Books and Boba

On this episode, we welcome bestselling author Judy I. Lin to chat about her debut duology A Magic Steeped in Poison and A Venom Dark and Sweet , an Asian-inspired fantasy series about magical tea, imperial court intrigue, and a young woman's quest for redemption. We chat with Judy about her inspirations behind the story, as well as her series' whirlwind publishing schedule.  Follow Judy on i...

On this episode, we highlight the latest book and publishing news in Asian American literature for our September 2022 mid-month check-in, this month we also check out some recent book awards updates and have a chat about the sad recent trends of book bans. New books and authors mentioned in our publishing news: Song of the Six Realms by Judy Lin Good Fortune by C.K. Chau Covenant series by LySandr...

On this episode, author Tracey Lien joins the podcast to talk about her debut novel All That's Left Unsaid , a thrilling mystery about a journalist who returns to her hometown of Cabramatta after her baby brother's violent death in search for answers and to confront her past. Tracey shares about her inspirations for the novel, as well as about her journey to becoming a novelist. Follow Tracey on i...

On this episode, we discuss our August 2022 book club pick, Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating by Adiba Jaigirdar, a story about 2 Bengali Irish teens who enter into, you guessed it,  a fake relationship. Hani is doing i to prove to her very toxic friends that she is bi-sexual, and Ishu is doing it so Hani can help her become head girl. But what happens when the fake relationship starts bec...

On this episode, we welcome author Sangu Mandanna to chat about her new novel The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches , a cozy story about a lonely witch named Mika who finds herself in charge of educating three young witches in the English countryside. We chat with Sangu about her inspirations for this story of found family, generational trauma, and romance. Follow Sangu on instagram at @san...

On this episode, we highlight the latest book and publishing news in Asian American literature for our August 2022 mid-month check-in, including the big news that's rocking the publishing industry right now. New books and authors mentioned in our publishing news: Worthy: The Brave and Capable Life of Joseph Pierce by Andrea Wang; illus by Youa Vang The Art Spy: The Untold Story of World War II Res...

Author Emiko Jean returns to the podcast to talk about her latest novel, MIKA IN REAL LIFE , a story about directionless 30-something Mika, and what happens when she gets contacted by the daughter she gave up for adoption 16 years ago. We chat with Emiko about her inspirations for the novel, as well as catch up with what she's been up to over the past year. Follow Emiko on IG at @emikojeanbooks an...

On this episode, we discuss our July 2022 pick is Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi, a japanese novel about a Tokyo cafe where you can order a coffee that lets you go back in time, but only until your coffee gets cold. Join us as we discuss the book's four stories about confronting regret and grief through time travel, as well as our thoughts on how the book portrays its female ch...

On this episode, author Lio Min joins us to chat about their debut novel Beating Heart Baby , a coming-of-age romance about the bonds formed from internet friendship, watching anime, and playing music. Lio shares about their journey going from being a music journalist to a published novelist, and yes, we talk a bunch about anime as well.  Follow Lio on twitter at @EmoOcean and check out their...

On this episode, we highlight the latest book and publishing news in Asian American literature for our July 2022 mid-month check-in, and Marvin learns a little about Book-tok. New books and authors mentioned in our publishing news: You Are Here: Connecting Flights by Traci Chee, Mike Chen, Meredith Ireland, Mike Jung, Erin Entrada Kelly, Minh Lê, Grace Lin, Ellen Oh, Linda Sue Park, Randy Ribay, C...

On this episode, we discuss our June 2022 pick is Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo, an award-winning coming-of-age story about Lily, a teenage Chinese-American girl exploring her sexuality in 1950's San Francisco Chinatown. It's a book that explores the intersectionality of identity for queer children of immigrants during a time when who and how you love were explicitly illegal and m...

On this episode, we highlight the latest book and publishing news in Asian American literature for our June 2022 mid-month check-in, and maybe get a little heated about what a certain white dude said on the internet. New books and authors mentioned in our publishing news: Aisha Saeed  - Forty Words for Love Axie Oh - The Floating World Maia & Alex Shibutani - Amazing: Asian Americans and...

On this episode, author Joseph Han joins us to chat about his debut novel Nuclear Family, a story about a Korean American family that runs a plate lunch diner in Hawaii, and the ghosts that haunt them all the way from the Korean DMZ. We discuss his inspirations behind writing Nuclear Family, his thoughts on the ghosts that haunt a diaspora, and what Guy Fieri's quest to reach Flavortown has to do...

