Sometimes you just click with someone. By the end of my in-person interview with Israeli poet Rachel Tzvia Back, we were hugging — having laughed, cried, and truly connected in just 30 minutes. Why? Because she’s awesome, yes, but also because her memoir, The Dark-Robed Mother, is so intimate, vulnerable, and beautiful that it would endear her to anyone. It’s funny and hopeful, dark and poignant. It also portrays what happens to those who love you when you go through something no one can fix. This is why I do my podcast. For moments like this. I hope you’ll listen.

Share, rate, & review the podcast, and follow Zibby on Instagram @zibbyowens!

** 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.

I am obsessed with the TV show “The Middle” starring Patricia Heaton, Eden Sher, and an all-star cast. It ran for nine years starting in 2009, but I only discovered it recently thanks to the clips my kids saw on TikTok. I wrote a Substack for my Z.I.P. members called “Here in the Middle” about how much I love this smart show about a family in Indiana who mirrors my own in ways that make me laugh out loud. Jordan Roter, an author friend, sent it to the creators of “The Middle” and connected me with them! Turns out, they lived near me in the Palisades and shopped at my bookstore. They’d even read my essays about the fire. Last week, we did a podcast about their show and I gushed. Gushed. Hear the three of us talk about the show, family, kids growing up, humor, and life. One of my favorite episodes — although I ran five minutes over. Sorry!

Share, rate, & review the podcast, and follow Zibby on Instagram @zibbyowens!

** 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.

This Book Made Me Think of You, an instant USA Today Bestseller by top UK author Libby Page, is an ode to bookstores, an ode to love, and an ode to the power of books to get us through anything. Libby came to my home and stayed for lunch when she was in town from the U.K. We could’ve talked about books forever. I don’t know what was cuter — the book or the purse she brought with her, shaped like the front of an old-fashioned bookstore.

Share, rate, & review the podcast, and follow Zibby on Instagram @zibbyowens!

** 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.

Jennifer Reid, MD, author of Guilt Free, has the answers. For those of us who feel guilty about almost everything having to do with parenting, psychiatrist Dr. Reid hears us — and has solutions. I recorded this live at my children’s school, where I peppered her with questions that were, perhaps, too personal?!

Share, rate, & review the podcast, and follow Zibby on Instagram @zibbyowens!

** 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.

Wall Street Journal journalist Francesca Fontana shares her surprising journey of researching her own father’s jail time, crimes, and friendships in this fast-paced story. Ultimately, she not only finds the truth, but herself. Dive into The Family Snitch.

Share, rate, & review the podcast, and follow Zibby on Instagram @zibbyowens!

** 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.

I interviewed Gillian Deacon in person at Totally Booked: Live about her book A Love Affair with the Unknown. Both the guests and I were riveted by her story. Gill’s medical mystery unfolds slowly in her book. Instead of coping in solitude, Gill turns to research and learns everything about uncertainty. Now we can, too, thanks to her.

Share, rate, & review the podcast, and follow Zibby on Instagram @zibbyowens!

** 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.

Have you listened to Dan Senor’s podcast Call Me Back? If you have, you’ll know how incredibly bright he is and how informed he is on all things Israel. In his book,The Genius of Israel, co-written with Saul Singer, Dan writes vignettes and stories about Israelis who make a difference and how societal norms created such a unique and often rated as “happy” country despite it all. We recorded this live as part of Totally Booked: Live at the Whitby Hotel in New York. Check out zibbymedia.com/events so you don’t miss the next event!

Share, rate, & review the podcast, and follow Zibby on Instagram @zibbyowens!

** 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.

Suzy Ultman is a gifted artist who has turned her gifts into a series of children’s board books designed to elevate the Jewish experience in a fun, whimsical way. Think: gifts for a bris and beyond. How Do You Jew is the latest in the series. Hear how she turned to this format, her own experiences as a mother and artist, and where she finds hope.

Share, rate, & review the podcast, and follow Zibby on Instagram @zibbyowens!

** 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.