Books and Boba

On our mid-month check in for July 2024, we recap some of the latest Asian American publishing announcements, as well as get some updates on the latest Books & Boba pick to get picked up for TV and which books by Asian authors made it into the New York Time's best 100 books of the century!

Upcoming books mentioned in our publishing news:

• Reasons We Break by Jesmeen Kaur Deo
• Arctic Adventures: A Tundra Tale by Jyoti Rajan Gopal; illust by Alexandra Mims Cook
• Cactus Home by Vikram Madan
• The First Girl on Stage: Tunga Dances the Yakshagana by Shruthi Rao; illust by Devika Joglekar
• Tea Leaf Eggs by Karen E. Hong
• Hold by Randy Ribay; illust Zeke Peña
• Miles Ahead by Minh Lê; illustrated by Lynnor Bontigao
• Passé It On by Dani Chuatico
• How to Fake a Love Story in 15 Days by Aashna Avachat
• Baba Palooza by A.D. Ghani; illust by Nadia Alam
• Amina Banana by Shifa Saltagi Safadi; illust by Aaliya Jaleel
• The Other Lata by Kirthana Ramisetti

News stories covered on this episode:

• George R.R. Martin honors R.F. Kuang and Xiran Jay Zhao with 2024 Alfie Awards
• Xiran Jay Zhao wins The Astounding Award at the 2024 Hugos

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 August 2024 book club pick is Land of Milk and Honey by C Pam Zhang

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

We're taking the week off so our friends from They Call Us Bruce are helping fill in with their latest chat with author OiYan A. Poon, please enjoy!

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Jeff and Phil welcome writer and race scholar OiYan A. Poon, author of Asian American Is Not a Color: Conversations on Race, Affirmative Action and Family. She talks about breaking out of her comfort zone to write a sincere and heartfelt exploration of race relations and affirmative action, the interviews she conducted with Asian Americans who have been actively engaged in policy debates over race-conscious admissions or affirmative action, and the not-so-simple question from her daughter that inspired the title of her book. 

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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 August 2024 book club pick is Land of Milk and Honey by C Pam Zhang

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

On this episode, we discuss our July 2024 book club pick The Sense of Wonder by Matthew Salesses, a contemporary Asian American novel following the story of Won Lee, the only Asian American player for an NBA team, and his rise to stardom during a period known as "The Wonder." Inspired on the real life Linsanity phenomenon, and the discourse surrounding it, we dive into Matthew's take on the Asian American experience (and K-drama tropes) through the eyes of the star himself, a Korean American sports writer, and a female Korean American entertainment executive.

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 August 2024 book club pick is Land of Milk and Honey by C Pam Zhang

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

On this episode, we chat with author Amber Chen about her debut novel, Of Jade and Dragons, a fantasy adventure and murder mystery set in a Silkpunk world, about a girl who loves engineering as she pretends to be her brother to infiltrate a prestigious academy in order to uncover the conspiracy that killed her father. We chat with Amber about her journey as a writer as well as the real life inspirations behind her debut.

Follow Amber on Instagram at @amberwrites88 and check out her novel Of Jade and Dragons, 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:

• Instagram
• Twitter
• Goodreads
• Facebook

The Books & Boba July 2024 pick is The Sense of Wonder by Matthew Salesses

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

On our mid-month check in for July 2024, we recap some of the latest Asian American publishing announcements, as well as get some updates on the latest Books & Boba pick to get picked up for TV and which books by Asian authors made it into the New York Time's best 100 books of the century!

