On this episode, we discuss our February 2025 pick, The Verifiers by Jane Pek, following Claudia Lin, an underachieving Asian American woman with a complicated and somewhat dysfunctional family situation, who is recruited to become an investigator for an online dating detective agency and gets drawn into a vast conspiracy involving big tech and data when one of her clients ends up dead under mysterious circumstances.

Books & Boba is a podcast dedicated to reading and featuring books by Asian and Asian American authors

Support the Books & Boba Podcast by:

• Joining our Patreon to receive exclusive perks
• Purchasing books at our bookshop
• Rocking our Books & Boba merch

Follow our hosts:

• Reera Yoo (@reeraboo)
• Marvin Yueh (@marvinyueh)

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The Books & Boba March 2025 pick is The Stationery Shop by Marjan Kamali

This podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective

Welcome to our first book news check-in for the new year (both new years)! As always, join us as we highlight some of the latest publishing announcements of books by Asian authors, as well as go over some recent awards and industry news!

Upcoming books mentioned in our publishing news:

• But I Won’t Miss Me by Tiffany Tsao
• The Magnificent Banyan Tree and the Green Tong Lau by Stephanie Ellen Sy; illust by Ishita Jain
• Go Tuk Tuk Go! by Varsha Bajaj; illust by Bao Luu
• Ami Moon and the Galactic Peacekeepers by Frances Lee
• The Fear Factory by Moniza Hossain
• Sweet Heat by Trinity Nguyen 
• Bad Idea, Right? by Trinity Nguyen
• A Boy Called Hero by Marie Miranda Cruz
• Afternoons with Ammama by Meghana Narayan
• Robot See, Robot Do by Vikram Madan
• Duck-A-Muck by Vikram Madan
• Extraordinary Eliana and the Magnificent Hmong New Year by V.T. Bidania; illust by Suji Park
• Two Little Hot Dogs by Camey Yeh
• Sisters Alone by Shifa Saltagi Safadi
• Robot Ramen Cafe by Deandra "Nika" Tan
• All That Chandni Knows by Khushboo Patel
• Raja's Journey by Varsha Bajaj; illust by Chaaya Prabhat.
• The Last Giant by Jade Zhang

Book news mentioned on this episode:

• APALA Awards for Youth Literature
• Bookshop.org now offers ebooks

Books & Boba is a podcast dedicated to reading and featuring books by Asian and Asian American authors

Support the Books & Boba Podcast by:

• Joining our Patreon to receive exclusive perks
• Purchasing books at our bookshop
• Rocking our Books & Boba merch

Follow our hosts:

• Reera Yoo (@reeraboo)
• Marvin Yueh (@marvinyueh)

Follow us:

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The Books & Boba February 2025 pick is The Verifiers by Jane Pek

This podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective

On this episode, we discuss our first book club pick of 2025, Sister Snake by Amanda Lee Koe, a modern re-imagining of the classic Chinese folktale The Legend of the White Snake, starring two immortal sisters who used to be best snake friends living along West Lake in Tang Dynasty China. When free-spirited Emerald is involved in an altercation with some cops in Central Park, conservative and pragmatic Su flies to NYC to whisk her sister away to her bastion of safety in Singapore, putting their co-dependent and often toxic centuries old relationship to the test once again.

Books & Boba is a podcast dedicated to reading and featuring books by Asian and Asian American authors

Support the Books & Boba Podcast by:

• Joining our Patreon to receive exclusive perks
• Purchasing books at our bookshop
• Rocking our Books & Boba merch

Follow our hosts:

• Reera Yoo (@reeraboo)
• Marvin Yueh (@marvinyueh)

Follow us:

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The Books & Boba February 2025 pick is The Verifiers by Jane Pek

This podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective

We're back! After an unintended extended hiatus dealing with the double whammy of early parenthood and uncontrollable wildfires, Books & Boba is back with our belated discussion of our December 2024 book club pick  Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-Joo and translated by Jamie Chang, a seminal modern text about what it's like to be a woman in modern Korea. Helping us discuss this short but dense novel is our special guest Virginia Duan, writer and entertainment editor of Mochi Mag!

Follow Virginia at: @themandarinmama

Books & Boba is a podcast dedicated to reading and featuring books by Asian and Asian American authors

Support the Books & Boba Podcast by:

• Joining our Patreon to receive exclusive perks
• Purchasing books at our bookshop
• Rocking our Books & Boba merch

Follow our hosts:

• Reera Yoo (@reeraboo)
• Marvin Yueh (@marvinyueh)

Follow us:

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The Books & Boba January 2025 pick is Sister Snake by Amanda Lee Koe

This podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective

On our final mid-month book news podcast of the year, we go over some of the latest publishing announcements of books by Asian American authors.

