Moms Don't Have Time To: A Quarantine Anthology

by Zibby Owens (Editor)

* FEATURED ON GOOD MORNING AMERICA, KATIE COURIC MEDIA, ABC-7 EYEWITNESS NEWS, NY1,  GOOD DAY LA, GOOD DAY DC, GOOD DAY DALLAS, WGN CHICAGO, TAXI TV, KCRA SAN DIEGO AND NBC BOSTON! * FEATURED IN THE WASHINGTON POST, THE NEW YORK POST, PARENTS, TOWN & COUNTRY, WORKING MOTHER, BELLETRIST, L.A. PARENTS, SOCIAL LIFE, PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, PSYCHOLOGY TODAY, AVENUE, WHAT'S UP MOMS, POLO LIFESTYLES, THE JEWISH BOOK COUNCIL, SHELF AWARENESS, AND MORE * FEATURED ON MANY, MANY AMAZING PODCASTS LIKE FRIEND AND FICTION, A MIGHTY BLAZE, TABLET, BOOKS CONNECT US, GROWN & FLOWN, CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL, A BOOKISH HOME, AND MORE * WINNER 2021 INTERNATIONAL BOOK AWARDS  * WINNER 2021 NATIONAL PARENTING PRODUCT AWARDS * WINNER 2021 MOM'S CHOICE AWARDS  * WINNER 2021 HERMES CREATIVE GOLD AWARDS  * WINNER 2021 MUSE CREATIVE AWARDS  * #1 BESTSELLER IN HEALTH/FITNESS; #1 BESTSELLER IN GASTRONOMY ESSAYS; #2 BESTSELLER IN ESSAYS ON AMAZON ****** JOIN ZIBBY OWENS OF MOMS DON'T HAVE TIME TO READ BOOKS ON A JOURNEY FILLED WITH FOOD, EXERCISE, SEX, BOOKS, AND MORE.
 
Zibby Owens, an award-winning podcaster and mother of four herself, wanted to do something to help people carry on during the pandemic and give them something to focus on other than the horrors of their news feeds. In addition to her IGTV daily interview show and book club, she launched an online magazine called We Found Time,  which she later turned into this book with the editing help of authors Claire Gibson, Elissa Altman and Carolyn Murnick.  ALL PROCEEDS OF THE BOOK GO TO THE SUSAN FELICE OWENS PROGRAM FOR COVID-19 VACCINE RESEARCH AT MOUNT SINAI HEALTH SYSTEM.

Authors who had been on her podcast wrote original, brilliant essays for busy readers inspired by five things moms don't have time to eat, read, work out, breathe, and have sex.  These 60+ short, literary essays by many New York Times bestselling authors, celebrities, award-winning authors and more promise to inspire and make others feel less alone -- at any time.  Contributors Berman
Alison Cayne
Alli Frank
Ashley Prentice Norton
Beth Ricanati, MD
Bonnie Tsui
Caitlin Mullen
Carolyn Murnick
Casey Schwartz
Chris Bohjalian
Christina Geist
Claire Gibson
Courtney Maum
Dan Peres
Deborah Burns
Dibs Baer
Donna Hemans
Dylan Lauren
Eilene Zimmerman
Elissa Altman
Elliot Ackerman
Esther Amini
Evangeline Lilly
Georgia Clark
Gretchen Rubin
Jan Eliasberg
Janelle Brown
Janice Kaplan
Jeanne McWilliams Blasberg
Jewell Parker Rhodes
Jill Santopolo
John Kenney
Julie Satow
Karen Dukess
Karma Brown
Kelly McWilliams
Laura Hankin
Lauren Braun Costello
Lauren Mechling
Lea Carpenter
Lisa Barr
Liz Astrof
Mary Laura Philpott
Maya Shanbhag Lang
Megan Angelo
Nicole C. Kear
Nina Renata Aron
Phyllis Grant
Rachel Bertsche
Rachel Levy Lesser
Reema Zaman
Rene Denfeld
Rochelle Weinstein
Sally Koslow
Sara Shepard
Sonali Dev
Suzanne Falter
Teresa Sorkin
Tiffany Shlain
V. C. Chickering
Wendy Walker
William Dameron
Zibby Owens

Genres: Nonfiction, Parenting, Essays, Short Stories, Humor, Biography, Audiobook

294 pages, Hardcover

First published February 16, 2021

About the author

Zibby Owens is the award-winning host of the podcast Totally Booked with Zibby and the weekly TV show “Totally Booked” on JBS.

