Weekly Highlights for Book Lovers
Authors galore. Every week!
Thanks to the 87% of you from the poll last week who said they liked this newsletter and I should keep doing it. YAY! So, here I go. Quick updates for the week ahead. For those of you with snow days in the blizzard, I am with you.
Totally Booked with Zibby
I really loved this week’s podcasts! Five powerful, sensitive, brilliant women with a strong sense of voice, place, and story. Can’t wait to introduce you to them.
Monday: Confronting High-Functioning Depression with Rachel Tzvia Back
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.
Tuesday: Art, Family, Escape and Reinvention in Saoirse
Author Charleen Hurtubise paints a picture of a woman reinvented. We meet Saoirse on an airplane faking her identity with a friend’s passport on her way to start over entirely overseas. Why? You’ll find out. Art plays a central role in Saoirse’s new life — and in her unraveling. Does her husband know? You’ll find out. (Note: We had some technical issues during this episode but we’ve edited so you’ll never know. It is a bit shorter than usual as a result.)
Wednesday: Norah O’Donnell Writes The Ultimate Guide to American Women in U.S. History
Who knew?!! Well, apparently senior correspondent for CBS News Norah O’Donnell did. In her book, We the Women: The Hidden Heroes Who Shaped America, the stories of many unknown — and some well-known — are brought to the surface. The story of the U.S. is reshaped through what she uncovered. Written with Kate Anderson Brower who joined us for the episode, Norah and We the Women will change the way you think about the past — and the future.
p.s. Norah is good friends with my college fave Sarah (Ogilvie) Saint-Amand. Hi Sarah!
Thursday: Elizabeth Day is Super Smart
I’m hooked. Somehow I’d never read Elizabeth Day’s books until her latest, One of Us, a smart look at relationships, cancel culture, and more. I enjoyed her writing so much that I ordered her backlist. Elizabeth hosts the popular podcast “How to Fail.” In this book, she absolutely hasn’t (failed). We connected as writers named Elizabeth who started podcasts on a whim post-divorce and grew a following. It was a really fun conversation.
Friday: Zeeva Bukkai Wins a National Jewish Book Award
Congratulations to author Zeeva Bukkai for winning a National Jewish Book Award from the Jewish Book Council for her novel The Anatomy of Exile! On our episode, we spoke about her new book, The World Between, which is a slim, powerful narrative about a woman who travels to Tel Aviv to the home where she first started her marriage and revisits later in her life. It’s about mental health, the after-effects of World War II, recovery, mistakes, lost love, shame, survival, and healing. It’s really short and definitely worth reading: immersive, thought-provoking, soulful. I can’t stop thinking about it — and was thrilled to hear she won the award!
Watch: The “Totally Booked” TV Show on JBS
Did you miss all these episodes of my TV show? You can catch up! Click below.
Mitch Albom, Lili Anolik, Rabbi Angela Buchdal, Susan Choi, Kate Baer, Michael Eisner, Corinne Low, Kelly Corrigan, Suzy Welch, Leslie Gray Streeter, Amy Bloom, Jill Bialosky, Michele Filgate/Kelly McMasters/Joanna Rakoff, Rebecca Minkoff, Jeanine Cummins…
… and new episodes every Thursday at 7:30 pm ET on the JBS network.
Events
BROOKLYN. Monday, February 23rd at 8:00 pm ET. Apparently the Ambies Awards are still on for tonight! I’m nominated for Best Indie Podcast Host. (Fingers crossed emoji.)
RESCHEDULED. Tuesday, February 24th with Anna Quindlen at the Streicker Center will be rescheduled due to the blizzard. New date to come. You can still see Anna and me in conversation at Totally Booked: Live’s Sunday Brunch and Book Talk on March 1st! Tickets here.
SANTA MONICA. Friday, February 27th at 8:00 pm PT. I’m the Community Activist Honoree at the Women’s Image Network event in Los Angeles for my work in the community after the Palisades Fire. So nice of them!
NEW YORK. Sunday, March 1st: Sunday Brunch and Book Talk celebrating International Women’s Day with amazing authors including Anna Quindlen, Allison Pataki, Tovah Feldshuh, Alli Frank & Asha Youmans, Brian Platzer, and Alexandra Potter. Tickets on sale here.
NEXT WEEK
NAPLES, FL. Monday, March 2nd at 5:30 pm: Event at Books on Third in Naples. Tickets here.
VIRTUAL. Monday, March 2nd at 7 pm ET: Zoom Q&A session with Belle Burden’s #1 New York Times bestselling author of Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage. Register for free here. Added more tickets - not sold out!
(NAPLES, FL. Tuesday, March 3rd: Private Jewish Federation event.)
NEW YORK. Thursday, March 5th at 6:30 pm ET: “The Truth About Being Jewish: Educating Children to Be Proud American Jews” hosted by EMET Classical Academy. I’ll be doing a talk with Rebecca Sugar — exclusively for parents of fourth to ninth graders in NYC schools. Learn more here.
Item of the Week
Loved wearing my new Shoshanna dress at the Broward Public Library Foundation LitLunch event this week in Fort Lauderdale. Love Shoshanna!
Have a great week!
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Best wishes for the award.
Another great week of podcasts! Hope you win the podcast award. 🤞