Upcoming books mentioned in our publishing news:

• To the Death by Andrea Tang
• Seven: The Courage, Artistry, and Teamwork of BTS by Lilly Lu
• Jia Has a Dog Problem by Stephanie Ellen Sy; illust by Isabella Kung
• Yarrow and the Burning Mountain by Wendy Xu
• A Ghost Is a Wish by Wendy Xu
• The Bloodstone Thief by Sabina Khan
• Ly-Lan and the New Class Mix-Up by Hà Dinh
• When We Were Snails by Nan Cao
• The Abominable Snow Dancer by Steph Lau
• A Ramadan Night by Nadine Presley; illust by Asma Enayah
• Magnificent Mary: India's Champion Shows the World How to Fight written by Jyoti Rajan Gopal; illust by Tara Anand
• Monster Maker: The Strange Creatures of Mark Nagata by Debbi Michiko Florence; illust by Inko Ai Takita

Books & Boba is a podcast dedicated to reading and featuring books by Asian and Asian American authors

Support the Books & Boba Podcast by:

• Joining our Patreon to receive exclusive perks
• Purchasing books at our bookshop
• Rocking our Books & Boba merch

Follow our hosts:

• Reera Yoo (@reeraboo)
• Marvin Yueh (@marvinyueh)

Follow us:

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The Books & Boba December 2024 Book Club Pick is Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-Joo and translated by Jamie Chang

This podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective

On this episode, we chat with author Clare Osongco about her debut novel Midnights with You, a YA coming-of-age story about a teenage girl living with her strict Filipino mother, and her secret late night driving lessons with the new boy next door.

Follow Clare on Instagram at @clareosongcoand check out her debut novel Midnights with You available now on the Books & Boba bookshop!

Books & Boba is a podcast dedicated to reading and featuring books by Asian and Asian American authors

Support the Books & Boba Podcast by:

• Joining our Patreon to receive exclusive perks
• Purchasing books at our bookshop
• Rocking our Books & Boba merch

Follow our hosts:

• Reera Yoo (@reeraboo)
• Marvin Yueh (@marvinyueh)

Follow us:

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The Books & Boba December 2024 Book Club Pick is Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-Joo and translated by Jamie Chang

This podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective

On this episode, we sit down with debut author Rosa Kwon Easton to chat about her new novel White Mulberry, a historical fiction novel about a Korean woman who moves to Japan as a child to pursue her education during the period when Korea was occupied by Japan. Rosa shares with us the long journey to publishing her debut based on the real life experiences of her grandmother, who like the main character of her novel, worked as a nurse in imperial Japan.

Follow Rosa on Instagram at @rosakwoneaston and check out her debut novel White Mulberry available now on the Books & Boba bookshop!

Books & Boba is a podcast dedicated to reading and featuring books by Asian and Asian American authors

Support the Books & Boba Podcast by:

• Joining our Patreon to receive exclusive perks
• Purchasing books at our bookshop
• Rocking our Books & Boba merch

Follow our hosts:

• Reera Yoo (@reeraboo)
• Marvin Yueh (@marvinyueh)

Follow us:

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The Books & Boba December 2024 Book Club Pick is Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-Joo and translated by Jamie Chang

This podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective

On this episode, we discuss our November 2024 book club pick,  Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu, an award winning novel about a guy living in cop show version of Chinatown who dreams of becoming a "Kung Fu Guy" but is stuck playing generic Asian guy roles, a metaphor for not only how Hollywood treats its Asian actors, but for the model minority myth as well.

To help us discuss this book, we've invited our friends Ada Tseng and Brian Hu from the Saturday School Podcast who provide their perspectives as longtime Asian American pop culture journalists and scholars.

Books & Boba is a podcast dedicated to reading and featuring books by Asian and Asian American authors

Support the Books & Boba Podcast by:

• Joining our Patreon to receive exclusive perks
• Purchasing books at our bookshop
• Rocking our Books & Boba merch

Follow our hosts:

• Reera Yoo (@reeraboo)
• Marvin Yueh (@marvinyueh)

Follow us:

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The Books & Boba December 2024 Book Club Pick is Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-Joo and translated by Jamie Chang

This podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective

On this episode, we chat with author Julie Leong chat about her debut novel The Teller of Small Fortunes, a cozy fantasy about a young traveling fortune teller who embarks on a journey across her adopted kingdom alongside her party of found family members. Julie shares her inspirations for writing her cozy adventure that explores western fantasy with a distinctly Asian diaspora lens.

