Moms Don't Have Time to Have Kids

In MOMS DON’T HAVE TIME TO HAVE KIDS: A TIMELESS ANTHOLOGY (Skyhorse Publishing; $14.99; November 2, 2021), award-winning podcast host, co-founder of Zibby Books, and busy mother of four (ages 6 to 14), Zibby Owens curates 53 essays by 49 authors to help us all feel understood, inspired, and less alone. The authors—previous guests on her award-winning podcast Moms Don’t Have Time To Read Books—include 15 New York Times bestsellers, 5 national bestsellers, and 29 critically acclaimed writers.

Editor Zibby Owens collected these dazzling essays about the many things moms don't have time to do (sleep, socialize, get sick, write, lose weight) in a new timeless collection that can be read in short bursts or all at once. Topics range from taking care of an aging grandmother, mourning the loss of a family member, battling insomnia, wrestling with body image, coping with chronic illness, navigating writer's block, the power of women's friendship, and more.

Zibby’s previous anthology, MOMS DON’T HAVE TIME TO: A QUARANTINE ANTHOLOGY, received multiple awards and praise by Good Morning America, The Washington Post, Katie Couric Media, Parents, and dozens of other media outlets.

This book of the month and discussion guide was shared and sponsored in partnership with Zibby Owens.

Book club questions for Moms Don't Have Time to Have Kids by Zibby Owens

Use these discussion questions to guide your next book club meeting.

Which of the 5 topics (sleep, see friends, get sick, write, lose weight) resonates the most with you as a reader? Why?

Discuss new authors you have discovered by reading this anthology.

Did you learn more about a writer from reading her essay or from listening to her podcast episode or both?

What are 3 lessons you have learned about motherhood after reading Moms Don’t Have Time To Have Kids?

What is your favorite essay and why do you love it?

If you were given the opportunity to write an essay for this anthology what would you write about?

Moms Don't Have Time to Have Kids Book Club Questions PDF

Click here for a printable PDF of the Moms Don't Have Time to Have Kids discussion questions

“Zibby Owens has done it again. If you’re… human…you will love these essays.” —Billie Lourd, actress

”These essays are both timeless and made for this (our) time. Each one is a bite-sized gem, but at heart, this hilarious collection from an astonishing array of literary lights is about how we balance that high-wire act of being human. Each essay drew me in and elicited that comforting feeling of talking with my best friend and the astonishing joy at making a new friend.” —Annabelle Gurwitch, New York Times bestselling author of I See You Made an Effort and You’re Leaving When?, and co-host of the Tiny Victories podcast

“Zibby has brought literary luminaries together in this beautifully curated collection of essays. She has a way of bringing us all together to share in the camaraderie of humanity. I inhaled her book in a single sitting. With each essay, I felt more connected and less alone—like a warm embrace at the end of an exhausting journey through this pandemic-ravaged year. Zibby’s constant quest to connect to the stories that give our lives meaning is a beacon of hope. A must-read for anyone seeking heartfelt, soul-enriching connection to a community of fellow travelers on the road of life.”—Stephanie Thornton Plymale, author of American Daughter: A Memoir, CEO of Heritage School of Interior Design, and host of the podcast Overcoming

“These essays help cut through the intense loneliness and isolation of being a mother. Their succinct and often hilarious prose will remind us all that we are in this together. I’m blown away by the incredible women brought together in this single collection.” —Jo Piazza, bestselling author of Charlotte Walsh Likes to Win and the upcoming novel We Are Not Like Them; host of podcasts Under the Influence and Committed

“Dear Zibby, ‘Pick me, pick me!’ to contribute to your next anthology! You have a gift for uniting the strongest, most inspiring voices all in one happy place. Moms Don’t Have Time to Have Kids made me say YAY!” —Meaghan B. Murphy, author Your Fully Charged Life and Editor in Chief of Woman’s Day magazine