Small Towns, Friendship, and Secrets in Kristy Woodson Harvey and B&N Book Club Pick Mikki Brammer’s New Novels

Totally Booked with Zibby

Zibby Owens

Moms, Arts, Books, Parenting, Connection, Literary, Reading, Inspiration, Entertainment

4.5 • 643 Ratings

🗓️ 12 May 2026

⏱️ 35 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Kristy Woodson Harvey spotlights NICU nurses, sports coaches, and a small town in her annual summer novel, this time Summer State of Mind. If you’ve ever wondered “how something like this could happen in a town like theirs,” Kristy will pull back the curtain. But don’t worry: as Kristy says, “There are some secrets that come to light through the course of (the book), but you know, it's me, and I love a happy ending.” Hear how Kristy learned everything she needed to on the tennis court, how decisions aren’t black and white, and how this book stretched her talent.

Mikki Brammer’s novel Good Joy, Bad Joy is this month’s Barnes & Noble Book Club Pick — and it’s clear why. By delving into the lives of two elderly women, Joy and Hazel— who truly don’t see themselves that way — Mikki paints a delicate portrait of female friendship, the secrets we keep, and how we cope when a loved one falls ill. Plus it’s a little devious. The real question, according to Mikki? “What is a life well lived and have I lived it fully?” Dive in.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi, this is Zibi Owens, and you're listening to Totally Booked with Zibby. Formerly, moms don't have time to read books. In my daily show, I interview today's latest, best-selling, buzziest, or underrated authors and story creators, whose work I think is worth your time. As a bookstore owner, publisher, author, and obviously podcaster, I get a comprehensive
0:24.0	look at everything that's coming out and spend my time curating the best books so you don't
0:29.3	have to.
0:30.3	Stay in the know, get insider insights, and connect with guests like I do every single day.
0:36.2	For more information, go to zibbimedia.com and follow me on Instagram
0:40.2	at Zibby Owens. Today is a two-in-one episode with two fabulous authors. Both of these books
0:50.1	will be perfect summer novels to devour Christy Woodson Harvey and Mickey Braimer. Christy Woodson Harvey and Mickey Bramer.
0:56.6	Christy Woods and Harvey is the author of Summer State of Mind. She is the New York Times,
1:00.9	USA Today, and Publishers Weekly bestselling author of 14 novels, including Beach House Rules and
1:06.7	the Peach Tree Bluff series. A happier life is in development for film with MGM Amazon.
1:12.0	The Summer of Songbirds is in development for television with Hulu, and many of her other
1:16.3	projects are in various stages of option or development for film and television.
1:20.8	Her work has received numerous accolades, including Good Morning America's Buzzpick, Southern
1:25.1	Living's Most Anticipated Reeds, Katie Couric's featured books, and more.
1:29.9	She's also the winner of the Lucy Bramlett-Patterson Award for Excellence in Creative Writing
1:35.7	and a finalist for the Southern Book Prize.
1:38.7	Christy is the co-creator and co-host of the hit weekly web show and podcast Friends and Fiction,
1:43.2	with fellow New York Times bestselling authors Mary Kay Andrews, Kristen Harmel, and Patty Callahan, Henry. She is also the co-founder of the award-winning interior site, Design Sheik, with her mom, Beth Woodson. She lives on the North Carolina Coast with her husband, son, and dog salt, where she is always working on her next novel. Mickey Bramer is the author of Good Joy, Bad Joy.
2:03.5	She is an Australian journalist based in New York City by way of France and Spain.
2:07.7	She is the best-selling author of The Collected Regrets of Clover and writes about design,
2:12.7	architecture, and art for publications such as Architectural Digest, Dwell, and El Decor. First up, we have Christy Woods and Harvey. Welcome, Christy. Thanks for coming back on Totally Book. You're like a VIP special guest. You're here all the time, I feel like, because you write so many books. This time to talk about summer state of mind. Congratulations. Thank you so much for having me. I'm so thrilled to be back. And it does feel like I've
2:35.7	written a lot lately. Right. I mean, how many books have you written in the last eight years?
	...

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