Follow Julie on Instagram at @julieleongbooks and check out her debut novel The Teller of Small Fortunes available now on the Books & Boba bookshop!

Books & Boba is a podcast dedicated to reading and featuring books by Asian and Asian American authors

Support the Books & Boba Podcast by:

• Joining our Patreon to receive exclusive perks
• Purchasing books at our bookshop
• Rocking our Books & Boba merch

Follow our hosts:

• Reera Yoo (@reeraboo)
• Marvin Yueh (@marvinyueh)

Follow us:

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The Books & Boba November 2024 pick is Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu

This podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective

Our world may have shifted to a darker timeline, but at the very least, there will still be books! On our November 2024 mid month check-in, we review the latest Asian American publishing announcements as well as check in on the latest book tea and awards!

Upcoming books mentioned in our publishing news:

• The Offer by Neel Patel
• Benny's Bright Qing Ming, by Michelle Jing Chan
• Melodies of the Sitar by Shachi Kaushik; illust. by Geeta Ladi
• As I Dream of You by Jennifer Lee & LeUyen Pham
• Dim Sum Battle by Tony Tong; illust. by LeUyen Pham
• Deepa, MD by Priya Swaminathan
• Look Under Me by Veera Hiranandani
• Kill Your Darlings by Yuvashri Harish
• Simmy and Maddy's Snow Day by Pawan Singh; illust. by Meneka Repka
• Lots and Lots of Ocelots by Vicky Fang; illust. by Angel Chang
• Asha Means Hope by Pooja Ma-khi-jani; illust. by Nadia Alam
• Untitled YA gothic horror novel by Autumn Krause
• Sibylline by Melissa de la Cruz

News stories covered on this episode:

• BookTok is divided on whether books are political
• 2024 Goodreads Choice Awards voting has begun!

Books by Asian authors in the opening round:

Readers’ Favorite Fiction

• Welcome to the Hyunnam-dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-reum
• Greta & Valdin by Rebecca K. Reilly
• Marytyr! by Kaveh Akbar

Debut Novel

• Welcome to the Hyunnam-dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-reum
• Greta & Valdin by Rebecca K. Reilly
• How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang
• Marytyr! by Kaveh Akbar
• The Storm We Made by Vanessa Chan 
• Daughters of Shandong by Eve J Chung

Historical Fiction

• The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali
• The Phoenix Crown by Kate Quinn and Janie Chang 
• The Storm We Made by Vanessa Chan 
• There Are Rivers In the Sky by Elif Shafak

Mystery & Thriller

• The Return of Ellie Black by Emiko Jean
• Society of Lies by Lauren Ling Brown

Romance

• How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang
• Lies and Weddings by Kevin Kwan
• King of Sloth by Ana Hoang

Romantasy

• Fate of the Sun King by Nisha J. Tuli

Fantasy

• The Night Ends with Fire by K.X. Song
• A Song to Drown Rivers by Ann Liang
• The Fox Wife by Yangze Choo

Science Fiction

• The Stardust Grail by Yume Kitasei

Horror

• The Eyes Are the Best Part by Monika Kim

Young Adult Fantasy

• Of Jade and Dragons by Amber Chen
• Dragonfruit by Makiia Lucier
• All This Twisted Glory by Tahereh Mafi
• Heir by Sabaa Tahir
• For She is Wrath by Emily Varga

Young Adult Fiction

• I Hope This Doesn’t Find You by Ann Liang
• Banh Mi For Two by Trinity Nguyen
• A Crane Among Wolves by June Hur

Nonfiction

• How to Tell When We Will Die: On Pain, Disability, and Doom by Johanna Hedva
• Feel-Good Productivity: How to Do More of What Matters to You by Ali Abdaal
• It's Not Hysteria: Everything You Need to Know About Your Reproductive Health by Karen Tang
• The Backyard Bird Chronicles by Amy Tan

Memoir

• Knife by Salman Rushdie
• Here After by Amy Lin
• The Manicurist's Daughter by Susan Lieu

History and Biography

• Not Your China Doll by Katie Gee Salisbury

Books & Boba is a podcast dedicated to reading and featuring books by Asian and Asian American authors

Support the Books & Boba Podcast by:

• Joining our Patreon to receive exclusive perks
• Purchasing books at our bookshop
• Rocking our Books & Boba merch

Follow our hosts:

• Reera Yoo (@reeraboo)
• Marvin Yueh (@marvinyueh)

Follow us:

• Instagram
• Twitter
• Goodreads
• Facebook

The Books & Boba November 2024 pick is Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu

This podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective