Books and Boba

Books and Boba

Potluck Podcast Collective

A book club podcast for books by Asian authors

32 minutes 10 seconds

#301 - December 2024 Book News
On our final mid-month book news podcast of the year, we go over some of the latest publishing announcements of books by Asian American authors.
Upcoming books mentioned in our publishing news:
- To the Death by Andrea Tang
- Seven: The Courage, Artistry, and Teamwork of BTS by Lilly Lu
- Jia Has a Dog Problem by Stephanie Ellen Sy; illust by Isabella Kung
- Yarrow and the Burning Mountain by Wendy Xu
- A Ghost Is a Wish by Wendy Xu
- The Bloodstone Thief by Sabina Khan
- Ly-Lan and the New Class Mix-Up by Hà Dinh
- When We Were Snails by Nan Cao
- The Abominable Snow Dancer by Steph Lau
- A Ramadan Night by Nadine Presley; illust by Asma Enayah
- Magnificent Mary: India's Champion Shows the World How to Fight written by Jyoti Rajan Gopal; illust by Tara Anand
- Monster Maker: The Strange Creatures of Mark Nagata by Debbi Michiko Florence; illust by Inko Ai Takita
Books & Boba is a podcast dedicated to reading and featuring books by Asian and Asian American authors
Support the Books & Boba Podcast by:
Follow our hosts:
- Reera Yoo (@reeraboo)
- Marvin Yueh (@marvinyueh)
Follow us:
The Books & Boba December 2024 Book Club Pick is Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-Joo and translated by Jamie Chang
This podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective
Mentioned in this episode:
Listen to Inheriting from LAist & NPR
"Inheriting" is a show about Asian American and Pacific Islander families, which explores how one event in history can ripple through generations. In doing so, the show seeks to break apart the AAPI monolith and tell a fuller story of these communities. In each episode, NPR’s Emily Kwong sits down with one family and facilitates deeply emotional conversations between their loved ones, exploring how their most personal, private moments are an integral part of history. Through these stories, we show how the past is personal and how to live with the legacies we’re constantly inheriting. New episodes premiere every Thursday. Subscribe to “Inheriting” on your app of choice
Listen to Inheriting now!
21 December 2024, 1:30 am
55 minutes 43 seconds

#300 - Author Chat w/ Clare Osongco
On this episode, we chat with author Clare Osongco about her debut novel Midnights with You, a YA coming-of-age story about a teenage girl living with her strict Filipino mother, and her secret late night driving lessons with the new boy next door.
Follow Clare on Instagram at @clareosongcoand check out her debut novel Midnights with You 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:
Follow our hosts:
- Reera Yoo (@reeraboo)
- Marvin Yueh (@marvinyueh)
Follow us:
The Books & Boba December 2024 Book Club Pick is Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-Joo and translated by Jamie Chang
This podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective
Mentioned in this episode:
Listen to Inheriting from LAist & NPR
"Inheriting" is a show about Asian American and Pacific Islander families, which explores how one event in history can ripple through generations. In doing so, the show seeks to break apart the AAPI monolith and tell a fuller story of these communities. In each episode, NPR’s Emily Kwong sits down with one family and facilitates deeply emotional conversations between their loved ones, exploring how their most personal, private moments are an integral part of history. Through these stories, we show how the past is personal and how to live with the legacies we’re constantly inheriting. New episodes premiere every Thursday. Subscribe to “Inheriting” on your app of choice
Listen to Inheriting now!
13 December 2024, 2:00 pm
54 minutes 4 seconds

