Totally Booked with Zibby

Zibby Owens

For nearly a decade, Totally Booked with Zibby has been one of publishing's premier podcasts and a regular stop on book tours for today's biggest authors. Hosted by bestselling author, bookstore owner, and publisher Zibby Owens, the show has featured more than 2,000 conversations with bestselling authors, actors, athletes, chefs, musicians, and entrepreneurs.

Known for her warmth, empathy, and genuine curiosity, Zibby has a gift for asking the questions that lead to unforgettable conversations. What begins with the book leads to talks about creativity, ambition, love, loss, family, resilience, and reinvention. With thousands of episodes and dozens of industry honors, Totally Booked with Zibby reminds us all that talking about books is really talking about life.

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2,457 episodes
Updated Friday

Episodes2457

Newest first

Friday · 23 min
Catherine Ostler, THE RENOIR GIRLS: A Hidden History of Art, War & Betrayal
On Wealth, Art, and the Holocaust
Thursday · 14 min
Soon Wiley, CECE DOWNING'S START OVER SUMMER: A Novel
On Turning Points and Coming-of-Age
Wednesday · 21 min
Sarah Vaughan, BASED ON A TRUE STORY: A Novel
On Family, Secrets, and Bestsellers
Tuesday · 22 min
Dr. Elisa Port, THE BREAST ADVICE: All You Need to Know About Breast Health, Screening, and Treatment
Dr. Elisa Port, chief of breast surgery at Mount Sinai and one of the nation's leading breast cancer specialists, joins Zibby to discuss her compassionate new guide, The Breast Advice. Drawing on decades of clinical experience and the stories of real patients, Dr. Port shares the latest advances in breast cancer screening and treatment, dispels common myths, offers practical advice for reducing risk, and explains how friends and loved ones can provide meaningful support. Tune in! ** Want more? Become a part of my community! Sign up for Zibby's Highlights, which includes a free weekly newsletter, event livestreams, most anticipated book lists, personal essays, and a new essay platform with stories from all of you about what chapters you're in (inspired by my upcoming book Between Chapters: How I Started Over, Took Some Chances, and Found the Plot, 9/22/26). And follow me on Instagram @zibbyowens. But really, keep listening here. If you love my show, please tell a friend! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Monday · 30 min
Kate Doerge and Sara Bliss, REIMAGINING GRIEF: A New Path to Finding Healing, Strength, and Joy after Loss
On Love, Signs, and Strength after Child Loss
July 24 · 23 min
Elizabeth Jannuzzi, SOBER MOM: A Memoir
On Starting Over, Healing, and Writing Through it
July 23 · 21 min
Justin Halpern, GET LOST
On “Abbott Elementary,” Screenwriting, Adaptations, Second Chances, and His Dad
July 22 · 23 min
Michael Cunningham, UNSAYABLE: A Life in Writing
On Writing, Relationships, Tight Sentences, and . . . Sex Work
July 21 · 30 min
Matthew Quick, DAD, LOVE, ME: A Memoir
Zibby's August Book Club Pick!
July 20 · 22 min
Bruce Holsinger, CULPABILITY
On AI, Family Secrets, and the Novel Everyone Is Talking About
July 17 · 25 min
Daniel Silva, RANSOM
On Why Men Stopped Reading—and Why It Matters
July 16 · 13 min
Jean Kwok, DOMINION
On Starting Over and Writing Fantasy
July 15 · 22 min
Jo Piazza, THE PARISIAN HEIST
On Art Heists, Forgotten Women, and the Story Behind the Story
July 14 · 19 min
Rachel Beanland, THE HALF LIFE
On Home, Belonging, and the Stories We Inherit
July 13 · 19 min
Emily Giffin, LOVE YOU MORE
On Divorce and Starting a New Chapter
July 10 · 20 min
John Searles, SINGLE GIRLS
On Helen Gurley Brown, Cosmopolitan, and Why Work Friends Become Family
July 9 · 21 min
NYT Bestselling Author Jessica Knoll, HELPLESS
On Plot Twists, Plastic Surgery, the Palisades Fire, and Overcoming a Painful Past
July 8 · 32 min
Ben Reeves, EVERYTHING WAS BEAUTIFUL AND NOTHING HURT + Ariel Sullivan, BENEATH
Zibby chats with Ben Reeves about EVERYTHING WAS BEAUTIFUL AND NOTHING HURT, an imaginative and deeply moving novel about finding beauty in the brevity of life, as narrated by the one who knows it best: Death. Zibby and Ben explore how a story about mortality ultimately becomes a celebration of life, love, family, and the fleeting moments that make our time meaningful. Ben shares the inspiration behind his unforgettable protagonist, reflects on how parenthood transformed his perspective on time and loss, and explains why thinking about death can help us live more fully. New York Times bestselling author Ariel Sullivan returns to the podcast to discuss BENEATH, a gripping dystopian novel that explores grief, survival, rage, and the resilience of the human spirit. She opens up about how her own journey through postpartum depression and therapy shaped the novel's emotional core, why she wanted to write an unapologetically angry female protagonist, and the healing power of confronting shame rather than running from it. ** Want more? Become a part of my community! Sign up for Zibby's Highlights, which includes a free weekly newsletter, event livestreams, most anticipated book lists, personal essays, and a new essay platform with stories from all of you about what chapters you're in (inspired by my upcoming book Between Chapters: How I Started Over, Took Some Chances, and Found the Plot, 9/22/26). And follow me on Instagram @zibbyowens. But really, keep listening here. If you love my show, please tell a friend! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
July 7 · 38 min
Robinne Lee, CRASH INTO ME + Beatriz Williams, WHEN YOU LOVED ME
Zibby welcomes back Robinne Lee to discuss CRASH INTO ME, a stunning, emotionally layered novel about identity, desire, beauty, race, and motherhood. Robinne shares how she moved beyond the success of THE IDEA OF YOU to write a fearlessly intimate story inspired by her own experiences living in Los Angeles and Paris, reflecting on beauty standards, interracial marriage, aging, privilege, and the power of embracing every facet of womanhood. Bestselling author Beatriz Williams returns to discuss WHEN YOU LOVED ME, a sweeping novel that intertwines a colonial-era pirate mystery, a second-chance love story, and the high-stakes world of professional football. She and Zibby talk about the real-life inspiration behind the novel's unforgettable opening, Beatriz's unexpected path from Stanford football manager to bestselling novelist, and the novel’s themes of family, violence, resilience, and redemption. ** Want more? Become a part of my community! Sign up for Zibby's Highlights, which includes a free weekly newsletter, event livestreams, most anticipated book lists, personal essays, and a new essay platform with stories from all of you about what chapters you're in (inspired by my upcoming book Between Chapters: How I Started Over, Took Some Chances, and Found the Plot, 9/22/26). And follow me on Instagram @zibbyowens. But really, keep listening here. If you love my show, please tell a friend! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
July 2 · 23 min
Amanda Eyre Ward, ARRIVALS AND DEPARTURES + Laura Lekkos, ALL THE LITTLE WAYS
Zibby welcomes New York Times bestselling author Amanda Eyre Ward back on the podcast to discuss ARRIVALS AND DEPARTURES, a transporting novel that reunites readers with the beloved family from THE JETSETTERS. Amanda shares the real-life inspiration behind the story—from interviewing romance scammers and drawing on her own experiences being scammed to writing about complicated family dynamics, mental illness, addiction, sibling relationships, and travel. Zibby also sits down with debut novelist and screenwriter Laura Lekkos to discuss ALL THE LITTLE WAYS, a heartfelt novel about two expectant mothers whose unlikely friendship is tested by a shocking twist. Laura reflects on the inspiration she found in motherhood, mommy groups, and female friendship, shares her journey from screenwriting to fiction, and offers a behind-the-scenes look at adapting bestselling books for film while balancing a busy career and family life. ** Want more? Become a part of my community! Sign up for Zibby's Highlights, which includes a free weekly newsletter, event livestreams, most anticipated book lists, personal essays, and a new essay platform with stories from all of you about what chapters you're in (inspired by my upcoming book Between Chapters: How I Started Over, Took Some Chances, and Found the Plot, 9/22/26). And follow me on Instagram @zibbyowens. But really, keep listening here. If you love my show, please tell a friend! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Totally Booked with Zibby

