Books and Boba

On this episode,we discuss our August 2026 book club pick, Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro, following Klara, an android "artificial friend," and her quest to bring happiness to her teen Josie as she grows up in a dystopic future. Join us as we dive into another masterful Ishiguro tale about the fleeting innocence of children, having conviction in the face of despair, and the complex responsibilities of parenthood (and mo...

On this episode, we chat with author Momo Yamaguchi about her debut novel, Hello, Limerence, an ode to bad decisions made in our mid-twenties following a young Japanese woman, dealing with a soul-sucking corporate job and a stagnant love-life, who lets a growing crush on a Japanese American man become an obsession that throws her life into chaos.

Follow Momo on Instagram at @momoyamagucci and check out her debut novel...

On this episode, we're excited to welcome author Susan Lee back to the podcast to catch up on BTS news as well as chat about her latest novel, See You at the Sunset, an adult romantic comedy about a young woman, who is staying with her grandmother in a Palm Springs senior living community after losing her job at a law firm in NYC, as she strikes up a relationship with her grandma's new neighbor's grandson, who also happens t...

On this episode, we chat with author Erin Baldwin about her latest novel Good Luck, Babe! A sapphic YA coming of age romantic comedy about two former best friends who reluctantly agree to work together to pursue their dream of competing on an Amazing-race style reality TV competition, the catch is they also have to pretend to date because their season is for couples-only! Erin shares with us her journey as an author, her ins...

On this episode, we discuss our July 2026 Patron's Choice Book Club pick, Sunshine Nails by Mai Nguyen, A family comedy about the Trans of Toronto Canada, a messy but close-knit family who come together to try and save their family's nail salon when gentrification comes into their neighborhood in the form of a high-tech all-inclusive rival nail salon, by any means necessary.

Books & Boba is a podcast dedicated to reading ...

On this episode, we sit down with author Tania Tay to discuss her new cafe cozy romance novel The Matcha Maker Café (which she wrote under the pen name Lily Chen). We chat with Tania about her journey to becoming a novelist, her experience writing about the British East Asian experience for IP projects, as well as the rise (and decline) of cafe culture.

Learn more about Tania at taniatay.com and check out her novel The Matcha Maker ...

On this episode, we catch up on the latest Asian American book news and publishing announcements for our July 2026 mid-month check-is

Upcoming books mentioned in our publishing news:

• Swaplife by Abdi Nazemian and Pedro Rhuas
• My Heart or Yours by K. Sugimoto
• Destined or Damned by Sara Jafari
• Chicken's Noodle Soup by Naaz H. Khan; illust. by Valentina Tu
• Novae byJennifer Xu and Kate Rhodes

Book news mentioned on this episode:

On this episode, we chat with author Yejin Suh to talk about her debut novel The Last Soldier of Nava, a Korean-inspired fantasy novel following a girl named Shadow, a former peerless soldier who awakens after a thousand years of slumber, who struggles to retain her freedom under a new identity, even as she is dragged back to her immortal father's court by his new protege (whom she also feels an attraction to).

Follow Yejin o...

Join us as we discuss our June 2026 pick, The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo. A queer retelling of the classic American novel The Great Gatsby. Set in a magical alternate Jazz Age New York, this version is told through the perspective of Jordan Baker, a side character in the original text, re-imagined as a Vietnamese American adoptee who does her best to survive in a high society as an outsider while trying to stay aflo...

On this episode, we sit down with author Yu-Mei Balasingamchow to talk about her debut novel Names Have Been Changed, a modern epistolary novel told in the style of tell-all podcast hosted by a Singaporean woman who has been on the run across the world for a decade. We're excited to chat with Yu-Mei about her debut that's part globetrotting adventure and part love letter to diaspora communities and the hidden sides of Singap...

On this episode, we catch up on the latest Asian American book news and publishing announcements for our June 2026 mid-month check-is

Upcoming books mentioned in our publishing news:

• Life Is a K Drama by Sherri Shepherd & Jayci Lee
• Ophelia No. 23 by Saou Ichikawa
• A Girl’s Spine by Saou Ichikawa
• Birchwood Prep #1: Lina’s Secret by Mae Raespicio
• Kapa Kuiki: My Hawaiian Quilt by Ilima Kahokuhealani Todd; illus. by Mae Wa...

On this episode, we're very excited to welcome booktuber, and now published author, Cindy Pham to chat about her debut novel, The Secret World of Briar Rose, a sapphic dark retelling of the legend of sleeping beauty, following a jaded thief who, while searching for her missing sister, finds herself transported into the dream world of her fallen kingdom's slumbering princess. We chat with Cindy about the inspirations behind h...

On this episode we discuss our May 2026 pick is No-No Boy by John Okada, one of the earliest in the Asian American canon following the story of Ichiro Yamada who returns home to Seattle after serving 2 years in prison for refusing to serve in the military during the internment of Japanese Americans during World War 2. We're excited to dive into this Asian American classic from 1957, who's publication journey is just as inter...

On this episode, we welcome author Vincent Yu to chat about his debut novel, Seek Immediate Shelter, which follows the stories of several members of a small town community in Massachusetts, who have to deal with the consequences of their impulsive actions when a faulty mass alert is sent our warning them of an imminent missile strike.

Follow Vincent on Instagram at @vinyu12 and check out his debut novel Seek Immedia...

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 Zaher
• The Dragon Thief by Ellen Oh
• It Begins with the End by Samira Ahmed
• Summers in Syria by Shifa Saltagi Safadi; illust. by Hatem Aly
• Our Built World:...

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 Fem...

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 ni...

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 midd...

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 Patel
• BoxBoxBoxBox by Wan Sakamoto
• Mama's Magical Hands by Yu An Xie
• The Kids Came Back Wrong edited by Wen-yi Lee
• Crush by Souvankham Thammavongsa
• It Was an Ordin...