Books and Boba

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 ZaherThe Dragon Thief by Ellen OhIt Begins with the End by Samira AhmedSummers in Syria by Shifa Saltagi Safadi; illust. by Hatem AlyOur Built World: An Architectural Journey Along the Silk Road by Fiyel Levent; illust. by Daby Zainab FaidhiSheen by Cindy PonOur Chinatown Market by...

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 new novel Boring Asian Female available now on the Books & Boba bookshop!Books & Boba is a podcast dedicated to reading and featuring books...

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 their purpose in life. This night, it picks up 2 wayward souls, and offers then a chance to find a new purpose on board it's dreamlike cars, but...

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 career writing books for middle grade and young adult readers, including past Books & Boba book club pick Front Desk! Follow Lisa on Instagram...

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 PatelBoxBoxBoxBox by Wan SakamotoMama's Magical Hands by Yu An XieThe Kids Came Back Wrong edited by Wen-yi LeeCrush by Souvankham ThammavongsaIt Was an Ordinary Name by Souvankham ThammavongsaThe Golden Shoes by Jocelyn ChoThe Summer I Turned Pretty Graphic Novel by Cynthia Yuan Cheng and Arielle Jovellanos; illust by Sara FaberBefore...

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 ex-boyfriends, to contemplation of the afterlife both literal and figurative. Follow Lisa at thedreamside.com and check out her new book My Dear You available now on the Books & Boba bookshop!Books...

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 from the relentless pursuit of the "Amerian Dream."Follow Lisa on Instagram at @lisaleehello and check out her new novel American Han available now on the Books...

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 killer's philosophy and worldview that leads her to question amd she knows about the pleasures of food, the importance of friendships, as well as how traditional gender roles makes fools of us all.<...

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 AbeThe Goodfolke Family by Roshani ChokshiP.S. Are We Friends Now? by John Schu and Jasmine WargaMy Neighbor Yokai by nohoFall, in Love by Mia KaylaThe Gravedigger's Apprentice by Linda ChengSeeking Wonderful by Susan Yoon; illust. Veronica MangWe Are the Light: A Story of Diwali by Rajani LaRocca; illust. Sayan MukherjeeHome Is Waiting to Be Found by...

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 romance Sorcerer to the Crown almost a decade ago and were very excited to see what a contemporary Zen Cho romance looks like.Books & Boba is a podcast dedicated to reading and...

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 ChongCold Blood by Aashna AvachatUntitled Contemporary YA By Jesmeen Kaur DeoThe Strange Sketches of Luna Li by Gloria L. HuangShe Comes Out at Night by Michelle Jing Chan If We Could Be Everywhere by Sarah SukThe Sisterhood of Southern...

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 become part of a viral Youtube documentary that will continue to haunt them throughout their adult lives as they drift apart and come back together again and again. Follow...

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 Innocence Project to construct her mystery.Follow Yosha on Instagram at @yosha.gunasekera and check out her debut novel The Midnight Taxi available now on...

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 civil war.Books & Boba is a podcast dedicated to reading and featuring books by Asian and Asian American authorsSupport the Books & Boba Podcast by:Joining our Patreon...

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 LuWhat Hungers in the Dark by Monika KimHow to Crash a Kite by Ellie PetersonTokki's Tricks by Aram KimGirl Gods by K-Ming Chang Cerulean by Sajni Patel Hanging Out with Nani by Vikram MadanJanuary New Releases mentioned in our book news:<...

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 chat with the author back in 2021 for her first book so we're excited to come back to this world for the holidays!Books & Boba is a podcast dedicated...

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 KangWhen We Swallowed the Sea by Janet HongLimitlessly, Mina by Gianna LakenauthTake to the Sky by Christina SoontornvatNot Again, Dragon Chen! by Amanda Adams; illust. Wazza PinkJin Young, In Between by Ellen OhDon't Print This by Monica ChinA Super Definitely True Story of the Great Animal Race by Dane Liu; illust. AkiForeigners by E.L. Shen<...

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 while she pushes on the boundaries between colonizer and colonized. Books & Boba is a podcast dedicated to reading and featuring books by Asian and Asian American authorsSupport the Books & Boba Podcast b...

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 shares with us her journey to becoming an author of young, middle-grade, and young adult fiction, as well as all her inspirations for The Cuffing Game.Follow Lyla on Instagram at @authorlylalee and che...

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 PerezInk & Blood: Poetry and Power in the Lives of Emperor Li Yu and Chairman Mao by Chun Yu; illust. Sungyoon ChoiThe Peacock Throne by Zeba Shahnaz Forest Freaks by Nat IwataMei Mei the Bunny by Laufey; Illusy. Lauren O'HaraAunties by Pooja Makhijani; illust. Ruchi MhasaneThe Girl, the Village, and the Terrible Thunder by A...