Upcoming books mentioned in our publishing news:

• Seen: The Story of Corky Lee and His Photographs of Asian America by Julie Leung
• The Big Jump by Marie Tang; illust by Gillian Eilidh O'Mara
• Appetite by P. Paramita
• Black Bird by Sonny Liew
• A Riddle of Thorns by Sarena & Sasha Nanua
• A Village Made of Rainbows by Jo Wu; illust by Alina Chau
• The Never-Ending Goodbye by Leila Boukarim; illust Afsaneh Sanei
• Upside Down Iftar by Maysa Odeh; illust by Nadine Issa

News stories covered on this episode:

• The Fortunes of Jaded Women optioned for a TV series
• The Shortlist for the 2024 Ursula K. Le Guin Prize for Fiction
• NYT’s best 100 books of the century

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 July 2024 pick is The Sense of Wonder by Matthew Salesses

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

On this episode, we sit down with author K. X. Song to talk about her newest novel, The Night Ends with Fire, an epic adult fantasy inspired by the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, The Legend of Mulan, and Chinese folklore, following the adventures of a young woman, touched by the Azure Dragon, who enters the army as a man to escape her fate as a woman in a patriarchal society. We chat with K. X. about her journey to becoming a writer as well as her inspirations for the themes in her adult fantasy debut.

Follow K.X. on Instagram at @ksongwrites and check out her novel The Night Ends with Fire, 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:

• Instagram
• Twitter
• Goodreads
• Facebook

The Books & Boba July 2024 pick is The Sense of Wonder by Matthew Salesses

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

On this episode, we welcome author Tara Sim to chat about her latest novel, We Shall Be Monsters, a YA dark Indian-inspired fantasy take on the Frankenstein story following a girl on a quest to resurrect her sister (who's accidental death she may also be responsible for) who gets drawn into a web of political intrigue by people who want her knowledge and powers. We chat with Tara about her journey as an author, as well as the inspirations behind her book (especially the very good zombie pup).

Follow Tara on Instagram at @tarasimauthor and check out her novel We Shall Be Monsters, 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:

• Instagram
• Twitter
• Goodreads
• Facebook

The Books & Boba July 2024 pick is The Sense of Wonder by Matthew Salesses

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

On this episode, we discuss our June 2024 book club pick Greta & Valdin by Rebecca K. Reilly, following the story of two adult siblings from Auckland as they each try to escape from their arrested development and overcome their messy professional and romantic issues, while also dealing with their chaotic but close knit Maori-Russian family. We had a lot of fun discussing this very funny story with a surprisingly sincere heart.

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 July 2024 pick is The Sense of Wonder by Matthew Salesses

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

On our mid-month check in for June 2024, we recap some of the latest Asian American publishing announcements, as well as catch up on some awards news and check in on the latest book tea!

Upcoming books mentioned in our publishing news:

• Chasing Sunspots by Victoria Ying
• Mendell Station by J.B. Hwang
• Rings of Fate by Melissa de la Cruz
• Invitation Only by Alexandra Brown Chang
• Rage Will Be Your Savior by K-Ming Chang
• Exhausted Monsters by K-Ming Chang
• Faraway Family by Padma Venkatraman; illust. by Nicole Wong
• Foodie Fest written by Rina Singh and illustrated by Flo Leung
•  Coldwire by Chloe Gong
• Scribble by Gavin Aung Than

News stories covered on this episode:

• E.J. Koh has won the 24th annual NYPL Young Lions Fiction
• Award
• Costco will stop selling books year-round starting in
• January 2025
• Kim Crisci, who went by the pen name “Kim Chi,” pretended
• to be Korean American to promote her alleged Own Voices stories.

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 June 2024 pick is Greta & Valdin by Rebecca K. Reilly

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

On this episode we chat with author Malia Maunakea about her latest middle grade novel, Lei and the Invisible Island, which concludes her MG duology following the summer adventures of Lei, a Native Hawaiian girl from Colorado, who rediscovers her roots as she deals with the antics of spirits and gods drawn from Hawaiian folklore while visiting her grandmother in Hawaii for the summer. Malia shares with us her journey as an author, the inspirations for her series, as well as her thoughts on Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander representation in literature.

Follow Malia on Instagram at @maliamaunakea and check out her novel Lei and the Invisible Island, 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:

• Instagram
• Twitter
• Goodreads
• Facebook

The Books & Boba June 2024 pick is Greta & Valdin by Rebecca K. Reilly

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