#299 - Author Chat w/ Rosa Kwon Easton
On this episode, we sit down with debut author Rosa Kwon Easton to chat about her new novel White Mulberry, a historical fiction novel about a Korean woman who moves to Japan as a child to pursue her education during the period when Korea was occupied by Japan. Rosa shares with us the long journey to publishing her debut based on the real life experiences of her grandmother, who like the main character of her novel, worked as a nurse in imperial Japan.
Follow Rosa on Instagram at @rosakwoneaston and check out her debut novel White Mulberry 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:
Follow our hosts:
- Reera Yoo (@reeraboo)
- Marvin Yueh (@marvinyueh)
Follow us:
The Books & Boba December 2024 Book Club Pick is Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-Joo and translated by Jamie Chang
This podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective
Mentioned in this episode:
Listen to Inheriting from LAist & NPR
"Inheriting" is a show about Asian American and Pacific Islander families, which explores how one event in history can ripple through generations. In doing so, the show seeks to break apart the AAPI monolith and tell a fuller story of these communities. In each episode, NPR’s Emily Kwong sits down with one family and facilitates deeply emotional conversations between their loved ones, exploring how their most personal, private moments are an integral part of history. Through these stories, we show how the past is personal and how to live with the legacies we’re constantly inheriting. New episodes premiere every Thursday. Subscribe to “Inheriting” on your app of choice
Listen to Inheriting now!
6 December 2024, 2:00 pm
1 hour 5 minutes

#298 - Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu
On this episode, we discuss our November 2024 book club pick, Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu, an award winning novel about a guy living in cop show version of Chinatown who dreams of becoming a "Kung Fu Guy" but is stuck playing generic Asian guy roles, a metaphor for not only how Hollywood treats its Asian actors, but for the model minority myth as well.
To help us discuss this book, we've invited our friends Ada Tseng and Brian Hu from the Saturday School Podcast who provide their perspectives as longtime Asian American pop culture journalists and scholars.
Books & Boba is a podcast dedicated to reading and featuring books by Asian and Asian American authors
Support the Books & Boba Podcast by:
Follow our hosts:
- Reera Yoo (@reeraboo)
- Marvin Yueh (@marvinyueh)
Follow us:
The Books & Boba December 2024 Book Club Pick is Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-Joo and translated by Jamie Chang
This podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective
Mentioned in this episode:
Listen to Inheriting from LAist & NPR
"Inheriting" is a show about Asian American and Pacific Islander families, which explores how one event in history can ripple through generations. In doing so, the show seeks to break apart the AAPI monolith and tell a fuller story of these communities. In each episode, NPR’s Emily Kwong sits down with one family and facilitates deeply emotional conversations between their loved ones, exploring how their most personal, private moments are an integral part of history. Through these stories, we show how the past is personal and how to live with the legacies we’re constantly inheriting. New episodes premiere every Thursday. Subscribe to “Inheriting” on your app of choice
Listen to Inheriting now!
29 November 2024, 8:30 pm
45 minutes 18 seconds

#297 - Author Chat w/ Julie Leong
On this episode, we chat with author Julie Leong chat about her debut novel The Teller of Small Fortunes, a cozy fantasy about a young traveling fortune teller who embarks on a journey across her adopted kingdom alongside her party of found family members. Julie shares her inspirations for writing her cozy adventure that explores western fantasy with a distinctly Asian diaspora lens.
Follow Julie on Instagram at @julieleongbooks and check out her debut novel The Teller of Small Fortunes 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:
Follow our hosts:
- Reera Yoo (@reeraboo)
- Marvin Yueh (@marvinyueh)
Follow us:
The Books & Boba November 2024 pick is Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu
This podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective
Mentioned in this episode:
Listen to Inheriting from LAist & NPR
"Inheriting" is a show about Asian American and Pacific Islander families, which explores how one event in history can ripple through generations. In doing so, the show seeks to break apart the AAPI monolith and tell a fuller story of these communities. In each episode, NPR’s Emily Kwong sits down with one family and facilitates deeply emotional conversations between their loved ones, exploring how their most personal, private moments are an integral part of history. Through these stories, we show how the past is personal and how to live with the legacies we’re constantly inheriting. New episodes premiere every Thursday. Subscribe to “Inheriting” on your app of choice
Listen to Inheriting now!
22 November 2024, 2:00 pm
54 minutes 26 seconds

