazine"Not to be missed."—Harper's Bazaar"Hypnotic. Hooks you from the very beginning and never lets you go."—Essence Purchase on Zibby's Bookshop: https://bit.ly/3OyqkkxPurchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/46VSrRFSubscribe to Zibby's weekly newsletter here.Purchase Moms Don't Have Time to Read Books merch here.** 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.

In this special weekend re-release, Zibby interviews the former first daughter and granddaughter, #1 New York Times bestselling author, and co-anchor of the Today Show, Jenna Bush Hager. In her poignant, humorous, intimate, and sincere memoir, Everything Beautiful In Its Time, Jenna shares stories of her grandparents and the wisdom they passed on that has shaped her life. Purchase on Zibby's Bookshop: https://bit.ly/44RvcX9Purchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/3Q9JJcuSubscribe to Zibby's weekly newsletter here.Purchase Moms Don't Have Time to Read Books merch here.** 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.

Guest host Julie Chavez interviews Emmy Award-winning journalist, speaker, and mom-of-three Paula Faris about her latest book, You Don’t Have to Carry It All: Ditch the Mom Guilt and Find a Better Way Forward. Paula discusses her research on working moms in America, pointing out the systems and outdated gender expectations that continue to make their lives so challenging. She also talks about CARRY Media, the organization she founded (after abruptly losing her TV job), to advocate for and celebrate working moms through load-lessening content and resources.Purchase on Zibby's Bookshop: https://bit.ly/3NZ03KEPurchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/3pW0g9mSubscribe to Zibby's weekly newsletter here.Purchase Moms Don't Have Time to Read Books merch here.** 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.

Debut author Diane Marie Brown joins Zibby to discuss Black Candle Women, a propulsive, poignant, warm, and wry family drama with a magical twist about four generations of Black women, the secrets they keep for and from each other, and the family love curse that makes anyone they fall in love with die. Diane describes the inspiration behind this story (it involves many childhood summers spent in New Orleans) and the unconventional, twelve-plus-year path to getting it published. She also reveals her favorite books and authors, her best advice for aspiring authors, and what it was like to be the March 2023 Read With Jenna pick!Purchase on Zibby's Bookshop: https://bit.ly/46UUWUgPurchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/46YtR2KSubscribe to Zibby's weekly newsletter here.Purchase Moms Don't Have Time to Read Books merch here.** 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.

Guest host Julie Chavez interviews Nicole Baart about The Long Way Back, a twisty, atmospheric thriller about an Instagram-famous mother-daughter duo living a picture-perfect life in their vintage Airstream trailer… until the daughter goes missing. Nicole describes her life with five children (four teens!!), the inspiration behind this novel (it involves her own cross-country trip in a trailer), and the evolution of her writing over the last 15 years. She also reveals how writing started for her at the age of five (a tragic backstory with a happy ending) and then shares her best advice for aspiring authors.Purchase on Zibby's Bookshop: https://bit.ly/3OmBn04Purchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/3rusSH7Subscribe to Zibby's weekly newsletter here.Purchase Moms Don't Have Time to Read Books merch here.** 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.

Guest host Julie Chavez interviews cultural critic and co-host of NPR’s hit podcast Pop Culture Happy Hour, Aisha Harris, about Wannabe: Reckonings with the Pop Culture That Shapes Me, a brilliant collection of essays that feels like “hanging out with your smart, hilarious, pop-culture-obsessed friend.” Aisha talks about podcasting, classic TCM movies, Janet Jackson, motherhood, and obsessive celebrity fandoms. She also discusses the thriving Black artistry space, from Beyoncé to Jordan Peele, and why she thinks Black art isn’t fragile and should be held up to the same standards as any other creator’s art. Purchase on Zibby's Bookshop: https://bit.ly/43tab3RPurchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/46UUkOiSubscribe to Zibby's weekly newsletter here.Purchase Moms Don't Have Time to Read Books merch here.** 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.

Guest host Julie Chavez interviews writer and editor Elizabeth Passarella about It Was an Ugly Couch Anyway: And Other Thoughts on Moving Forward, a refreshingly honest and hilarious collection of essays about navigating change and staying sane during the unexpected twists. Elizabeth shares the story behind her iconic title (it isn’t the one she originally wanted!) and describes how tough it was to write during the pandemic when she didn't feel like herself. She also talks about her beloved New York City apartment, her faith, her questionable opinions (she despises kitchen islands, for example), her late father, and the big, ugly couch he left behind.Purchase on Zibby's Bookshop: https://bit.ly/46GO7FIPurchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/44LHC2uSubscribe to Zibby's weekly newsletter here.Purchase Moms Don't Have Time to Read Books merch here.** 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.