Moms Don’t Have Time to Read Books™️

Co-authors Christine Pride and Jo Piazza join Zibby Owens to discuss their new book I Never Knew You At All, the story of Simone and the investigation into her husband’s grandfather that exposes secrets, traumas, and moral dilemmas around her interracial marriage.Christine and Jo talk about the secrets we keep from not only others but from ourselves, how family can serve as a mirror for self-realization, and the throughline of friendship in their stories. They also share their exploration of ‘what if’ in this story, writing about dementia, and why they add gray areas to their characters. Learn more about Christine Pride here https://www.christinepride.com and Jo Piazza here https://www.jopiazza.com, and follow them both on Instagram @cpride and @jopiazzaauthor.

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.

Bonnie Garmus joins Zibby Owens to talk about her new novel Peck & Peck, the story of recent graduate Batter Gray who struggles with what to do with his arts degree after college, only to find himself at a prestigious poetry quarterly in the midst of a secret war between two editors. Bonnie discusses why poetry continues to evade extinction, the themes of theft and dishonesty explored in this book, the plagiarism of AI in writing, the importance of reading, and why she doesn't outline her stories. She also talks about dealing with the weight of expectation after the phenomenal success of Lessons in Chemistry, the question of ownership in literature, her dream to complete an Arctic swim, and how she accepts “killing her darlings” during rewrites. Learn more about Bonnie here https://www.bonniegarmus.com and follow her on Instagram @bonnie_garmus_author.

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.

Maria Shriver and Zibby Owens speak in-person at Zibby’s Bookshop about their life and work inspired by Zibby’s new book Between Chapters and Maria’s poetry collection I Am Maria.Zibby talks about how starting a podcast was a turning point in her life, the fear of unfulfilled dreams at any age, the shame surrounding changing your identity, and her hope that this book helps start the conversation for people going through similar struggles. Maria shares her post-First Lady identity struggles, her commitment to her friends and family, and how faith gets her through. Learn more about Maria Shriver here https://mariashriver.com and follow Maria and Zibby on Instagram @mariashriver and @zibbyowens.

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.

Audrey Niffenegger sits down with Zibby Owens to talk about her new novel Life Out of Order, a follow-up to her bestselling book The Time Traveler’s Wife. Audrey discusses how she ended up returning to this story years later, her artistic childhood, the themes of loss and love in her work, and the novel’s exploration of people trying to teach each other. She also shares the biological mechanism to her characters’ time traveling, writing’s attempt to create a tunnel between the mind of the author and reader, and how composition is largely deciding what to leave in versus what to leave out. Learn more about Audrey here https://www.audreyniffenegger.com and follow her on Instagram @aaniffenegger.

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.

Michael Lewis sits down with Zibby Owens to discuss his new book Blockers, a deep dive into the early days of Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency through the lens of six targeted public servants. Michael discusses how the title was inspired by an Elon Musk quote, the fascinating work into fire research that the government made difficult, and why narrative matters. He also shares what actions readers can take, how government and politics are related but not the same, the process of “casting” this book out of the thousands of workers he could have focused on, and the experience of having three of his books turned into movies. Learn more about Michael here https://www.michaellewiswrites.com.