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Bookends

A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Literature

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Bookends

By: Zibby Owens
Narrated by: Zibby Owens
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A deeply personal memoir about one woman’s journey to finding her voice and rewriting her story by the creator and host of the award-winning podcast Moms Don’t Have Time to Read Books™.

Zibby Owens has become a well-known personality in the publishing world. Her infectious energy, tasteful authenticity, and smart, steadfast support of authors started in childhood, a precedent set by the profound effect books and libraries had on her own family.

But after losing her closest friend on 9/11 and later becoming utterly stressed out and overwhelmed by motherhood, Zibby was forgetting what made her her. She turned to books and writing for help.

Just when things seemed particularly bleak, Zibby unexpectedly fell in love with a tennis pro turned movie producer who showed her the path to happiness: away from type-A perfectionism and toward letting things unfold organically. What unfolded was a meaningful career, a great love, and finally, her voice, now heard by millions of listeners.

An honest and moving story about relationships, love, food issues, the writing life, and finding one’s true calling, Bookends will inspire and uplift.

©2022 Zibby Owens (P)2022 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved. Art & Literature Journalists, Editors & Publishers Literary History & Criticism Mental Health Awareness Heartfelt

Critic reviews

“[Owens] treats listeners to her characteristic honesty whether she's describing crippling self-consciousness or later love and finding her métier. Owens's style is gentle, easy on the ears, and relatable.”—AudioFile Magazine

“This gut-wrenching yet beautiful memoir, narrated by the author herself, gives listeners a look into the life of a well-known personality. What makes this audiobook stand out is that as Owens reads, she shows genuine emotion at the many losses, and triumphs, in her life.… This memoir is a must-listen for any lover of literature.”—Library Journal

“Owens (Princess Charming), host of the podcast Moms Don’t Have Time to Read Books and cofounder of Zibby Books, chronicles her path from shy, bookish child to busy mom and media company CEO in this zippy debut…Owens’s infectious enthusiasm radiates with charm, as do her earnest reflections on motherhood. Bibliophiles will breeze through this.”—Publishers Weekly

Dear Listener,

What do I hope you will take away from my story?
"I’m so glad you’re here. Do you love books as much as I do? Do you enjoy stories where someone gets through something!? Memoir is my favorite genre to read or listen to, especially when narrated by the author (like I did here!). I’ve always looked to books to be my guideposts in life, serving as inspiration, teacher, leader, and more. So I feel honored to be able to bring you my story, a story with many plot twists I didn’t see coming. Like so many of us, I’ve endured gutting losses, divorce, and a lot of anxiety. But I’ve also fallen in love again at age 40, reinvented myself unexpectedly, found a new insanely rewarding career as a literary podcaster, author(!), publisher, and book-fluencer, and gotten through a lifetime of food issues. I’m a mom of four, so the parenting challenges I faced are no doubt relatable, too! While not all the pieces of my story are the same as yours—I was lucky enough to be born into a wildly hard-working and successful, entrepreneurial family and reaped those rewards—in love and loss, everyone is in it together. I hope my story, filled with ups and downs, twists and turns, and a LOT of really great books, will inspire you, entertain you, make you think and feel, and ultimately remind you that our lives can change in an instant—which can be a really great thing, too." – Zibby Owens, writer of Bookends

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Her book covers tragic losses in her life from 9/11 to COVID 19. It also includes divorce ( though she hardly mentions it) to raising four children, and then finding true love at 40. She went from being a shy child to creating her own podcast and publishing business. Though she was born into privilege, her thoughtfulness and empathy shines throughout the book. Being that I too published my memoir right at the start of COVID, I applaud her perseverance and courage.

Interesting memoir of a brilliant and tireless writer!

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Thank you Zibby Owens for writing such a touching memoir and demonstrating that we should never give up on our dreams!

Loved this book & reading books!

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The Holmes and Rahe Stress Scale was developed to help us gauge our risk for a serious health crisis based on life events that cause stress. I'm my last 12 months my numbers are off the charts. Reading about Zibby's life and her grief, loses, and traumas helped me not feel quite so "at sea" as I wrap up this year of my own loses, changes, and work at figuring out who I am at this stage of my life. It is better to read/ listen to books than most other vices that might tempt one. Thanks Zibby for living your life out loud through this book!

A path through grief and trauma

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I enjoyed learning more about Zibby since I am an ambassador for her publishing company. I laughed, cried, and reflected throughout the book.

Meaningful Memoir

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This book is an easy and pleasant listen. It is engaging and current. This book is a product of our times with its mental health crisis and slow acceptance of the fact that everybody has feelings and issues, but some deal with them better than others. The author is so sincere in her book that I truly feel that I know her, even though we never met. She is a brave woman who put herself out there exposing very intimate details of her life. She knew very well that she will be a subject of scrutiny and jealousy due to her privilege, as proven by negative comments, but she had the courage to tell her truth regardless. Yes, memoir is not complete because she did not include her first husband or children. It is a book about her personal growth, not a piece of chick lit filled with relationship drama and gossip. I actually respect her only more for this.
There were moments when I did not like the narration, but in the end, it is exactly what this book needed- the author’s voice. You can feel her sincerity, at time she giggles, other times she cries -just like life itself. It was a truly great experience. Very many people with anxiety disorders and depression will feel a little less lonely. It is therapeutic. Thank you, Zibby

Fresh, honest, brave book that resonates

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After desperately sifting through tons of podcasts, articles, blogs, and tiktoks about grieving I finally came across this book. I did t want it to end as most of us never want to put a good book down or pause an amazing audible. This is one of those books.
I just got word of losing a dear friend this week. So unexpected, yet as I am in constant search of healing through literature I was just as unexpected that this would even help, but it did. It helped a lot. It made me want to start writing again. It made me want to read again. It made me want to live the life that my friend will never be able to live after his last breath. It he left so many examples of why life is worth loving and living to our full potential. I can’t thank Zibby enough for this book.
My words won’t do the justice or praise this deserves. This is my first ever book review so it’s all over the place, I know. I do one better and promise to recommend it to everyone who will listen.

Exactly what I needed

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Found you via QWERTY. Now I’m a fan of Zibby and QWERTY.
A book for moms or people who have moms. And for lovers of Books.

Thread of Books: Marvelous Idea

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I was looking for something light and easy to listen to while tackling a home project. This book fulfilled that mission.

A fun, light mom memoir

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Enjoyed every moment. Wonderful read. Inspiring author. Great audio book for moms. Highly recommended. East listen.

Fabulous

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I listened to the audiobook and felt like I was in a conversation with a friend. I loved learning how Zibby found her purpose and related so deeply to her struggles with grief, writing and anxiety in early motherhood. And what a clever way to shape a memoir: by recalling the books she was reading at each stage of life. Zibby has earned a loyal follower in me, and I can’t wait to see where her journey leads her next.

An amazing woman and the books that shaped her

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