Catherine Ostler, THE RENOIR GIRLS: A Hidden History of Art, War & Betrayal

Soon Wiley, CECE DOWNING'S START OVER SUMMER: A Novel

Sarah Vaughan, BASED ON A TRUE STORY: A Novel

Dr. Elisa Port, THE BREAST ADVICE: All You Need to Know About Breast Health, Screening, and Treatment

Kate Doerge and Sara Bliss, REIMAGINING GRIEF: A New Path to Finding Healing, Strength, and Joy after Loss

Elizabeth Jannuzzi, SOBER MOM: A Memoir

Justin Halpern, GET LOST

Michael Cunningham, UNSAYABLE: A Life in Writing

Matthew Quick, DAD, LOVE, ME: A Memoir

Bruce Holsinger, CULPABILITY

Daniel Silva, RANSOM

Jean Kwok, DOMINION

Jo Piazza, THE PARISIAN HEIST

Rachel Beanland, THE HALF LIFE

Emily Giffin, LOVE YOU MORE

John Searles, SINGLE GIRLS

NYT Bestselling Author Jessica Knoll, HELPLESS

Ben Reeves, EVERYTHING WAS BEAUTIFUL AND NOTHING HURT + Ariel Sullivan, BENEATH

Robinne Lee, CRASH INTO ME + Beatriz Williams, WHEN YOU LOVED ME

Amanda Eyre Ward, ARRIVALS AND DEPARTURES + Laura Lekkos, ALL THE LITTLE WAYS