Totally Booked with Zibby

Israeli novelist and contributor to On Being Jewish Now Noa Yedlin speaks with Zibby Owens about her novel House Arrest, a story about a Jerusalem family and the scandal that leads to their downfall. Noa discusses how she first approached writing the book and how it is not just an Israeli story but also a family one, focusing on the relationship between parent and child: a relationship everyone can relate to in one way or another. She also talks about her journey as a writer and her perspective on life in Tel Aviv versus Jerusalem. Learn more about Noa Yedlin here and follow her on Instagram @noayedlin. Purchase House Arrest here. *********A story for the messy middle. Zibby's essay collection Between Chapters is out now! Love to listen? She narrated the audiobook.Listen on Spotify here.Listen on Apple here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this special double episode, Zibby Owens talks to author Kate Hash and podcaster Kara Infante about book clubs, the power of community, and how reading can change lives. First up, Kate Hash tells Zibby about her new book The Mother-In-Law Book Club, a story of friendship, unexpected chances, and found family. Kate talks about exploring empathy in this book, how she collects real stories to use in her novels, and the way homes shape both lives and stories. She also shares the power of women getting together for a book club, the reinvention required when starting a new chapter, and what she is working on next. Then, Zibby talks to Kara Infante about her literary podcast Bookish Flights which features reading recommendations, author interviews, and genre-sorted episodes. Kara shares how she went from physical therapist and military wife to podcaster, the rediscovery of her childhood love of reading, and how audiobooks saved her. She also discusses the steps she took to launch the podcast, the show’s most common and most surprising genres, and her advice to anyone wanting to start something similar. Learn more about Kate here https://www.kate-hash.com and Kara here https://www.bookishflights.com/about, and follow both on Instagram @katehashwrites and @bookishflights. *********A story for the messy middle. Zibby's essay collection Between Chapters is out now! Love to listen? She narrated the audiobook.Listen on Spotify here.Listen on Apple here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Julie Orringer sits down with Zibby Owens to discuss her new novel Luna, Phoenix, Queen, a multiple narrative story about a husband who steals his wife’s novel while she suffers from early-onset Alzheimer’s and the people in the orbit of this betrayal. Julie talks about the reason for showing readers a sympathetic version of a character before revealing their moral faults, how writing fiction has given her the control that real life often denies, and the positivity her husband brings in light of his own early-onset Alzheimer’s diagnosis. She also shares how the seed of this book started as a short story that didn’t make it into the final novel, her transition from playwright and short story writer to novelist, and the importance of a writing practice for aspiring writers. Learn more about Julie here https://julieorringer.com and follow her on Instagram @jorringer.*********A story for the messy middle. Zibby's essay collection Between Chapters is out now! Love to listen? She narrated the audiobook.Listen on Spotify here.Listen on Apple here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Endocrinologist and longevity expert Dr. Florence Comite joins Zibby Owens to discuss Invincible, her new book that dives deep into genetics, aging, longevity, and reclaiming your health. Dr. Florence Comite talks about how having an identical twin made her realize that genetics wasn’t the only answer, learning about disease in medical school instead of health, how a person’s life tells the story of how their genes will react, and the importance of health security over even financial security. She also shares the experience of testing a GLP-1 on herself twenty years ago, how food noise is actually a survival technique, the importance of quality sleep, why protein is vital before any meal, and the magic of books. Learn more about Dr. Florence Comite here https://florencecomite.com and follow her on Instagram @drflorencecomite. *********A story for the messy middle. Zibby's essay collection Between Chapters is out now! Love to listen? She narrated the audiobook.Listen on Spotify here.Listen on Apple here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Releasing today in honor of the third anniversary of the October 7th attacks, Shai Davidai joins Zibby Owens to discuss his book American Intellectual Antisemitism, the story of how he went from Columbia business professor to accidental activist.Shai shares the shock he experienced regarding Columbia’s reaction to the attacks, what led to his remarks going viral, how hatred starts in the syllabus, and how regaining agency has driven his activism.He also talks about his attempt to separate his public image from the message, how the first version of this book was a letter to his son, and what gives him hope for the future.We are holding everyone in our hearts today. Learn more about Shai here https://www.shaidavidai.com and follow him on Instagram @shaidavidai.*********A story for the messy middle. Zibby's essay collection Between Chapters is out now! Love to listen? She narrated the audiobook.Listen on Spotify here.Listen on Apple here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Erin Schlozman joins Zibby Owens to discuss her book The Myth of the Perfect Mom, a guide to new motherhood and postpartum that rejects the idea of the perfect mother in place of authenticity, self-compassion, and joy. Erin talks about debunking the aspiration to be perfect, how her experience as a licensed therapist working on an addiction medicine team led her to opening her own private practice, her daughter being born eight weeks early, and launching 4th Trimester Wellness on Instagram. She also shares working through imposter syndrome while writing this book, the importance of transparency, embracing ambition as mothers, what surprised her about the publishing industry, mom guilt, and her hope that readers feel less alone through this book. Learn more about Erin here https://www.erinschlozman.com and follow her on Instagram @erin.schlozman. *********A story for the messy middle. Zibby's essay collection Between Chapters is out now! Love to listen? She narrated the audiobook.Listen on Spotify here.Listen on Apple here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rebekah Lowin sits down with Zibby Owens to discuss A Year of Jewish Joy, her new cookbook full of meaningful recipes, homemade crafts, and table guides for the Jewish holidays.Rebekah talks about being inspired by her grandmother, the joy of the Jewish people, her experience working for Martha Stewart in New York City years ago, and how the blog she started in 2019 led to this book.She also shares her experience growing up in Connecticut without a Jewish community, reverence for tradition while making things new, how pressure is part of the joy of hosting, and her dream of opening a brick-and-mortar shop one day.Learn more about Rebekah here https://rebekahlowin.com and follow her on Instagram @rebekahlowin.