Author of six books including two bestsellers, On Being Jewish Now: Reflections from Authors and Advocates and Blank: A Novel, she owns Zibby’s Bookshop, an independent bookstore in Santa Monica, CA, and Zibby Publishing, a boutique publishing house, all part of Zibby Media. She also runs an events and retreats series, Zibby’s Book Club, and the Z.I.P. membership program.

A graduate of Yale University and Harvard Business School, Zibby lives in New York (and sometimes L.A.) with her husband and four children ages 11 to 18.

Become a Z.I.P. (Zibby’s Important People) today to support her work and follow her on Instagram @zibbyowens.

Reviews

[Abby Jimenez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this as a gift and opened it to the middle and read the first story, Food Can Hurt, by Rene Denzel and I openly wept in my kitchen. So moving. I just spent the last three hours devouring this book. Relevant and engrossing.

[Pam Jenoff · Rating 5 out of 5]

For something different, check out this anthology of essays by best-selling authors on how moms are juggling, thriving and surviving in the age of covid and pandemic parenting!

[Kara · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's 2020. We're in the middle of a global pandemic. (Okay, those were words I never thought I would write). We have both more and less time for certain things in our lives. Namely, less time with our family and friends, less time traveling and exploring, less time to just be okay and more time for frustration, more time being scared, more time for worry.

I was lucky enough to receive an advanced copy of Moms Don't Have Time To: A Quarantine Anthology, which was edited by the creator of the award winning podcast (Moms Don't Have Time to Read Books) Zibby Owens, who happens to also be a mom of four, entrepreneur, and general superstar. You may have less time to read (or maybe more, depending on your situation), but this is a collection of amazing essays for which you should definitely make time.

Moms Don't Have Time To ... is a collection of essays by authors and writers around the country also just trying to survive this pandemic with a particular focus on how their creators are finding to time to (or not) read, workout, eat, have sex, or even breathe. Some of the essays are heartbreaking, some are laugh out loud funny, but all of them are easily consumable (there is no false advertising with the title here) and relatable.

[Esther · Rating 2 out of 5]

The rave reviews and the introduction in the book really hyped me up, but many of the 'essays' were a bit of a let down and felt more like reading affluent ladies' blog posts.
There were some good ones which touched me, but there were also quite a few that felt like lacking any substance and some felt whiny, some came of as a bit elitist, some uninspiring and irrelevant, and overall I couldn't connect and relate to many of them. It's probably just me, because all the reviews I've read are super enthusiastic.

In the last part of the book is a section where Mrs. Owens thanks literally hundreds (!) of people who have supported her in her making this book happen. Even the chess teacher of her children is acknowledged and also someone who gifted her a tote bag, and the person who decorated her apartment in NYC. I'm not joking. Anyway, to each his own. I understand and appreciate that she is helping (aspiring) authors in this way and that is commendable.

It unfortunately didn't feel like a good investment of my reading time.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC.

[Brandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This group of articles about life during quarantine was so enjoyable. FYI, while there were some tragic stories of loss, for the most part, the focus was not on that.

The Mom’s Don’t Have Time To articles are separated into sections such as eat, read, workout etc. I found so many of them to be extremely relatable and found myself nodding away or at times laughing. I loved listening to all of them.

Why four stars and not five, this just comes down to personal preference. I listened to this on audio and found the narrator read just a little bit too fast for me, I tried to slow it down a tad but then it was too slow for me.

Thank you @uplitreads for the complimentary copy.

