Totally Booked with Zibby

Zibby interviews New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Mary Kubica about Just the Nicest Couple, a masterfully written and unputdownable thriller about a woman who is desperate to find her missing husband, and another couple who will do anything to stop that from happening. Mary describes her fascinating writing process, revealing her strategy for developing multiple narrators, and admitting she writes without a plan or knowledge of how things will end. She also shares what it was like to publish her first book after years of rejections, and how happy she is to be a part of the tight-knit community of thriller writers. Purchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/3m0XFZsSubscribe 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 episode (a live event for the Streicker Center!), Zibby speaks to author Allegra Goodman about Sam, a Read With Jenna pick, and a powerful and endearing coming-of-age story with poignant reflections on class, addiction, sacrifice, parenthood, and love. Zibby and Allegra talk about the protagonist, Sam, analyzing her neurodiversity, her love of climbing, her need for her father’s attention, and the realization that her parents are humans with flaws. Allegra also discusses the process behind her title and cover, how her writing has changed since becoming an empty nester, and the books and writers that have inspired her recently. Purchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/3Ey6Xm4Subscribe 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.

Zibby interviews New York Times bestselling children’s author Stuart Gibbs about Whale Done, the eighth book in the iconic FunJungle series. Stuart describes his love of animals, his job at a zoo studying capybaras, and his decision to write about an exploding whale in Malibu. He also talks about his popular Spy School series and (accidentally) reveals where the next book will take place! Finally, he talks about writing as an escape, which helped after his wife’s passing, and reveals he spends a lot of time in the worlds he has imagined and put on paper. Purchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/3ZctMDLSubscribe 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.

Zibby speaks to author and repeat MDHTTRB guest Lauren Edmondson about Wedding of the Season, an atmospheric, joyous, and witty new novel about a Newport family, their fading riches, and the summer wedding that has the whole town talking, including the local gossip blog. Lauren talks about her fascination with old-money American families and the places they seclude themselves in, and describes her protagonist, Cass, who cannot escape her Vanderbilt-esque name, doesn’t actually have that much money, and is begrudgingly involved in her sister’s high society wedding. She also reveals how challenging it was to write this book with a newborn baby and postpartum anxiety, explaining that it took falling in love with her characters (and taking Lexapro!) to get to the finish line. Purchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/3SmdkyySubscribe 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.

Zibby interviews award-winning author, Pulitzer Prize finalist, and repeat MDHTTRB guest Rebecca Makkai about I Have Some Questions For You, an enthralling and unputdownable literary murder mystery (and the April pick for Zibby's Book Club!!) about a successful podcaster who returns to her idyllic New Hampshire boarding school to teach a class and winds up reliving her youth and her senior year roommate’s murder. Rebecca reveals the inspiration behind the book (hint: she currently lives in the same boarding school she attended as a teenager) and describes her unique mode of storytelling and unforgettable cast of characters. She also speaks openly about her own sexual assault and explains how that traumatic childhood experience led to themes of predation, misogyny, and incarceration in her book. Purchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/3Ko62seSubscribe 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.

Zibby is joined by New York Times bestselling author and repeat MDHTTRB author Christie Tate to discuss her poignant and heartwarming memoir B.F.F.: A Memoir of Friendship Lost and Found. Christie shares the details of her troubled adolescence, which included eating disorders, low self-esteem, secrecy, alcoholism in her family, toxic relationships, and a lack of girlfriends. She also talks about her life-long fear of getting close to people, which is why making and keeping friends has always been a challenge. Thankfully, she met Meredith, a woman 20 years her senior who finally taught her how to be a friend (and became the inspiration for this memoir). Finally, Christie talks about what it was like for her other book Group (a Reese’s Book Club pick!) to be such a tremendous success. Purchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/3lQ6jdeSubscribe 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.

Zibby interviews acclaimed journalist and human rights activist Goldie Taylor about her harrowing and profoundly moving new memoir The Love You Save, in which she shares the unimaginable cruelties she faced as a child and the books that ultimately saved her. Goldie shares some of those heartbreaking, traumatic moments, admitting they were painful to revisit but gave her immense compassion for her younger self. Goldie also talks about finding solace and hope in books, overcoming her shame, and ultimately creating a life she is proud of. Finally, she talks about her wonderful children and what it was like to share her story with them. Purchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/3I9G8FVSubscribe 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.

Zibby speaks to screenwriter and debut author Rachel Koller Croft about Stone Cold Fox, a riveting, provocative, and twisty new thriller about an ambitious woman who, after a lifetime of conning alongside her mother, wants to put her dark past behind her and marry New York’s hottest and wealthiest bachelor. Zibby and Rachel analyze the incredible protagonist Bea, who is wickedly intelligent, observant, and powerful (but also a bit of a liar). Then, Rachel talks about her fascinating career – from selling luxury floral arrangements to seeing her script and original songs on screen (you can watch Torn Hearts on Amazon Prime – it is the “country horror musical movie” of Rache’s dreams!) to finally publishing this novel. (And, soon after this conversation, Deadline announced that Stone Cold Fox is being adapted for TV, and Rachel will pen the series!!)Purchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/3IxdM9XSubscribe 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.

Zibby interviews debut author Gothataone Moeng about Call and Response: Stories, a beautiful and sharply observed collection of short stories about women, young and old, grappling with modern life in postcolonial Botswana, where elements of traditional life still remain. Gothataone talks about the themes she enjoyed exploring – love, relationships, familial duty, and self-sacrifice – all of which speak to the universal experience of womanhood. She also shares her writing journey, from growing up in Botswana and trying to write a book at the age of 14 to pursuing an MFA in the US and finding a publisher mid-pandemic while back in her Botswanian village! Oh, and she ululates – which you definitely don’t want to miss!Purchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/3K9mQTDSubscribe 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.

Newbery Medalist and New York Times bestselling author (and one of Zibby's childhood author idols!!) Lois Lowry joins Zibby to discuss The Windeby Puzzle: History and Story, an evocative tale of a boy and a girl battling to survive during the Iron Age, inspired by the true discovery of the 2,000-year-old Windeby bog body in Germany. Lois talks about her fascination with the discovered body, which scientists determined was a thirteen-year-old girl and then a sixteen-year-old boy, hence her two protagonists and the dual narrative she so masterfully weaves together. Lois also shares the fascinating details of her life – from a childhood of international moves, new schools, and crippling shyness, to getting married and having four children before the age of 26, to finally getting her writing published. Purchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/3xpsoC0Subscribe 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.