Weekly Highlights for Book Lovers

An interview of a lifetime

Apr 27, 2026

Oh my gosh. On Thursday night, I interviewed Rachel Goldberg-Polin, Hersh’s mom, about her new book When We See You Again, thanks to the generosity of UJA-NYC. 1,200 people filled the synagogue as far as I could see. If you haven’t gotten the book yet, you must. The book is a testimony to grief and the power of love to get us through anything. It’s raw and powerful and also absolutely beautiful. Original. Soul-stirring. Just like Rachel.

I hope you’ll read the book and listen to our watch my conversation with Rachel Honor of a lifetime. Truly.

Totally Booked with Zibby

Maria Renee Lee, Long Covid, and Hope

Marisa Renee Lee shares her battle with long Covid on top of her other excruciating losses in Waiting for Dawn: Living with Uncertainty. We spoke at Totally Booked: Live at the Whitby where she delighted the crowd with her big laughs, delightful personality, and optimism in the face of devastating circumstances.

Friendship for the Win: Jessica George, Geneen Roth

Jessica George takes on female friendship in her sophomore novel Love by the Book which follows her hit Maame which we also talked about on the podcast, as does Geneen Roth in her latest book Love, Finally: Untangling the Knot Between Mothers, Daughters, and Food. One woman made a huge difference in Geneen’s healing. (This book is for anyone who has ever been on a diet.)

Dr. Tara Narula and Jenny Bartoy Tackle Pain from All Sides

Dr. Tara Narula gives us a specific recipe in The Healing Power of Resilience: A New Prescription for Health and Well-Being while editor Jenny Bartoy collects stories of others, like her, who have cut off contact with toxic people, sometimes even parents, in No Contact: Writing on Estrangement. Taken together, these two conversations arm us with the tools to get through challenges that might just be out of our control. How we respond to them isn’t.

Upcoming Events

GREENWICH, CT. Thursday, May 7th at 10 am: UJA JCC of Greenwich Women’s Philanthropy speaker. Tickets here.

STAMFORD, CT. Thursday, May 7th at 6 pm: UJF of Stamford, New Canaan, and Darien Women’s Philanthropy Spring Dinner speaker. Tickets here.

NEW YORK, NY. Monday, May 11th at 11:30 am - 1:45 pm. Co-chairing the Child Mind Institute Spring Luncheon with bestselling author Dr. Lisa Damour, Dr. Dave Anderson, and bestselling author Ali Wentworth about empowering parenting in the digital age. Join me. Tickets and tables here.

VIRTUAL. Tuesday, May 12th at 7 pm: Zibby’s Book Club virtual meeting with Emma Grey, Start at the End. Register here for Zoom link.

OYSTER BAY, NY. Sunday, May 17th at 2 pm. Gold Coast Book Festival panelist with Jane L. Rosen, David P. Kaufman, Brenda Janowitz and me. Info here.

VIRTUAL. Wednesday, May 27th at 1 pm. National Library of Israel online panel, “The Strength of Jewish Women,” with Lihi Lapid, Annabelle Gurwitch, Lisa Barr, Judy Batalion and me. Link to follow.

NEW YORK, NY. Monday, June 1st at 8 pm: 92nd Street Y event with actor Mark Feuerstein, Rabbi Steve Leder, Allison Gilbert and me to discuss On Being Jewish Now. Tickets here.

NEW YORK, NY. Wednesday, June 3rd at 3:45 pm. U.S. Book Show panelist, “The New Book Tour: How Podcasts are Revitalizing Your Entire List” with Lauren Cobello. Info here.

NEW HAVEN, CT. Thursday, June 4th at 5:30 pm. Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven Women’s Engagement and Philanthropy event speaker. Info here.

POTOMAC, MD. Friday, June 5th at 9:30 am. Teach Give Inspire Fridays speaker with Pam Sherman and Hilary Fordwich. Tickets here.

VIRTUAL. Tuesday, June 9th at 7 pm. Zibby’s Book Club with Sarah Damoff, The Burning Side. Register here for Zoom link.

Between Books

I’m finalizing my tour for my upcoming book Between Books: How I Started Over, Took Some Chances, and Found the Plot. (Available for pre-order!) Have ideas? Interested in my coming to speak to a group near you? Let me know! Reach out with any details to violet.guinness@zibbymedia.com.

Every Week

Watch the “Totally Booked” TV Show on JBS. New episodes every Thursday at 7:30 pm ET on the JBS network. Watch here.

Read On Being Jewish Now, the Substack: On Being Jewish Now. Writers from all over the world have been reflecting on what it means and how it feels to be Jewish now.