Books and Boba

Introducing Boba Chats! Books & Boba's new monthly bonus podcast where Reera and Marvin (and future guests) chat about non-book related things and answer listener questions. This bonus podcast is a perk for "Honey Boba" subscribers of our new Patreon , but we're making this first episode available for everyone as a treat. On this inaugural episode of Boba Chat, Reera chats about the new Dungeo...

On this episode, we check out the latest book and publishing news in Asian American literature for our April 2023 mid-month check-in, including going over some book to film adaptation news! New books and authors mentioned in our publishing news: Maybe It's a Sign by E.L. Shen Meet Me on Mercer Street by Booki Vivat Seeker of Truth: Kailash Satyarthi's Fight to End Child Labor by Srividhya Venkat;...

Author Maurene Goo returns to Books & Boba to chat with us about her new novel, Throwback , a YA coming-of-age story. After getting into a fight with her mother, a Korean American girl who finds herself sent back to the year 1995 and meets her mother as a teen. We chat with Maurene about her inspirations for the book, as well as our own 90's nostalgia. Follow Maurene on IG at @maurenegoo and c...

On this episode, we discuss our March 2023 Book Club Pick, Front Desk by Kelly Yang, a middle grade coming of age novel about young Mia Tang who helps her immigrant parents run a motel in Southern California while dreaming of ways to help her parents achieve their American Dreams. Along the way, Mia encounters many challenges that modern day minorities face, including micro-aggressions from teache...

On this episode, we chat with author Rachel Heng about her new novel, The Great Reclamation , a sweeping historical fiction novel (with magical realism elements) about Lee Ah Boon, a boy with the ability to locate magical transient islands, as he and his family survive through decades of turbulence in Singapore, first under British colonization, then Japanese occupation, then British colonization...

On this episode, we check out the latest book and publishing news in Asian American literature for our March 2023 mid-month check-in, including catching up with the Harper Collins publishing announcements we missed during the strike. New books and authors mentioned in our publishing news: Shanghailanders  by Juli Min Four Eids and a Funeral  by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé & Adiba Jaigirdar...

On this episode, we chat with author Kathryn Ma about her latest novel, The Chinese Groove , about the adventures of a Chinese immigrant who moves to American to pursue his American dream, armed only with his optimism and his in depth knowledge of "The Chinese Groove." Follow Kathryn on twitter at @Kathryn_E_Ma and check out her novel The Chinese Groove on sale now! *Support the podcast by purchas...

On this episode, we discuss our February 2023 pick, The Charmed List by Julie Abe, a YA romantic comedy about a teen wallflower (who happens to be part of the magical community of Palo Alto) who wants to break out of her shell by taking an epic summer road trip with her bff, but ends up being forced to take that trip with her ex-best friend/boy next door instead. The best part is, this book includ...

For this author chat episode, we chat with author Gloria Chao about her latest novel, When You Wish Upon a Lantern , a YA rom-com about a girl who tries to save her family's lantern business by granting her Chinese American community's wishes, and has to rely on her ex-best friend for help. We chat with Gloria about her long journey to becoming a prolific author of Asian American YA romances, as w...

On this episode, we check out the latest book and publishing news in Asian American literature for our February 2023 mid-month check-in, including some major updates from the Harper Collins Union strike and some highlights from the ALA awards. New books and authors mentioned in our publishing news: Say You’ll Be Mine by Naina Kumar Pangu's Shadow by Karen Bao Bridge Across the Sky by Freeman Ng Be...

On this episode, we chat with author Cara Tanamachi about her new novel The Second You're SIngle , a Rom Com about a woman who turns her goal to swear off dating for the month of February into a popular feature, only to run into a hot baker who might just be the one. Cara shares her background as a writer as well as her own dating experiences with us in this fun author chat. Follow Cara on instagr...

Buckle in for an extra large episode of Books & Boba! On this episode, we discuss the last half of our book club pick Babel by R.F. Kuang, where the action and drama ramps up and does not let up until the very end. From a shocking turn of events on the high seas to a climactic magical workers strike, Babel is a story we won't forget for years to come. *Support the podcast by purchasing books a...

On this episode of Books & Boba, we sit down with author Kyla Zhao to chat about her debut novel The Fraud Squad , a story about one woman's quest to charm her way into Singaporean high society to chase her dreams of writing for Asias most glamorous fashion magazine. Follow Kyla on instagram at @kylakzhao and check out her novel The Fraud Squad on sale now! *Support the podcast by purchasing b...