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a collection of short essays in response to the pandemic and quarantining with kids that moms everywhere are sure to relate to.
Divided into categories of things that moms no longer have time to do - read, work out, eat, have sex, or breathe. While I was previously unfamiliar with Owens and her "Moms Don't Have Time" podcast I see this being a great companion focusing on the ways COVID has impacted our lives. She discusses how it touched her loved ones and then shares a number of essays from various authors on their own experiences with these unprecedented times we find ourselves living through, They are relational, emotional, funny- filled with everyday stories of everyday monotony and extraordinary circumstances.
Many thanks to Skyhorse Publishing and NetGalley for the advance copy.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a year we have lived, right? And it's still going. Ugh.

During this time, Zibby put together a fantastic anthology of stories from a number of authors. And not just moms either. While many of the writers are women, there are a few male writers in there as well and I think dads alike would appreciate the writing.

A few stories made me laugh out loud, some I did not click with at all, but the different experiences are what make this collection great. This book would make a fantastic gift for friends and family, and the other moms in your life. They'd get it.

I received an advanced copy of this book, all opinions are my own.

[Kailey Greenwood · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are few gems in here, but mostly, it feels like a compilation of blog posts. Not sure what I was expecting, but I was disappointed.

One of the interesting things about the book is that it shows just how different people really are, especially in the "Moms Dont Have Time to Exercise" and "Eat" sections. Most of the essays just didn't resonate with me.

I was given a free copy thanks to Uplit Reads in exchange for an honest review.

[Pearl Berman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you, Zibby Owens, for this beautiful anthology of gifted writers, many of whom were embarrassingly new to me. Their works now comprise my "want to read" list. During COVID, when the opportunity to browse a bookstore no longer exists, I am grateful for this collection and the exposure to these authors. A great read!

[Deborah Royce · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love starting the weekends with sharing books I love with you. Today’s video was a treat to film as Zibby Owens packed a lot of fun into her Mom Don’t Have Time To... bookmail! Thank you Zibby! #fridayreads #booksIlove Skyhorse Publishing, Inc. Moms Don’t Have Time to Read Books with Zibby Owens https://www.instagram.com/tv/CMCl6bJn...

[William Dameron · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection of curated essays by some of the most wonderful writers to appear on Zibby's podcast will charm you, make you laugh, cry and feel a much needed connection in this often isolated world. These essays are perfectly sized bites that anyone will be able to find the time to read, and when you do? You'll feel all the better for it.

[Cindy Burnett (Thoughts from a Page) · Rating 5 out of 5]

COVID-19 altered our lives in 2020 in ways that few could have foreseen – we have a new vocabulary specific to our current existence, our interactions with each other are modified, and our day-to-day routines are significantly different than prior to the pandemic. Zibby Owens has used this time very productively, promoting authors and their books on her podcast Moms Don’t Have Time to Read Books and on IG-TV, through an online magazine she created entitled We Found Time which addressed the ever-growing demands on our time (something the pandemic just further exacerbated), and in countless other ways. This anthology compiles the essays from We Found Time which are written by a wide variety of authors and organized thematically into five categories of things moms have to find time for: eat, read, work out, breathe and sex. Some of my favorites are “Wait, Did I Kill My Book Club?” by Rachel Levy Lesser, “What the Brady Bunch Taught Me about Family Dinners” by Alison Cayne, and “When I Got Coronavirus, My Husband Became My Wife” by Karma Brown. All proceeds from the sales of this book will go to the Susan Felice Owens Program for COVID-19 Vaccine Research at Mount Sinai Health System (Zibby lost her mother-in-law, Susan Felice Owens, and grandmother-in-law to COVID-19 this past summer).

Want to hear more about this book? Listen to my podcast interview with Zibby here: https://www.thoughtsfromapage.com/s1e75. For more book reviews and book conversation, check out my Instagram account: https://www.instagram.com/thoughtsfro...

