Totally Booked with Zibby

Special re-release! To close out the year, we’re counting down the Top 10 most-listened-to episodes of 2025. Coming in at #7: Zibby’s interview with Elyce Arons. Enjoy!

Zibby interviews Elyce Arons, the cofounder of Kate Spade and CEO and cofounder of Frances Valentine, about WE JUST MIGHT MAKE IT AFTER ALL, a moving portrait of her decades-long best friendship and business journey with Kate Spade. Elyce describes their early da...

Special re-release! To close out the year, we’re counting down the Top 10 most-listened-to episodes of 2025. Coming in at #8: Zibby’s interview with Loretta Rothschild. Enjoy!

Zibby interviews author Loretta Rothschild about her strikingly original and deeply moving debut, FINDING GRACE. The two discuss the book’s intoxicating blend of sweeping love story and emotional thriller, its nuanced exploration of grief, motherhood, secr...

Special re-release! To close out the year, we’re counting down the Top 10 most-listened-to episodes of 2025. Coming in at #9: Zibby’s interview with Adriana Trigiani. Enjoy!

New York Times bestselling author Adriana Trigiani returns to the podcast to discuss her effervescent and big-hearted new book, THE VIEW FROM LAKE COMO. The two dive into the novel’s surprising New Jersey setting (yes, that Lake Como) and the emotional journ...

Special re-release! To close out the year, we’re counting down the Top 10 most-listened-to episodes of 2025. Coming in at #10: Zibby’s interview with James Frey. Enjoy!

Totally Booked: LIVE! In this special episode of the podcast (in-person at the Whitby Hotel with a live audience!), Zibby interviews #1 New York Times bestselling author James Frey about his darkly funny and razor-sharp new novel, NEXT TO HEAVEN. James opens up a...

Recorded live at Zibby’s Bookshop x Minnie Rose, grief expert Meghan Riordan Jarvis, founder of the Grieftastic Book Fair and author of END OF THE HOUR and CAN YOU TELL ME?, joins Zibby for a compassionate conversation about navigating grief, loss, and collective trauma, especially during the holidays. Meghan shares practical, science-backed tools for processing overwhelming news, managing stress in the body, and understanding how ...

In this special episode of the podcast, Zibby interviews acclaimed producer/director Paul Feig at a press junket for THE HOUSEMAID, the highly acclaimed film adaptation of Frieda McFadden’s bestselling novel. The two dive deep into what makes a great book-to-screen adaptation, the art of misdirecting an audience, and the power of music, production design, and point of view. Paul also shares behind-the-scenes insights into shaping T...

Live from the Miami Book Fair, Zibby hosts a special panel celebrating three Read With Jenna authors: Emma Knight (THE LIFE CYCLE OF THE COMMON OCTOPUS), Ariel Sullivan (CONFORM), and Jessica Soffer (THIS IS A LOVE STORY). In front of a live audience, the writers discuss craft, love and relationships, beauty and art, motherhood, ambition, and the personal stories behind their novels—from dystopian romance to lifelong love stories a...

In this special, year-end episode of the podcast, Zibby chats with Sarah Gelman, Editorial Director for Books at Amazon, about Amazon’s Best Books of the Year! Together, they dive into the thinking behind the list, highlight standout fiction and nonfiction picks, and discuss buzzy discoveries, sleeper hits, and genre-spanning favorites. With behind-the-scenes insights into how the list is curated (before sales even begin) and a pee...

Recorded live at Zibby’s Bookshop in NYC, Zibby interviews fourth-generation Russ & Daughters co-owners and cousins Niki Russ Federman and Josh Tupper Russ about their gorgeous new cookbook, RUSS & DAUGHTERS: 100 Years of Appetizing. The two discuss the beautifully curated book, the meaning and history of the “appetizing” tradition, and their personal journeys back to a family business rooted in Jewish food, culture, and co...