#296 - November 2024 Book News
Our world may have shifted to a darker timeline, but at the very least, there will still be books! On our November 2024 mid month check-in, we review the latest Asian American publishing announcements as well as check in on the latest book tea and awards!
Upcoming books mentioned in our publishing news:
- The Offer by Neel Patel
- Benny's Bright Qing Ming, by Michelle Jing Chan
- Melodies of the Sitar by Shachi Kaushik; illust. by Geeta Ladi
- As I Dream of You by Jennifer Lee & LeUyen Pham
- Dim Sum Battle by Tony Tong; illust. by LeUyen Pham
- Deepa, MD by Priya Swaminathan
- Look Under Me by Veera Hiranandani
- Kill Your Darlings by Yuvashri Harish
- Simmy and Maddy's Snow Day by Pawan Singh; illust. by Meneka Repka
- Lots and Lots of Ocelots by Vicky Fang; illust. by Angel Chang
- Asha Means Hope by Pooja Ma-khi-jani; illust. by Nadia Alam
- Untitled YA gothic horror novel by Autumn Krause
- Sibylline by Melissa de la Cruz
News stories covered on this episode:
- BookTok is divided on whether books are political
- 2024 Goodreads Choice Awards voting has begun!
Books by Asian authors in the opening round:
Readers’ Favorite Fiction
- Welcome to the Hyunnam-dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-reum
- Greta & Valdin by Rebecca K. Reilly
- Marytyr! by Kaveh Akbar
Debut Novel
- Welcome to the Hyunnam-dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-reum
- Greta & Valdin by Rebecca K. Reilly
- How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang
- Marytyr! by Kaveh Akbar
- The Storm We Made by Vanessa Chan
- Daughters of Shandong by Eve J Chung
Historical Fiction
- The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali
- The Phoenix Crown by Kate Quinn and Janie Chang
- The Storm We Made by Vanessa Chan
- There Are Rivers In the Sky by Elif Shafak
Mystery & Thriller
- The Return of Ellie Black by Emiko Jean
- Society of Lies by Lauren Ling Brown
Romance
- How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang
- Lies and Weddings by Kevin Kwan
- King of Sloth by Ana Hoang
Romantasy
- Fate of the Sun King by Nisha J. Tuli
Fantasy
- The Night Ends with Fire by K.X. Song
- A Song to Drown Rivers by Ann Liang
- The Fox Wife by Yangze Choo
Science Fiction
- The Stardust Grail by Yume Kitasei
Horror
- The Eyes Are the Best Part by Monika Kim
Young Adult Fantasy
- Of Jade and Dragons by Amber Chen
- Dragonfruit by Makiia Lucier
- All This Twisted Glory by Tahereh Mafi
- Heir by Sabaa Tahir
- For She is Wrath by Emily Varga
Young Adult Fiction
- I Hope This Doesn’t Find You by Ann Liang
- Banh Mi For Two by Trinity Nguyen
- A Crane Among Wolves by June Hur
Nonfiction
- How to Tell When We Will Die: On Pain, Disability, and Doom by Johanna Hedva
- Feel-Good Productivity: How to Do More of What Matters to You by Ali Abdaal
- It's Not Hysteria: Everything You Need to Know About Your Reproductive Health by Karen Tang
- The Backyard Bird Chronicles by Amy Tan
Memoir
- Knife by Salman Rushdie
- Here After by Amy Lin
- The Manicurist's Daughter by Susan Lieu
History and Biography
- Not Your China Doll by Katie Gee Salisbury
Books & Boba is a podcast dedicated to reading and featuring books by Asian and Asian American authors
Support the Books & Boba Podcast by:
Follow our hosts:
- Reera Yoo (@reeraboo)
- Marvin Yueh (@marvinyueh)
Follow us:
The Books & Boba November 2024 pick is Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu
This podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective
Mentioned in this episode:
Listen to Inheriting from LAist & NPR
"Inheriting" is a show about Asian American and Pacific Islander families, which explores how one event in history can ripple through generations. In doing so, the show seeks to break apart the AAPI monolith and tell a fuller story of these communities. In each episode, NPR’s Emily Kwong sits down with one family and facilitates deeply emotional conversations between their loved ones, exploring how their most personal, private moments are an integral part of history. Through these stories, we show how the past is personal and how to live with the legacies we’re constantly inheriting. New episodes premiere every Thursday. Subscribe to “Inheriting” on your app of choice
Listen to Inheriting now!
15 November 2024, 9:30 pm
52 minutes 50 seconds