[Bonnie Goldberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Today is the day! This marvelous anthology is now available. The breadth of what "moms don't have time to" right now is lengthy. The range of memoir pieces curated by Owens manages to capture the sadness, grief, joy, absurdity, and novelty of this strange time. While Owens is showing us what moms can't do right now, these stories actually show us what moms CAN do right now - which is continue the work of taking care of ourselves, our marriages, our friends, our family, and raising our humans. So many of the pieces are standouts, including those by Owens herself, as well as the piece by Sally Koslow about driving (she sees me!), actress Evangeline Lilly about raising sons with screens, and Canada's own Karma Brown about the topsy turvy gender wars . And of course, the bite size pieces of this anthology make it the perfect reading experience for our fractured attention spans. Highly recommended.

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is composed of more than sixty essays written during quarantine from many of today's most popular writers. Each essay is only about three to five pages long and falls into one of the following five Mom's Don't Have Time To categories: Read, Work Out, Eat, Have Sex, and Breathe. With so many different essays, most readers will find something which speaks to them.

[Amanda Crose · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book took me a really long time to finish, I kept picking it up and putting it right back down. I had a love hate relationship with it. While there was something relatable in each story, they were also written by rich women (with a few exceptions) that mostly lived in NYC so not at all relatable to those of us who aren’t rich. I wouldn’t recommend.

[Kristin (Always With a Book) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Skyhorse Publishing and ShreveWilliams PR for the gifted copy.

Right before the pandemic hit last year, I had started attending Zibby Owen's literary salons in NYC. I had already been listening to her podcasts - which I still do - but attending those salons and other book events were something I looked forward to and hope that one day in the future will be able to happen again. If you have never had the chance to meet Zibby - she is amazing and a true cheerleader for the literary world.

This collection of essays is something that whether you are a mom or not (and I am most certainly not) you will find appealing and relatable as we still learn to navigate this new normal. We all have our struggles living in some type of lockdown - whether we are alone, home with our spouse, home with kids, working from home and homeschooling, etc - and this collection of essays just shows everyone is trying to figure it out at the same time. They range from funny to serious and touch on topics including eating, breathing, working out and even trying to find time to have sex.

The authors that have contributed to this book all have appeared on Zibby's podcast, Moms Don't Have Time to Read Books and if you have not had a chance to listen to this podcast yet, I highly recommend it. And in true Zibby fashion, all proceeds from the book are going to COVID vaccine research...again, this woman is truly one of a kind.

Go ahead and pick this one up. It's the type of book that you can leave on your nightstand and read one or two essays at a time, flip around or read cover to cover. But it's definitely one I recommend! You will find you probably can relate to some if not many of the ideas shared in the essays.


You can see all my reviews at: https://alwayswithabook.blogspot.com/

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Moms Don’t Have Time To is an anthology of articles about everything from working out, eating, reading, sex... Written and compiled as we quarantined and adjusted to life with coronavirus the authors are honest about the small joys, life lessons, losses and the struggle of life in this new world.

This book reminded me of my love for magazines. You know the feeling of flipping through brightly colored pages waiting for the next surprise gem. Articles about varied topics, each one imparting a different type of lesson.

Despite the title, you don’t need to be a mom to enjoy this book, in fact most articles aren’t about motherhood. You will laugh, cry, grow and perhaps learn something about yourself.

This is the perfect book for busy people - you can easily read one or five at a time, stop and start, or go back and reread favorites. All proceeds from the book will go to Covid research, so pick up the book today (preferably from a local bookstore)!

Thank you @uplitreads for the review copy.

[Kristi (taleswithtrix) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an inspiring, uplifting, relatable collection of essays/short stories from authors in all walks of life; parents, step-parents, child-free adults, of different races, sex, from different countries and cultures. It's incredibly diverse which makes it so beautiful. You get a million and one perspectives and while it's 'A Quarantine Anthology', many of the stories are not directly related to Covid life but the lessons, joy, or sorrow from those essays/stories can be applied to this time.

It's a collection of reflections. It helps you realize the little things that got you through were also there for many others during this time. You'll laugh, you'll cry, it's just powerful overall. It helps you continue to reflect on this time and really inspires you to do better and be better in life in general.

I also love that it's something you can pick up at any time. Read a story here or there and isn't necessarily something where you have to really focus on the entirety of the book at once.

It's also beyond quotable; here are a few of my favorites:
"I'm also reminding myself that control is an illusion."

"What a waste it is to be held back by obstacles of our own making, fears of how silly we'll look and how we'll compare to others."

"...every experience we have shapes who we are."

"However much you want to see everything, you only get a partial perspective on the world. It is true of your children too."

Thank you to Uplit Reads for putting this book on my radar; to Uplit Reads, Zibby Owens, and Skyhorse Publishing as well for a free book in return for an honest review!

[Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Moms Don’t Have Time To
Edited By: Zibby Owens @zibbyowens
PUB DATE: 2/16/21
💜💜💜💜/5

I’ve said it a million times and I’ll keep saying it... it’s been a YEAR. Covid-19 has altered each and every one of our lives in ways that we never could have predicted. In March it will complete one of the most difficult years my husband and I have ever had. Moms Don’t Have Time To is a compilation of ESSAYS (short, sweet, to the point essays) that all have one thing in common... you are not alone. One of my favorite messages of this book is that we are all going through this together.

These essays are so easy to read and as a mom I was reading them during bath time, while my kids ran circles around me, while I was pulling my hair out, while I was trying to find the millionth activity of the day to keep us all sane for the next hour... Moms Don’t Have Time To is written for you... the busy mom doing all the things while being stuck at home and inside during these unprecedented times.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

When the pandemic hit, I think it's fair to say that we were all looking for ways to keep our sanity. Some started making bread, some deep cleaned their homes, some enjoyed an extra glass of wine, and some started a new yoga and meditation routine. Some struggled with old and new demons, struggling with addictions, anxiety, depression, grief, body image... Whatever you ended up doing or going through, I'm sure you'll related to some of the stories from Moms Don't Have Time To.

The book consists of various essays that will make you feel normal amongst the chaos of this pandemic. I felt comforted by the stories, validated in my Covid fatigue, and encouraged to keep going.

Thank you @uplitreads for my #gifted audiobook copy.

[Sherrie Howey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a series of essays covering a variety of subjects by an impressive number of authors. So many of the essays are relatable and others are quite funny. I devoured this book in 2 days but it is also a book you can put down and read at your leisure. It was comforting to know that well known authors were also experiencing the same uncertainty and feelings during the pandemic.
While I have read books by a number of the authors in this book, I also found authors new to me whose books I want to read. Congratulations to Zibby for putting together this terrific book, especially given the losses she and her family have suffered during the pandemic.

[Wendy Francis · Rating 5 out of 5]

The perfect book for any mom who has considered packing her bag and heading to Florida, solo, during quarantine. Zibby Owens confirms once again that we are not alone in this glorious, crazy, soul-sapping thing called motherhood and gives us hope that the pandemic, too, shall pass.

[Francesca · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't want the book to end. So I rationed it. Only a few essays per day. But the "already read" side of the book kept getting fatter and the "still to read" side kept getting thinner. And I just finished it. Sigh. Back to reading books that were written before our world turned upside down.

What was it that made this essay anthology so powerful for me? It's the shared trauma we are all experiencing right now. Each essay - some written by my favorite authors and others by authors new to me - felt like a dialogue with a close friend going through the same things I'm going through. Out of work, home with two little kids on distance learning indefinitely, terrifying California mortgage looming, trying to remember to be grateful that our immediate family hasn't yet been affected by the virus.

Breathe. We will get through this together.

The collection is broken into themes: Read, Work Out, Eat, Have Sex, Breathe. Each essay is just long enough for an escape from homeschooling with zero to one kid interruptions. For that reason alone, this book is worth its weight in gold.

If you are a reader and haven't checked out her podcast, Moms Don't Have Time To Read Books, stop reading this and go listen to Zibby. She's prolific. She's bubbly in the best way. She interviews authors of both adult books and kid books. And if she can find time to do what's important to her, so can I. So can you.

