Books & Boba is a book club dedicated to books written by Asian and Asian American authors. We cover a wide range of genres including contemporary, historical fiction, sci-fi, fantasy, YA, nonfiction, thrillers, graphic novels, and memoirs.
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On this episode, we're excited to welcome author Susan Lee back to the podcast to catch up on BTS news as well as chat about her latest novel, See You at the Sunset , an adult romantic comedy about a young woman, who is staying with her grandmother in a Palm Springs senior living community after losing her job at a law firm in NYC, as she strikes up a relationship with her grandma's new neighbor's…
On this episode, we chat with author Erin Baldwin about her latest novel Good Luck, Babe! A sapphic YA coming of age romantic comedy about two former best friends who reluctantly agree to work together to pursue their dream of competing on an Amazing-race style reality TV competition, the catch is they also have to pretend to date because their season is for couples-only! Erin shares with us her…
On this episode, we discuss our July 2026 Patron's Choice Book Club pick, Sunshine Nails by Mai Nguyen, A family comedy about the Trans of Toronto Canada, a messy but close-knit family who come together to try and save their family's nail salon when gentrification comes into their neighborhood in the form of a high-tech all-inclusive rival nail salon, by any means necessary. Books & Boba is a…
On this episode, we sit down with author Tania Tay to discuss her new cafe cozy romance novel The Matcha Maker Café (which she wrote under the pen name Lily Chen). We chat with Tania about her journey to becoming a novelist, her experience writing about the British East Asian experience for IP projects, as well as the rise (and decline) of cafe culture. Learn more about Tania at taniatay.com and…
On this episode, we catch up on the latest Asian American book news and publishing announcements for our July 2026 mid-month check-is Upcoming books mentioned in our publishing news: Swaplife by Abdi Nazemian and Pedro Rhuas My Heart or Yours by K. Sugimoto Destined or Damned by Sara Jafari Chicken's Noodle Soup by Naaz H. Khan ; illust. by Valentina Tu Novae by Jennifer Xu and Kate Rhodes Book…
On this episode, we chat with author Yejin Suh to talk about her debut novel The Last Soldier of Nava , a Korean-inspired fantasy novel following a girl named Shadow, a former peerless soldier who awakens after a thousand years of slumber, who struggles to retain her freedom under a new identity, even as she is dragged back to her immortal father's court by his new protege (whom she also feels an…
Join us as we discuss our June 2026 pick, The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo. A queer retelling of the classic American novel The Great Gatsby. Set in a magical alternate Jazz Age New York, this version is told through the perspective of Jordan Baker, a side character in the original text, re-imagined as a Vietnamese American adoptee who does her best to survive in a high society as an…
On this episode, we sit down with author Yu-Mei Balasingamchow to talk about her debut novel Names Have Been Changed , a modern epistolary novel told in the style of tell-all podcast hosted by a Singaporean woman who has been on the run across the world for a decade. We're excited to chat with Yu-Mei about her debut that's part globetrotting adventure and part love letter to diaspora communities…
On this episode, we catch up on the latest Asian American book news and publishing announcements for our June 2026 mid-month check-is Upcoming books mentioned in our publishing news: Life Is a K Drama by Sherri Shepherd & Jayci Lee Ophelia No. 23 by Saou Ichikawa A Girl’s Spine by Saou Ichikawa Birchwood Prep #1: Lina’s Secret by Mae Raespicio Kapa Kuiki: My Hawaiian Quilt by Ilima Kahokuhealani…
On this episode, we're very excited to welcome booktuber, and now published author, Cindy Pham to chat about her debut novel, The Secret World of Briar Rose , a sapphic dark retelling of the legend of sleeping beauty, following a jaded thief who, while searching for her missing sister, finds herself transported into the dream world of her fallen kingdom's slumbering princess. We chat with Cindy…
On this episode we discuss our May 2026 pick is No-No Boy by John Okada, one of the earliest in the Asian American canon following the story of Ichiro Yamada who returns home to Seattle after serving 2 years in prison for refusing to serve in the military during the internment of Japanese Americans during World War 2. We're excited to dive into this Asian American classic from 1957, who's…
On this episode, we welcome author Vincent Yu to chat about his debut novel, Seek Immediate Shelter , which follows the stories of several members of a small town community in Massachusetts, who have to deal with the consequences of their impulsive actions when a faulty mass alert is sent our warning them of an imminent missile strike. Follow Vincent on Instagram at @vinyu12 and check out his…