On this episode, we discuss our May 2022 pick is Portrait of a Thief by Grace D. Li, a story about 5 Chinese American college students who form a heist crew to steal back stolen Chinese art from western museums. We discuss the book's themes of diaspora and reclaiming culture, as well as dive into how heisty this heist book turned out to be. *Support the podcast by purchasing books at our bookshop...

On this episode, we chat with another member of the infamous "kimchingoos," this time with author Grace K. Shim about her debut novel, The Noh Family , a story about a Korean American girl who discovers through a DNA test that her father was a member of one of the richest families in Korea. We chat with Grace about her real life and k-drama inspirations for the story, as well as her personal journ...

On this episode, we highlight the latest book and publishing news in Asian American literature for our May 2022 mid-month check-in!  New books and authors mentioned in our publishing news: Ila Nguyen-Hayama - Benten School of Esoterics Lyla Lee - Gigi Shin Is Not a Nerd Thea Guanzon - Hurricane Wars Gail D. Villanueva - Lulu Sinagtala and The Tagalog Gods Melissa de la Cruz - The Headmaster's...

On this episode, we welcome author Vanessa Hua back to the podcast to chat about her newest book Forbidden City , a historical fiction novel about a young woman who becomes a confidant of Chairman Mao during the Cultural Revolution. We catch up with Vanessa about what she's been up to since we last chatted, and learn more about how and why she decided to write a story about one of the most turbule...

On this episode, we discuss our April 2022 pick is A Taste for Love by Jennifer Yen, a rom-com about Liza Yang, a high school senior who loves to bake but her mother would rather set her up on blind dates with acceptable Chinese boys. After she finally convinces her mother to let her participate in the family's annual baking competition as a judge, she finds that her mother has filled the competit...

On this episode, we highlight the latest book and publishing news in Asian American literature for our April 2022 mid-month check-in!  New books mentioned in our publishing news: Sunshine Nails by Mai Nguyen Dim Sum Palace by X. Fang Broken by X. Fang We Are Definitely Human by X. Fang Dear Wendy by Ann Zhao untitled novel by Anuk Arudpragasam If You’re Not the One by Farah Naz Rishi The Last...

On this episode, we chat with author Jenny Tinghui Zhang about her debut novel Four Treasures of the Sky , a historical fiction novel about a woman's journey across the American west during the time of the Chinese Exclusion Act. We learn about Jenny's inspirations a well as how she prepared to write about such a dark chapter in Chinese American history.  Follow Jenny on instagram at @sunspotl...

On this episode, we discuss our March 2022 Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki, a genre-spanning novel about a music teacher seeking souls to pay back a demonic pact, a trans girl runaway who might also be a violin prodigy, a family of interstellar refugees running a donut shop, and their intertwining stories  taking place in the San Gabriel Valley (where Marvin and Reera also happen to li...

On this episode, we highlight the latest book and publishing news in Asian American literature for our March 2022 mid-month check-in!  New books mentioned in our publishing news: A Quitter’s Paradise by Elysha Chang The Storm We Made by Vanessa Chan The Backyard Bird Chronicles by Amy Tan True Love and Other Impossible Odds by Christina Li Angelica and the Bear Prince by Trung Le Nguyen Cooki...

On this episode, we welcome back Abigail Hing Wen, to chat about her latest novel Loveboat, Reunion , the sequel to her hit debut novel Loveboat, Taipei (now an upcoming Netflix feature film). We catch up with Abigail on what she's been up to since we last talked, her thoughts on the new novel, and some small tidbits from the set of the Loveboat, Taipei film. Follow Abigail on instagram at @abigai...

On this episode, we discuss our February 2022 book club pick Good Talk: A Memoir in Conversations by Mira Jacob , a  graphic memoir about growing up Indian in New Mexico and raising a child in the age of Trumpism. Joining us this time is fellow Potluck host Raman Sehgal (co-host of Modern Minorities & Quarantined Comics ) who is a Good Talk superfan, having read the book 5 times.&nbs...

On this episode, we highlight the latest book and publishing news in Asian American literature for our February 2022 mid-month check-in!  New books mentioned in our publishing news: My Nemisis by Charmaine Craig Our issing Hearts by Celeste Ng Made in Asian America: A History for Young People by Erika Lee and Christina Soontornvat When I Gave Dad a Sign by Jack Wong We are Earthlings by Rachel Qiu...