[Amy Brown (amylikestoreadalot) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfect book for your nightstand-I read a few essays everyday. Most were about quarantine time during Covid, some were not. Some were funny, some more serious, but I liked the variety.

[Rena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Listen to the audio version and loved it! Be sure to listen to the acknowledgments; it was one of my favorite parts of the book. Zibby so humble and so many people who have touched her life.

[LeAnne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book club read- A comfort knowing that so many are processing this pandemic era in similar ways.... ummm thats not quite right. Let me try again. There are so many people trying to process this world that is unlike any times we’ve seen before. But we are resilient as humans... everyone finds their footing eventually and we all move forward.

This collection of essays tells how authors have
worked, fought and taken interesting “thought“ detours that occupied their space.

My favorite essays are
“Breaking up with my kids”
“Awake:3:01am”
“In Japan, a Mother and Son Find New Balance”
“Baking Challah to Connect”

Also don’t skip the Afterword & Acknowledgment!!! Where Zibby Owens tries to acknowledge every person who ever helped her in her life. It is the most endearing collection of love ever published! I read through all 20 pages just because I’ve never met another human who exudes that much gratitude for the life she’s been given and the people she’s met along the way.

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like to listen to memoirs and non-fiction on audiobooks. I just finished listening to Moms Don’t Have Time To: A Quarantine Anthology, and loved it. It includes beautiful, original essays by bestselling authors. It’s so refreshing to get to know these authors on another level. The topics are profound and relatable and I found myself nodding and chuckling through most of them. There are some serious ones too, and I shed some tears.

I have the physical book too! There are so many essays I want to flip to and read again. Plus, I needed the Acknowledgment section in printed form. It’s twenty pages long! Zibby sure is grateful for a lot of people. Acknowledgement sections are my favorite to read and this is one of the best.

[Brittnie Walker · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel like this book was meant for every kind of mother and even dads too! I found other parents stories relatable and could even connect it to one of my own stories. I normally don’t laugh as I am reading a book but this book!!! Being a mother is hard but being a mother during COVID and Quarantine is HARDER! Loved that the author combined everyone’s stories and organized them through multiple events in life. Even if you aren’t a mother I think this book would be good for the lols! Thank you so much @uplitreads and @zibbyowens for a #gifted copy!

[Nicole Wagner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short essays, easy to read in bites. Some of these were more relatable than others. It's interesting to read about people who are soothed by running for exercise. Ha. I am...not. If I'm running, something's chasing me or I'm late for dinner. During lockdown I've been reading for escape. Old issues of National Geographic -- fantasy -- historical fiction -- dystopia.

Reading about other people more successfully and comfortably or more productively hunkering down during COVID isn't really what I want to do.

Nobody's talking about how HARD it is in these pages, not really. Maybe there's too much privilege in it? Nobody's talking about suicidal ideation or fantasies about running away. Nobody's stuck with an abuser. Nobody's been furloughed from their job and is navigating welfare for the first time. Nobody's ever hungry.

It's not that there's nothing to enjoy here -- I enjoyed quite a few of these essays. It's just that they aren't helping. Why marinate in a slightly different, slightly easier version of my own experience when I could be spending my sacred twenty minutes a day of reading time flying with dragons or fighting zombies or sailing the Atlantic?

I have enough ruminating thoughts without the help of pandemic essays that aren't even quite representative of myself.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a solid okay. This is one of those books that’s good to have next to your bed to read one or two essays before heading to sleep. It’s good because you can read some pages, put it down to handle a child crisis or vacuum the rug, and then come back to it.

But really, it feels sort of mediocre. The essays are too short to get to the meat of whatever topic they’re covering. And, yes, the book is divided into section topics - but some essays barely relate to the theme it’s supposed to be.

This is filled with a few brilliant insights, and an acknowledgement section that is about 20 pages long. Worth buying because it supports COVID relief efforts. But otherwise, it feels like it lacks anything to make it stand out. Thank you to the publisher for an ARC.