For our mid-month book news check in for May 2026, we catch up on the latest Asian American publishing announcements as well as check in on some of the latest news and tea from the greater book industry. Upcoming books mentioned in our publishing news: The First White Hair by Yasmin Zaher The Dragon Thief by Ellen Oh It Begins with the End by Samira Ahmed Summers in Syria by Shifa Saltagi Safadi;…
On this episode, we chat with Canwen Xu about her debut novel, Boring Asian Female, a thriller about a Chinese American college student who, in the midst of spiraling from having failed her life's dream of being accepted into Harvard Law School, decides to stalk a fellow Asian classmate who did make it in to see what makes her so special! Follow Canwen on Instagram at @Canwen.Xu and check out her…
On this episode, we discuss our April 2026 book club pick, The Elsewhere Express by Samantha Sotto Yambao, chosen for us by our patrons (you can help us pick our next patron's choice in July by joining our patreon). Pitched a a Ghibli-style cozy fantasy (but we found it to be a little more than it seems), The Elsewhere Express is a ethereal train that appears to pick up passengers who have lost…
On this episode, we welcome Kelly Yang to the podcast to chat about her adult novel debut, The Take , a story about a young Chinese American woman who aspires to become a novelist, and a veteran Hollywood producer who offers to help her break into the industry... in return for a bit of her youth. We're so excited to finally have the chance to chat with Kelly about her adult debut after a prolific…
For our mid-month book news check in for April 2026, we catch up on the latest Asian American publishing announcements as well as check in on some distressing news for our legacy Kindles. Upcoming books mentioned in our publishing news: The Library of Lost Time by Vaishnavi Patel BoxBoxBoxBox by Wan Sakamoto Mama's Magical Hands by Yu An Xie The Kids Came Back Wrong edited by Wen-yi Lee Crush by…
On this episode, we're very excited to bring you an author chat with Rachel Khong, author of our September 2017 book club pick Goodbye Vitamin (episode 28), to talk about her latest book, My Dear You , a short story collection featuring a genre-spanning stories exploring themes of identity, relationships, and time. From a story about missed connections and a cat that conjures the ghosts of…
We sit down for an author chat with Lisa Lee to talk with her about about her debut novel American Han , a Korean American family drama about the Kims, a family whose members are each going through their own personal crises. When an even bigger crisis occurs the whole family is forced to come together and deal with the consequences of decades of built up resentment and estrangement, all stemming…
On this episode, we discuss our March 2026 Book Club Pick, Butter by Asako Yuzuki, a story of food and murder following a Japanese journalist who begins a professional relationship with a convicted serial killer, charged with the murders of three domestic partners, in hopes of getting an exclusive interview. However, she ends up getting more than she bargained for as she gets sucked into the…
For our mid-month book news check in for March 2026, we catch up on the latest Asian American publishing announcements as well as check in on the ongoing fight against book bans: The Carlton Girls: Casey and the Cruel Thief by Julie Abe The Goodfolke Family by Roshani Chokshi P.S. Are We Friends Now? by John Schu and Jasmine Warga My Neighbor Yokai by noho Fall, in Love by Mia Kayla The…
On this episode, we discuss our February 2026 book club pick, Behind Frenemy Lines by Zen Cho, a romantic comedy about two Asian lawyers in London who share an (kinda?) adversarial relationship who end up sharing an office and perhaps become something more as they find themselves in a pseudo fake relationship to help with each other's personal troubles. We read Zen Cho's Regency era fantasy…
Happy New Year! On our first mid-month book news check-in episode for the year of the horse, we go over a hefty list of latest Asian American publishing news as the publishing industry revs back into gear after the holidays. Upcoming books mentioned in our publishing news: Blur the Lines by Kanitha P. Paper Ghosts by Samantha Chong Cold Blood by Aashna Avachat Untitled Contemporary YA By Jesmeen…
Happy New Year! We ring in the Year of the Horse with an exciting author chat with Lillian Li (author of past book club pick #1 Chinese Restaurant), who joins us to chat about her newest novel Bad Asians , a coming of age story following four childhood friends who all move home after graduating college in 2008 after their well laid plans were derailed by the great recession. They inadvertently…
On this episode, we sit down with Yosha Gunasekera to chat about her debut novel, The Midnight Taxi . A murder mystery following a true crime loving Sri Lankan American cab driver who ends up accused of murder when a passenger ends up mysteriously murdered in her cab. Yosha shares with us her personal journey to writing her novel as well as how she drew from her experience as an attorney for The…
