On this episode, we discuss our October 2023 book club pick, Natural Beauty by Ling Ling Huang, a story about a piano prodigy conservatory dropout who takes a job at the high-end wellness company Holistik and gets drawn into the unsettling world of beauty for rich people, and what they're willing to pay to attain it. Part satire, part dystopian horror, with a helping of body horror and child of immigrant guilt, a perfect read for spooky month! *Support the podcast by supporting our new Patreon* Follow our hosts:Reera Yoo (@reeraboo)Marvin Yueh (@marvinyueh)
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The Books & Boba November 2023 pick is Squire by Nadia Shammas & Sara Alfageeh This podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective

#245 - Natural Beauty by Ling Ling Huang

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 discuss our April 2024 book club pick, Yellowface by R.F. Kuang, which follows the story of struggling writer June Hayward who finally finds the publishing success she's always dreamed of... after taking the unfinished transcript of her recently deceased writing bestie, the way more successful Athena Liu, and passing it off as her own. We dive into this provocative novel that explores how far some people are willing to go to be anointed in a system that's rigged from the start. 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 perksPurchasing books at our bookshopRocking our Books & Boba merch
Follow our hosts:Reera Yoo (@reeraboo)Marvin Yueh (@marvinyueh)
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The Books & Boba May 2024 pick is Kill Her Twice by Stacey Lee This podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective

#269 - Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

In honor of next weekend's Festival of AAPI Books (which we will be exhibiting at again), we're sharing some of the conversations we recorded at last year's festival which until now were only available on our Patreon exclusive bonus podcast, Boba Chats! We're excited to share our candid chats with author friends Jessica Kim, Phil Yu, Julie Tieu, and Julie Abe. If you like what you head, consider becoming a Patreon supporter! And if you're in the Long Beach area next weekend, don't forget to come say hi! 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 perksPurchasing books at our bookshopRocking our Books & Boba merch
Follow our hosts:Reera Yoo (@reeraboo)Marvin Yueh (@marvinyueh)
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The Books & Boba April 2024 pick is Yellowface by R.F. Kuang This podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective

Conversations from Festival of AAPI Books 2023

It's a Marvin only episode for this month's book news check-in, let's see how it goes as he reviews some of the latest Asian American publishing announcements, as well as some new and potentially exciting adaptation news.  Upcoming books mentioned in our publishing news:Adam & Evie’s Matchmaking Tour by Nora NguyenSisters at Sea by Yume KitaseiThis Place Kills Me by Mariko Tamaki; illust by Nicole GouxAlice Chen’s Reality Check by Kara Loo & Jennifer YoungDreamt I Found You by Jimin HanThe Emperor of Gladness by Ocean VuongSublimation by Isabel J. KimThe Serpent Called Mercy by Roanne LauA Dark and Narrow House by Usman T. MalikTen Incarnations of Rebellion by Vaishnavi PatelThe Ex-Boyfriends Favorite Recipe Funeral Committee by Saki KawashiroThe Blanket Cats by Kiyoshi ShigematsuLeverage by Amran GowaniThe Art of Love by Kristi HongWhen Sleeping Women Wake by Emma Pei YinThe Satisfaction Café by Kathy Wang
News stories covered on this episode:Festival of AAPI Books – May 5, 2024The Sympathizer on HBOCrazy Rich Asians to become a musical
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 perksPurchasing books at our bookshopRocking our Books & Boba merch
Follow our hosts:Reera Yoo (@reeraboo)Marvin Yueh (@marvinyueh)
Follow us:InstagramTwitterGoodreadsFacebook

 The Books & Boba April 2024 pick is Yellowface by R.F. Kuang This podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective

#268 - April 2024 Book News

On this author chat, we sit down with Sheila Sundar about her debut novel Habitations, a decades-spanning story of identity, immigration, expectation and desire, and of love lost and found, exploring the stories of immigrant scholars, and what it means to make a home. Sheila shares with us her journey to becoming a novelist, as well as the inspirations behind the themes of her novel. Follow Sheila on Twitter at @sundarsheila and check out her novel Habitations, 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 perksPurchasing books at our bookshopRocking our Books & Boba merch
Follow our hosts:Reera Yoo (@reeraboo)Marvin Yueh (@marvinyueh)
Follow us:InstagramTwitterGoodreadsFacebook
The Books & Boba April 2024 pick is Yellowface by R.F. Kuang This podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective

#267 - Author Chat w/ Sheila Sundar

On this episode, we sit down with author A.H. Kim to talk about her latest novel Relative Strangers, a contemporary adaptation of Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibilities following the Korean-American Bae-Wood family as they find themselves  thrown from their home as the result of an unexpected estate battle. We chat with Ann about her inspirations for the story, and what goes into adapting a timeless story with an Asian American lens. Follow Ann on Instagram at @ahkim.writer and check out her novel, Relative Strangers, 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 perksPurchasing books at our bookshopRocking our Books & Boba merch
Follow our hosts:Reera Yoo (@reeraboo)Marvin Yueh (@marvinyueh)
Follow us:InstagramTwitterGoodreadsFacebook
The Books & Boba April 2024 pick is Yellowface by R.F. Kuang This podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective

#245 - Natural Beauty by Ling Ling Huang

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