Books and Boba

On this episode we discuss our August 2023 book club pick Bitter Medicine by Mia Tsai. A contemporary fantasy romance about Elle, a skilled healer and Chinese immortal laying low to hide from her murderous little brother, and Luc, a French half-elf with a certain set of skills who does secretive work for the king of Faeries. Together they try to figure out how to make their nascent relationship work while balancing their obligations to their magical families and careers.

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

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The Books & Boba September 2023 pick is The Family Chao by Lan Samantha Chang

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

While we await our book club discussion episode later this week, we wanted to share something special with you. Please enjoy the first episode of the new hit podcast, Dear Alana, from our partners at Tenderfoot TV.

Dear Alana, is a show exploring the life of Alana Chen, a 24-year-old woman who disappeared from Boulder, Colorado in 2019. Alana left behind two dozen journals chronicling a deep faith, love of fashion, and dream of becoming a nun. She also harbored a secret. At 14, she confessed to her priest that she was attracted to women and was instructed not to tell her parents. Over the next seven years, Alana covertly received conversion therapy which her family believes played a role in her fate.

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Part 1: Mom

Simon travels to Boulder to meet Alana’s mother, Joyce, and becomes determined to help her understand what happened to Alana.

This episode contains references to suicide. If you or someone you know is in need of help, please contact the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988. Listener discretion is advised.

Go deeper at https://dearalana.com/

Subscribe to Tenderfoot+ for ad-free listening and an exclusive binge at tenderfootplus.com.

On this episode, we're excited to finally get to chat with author (and one of the founding members of #WeNeedDiverseBooks) Aisha Saeed about her latest novel, Forty Words for Love, a story of childhood friends on the verge of adulthood who find themselves at a crossroads as Moonlight Bay, the small magical town they grew up in, faces an economic crisis when the magical pink waters it's known for fades away. Caught between chasing their dreams and their obligations to their families, this is a magical contemporary stories that addresses real life issues such as how economic tensions manifest in anti-immigrant sentiment.

Follow Aisha on instagram at @aishacs and check out her novel, Forty Words for Love, available now on the Books & Boba bookshop!

*Support the podcast by supporting our new Patreon*

Follow our hosts:

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

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The Books & Boba August 2023 pick is Bitter Medicine by Mia Tsai

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

On our mid-month check in for July 2023, we review the latest Asian American book and publishing announcements, while catching up on a pretty terrible few weeks for the Asian American literature community (and the literature industry in general).

Upcoming books mentioned in our publishing news:

• Piper Chen Sings by Phillipa Soo & Maris Pasquale Doran; illust by Qin Leng
• Mabel and the Museum by Dana Wulfekotte
• A Roof! by Stephanie Ellen Sy; illust by Daniel Tingcungco
• A Pair of Little Red Mittens by Kirin Hayashi, illust by Chiaki Okada; translated by Avery Fischer Udagawa
• The Beat of the Dragon Boat by Christina Matula; illust by Nicole Wong
• The Door Is Open edited by Hena Khan
• The Little Cloud by Pam Fong
• Grace Lee Boggs's Gardens of Hope by Songju Ma Daemicke; illust by Li Lin
• The Lost Souls of Benzaiten by Kelly Murashige
• Ritu in the Sun by Moniza Hossain
• Unbreakable: A Japanese American Family in an American Incarceration Camp by Jolene Gutiérrez & Minoru Tonai; illust by Chris Sasaki

News stories covered on this episode:

• @BooksForMaui auction for disaster relief
• Love in Taipei, the film adaptation of Loveboat, Taipei, premieres on Paramount+
• The cancelled Asian American Literature Festival revives as Ghosted World: An Uncalled Asian American Literature Festival
• Prosecraft shuts down after authors protest

*Support the podcast by supporting our new Patreon*

Follow our hosts:

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

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The Books & Boba August 2023 pick is Bitter Medicine by Mia Tsai

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

On this episode, we sit down with author Kelly Loy Gilbert to talk about her latest novel, Everyone Wants to Know, a coming of age story following Honor Lo, the youngest daughter of a family who grew up under the spotlight of a popular reality TV show. We chat with Kelly about her inspirations behind the story as well as her journey as an author.

Follow Kelly on instagram at @kellyloygilbert and check out her novel, Everyone Wants to Know, available now on the Books & Boba bookshop!

*Support the podcast by supporting our new Patreon*

Follow our hosts:

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

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The Books & Boba August 2023 pick is Bitter Medicine by Mia Tsai

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

On this episode we discuss our July 2023 book club pick The Imaginary Lives of James Poneke by Tina Makereti. A coming-of-age story of a Maori boy, armed with a British education and eager to see the world, who ventures to London to be a living exhibit for a British artist's exhibition. It's an epic tale written in the style of Victorian fiction, but told from the perspective of an indigenous youth growing up under colonization.