#295 - Author Chat w/ Nayantara Roy
On this episode, we welcome author Nayantara Roy to chat about her debut novel The Magnificent Ruins, a story about an up and coming literary editor in New York who returns to Kolkata (where she was born) after finding out that she has inherited her family's manor from her grandfather and has to deal with her extended family who all still live there. Tara shares with us her personal inspirations for her debut as well as her journey to becoming a published novelist by way of a career in the television industry.
Follow Nayantara on Instagram at @tararoi and check out her debut novel The Magnificent Ruins available November 12 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:
Follow our hosts:
- Reera Yoo (@reeraboo)
- Marvin Yueh (@marvinyueh)
Follow us:
The Books & Boba November 2024 pick is Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu
This podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective
P.S. Here are some resources for those of you looking for some extra support during these stressful times:
NAAPIMHA’s Vote for Wellness Initiative
- https://www.naapimha.org/vote-for-wellness
Asian Mental Health Collective
- Asian/Asian American therapist directory Search by your state. https://www.asianmhc.org/
CA vs. Hate Resource Line and Network
A non-emergency hate incident and hate crime reporting hotline and online portal established by California’s Civil Rights Department to support individuals and communities across the state targeted for hate.
(833) 866-4283; [email protected]; stophate.calcivilrights.ca.gov/s/
- Information for anyone targeted for hate about their legal rights and resources for enforcing their rights: Hate Violence | CRD (ca.gov); https://calcivilrights.ca.gov/hateviolence/
- Hate Violence Fact Sheet available in at least 10 languages; https://calcivilrights.ca.gov/posters/?openTab=5&emrc=63cf03344e66a
STOP AAPI HATE: https://stopaapihate.org/report-hate/
- Other resources from SAH: https://stopaapihate.org/community-resources/#mental-health
Mentioned in this episode:
Listen to Inheriting from LAist & NPR
"Inheriting" is a show about Asian American and Pacific Islander families, which explores how one event in history can ripple through generations. In doing so, the show seeks to break apart the AAPI monolith and tell a fuller story of these communities. In each episode, NPR’s Emily Kwong sits down with one family and facilitates deeply emotional conversations between their loved ones, exploring how their most personal, private moments are an integral part of history. Through these stories, we show how the past is personal and how to live with the legacies we’re constantly inheriting. New episodes premiere every Thursday. Subscribe to “Inheriting” on your app of choice
Listen to Inheriting now!
8 November 2024, 2:00 pm
58 minutes 15 seconds

#294 - The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw
On this episode, we discuss our October 2024 pick, The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw. A story following a flesh-eating mermaid and a plague doctor who encounter a village of children with an unsettling secret while on a journey through a snowy forest. Join us a we dive into this spooky read that melds the fairy tales of Anderson and Grimm and asks the question, what happens after the prince marries a creature from the depths of the sea?
Books & Boba is a podcast dedicated to reading and featuring books by Asian and Asian American authors
Support the Books & Boba Podcast by:
Follow our hosts:
- Reera Yoo (@reeraboo)
- Marvin Yueh (@marvinyueh)
Follow us:
The Books & Boba November 2024 pick is Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu
This podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective
Mentioned in this episode:
Listen to Inheriting from LAist & NPR
"Inheriting" is a show about Asian American and Pacific Islander families, which explores how one event in history can ripple through generations. In doing so, the show seeks to break apart the AAPI monolith and tell a fuller story of these communities. In each episode, NPR’s Emily Kwong sits down with one family and facilitates deeply emotional conversations between their loved ones, exploring how their most personal, private moments are an integral part of history. Through these stories, we show how the past is personal and how to live with the legacies we’re constantly inheriting. New episodes premiere every Thursday. Subscribe to “Inheriting” on your app of choice
Listen to Inheriting now!
1 November 2024, 2:00 pm
46 minutes 38 seconds

#293 - Author Chat w/ Joanne Howard
On this episode, we chat with Joanne Howard to talk about her debut novel Sleeping in the Sun, a coming of age story about a family of American missionaries living in India during the final years of the Brisish Raj. Joanne shares about her writers journey as well as how finding out about her own family's history as missionaries in India inspired her to write this story.
Follow Joanne on Instagram at @joannesbooks and check out her debut novel Sleeping in the Sun 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:
Follow our hosts:
- Reera Yoo (@reeraboo)
- Marvin Yueh (@marvinyueh)
Follow us:
The Books & Boba October 2024 pick is The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw
This podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective
Mentioned in this episode:
Listen to Inheriting from LAist & NPR
"Inheriting" is a show about Asian American and Pacific Islander families, which explores how one event in history can ripple through generations. In doing so, the show seeks to break apart the AAPI monolith and tell a fuller story of these communities. In each episode, NPR’s Emily Kwong sits down with one family and facilitates deeply emotional conversations between their loved ones, exploring how their most personal, private moments are an integral part of history. Through these stories, we show how the past is personal and how to live with the legacies we’re constantly inheriting. New episodes premiere every Thursday. Subscribe to “Inheriting” on your app of choice
Listen to Inheriting now!
25 October 2024, 2:00 pm
42 minutes 8 seconds