On this episode, we discuss our January 2026 (and patron's choice) pick, Reef by Romesh Gunesekera, a historical fiction novel about a boy who grows up as the personal cook and housekeeper for a wealthy marine biology enthusiast in Sri Lanka, blissfully and willingly unaware that the world outside the walls of his residence is slowly descending into chaos in the years leading up to Sri Lanka's…
On our first mid-month book news check-in episode for 2026, we go over the latest Asian American publishing news from the holiday season, as well as check out some of January's new releases from Asian and Asian American authors. Upcoming books mentioned in our publishing news: Death Wish by Lilly Lu What Hungers in the Dark by Monika Kim How to Crash a Kite by Ellie Peterson Tokki's Tricks by Aram…
Hey everyone! We're back from our holiday break for our first podcast of 2026 and we're finally discussing our December 2025 Book Club Pick Blackmail and Bibingka by Mia P. Manansala. A X'mas themed cozy mystery (but actually a story about family and Filipino noms). At this point, we're kind of murder mystery connoisseurs so this was the perfect end of year treat for us. Fun fact, we did an author…
On our final mid-month book news episode in 2025, we review some of the latest Asian American publishing announcements, and weigh in on some recent book tea for December 2025! Upcoming books mentioned in our publishing news: Light and Thread by Han Kang When We Swallowed the Sea by Janet Hong Limitlessly, Mina by Gianna Lakenauth Take to the Sky by Christina Soontornvat Not Again, Dragon Chen! by…
On this episode we discuss our November 2025 book club pick, Taiwan Travelogue by Shuang-zi Yang, translated by Lin King, a historical fiction novel (with a meta-fiction twist) about a Japanese travel writer invited to write about the imperial colony of Taiwan by the Japanese government in the 1930's, and follows her budding relationship with her Taiwanese translator as they eat through the island…
On this episode, we chat with bestselling author Lyla Lee to chat about her new YA romance novel, The Cuffing Game , a modern Korean American take on the timeless enemy-to-lovers tale Pride & Prejudice, remixed with the chaotic reality TV energy of Love Island about an aspiring student producer who reluctantly recruits her crush to participate in the college dating show she is producing. Lyla…
On our second to last mid-month book news episode in 2025, we highlight some of the latest Asian American publishing announcements, and catch up on the latest book news for November 2025! Upcoming books mentioned in our publishing news: Overrated by Gene Luen Yang & Jacob Perez Ink & Blood: Poetry and Power in the Lives of Emperor Li Yu and Chairman Mao by Chun Yu; illust. Sungyoon Choi The…
Join us as we discuss our October 2025 book club pick, Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by Kylie Lee Baker, a Chinese American horror story taking place during the COVID-19 pandemic following Cora Zeng, a crime scene cleaner haunted by the trauma of witnessing her sister's murder in a NYC subway station, as well as what appears to be her sister's actual hungry ghost. We follow Cora and her…
On this episode, we sit down with author Yume Kitasei to chat about her latest novel, Saltcrop , a science fiction story about three sisters who grew up in a near future Earth after an ecological collapse changed the world. When the eldest sister goes missing while working for a megacorporation (because capitalism persists even after the end of the world), the younger two set off on a dangerous…
For our mid-month book news check in for October 2025, we're catching up on the Asian American publishing news for the past 2 months (since we didn't do a mid-month episode in September) as well as checking in on the news about the latest National Book Award nominations as well as some exciting new listings on the NYT bestsellers list! Upcoming books mentioned in our publishing news: The Radiance…
On this episode, we are joined by Jade Chang, the author of our August 2025 book club pick The Wangs Vs the World , to chat about her newest novel, What a Time to be Alive , which follows a messy Chinese American girl named Lola Treasure Gold who inadvertently finds internet fame when a tongue in cheek speech she makes at a party honoring her recently deceased best friend goes viral, turning her…
On this episode, we discuss our September 2025 book club pick, A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna, a cozy magical story about Sera, who used to be the most powerful witch in the UK until losing all her power casting a forbidden spell to bring her beloved great aunt back from the dead. Now 15 years later, she runs a magical inn in the English countryside after being expelled…