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Timecodes:

01:45 - Book jacket description

02:40 - First impressions and David Copperfield vibes

06:50 - Hemi's upbringing

08:42 - Theme of aligning yourself with white majority for survival and privileges

11:00 - Hemi’s adoption into a new Maori tribe

11:36 - Empire’s goal of erasing marginalized cultural identities

13:28 - Hemi agrees to become a living exhibit

16:09 - Being tainted by colonization education

17:45 - Hemi's first impression of Victorian England

18:50 - Victorian England’s class divisions

19:17 - The Angus family

21:42 - Hemi’s introduction to other living exhibits

22:40 - Representation matters

25:10 - Intro to Billy Neptune & Henrietta

27:47 - Hemi's sexuality awakening

30:12-31:30 Trigger of SA

31:33 - What is savage and what is civilized?

32:33 - Women's limited rights in Victorian London

35:00 - Hemi’s time as a sailor and camaraderie with non-white crewmen

39:25-40:15 Trigger of SA

40:20 - Life on the margins outside civilization’s watch

43:17- What is home?

47:22 - Ending

50:57 - Hemi meeting a Black doctor and learning about intersectionality

53:08 - Taika Waititi options book for adaptation

• https://variety.com/2020/film/asia/taika-waititi-piki-films-indigenous-film-tv-colonization-1234691066/

Follow our hosts:

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

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The Books & Boba August 2023 pick is Bitter Medicine by Mia Tsai

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

On this episode, we welcome Thien Pham, the author and illustrator of Family Style: Memories of an American from Vietnam, his graphic memoir recounting his life growing up as a refugee in America, with each chapter centering around a specific food-related memory.

Follow Thien on instagram at @thiendog and check out his graphic memoir, Family Style: Memories of an American from Vietnam, available now on the Books & Boba bookshop!

*Support the podcast by supporting our new Patreon*

Follow our hosts:

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

Follow us:

• Facebook
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• Goodreads Group

The Books & Boba July 2023 pick is The Imaginary Lives of James Poneke by Tina Makereti

On our mid-month check in for July 2023, we review the latest Asian American book and publishing announcements, while catching up on a pretty terrible few weeks for the Asian American literature community (and the literature industry in general).

Upcoming books mentioned in our publishing news:

• White Mulberry by Rosa Kwon Easton
• Suka's Farm written by Ginger Park and Frances Park; illust by Tiffany Chen
• Kai Po Che: Mini's Perfect Diamond written by Suhasini Gupta; illust by Devika Oza
• Kill Her Twice by Stacey Lee
• Untitled YA novel by Sahar Jahani
• Cincinnati Lee and the Spear of Destiny by Heidi Heilig
• Hana's Hajj written by Zainab Khan; illust by Anait Semirdzhyan
• You Are Loved by Sujean Rim
• Tiny Wonders and Nightsong by Sally Soweol Han
• A Place in the World written by Rina Singh; illust by Christopher Pouler
• Infinite Sky: The Story of Tsien Hsue-Shen, the Scientist Who Took Two Countries into Space by Celeste Pewter
• Another Word for Neighbor written by Angela Pham Krans; illustrated by Thai Phuong
• The Demon's Prince by Remy Lai; illust by Lauren Dimaya
• Adoration by June Hur
• Eliza, from Scratch by Sophia Lee
• The Clock by Pam Fong
• Embroidered by Farida Zaman
• Pickling Time by Marzieh Abbas; illust by Darshika Verma

News stories covered on this episode:

• BTS’s book Beyond the Story becomes instant #1 NYT Bestseller
• Yu & Me Bookstore flooded from fire
• HarperCollins/Harlequin shuts down Inkyard Press
• Smithsonian abruptly cancels 2023 Asian American Literature Festival (AALF)
• AALF co-organizers’ open letter to the Smithsonian

*Support the podcast by supporting our new Patreon*

Follow our hosts:

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

Follow us:

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The Books & Boba July 2023 pick is The Imaginary Lives of James Poneke by Tina Makereti

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

On this author chat, we welcome Thao Thai to talk about her debut novel Banyan Moon, a story about three generations of Vietnamese women, and the gothic southern mansion that ties them all together. We chat with Thao about her inspirations in writing a southern gothic inspired story about a Vietnamese American family, as well as learn about her journey to becoming an author.

Follow Thao on instagram at @thao_writes and check out her novel, Banyan Moon, available now on the Books & Boba bookshop!

*Support the podcast by supporting our new Patreon*

Follow our hosts:

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

Follow us:

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The Books & Boba July 2023 pick is The Imaginary Lives of James Poneke by Tina Makereti

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

For this author chat, we sit down with Susie Luo to talk about her debut novel Paper Names, a decades spanning tale of a Chinese immigrant trying to build a new life in America, his Chinese American daughter looking for her place in her parent's American dream, and a privileged white lawyer trying to rise above his family's shady past, who are brought together by an unexpected act of violence and heroism in the streets of New York City. We chat with Susie about her inspirations for her novel, as well as her journey to becoming a writer after working in law and finance.

Learn more about Susie at www.susieluo.com and check out her novel, Paper Names, available now on the Books & Boba bookshop!

*Support the podcast by supporting our new Patreon*

Follow our hosts:

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

Follow us:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Goodreads Group

The Books & Boba July 2023 pick is The Imaginary Lives of James Poneke by Tina Makereti

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