Totally Booked with Zibby

Zibby speaks to Slate editor Dan Kois about Vintage Contemporaries, a warm, big-hearted, and funny New York City coming-of-age novel about a literary agent assistant and the two friendships that change her life. Dan describes his protagonist Em, touching on her big-city aspirations and publishing job disillusionments (which, he reveals, were inspired by his own experiences in the industry). He also explains how this book came to be (it involves bits and pieces being written since the 90s and a more recent midlife crisis) and chats about his experiences in journalism, podcasting, and parenting. Purchase on Zibby's Bookshop: http://bit.ly/3Kv0dZLPurchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/40PS2MzSubscribe to Zibby's weekly newsletter here.Purchase Moms Don't Have Time to Read Books merch here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Zibby interviews New York Times bestselling author Ana Reyes about her debut, The House in the Pines, a chilling, atmospheric, and unputdownable psychological thriller that involves two inexplicable deaths, an unreliable narrator, hazy memories, and a desire to unlock old secrets. Ana describes her protagonist’s drug abuse, revealing that it paralleled her own struggle with Klonopin withdrawal. She also talks about her lifelong love of thrillers and learning to write one. Finally, she reveals what she is working on next and shares what it was like to be chosen as Reese’s Book Club pick for January!Purchase on Zibby's Bookshop: http://bit.ly/3nxzXEYPurchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/3JWhAklSubscribe to Zibby's weekly newsletter here.Purchase Moms Don't Have Time to Read Books merch here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Zibby speaks to Ari Shapiro, the award-winning cohost of the most listened-to radio news program in the US (NPR’s All Things Considered) and debut author of The Best Strangers in the World: Stories from a Life Spent Listening, an utterly beautiful, humorous, and revelatory memoir-in-essays about his globe-trotting journalism and the people he met along the way. Ari reveals what he hopes readers will learn from his book. He also talks about his love of fiction, and his experiences performing at the Hollywood Bowl, singing in a college acapella group, reporting on the Pulse nightclub shooting, coming out at a young age, being the middle child, and more!In April, you can see Ari at Café Carlyle in New York City, where he is scheduled to join Alan Cumming for a residency!Purchase on Zibby's Bookshop: http://bit.ly/3JRPGGfPurchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/3TPq1CySubscribe to Zibby's weekly newsletter here.Purchase Moms Don't Have Time to Read Books merch here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Zibby interviews literary agent and debut author Jennifer Herrera about The Hunter, an expertly plotted, richly atmospheric, and truly haunting suspense novel about a detective who loses her job and her husband and is forced to move back to her small Ohio hometown, where three men have suspiciously drowned. Jennifer discusses the themes she loved exploring: broken marriages, tricky adult sibling relationships, and reversed gender stereotypes (hence a detective with a very intuitive female sense of the world and three male victims!). She also talks about her career in publishing, the books she’s currently reading, and how she balances motherhood, a full-time job, writing, and promoting this book (she just had an event at Zibby's Bookshop in Santa Monica with Ana Reyes!!).Purchase on Zibby's Bookshop: http://bit.ly/3neh5KPPurchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/40iYlIJSubscribe to Zibby's weekly newsletter here.Purchase Moms Don't Have Time to Read Books merch here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Zibby speaks to debut author Cecile Pin about Wandering Souls, a poetic, immersive, and heartbreaking tale of three orphaned Vietnamese siblings who arrive as refugees in Thatcher’s Britain and must rebuild their lives from scratch, alone. Cecile explains how her mother’s refugee story inspired this novel and what it was like to imagine and write about the atrocities experienced by her ancestors. She also describes her writing trajectory, from philosophy student to editorial assistant to London Writers Award recipient. Finally, she reveals the authors who inspire her and shares her best piece of advice for aspiring writers.Purchase on Zibby's Bookshop: http://bit.ly/3JId9tgPurchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/3LGemnMSubscribe to Zibby's weekly newsletter here.Purchase Moms Don't Have Time to Read Books merch here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Zibby interviews entertainment executive, mental health advocate, and bestselling author Tara Schuster about her latest book Glow in the F*cking Dark, a powerful, ruthlessly honest, and irreverent guide for taking charge of your mental health. Tara describes the traumas that led her to write this book – an abuse-filled childhood, getting laid off from the job she’d had for a third of her life, and a terrifying dissociative episode on the highway. She also shares her book's message: we are all made of stardust, and once we’ve cleared the traumas and problems that obscure us, we can shine the way we were meant to.Purchase on Zibby's Bookshop: http://bit.ly/3LM03yaPurchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/3ZbHRRiSubscribe to Zibby's weekly newsletter here.Purchase Moms Don't Have Time to Read Books merch here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Zibby is joined by debut author Jessa Maxwell to discuss The Golden Spoon, an unputdownable, deliciously entertaining murder mystery that takes place on the set of a popular TV baking competition – it's a combination of CLUE and The Great British Bakeoff! Jessa describes how she developed her cast of characters (there are 8 different perspectives!) and the baking show they are on. She also talks about her background in children’s books, her incredible experience publishing this novel (and selling TV rights!), her life in Rhode Island, and the book she is working on now.Purchase on Zibby's Bookshop: http://bit.ly/42C6VnKPurchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/3LI1CwLSubscribe to Zibby's weekly newsletter here.Purchase Moms Don't Have Time to Read Books merch here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Zibby speaks to her longtime friend and debut author Leigh McMullan Abramson about A Likely Story, a wise and compulsively readable book-in-a-book about a struggling writer, her iconic novelist father, and the secrets she uncovers about him after her mother’s sudden death. Leigh talks about her fascination with famous people (hence the narcissist, fame-obsessed father) and her career transition from litigation lawyer to MFA drop-out to published author. Finally, she shares her best advice for aspiring authors. Purchase on Zibby's Bookshop: http://bit.ly/42tdI2ZPurchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/3z5CPuYSubscribe to Zibby's weekly newsletter here.Purchase Moms Don't Have Time to Read Books merch here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Zibby is joined by New York Times bestselling author and education expert Alexandra Robbins to discuss The Teachers: A Year Inside America’s Most Vulnerable, Important Profession, a riveting, year-in-the-life account of three excellent teachers “whose stories readers can curl up with and get lost in.” Alexandra describes the most significant issues teachers are facing in our country today (from blatant disrespect to a lack of resources) and lists the steps we can take to help. She also talks about her career in journalism, the influential teacher who helped her get there, and the books she has read recently and loved. Purchase on Zibby's Bookshop: http://bit.ly/3Z6FEqfPurchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/40qavPFSubscribe to Zibby's weekly newsletter here.Purchase Moms Don't Have Time to Read Books merch here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Zibby interviews debut novelist Julia Langbein about American Mermaid, a hysterical and brilliantly sharp new book about a broke high-school English teacher, her bestselling feminist mermaid novel, and her misadventures adapting it for the big screen in Hollywood. Julia discusses the themes she loved exploring: intergenerational conflict, the desire for financial security, and the beauty of teaching. She also talks about her life in Paris, her obsession with humor and making people laugh, and how her past in standup comedy and art history (she has a Ph.D. in it!) influenced this book.Zibby loved American Mermaid so much that she picked it for Zibby's Book Club in July!!Purchase on Zibby's Bookshop: http://bit.ly/3JBx7GkPurchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/42rsSWmSubscribe to Zibby's weekly newsletter here.Purchase Moms Don't Have Time to Read Books merch here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.