Zibby chats with author Iva-Marie Palmer about her adult debut, CHRISTMAS PEOPLE, an entertaining, witty, and sexy holiday rom com. Iva-Marie delves into holiday nostalgia, the chaos behind picture-perfect traditions, and the inspiration behind Jill, the delightfully reluctant “Lady Scrooge” heroine who finds herself trapped in a Hallmark-esque alternate reality. Iva-Marie also opens up about family, loss, writing across age groups...

In this special episode of the podcast, recorded live at Zibby’s Bookshop in LA, three extraordinary guests celebrate the acclaimed new film Train Dreams: writer-director Clint Bentley, actor Joel Edgerton, and Black Bear CEO (and Zibby’s brother!) Teddy Schwarzman. The conversation dives into the art of adaptation, the creative journey behind Train Dreams, and the deeply human themes at the heart of Denis Johnson’s beloved novella...

Zibby chats with children’s book co-authors Sarah Scheerger and Brent Camalich about DUDE. BE NICE, a gorgeously illustrated tale of good intentions and not-so-good outcomes, born from the viral kindness movement behind the Dude Be Nice platform. Brett shares how he left corporate America to spotlight everyday unsung heroes through uplifting videos that have been viewed more than 80 million times, while Sarah reflects on bringing t...

Leading health advocate and licensed marriage and family therapist Kati Morton joins Zibby to discuss her powerful new guide, WHY DO I KEEP DOING THIS?: Unlearn the Habits Keeping You Stuck and Unhappy. Kati talks about people-pleasing, toxic empathy, the illusion of control, the emotional roots of our self-protective behaviors, and what real healing looks like. She also shares the deeply personal experiences that shaped her work a...

Guest host Stacy Igel interviews business leader, activist, and I Am a Voter co-founder Mandana Dayani in front of a live audience at the Whitby Hotel. Mandana opens up about her family’s escape from Iran, the resilience that shaped her leadership, her work combating misinformation, and the creation of the Calanet Foundation. She also discusses empowering student activists, navigating advocacy in a polarized world, and the many for...

Zibby welcomes journalist and award-winning author Abigail Pogrebin to discuss her celebrated body of work, from MY JEWISH YEAR and STARS OF DAVID to her memoir on twinhood, ONE AND THE SAME. Abigail reflects on her path from Emmy-nominated TV producer to writer, moderator, and thoughtful chronicler of Jewish life. She and Zibby dive into Jewish rituals, identity, modern observance, the meaning of tradition in an asynchronous world...

Zibby interviews author Rachel Caplin about THE SPOON AND THE SEA, a gorgeous, richly woven historical novel about memory, identity, motherhood, and the tangled threads of family across continents and generations. Rachel shares the extraordinary true family story that inspired the book and how writing helped her navigate profound grief after losing her grandmother. She also talks about her unlikely path to authorship from Australia...

Recorded live at Zibby’s Bookshop in NYC, Zibby interviews actress, UNICEF Ambassador, and debut author Aria Mia Loberti about I AM INGRID, an adorable and inspiring new picture book based on her real guide dog, Ingrid. Aria discusses her unexpected path from academia to starring in Netflix’s acclaimed All the Light We Cannot See, the emotional evolution of her vision, the profound bond between guide dogs and their handlers, and ho...

Recorded live at the CORE Club, Zibby interviews Sunday Times bestselling author Emma Gannon about her novel TABLE FOR ONE, a warm and witty story about what it means to be happily alone, not lonely. The two discuss Emma’s winding career path, from early blogging days to a hit Substack and bestselling books. Emma opens up about the joy and necessity of creative solitude, the real-life sparks behind her characters, and how burnout l...

Debut novelist Erin O. White joins Zibby to discuss her tender and beautifully crafted book, LIKE FAMILY (a Barnes & Noble Book Club and Sarah Selects pick!). The two discuss the novel’s intertwined families in upstate New York, its exploration of queer domestic life, desire in middle age, teenage turmoil, female friendship, and the quiet truths of long-term relationships. Erin also reflects on her writing process, the challeng...