#292 - October 2024 Book News
On our mid-month check in for Spooky Month 2024, we highlight some of the latest Asian American publishing announcements, check in on the latest winner of the Nobel Prize for literature, and weigh in on the possible TV adaptation of RF Kuang's Yellowface!
Upcoming books mentioned in our publishing news:
- Kingdom of Waves by Melissa de la Cruz
- One Word, Six Letters by Adib Khorram
- Never, Ever After by Sue Lynn Tan
- Wild Song by Candy Gourlay
- Ask the Doctor: 75 Wacky and Wise Health Questions from Curious Kids by Betty Choi; illust by Jannie Ho
- Don't Eat Eustace by Lian Cho
- The Incredible Kindness of Paper by Evelyn Skye
- Casting April by Wendy Lu
- Accidentally on Purpose by Kristen Kish
- The Ex-girlfriend Murder Club by Gloria Chao
- Schooltime Grumps by Katrina Moore; illust by Xindi Ya
- Gay the Pray Away by Natalie Naudus
- Jeong Is Jeong by Jessica Yoon; illust by Michelle Lee
- The Legendary Allies series by Linda Trinh; illust by Quynh Anh Nguyen
News stories covered on this episode:
Books & Boba is a podcast dedicated to reading and featuring books by Asian and Asian American authors
Support the Books & Boba Podcast by:
Follow our hosts:
- Reera Yoo (@reeraboo)
- Marvin Yueh (@marvinyueh)
Follow us:
The Books & Boba October 2024 pick is The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw
This podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective
Mentioned in this episode:
Listen to Inheriting from LAist & NPR
"Inheriting" is a show about Asian American and Pacific Islander families, which explores how one event in history can ripple through generations. In doing so, the show seeks to break apart the AAPI monolith and tell a fuller story of these communities. In each episode, NPR’s Emily Kwong sits down with one family and facilitates deeply emotional conversations between their loved ones, exploring how their most personal, private moments are an integral part of history. Through these stories, we show how the past is personal and how to live with the legacies we’re constantly inheriting. New episodes premiere every Thursday. Subscribe to “Inheriting” on your app of choice
Listen to Inheriting now!
18 October 2024, 11:00 pm
49 minutes 20 seconds

#291 - Author Chat w/ Teresa Wong
On this episode, we sit down with Chinese-Canadian author and cartoonist Teresa Wong to chat about her new graphic memoir, All Our Ordinary Stories: A Multigenerational Family Odyssey, an generation spanning recounting 100 years of her own family's history in China and Canada. Teresa shares how she became a author/illustrator of graphic novels, as well as what it was like sharing her family's stories with the world.
Follow Teresa on Instagram at @by_teresawong and check out her debut novel All Our Ordinary Stories: A Multigenerational Family Odyssey 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:
Follow our hosts:
- Reera Yoo (@reeraboo)
- Marvin Yueh (@marvinyueh)
Follow us:
The Books & Boba October 2024 pick is The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw
This podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective
Mentioned in this episode:
Listen to Inheriting from LAist & NPR
"Inheriting" is a show about Asian American and Pacific Islander families, which explores how one event in history can ripple through generations. In doing so, the show seeks to break apart the AAPI monolith and tell a fuller story of these communities. In each episode, NPR’s Emily Kwong sits down with one family and facilitates deeply emotional conversations between their loved ones, exploring how their most personal, private moments are an integral part of history. Through these stories, we show how the past is personal and how to live with the legacies we’re constantly inheriting. New episodes premiere every Thursday. Subscribe to “Inheriting” on your app of choice
Listen to Inheriting now!
11 October 2024, 2:00 pm
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