Totally Booked with Zibby

Zibby is joined by Sheila Heti (bestselling author of Pure Colour) and acclaimed illustrator Esmé Shapiro to discuss A Garden of Creatures, a tender new picture book that reflects beautifully on death and what happens after it. Sheila and Esmé talk about the personal losses that brought them together and inspired this project, the artistic vision behind the color palette and illustrations, and the positive response they have received from parents. The two also share their fascinating journeys into the art world, the children’s books that changed their lives, and their best advice for aspiring authors. Purchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/3IRJKhySubscribe 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 Oindrila Mukherjee about The Dream Builders, a kaleidoscopic and arresting new novel that is written from ten different perspectives and explores class, gender, secrets, ambition, and dashed dreams in a booming, shimmery Indian city. Oindrila describes her book’s memorable elements–the astonishing Americanization of India, her fascinating cast of characters, and the agonizing disappointment felt by all of them. She also talks about herself–her immigrant family and nomadic lifestyle, her love for solitude, her busy job as a creative writing professor, and her next few projects. Purchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/3GHMBa7Subscribe 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 Emmy award-winning ESPN SportsCenter co-anchor and Atlantic contributing writer Jemele Hill about her beautiful and radically honest new memoir Uphill. Jemele describes the childhood traumas she revisited when writing this book, like her near-fatal car accident, her parents’ drug addictions, and her mother’s sexual assaults. She also talks about her early love of books (thanks to her story-reading stepfather), shares brilliant book recommendations, and reveals the projects she is working on now (like directing Colin Kaepernick’s documentary alongside Spike Lee!?). Purchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/3H7nZsISubscribe 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 former antitrust lawyer, New York Times opinion writer, and debut author Kashana Cauley about The Survivalists, a darkly funny and thrilling new doomsday novel about a successful Black lawyer who moves in with her coffee entrepreneur boyfriend and his Hurricane Sandy-traumatized, illegal-gun-stockpiling, bunker-building roommates. Kashana talks about the real-life survivalists who inspired this story (like her parents!), her obsession with coffee, and her publishing journey (it involves bad high school poetry, several rejected books, brilliant joke-writing for The Daily Show, and never giving up). Finally, she speaks on the power of writing communities and reveals the books she’s reading and loving. Purchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/3iESLjpSubscribe 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 bestselling author and repeat MDHTTRB guest Laura Zigman to discuss Small World, a tender and quirky novel about two newly divorced sisters who move back in together and finally confront a tragedy of their past–the death of their disabled sister. Laura reveals how her own life experiences inspired this story, sharing the intimate details of her sister’s passing, her childhood in a sad household, the stigma around therapy in the 70s, and her recent desire to learn more about her past. She also talks about her book’s most memorable elements–the fascinating sister dynamic, the hysterical neighborhood app poems, and the tragicomedy of it all. Finally, she reveals the new projects she has in the works!Purchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/3GFbK5kSubscribe 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 Sarah Levy about Drinking Games, a candid and poignant new memoir in essays about her journey to sobriety. Sarah shares the details of her story–it involves blackouts, forgotten hookups, eating disorders, debilitating perfectionism, and ultimately, the decision to get sober. She also talks about what it has been like to put her darkest secret into words and share them with the world, from an article in The Cut to a published memoir. Finally, she talks about her recent move to LA and the books she has read recently and loved.Purchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/3CI6CfzSubscribe 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 authors James Patterson and Mike Lupica to discuss The House of Wolves, an unforgettable thriller about Jenny Wolf, her murdered father, and the billion-dollar empire he left her with. The three discuss the book’s most memorable elements–its powerful female protagonist, intricate sibling rivalries, and sports. They also share the (quirky) details of their writing partnership (it involves late-night phone calls and finishing each other's sentences) and reveal the actors they hope would play their characters on the big screen. Listen to this episode for a good laugh–James and Mike are hilarious!Purchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/3IF9KgeSubscribe 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 Paris-based author Rachel Kapelke-Dale about The Ingenue, an exhilarating new suspense novel about a former piano prodigy who returns to her hometown for her mother’s funeral and discovers her massive family estate will be given to someone else. Rachel talks about her journey to becoming a writer, from Brown University to a Ph.D. in London to life in Paris, and the themes she enjoyed exploring in her book–mother-daughter relationships, real estate, and the darkness in her protagonist. She also discusses her earlier book, The Ballerinas (inspired by Judy Blume and her own career in ballet), and the book she is working on now (hint: it's a Yale equestrian mystery). Purchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/3GpjDMhSubscribe 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 and USA Today bestselling author Isaac Fitzgerald about his gritty and humorous memoir-in-essays Dirtbag, Massachusetts: A Confessional. Isaac talks about his book’s unexpected but incredible reception across the country (thanks to indie booksellers!), his arduous, months-long writing process, and his story’s most memorable moments, like his childhood in a Catholic Worker community and the boarding school that saved him from a self-destructive path. The two also talk about their challenges with body image and how writing about them has helped others as much as it has helped them.Purchase on Bookshop.Bookshop: https://bit.ly/3GPJfTSSubscribe 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 Pulitzer and Pushcart Prize-nominated writer, poet, playwright, and teacher Faleeha Hassan about her remarkable, heartfelt, and harrowing new memoir War and Me. Faleeha talks about the unimaginable hardship of living through several wars, the memories that still haunt her today, and how her past experiences inevitably infiltrate her life and writing. She also describes what it was like to move to the United States and teach herself English and how her life has changed since being nominated for the most prestigious writing award. Purchase on Bookshop.Bookshop: https://bit.ly/3IBUQHDSubscribe 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.