*********A story for the messy middle. Zibby's essay collection Between Chapters is out now! Love to listen? She narrated the audiobook.Listen on Spotify here.Listen on Apple here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Newly minted Reese's Book Club pick Meg Mason joins Zibby Owens to discuss her new novel (and Zibby’s October Book Club pick!) Sophie, Standing There, the story of book lover Sophie Pattison who finds herself living alone and isolated, and how her favorite author provides solace when she needs it most. Meg talks about the surreal success of her first novel, her struggles while trying to write another book, depression after touring, and the moderating mess while interviewing Ann Patchett that inspired Sophie’s story. She also shares how the literary landscape had changed between publishing her first and second books, the temporary but daunting feeling of loneliness, and the authors who have inspired her most. Join Meg and Zibby virtually for Zibby’s October Book Club on October 4, 2026 here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/zibbys-book-club-meg-mason-tickets-1994577848036 Learn more about Meg here https://www.megmason.com.*********A story for the messy middle. Zibby's essay collection Between Chapters is out now! Love to listen? She narrated the audiobook.Listen on Spotify here.Listen on Apple here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fran Hauser joins Zibby Owens to discuss her new book Twenty Minutes is the New Hour, a guide to help women embrace the twenty-minute mindset, reclaim their time, and take small steps towards better productivity. Fran talks about the techniques she used to launch her bookstore Bedford Books in just eight weeks, how time becomes the enemy of the good, and adding more kairos over chronos in women's lives. She also dives deeper into setting boundaries around notifications, the importance of surrounding yourself with the right people, the fear connected to procrastination, email management, and what she feels guilty about. Learn more about Fran here https://www.franhauser.com/about and follow her on Instagram @fran_hauser.*********A story for the messy middle. Zibby's essay collection Between Chapters is out now! Love to listen? She narrated the audiobook.Listen on Spotify here.Listen on Apple here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Isabel Allende joins Zibby Owens to discuss her new memoir Story Telling, a heartfelt love letter to life and writing that recounts the past forty-five years of her career, the philosophy and emotion behind craft, and the lessons she’s learned along the way. Inspired by the masterclass she did with the BBC, Isabel writes about the quiet happiness of aging, how the inner critic never goes away, the loss of her daughter, and the bad aspects of life that make great literature. She also shares the challenges of irony and humor in translation, her soul’s need to write, her belief that her stories exist in another dimension, how to overcome feeling stuck while writing, and the benefits of writing a bad novel. Learn more about Isabel here https://isabelallende.com/en/home.*********A story for the messy middle. Zibby's essay collection Between Chapters is out now! Love to listen? She narrated the audiobook.Listen on Spotify here.Listen on Apple here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Laura Moriarty sits down with Zibby Owens to discuss her new novel and August 2026 Read With Jenna Pick Sunlight Finds You, a deeply felt love story set in 1949 that ends in heartbreak and shame, and changes the course of seventeen-year-old Nora’s life forever. Laura talks about the book’s look into dealing with uncertainty, her extensive research into the time period, and the conversations with her mother that shed light on both the joys and challenges of being a woman during that time. She also shares the hardship of being diagnosed with oral cancer while writing this book, letting go of writing expectations to free the story, and her gratitude for the perspective into life that reading gives us. *********A story for the messy middle. Zibby's essay collection Between Chapters is out now! Love to listen? She narrated the audiobook.Listen on Spotify here.Listen on Apple here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Instant New York Times bestseller! Dara Horn joins Zibby Owens to discuss her new book The Final Solution to the Jewish Question, an exploration into the lies of antisemitism throughout history and her vision for the future.  Dara discusses how Holocaust education fails to do its job, her surprise at finding so much more ignorance than malice, how the hate movement has taken over AI, and the big lie of antisemitism. She also shares her own personal experiences, from serving on Harvard’s Antisemitism Advisory Group to wrestling with how to help herself, and the struggles her son has already faced. But Dara also leaves us with an important, hopeful reminder: “the opposite of hate isn’t love, it’s curiosity”.Learn more about Dara at https://www.darahorn.com.*********A story for the messy middle. Zibby's essay collection Between Chapters is out now! Love to listen? She narrated the audiobook.Listen on Spotify here.Listen on Apple here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Elizabeth Castellano joins Zibby Owens to talk about her new novel Proof of Progress, the humorous story of B-list actress and comedian Maria Astorini whose second book is thirty-seven years overdue. Elizabeth shares how this book was inspired by her own difficulties while writing her second novel under contract, the impact of pressure on her writing, and the pieces of real life that made it into the story. She also discusses unconventional friendship, debunking the myth that book deals are impossible, and imparting little truths through humor. Learn more about Elizabeth here https://www.elizabethcastellano.com.*********A story for the messy middle. Zibby's essay collection Between Chapters is out now! Love to listen? She narrated the audiobook.Listen on Spotify here.Listen on Apple here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.