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 A ..read more

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 ..read more

On this episode we discuss our March 2024 book club pick, Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-Reum & translated by Shanna Tan, a story about a woman who leaves her unfulfilling life in the city to start up an independent bookstore in a small neighborhood. We dive into the book's themes as the owner, workers, and customers of the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop all search for their purpose in life, and how the answers clash with what society tells them what success is supposed to look like. Books & Boba is a podcast dedicated to reading and featuring books by Asian and Asian American a ..read more

On this episode, we welcome author Sophie Wan to chat about her debut novel Women of Good Fortune, a story of three "leftover" women living in Shanghai each stuck in their own ruts from living under the patriarchy, who decides to do something about it, by planning a heist to steal the red envelope money a crazy rich wedding. We had a great chat with Sophie about her inspirations for the story as well as what goes into constructing a good heist. Follow Sophie on Instagram at @thesophiewan and check out Sophie's debut novel, Women of Good Fortune, available now on the Books & Boba bookshop ..read more

On this episode, we discuss our February 2024 book club pick, Untethered Sky, an action packed novella by Fonda Lee about a young woman as she becomes a Ruhker, who are warriors that hunt monsters using giant mythical birds called rocs. *Support the podcast by supporting our Patreon* Follow our hosts: Reera Yoo (@reeraboo) Marvin Yueh (@marvinyueh) Follow us: Facebook Twitter Goodreads Group The Books & Boba March 2024 pick is Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-Reum & translated by Shanna Tan This podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective ..read more

On this episode, we chat with Ray Xu about his debut middle grade graphic novel Alterations, a charming semi-autobiographical tale of a kid growing up in a crowded apartment with his mom, older sister, and grandmother, just trying to fit in and stand out. We chat with Ray about the real life inspirations behind his novel, as well as his own creative journey to becoming an animation story editor and published author. Follow Sajni on Instagram at @rayxuxu and check out Ray's graphic novel, Alterations, available now on the Books & Boba bookshop! *Support the podcast by supporting our Patreon ..read more

On our mid-month check in for February 2024, we recap the latest Asian American book and publishing announcements, as well as catch up on the latest book tea, including controversies from a prominent book awards. Upcoming books mentioned in our publishing news: Me and My Pet Demon by Remy Lai Once Upon a Tail by Audrey Perrott & Charlene Chua A Forgery of Fate by Elizabeth Lim 100th Day of School with Yasmin by Saadia Faruqi; illust by Debby Rahmalia The Baby Who Stayed Awake Forever by Sandra Salsbury This Is Dance by Rekha S. Rajan; illust by Chris Park Folk Remedy by Jem Yoshioka Navig ..read more

On this episode we discuss our January 2024 book club pick, Meet Me Tonight in Atlantic City, by Jane Wong. In this memoir, Jane shares about her upbringing in Atlantic City as a restaurant kid, her trials and tribulations in love, as well as her tumultuous journey to becoming a writer and academic. Jane's stories aren't all fun-times, but not all sad-times neither, and they are beautifully brought to life with her evocative prose that will stay with us for some time. *Support the podcast by supporting our Patreon* Follow our hosts: Reera Yoo (@reeraboo) Marvin Yueh (@marvinyueh) Follow us ..read more

On this author chat, we sit down with French-Chinese-American author Aube Rey Lescure to talk about her debut novel River East, River West, a story that blends coming-of-age and historical fiction following the stories of a young daughter of an expat living in Shanghai who dreams of a better life in America (or at the very least among the Americans living in Shanghai), and her new stepfather, a Chinese businessman pursuing his own dreams after his life was derailed during the Cultural Revolution. We chat with Aube about her inspirations for he story as well as her personal journey to becoming ..read more

It's time for our first mid-month book news check-in for 2024! It's been a light news month to start off the year, but that doesn't mean we don't have some exciting new publishing announcements to go over, including a new literary project by Keanu Reeves! Upcoming books mentioned in our publishing news: The Book of Elsewhere by Keanu Reeves & China Miéville Bones of Jade, Flesh Like Ice by Gracie Marsden The Lotus Inn by Nisha Sharma Men Like Ours by Bindu Bansinath Make My Wish Come True by Alyson Derrick & Rachael Lippincott She Gets the Girl: A Christmas No ..read more