On this episode, we are joined by best selling author Dustin Thao to chat about his newest novel, You've Found Oliver , the follow up to his bittersweet debut You've Reached Sam. Dustin shares with us how a real life glitch in the matrix inspired the supernatural setting of his latest romance as well as his thoughts on time, grief, and magic. Follow Dustin on Instagram at @thedustinthao and check…
On this episode, we are joined from all the way on the other side of the world by Emma Pei Yin to chat about her debut novel When Sleeping Women Wake , a historical fiction novel about three women who each find their individual paths to resistance during the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong during world war 2. Emma shares with how she was inspired to write the story after hearing about her…
On this episode, we chat with author Amran Gowani about his debut novel Leverage , a financial thriller about a rising star hedge fund analyst who is forced to dive into the seedy underbelly of the financial system when he loses his firm $300 million in a day and has to make everything back in 3 months or face some dire consequences. Amran chats with us about the themes of his novel as well as…
On this episode we discuss our August 2025 book club pick The Wangs Vs. The World by Jade Chang, about the (formerly) affluent Wang family who embark on a road trip from from LA to NY after losing everything during the 2008 financial crisis. This is a book that is almost as old as our podcast and has been on our TBR for a long time so we're excited to dive in! TW: One of the storylines involve a…
On this episode, we sit down with author Benedict Nguyễn to chat about her debut novel Hot Girls with Balls , a romantic sports satire about two Asian American trans athletes at the top of their game as stars of the international men’s pro indoor volleyball league (who also happen to be girlfriends)! Follow Benedict on Instagram at @xbennyboo and check out her debut novel Hot Girls with Balls…
Reera is off on family business so it's a solo Marvin mid-month check in this week. On this short but sweet episode, Marvin highlights some of the latest publishing announcements for books by Asian and Asian American authors so that you can have even more books to keep an eye on for your TBR lists! Upcoming books mentioned in our publishing news: SLASHER SUMMER By E.L. Chen AMBROSIA By Katrina…
On this episode, we chat with Julia and Brad Riew, the sibling writing duo behind the new Asian-inspired fantasy novel The Last Tiger ! Julia and Brad share their experiences writing a novel as a team as well as how they were inspired to write their fantasy epic, which takes place in a world inspired by Japanese-occupied Korea in the 1940's, by the real life star-crossed love story of their…
On this episode, we discuss our July 2025 pick is Bingsu for Two by Sujin Witherspoon, a coffee house romantic comedy set in Seattle about high school senior River, who is reeling from the consequences of a series of disastrous personal decisions and seeks refuge at a small Korean cafe where he finds a found family and maybe even an enemies-to-lovers romance with the goth Korean girl of his…
Note: This is a re-upload of episode 321 since we had the wrong audio file uploaded last week, apologies for any confusion! On our mid-month check in for July 2025, we highlight some of the latest Asian American publishing announcements, and catch up on the latest book news! Upcoming books mentioned in our publishing news: Break Room by Miye Lee; translated by Sandy Jooson Lee Gods & Comics by Kat…
On this episode, we sit down with author Allison King to chat about her debut novel The Phoenix Pencil Company , a novel that's part historical fiction, part magical realism, and part sapphic romance about a young woman who discovers her family's secret magical power to reconstruct anything written by a pencil while taking care of her ailing grandmother and learning about her own family's history…
On this episode, we're joined by author Naomi Xu Elegant to chat about her debut novel Gingko Season , a story about a young Chinese American woman finding love, identity, purpose, and political awakening alongside her friends, set in New York City in 2018. Books & Boba is a podcast dedicated to reading and featuring books by Asian and Asian American authors Support the Books & Boba Podcast by:…
On this episode, we discuss our June 2025 book club pick is Afterparties by the late Anthony Veasna So, a short story collection about a community of Cambodian Americans in San Joaquin County. Join us as we discuss all nine short stories that take us through a myriad of emotions with Anthony's often melancholic, sometimes hopeful, and darkly funny storytelling. Books & Boba is a podcast dedicated…
On this episode, we welcome award winning author and illustrator Mike Curato to the podcast to chat about his latest graphic novel, Gaysians , an adult graphic novel following four gay Asians navigating love, identity, found family, and friendship in early 2000's Seattle. Follow Mike on Instagram at @mike_curato and check out his latest graphic novel Gaysians available now on the Books & Boba…