It's our first mid-month episode of 2023, just in time for the Lunar New Year! Join us as we ring in the Year of the Rabbit by going through the latest Asian American book and publishing news, including an update on the HarperCollins Union Strike and the emergence of AI audiobook narrators. New books and authors mentioned in our publishing news: Mind Your Manners: A Guide to Social Fluency by&nbsp...

On our first author chat of the new year, we sit down with Iris Yamashita, the academy award nominated screenwriter of Letters From Iwo Jima , to chat about her debut novel City Under One Roof , a mystery set in a remote town in Alaska where the entire population lives in one building. We chat with Iris about the real life inspirations for her story and setting, as well as ask about her career as...

Happy New Year! On this episode, we discuss the first 2 acts (or "books") of Babel by R.F. Kuang, a epic dark academia fantasy taking place in an alternate universe version of Oxford during the early Victorian era about a Chinese boy named Robin Swift who is whisked away from his home in Canton and set on a path to become a translator for the Royal Institute of Translation (aka Babel). However, as...

For the last time this year, we highlight the latest book and publishing news in Asian American literature for our December 2022 mid-month check-in, including checking in on the ongoing strike at Harper Collins New books and authors mentioned in our publishing news: Shell Song by  Sharon Fujimoto-Johnson Untitled picture book by  Sanae Ishid Untitled YA horror novels  by Judy I. Lin...

On this episode, we discuss our Books & Boba November 2022 book club pick, Year of the Tiger: An Activist's Life by Alice Wong, a memoir by the founder and director of Disability Visibility Project, about her life growing up as a person living with disability as well as a Chinese American in the mid-west, her work in activism and advocacy, and all the food and geeky pop cultural things that sh...

On our 200th(!) episode, we highlight the latest book and publishing news in Asian American literature for our November 2022 mid-month check-in, including checking back in on the ongoing publishers strike at Harper Collins. New books and authors mentioned in our publishing news: From Mumbai, with Love by Priyanka Taslim The Notes by Catherine Con Morse Mani Semilla Finds Her Quetzal Voice by Anna...

We've talked to many authors on Books & Boba, we've also read a few translated works for book club, but for the first time, we're talking to a translator directly! On this episode, we welcome Anton Hur, the English language translator of Baek Sehee's hit memoir I Want to Die But I Want to Eat Tteokbokki: A Memoir . We chat with Anton about he became a literary translator and how he approaches...

On this episode, we discuss our Books & Boba October 2022 book club pick, The Hole by Hye-Young Pyun, a psychological thriller about a man who wakes up from a coma after suffering debilitating injuries after surviving a car crash that kills his wife and finds himself dependent on his grieving mother-in-law who he's not sure he can trust. It's a story about the terror of not being about to cont...

On our latest author chat, we sit down with Ryan Lee Wong to chat about his debut novel Which Side Are You On? A story about a young Asian American man, struggling to live up to his ideals as an activist in today's world, who finds inspiration and frustration through conversations with his mother, who has a history in activism herself, as they drive around Los Angeles. We chat with Ryan about his...

On this episode, we highlight the latest book and publishing news in Asian American literature for our October 2022 mid-month check-in, including checking in on some bookstore drama and unionizing in the publishing world. New books and authors mentioned in our publishing news: Homeseeking by Karissa Chen Red by Cherry Zong Prodigy by Cyrena Lee; illust by Julia Kuo The Magic Lunch Box by Hanna Kim...

On this episode, we chat with author Lygia Day Peñaflor about her debut latest novel Creep: A Love Story , a story about a girl who might be too big a fan of her high school's "it" couple. We chat with Lygia about her inspirations for the story and what it was like to get into the head of an extreme stan. Follow Lygia on instagram at @lygiaday and check out her novel Creep: A Love Story on sale no...

On this episode, we discuss our Books & Boba September 2022 pick, You're Invited by Amanda Jayatissa, a twisty thriller about Amaya, a woman who returns to her hometown for the first time in years to stop the wedding between her ex-best friend and her ex-boyfriend. To do so, she need to re-enter the cutthroat Sri-Lankan high society that she thought she had left behind forever. But is everythi...