Books and Boba

On this episode, we discuss our October 2026 Book Club Pick Ebony Gate by Julia Vee & Ken Bebelle, chosen for us by our Honey Boba patrons. The first book of the Phoenix Hoard trilogy, Ebony Gate follows Emiko Soong, a former assassin/enforcer for her mystical clan, trying to live a quiet life of self exile/retirement after a particularly bloody mission. Unfortunately, she gets dragged back into the game when a god of death calls in a family debt, and is forced back into the spiritual underworld of San Francisco's Chinatown on a quest to retrieve a missing gate to hell. 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 perks Purchasing books at our bookshop Rocking our Books & Boba merch Follow our hosts: Reera Yoo ( @reeraboo ) Marvin Yueh ( @marvinyueh ) Follow us: Instagram Twitter Goodreads Facebook The Books & Boba November 2026 Book Club Pick is Sublimation by Isabel J. Kim This podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective

On this episode we're excited to chat with award winning author Sabaa Tahir, who joins us to chat about her newest YA Fantasy Romance novel Empire , which concludes her Heir duology (the spinoff/sequel series to her much beloved An Ember in the Ashes quadrilogy). We chat with Sabaa about her journey to becoming an author and thoughts on Asian inspired fantasy, before discussing how she approached returning to the world of An Ember in the Ashes for a second go, and some of the central themes of the new series. -For those worried about spoilers, we try our best to talk around themes of Empire, but we did flag a 5-minute segment at about 34:52 that contains spoilers for one of the twists of the first book Heir that you might want to avoid if you haven't read it yet- Follow Sabaa on Instagram at @sabaatahir and check out her novel Empire 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 perks Purchasing books at our bookshop Rocking our Books & Boba merch Follow our hosts: Reera Yoo ( @reeraboo ) Marvin Yueh ( @marvinyueh ) Follow us: Instagram Twitter Goodreads Facebook The Books & Boba October 2026 pick is Ebony Gate by Julia Vee & Ken Bebelle This podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective

On this episode, we catch up on the latest Asian American book news and publishing announcements for our October 2026 mid-month check-in Upcoming books mentioned in our publishing news: Front Desk by Kelly Yang ; ilust. by Fumio Obata Olivia Harper Is Haunting Me by Zoe Hana Mikuta The Skull & the Seagull by Lenny Wen Belly Takes the Bus by Marie Tang ; illust. by Tracy Subisak The Monster Who Almost Stole New Year by Eva Wong Nava ; illust. by Lenny Wen It's Market Day! by Meghana Narayan Always a Corpse Bride by Kendare Blake The Escaped Bear by Sheela Chari ; illust. by Stephanie Graegin Appa's Eighteen Wheels by Jessica Yoon ; illust. by Cat Min Book news mentioned on this episode: Min Jin Lee’s American Hagwon debuted as a NYT Hardcover Fiction Bestseller Crazy Rich Asians HBO series sets cast: Constance Wu, Henry Golding, Michelle Yeoh, Ronny Chieng Theo James, Hoyeon, Christian Slater to Star in Thriller ‘The Hole’ 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 perks Purchasing books at our bookshop Rocking our Books & Boba merch Follow our hosts: Reera Yoo ( @reeraboo ) Marvin Yueh ( @marvinyueh ) Follow us: Instagram Twitter Goodreads Facebook The Books & Boba October 2026 pick is Ebony Gate by Julia Vee & Ken Bebelle This podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective

On this episode we sit down with speculative fiction author (and writing Youtuber) Lynn D Jung to chat about her debut novel Mothsblood , A dark academia/fantasy mystery thriller following Larkspur Lee, an ambitions and competitive Korean American woman studying alchemy in modern day Paris, who's life is turned upside down when she finds herself in the middle of an investigation when the immortal headmistress of her school is found inexplicably murdered, and the conspiracy she thought she left behind in the States follows her across the pond. Follow Lynn on Instagram at @lynndjung and check out her novel Mothsblood 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 perks Purchasing books at our bookshop Rocking our Books & Boba merch Follow our hosts: Reera Yoo ( @reeraboo ) Marvin Yueh ( @marvinyueh ) Follow us: Instagram Twitter Goodreads Facebook The Books & Boba October 2026 pick is Ebony Gate by Julia Vee & Ken Bebelle This podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective

On this episode we welcome back author E. L. Shen to chat about her newest novel Foreigners ! Loosely based on her own family's history, Foreigners is a compelling take on the multigenerational Asian American story following characters from Qing dynasty China, 1960's New York, and present day New England, and the lies (big and small) we tell to fit in. Follow E. L. Shen on Instagram at @elshenwrites and check out her novel Foreigners , 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 perks Purchasing books at our bookshop Rocking our Books & Boba merch Follow our hosts: Reera Yoo ( @reeraboo ) Marvin Yueh ( @marvinyueh ) Follow us: Instagram Twitter Goodreads Facebook The Books & Boba October 2026 pick is Ebony Gate by Julia Vee & Ken Bebelle This podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective

On this episode, we discuss our September 2026 book club pick, Fishbone Cinderella by Elizabeth Lim, a classic Asian American multigenerational story, about the tenuous relationship between an immigrant mother and her American daughter, but with a magical realism twist as both mother and daughter also have mysterious powers from a family curse passed down through the generations (the mother can turn invisible and the daughter can feel the history of anything she touches). 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 perks Purchasing books at our bookshop Rocking our Books & Boba merch Follow our hosts: Reera Yoo ( @reeraboo ) Marvin Yueh ( @marvinyueh ) Follow us: Instagram Twitter Goodreads Facebook This podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective

On this episode, we catch up on the latest Asian American book news and the last 2 month of publishing announcements for our September 2026 mid-month check-is Upcoming books mentioned in our publishing news: For You I Would Forget by Zeyneb Holdridge We Rose from the Sea by Olivia Sun Fern and the Fox by Sophie Diao A Drop of Kindness by Andrea Wang; illust. by Sally Soweol Han Wings by Susan Tan; illust. by Rowan Kingsbury Yukiko and the Little Black Cat by Sarah Tsiang; illust. by Joey Ng Wanbo by Shiho Pate Incomplete Works by Sarah Chihaya From the Clear Blue Sky by Jackie Akiko Cloud Monster Moon Rising edited by Ellen Oh Meow Meow Magic by Yu Kito Lee The Boy from Cloud Mountain by B.B. Tan 10 Sleepy Cats by Lili Chin Z Is for Zoomies by Lili Chin Dear June, I'm Mad at You by Vivienne Chang & Eugenia Yoh Super Shy by Vivian Truong Tapestry of Gold by Tasia M.S Write Back Soon by Remy Lai Book news mentioned on this episode: Bridgerton star Yerin Ha to narrate American Hagwon by Min Jin Lee R.F. Kuang’s Taipei Story debuts at #3 on NYT Bestsellers List for Hardcover Fiction HarperCollins Launches Manga Imprint C.B. Lee’s Coffesshop in an Alternate Universe wins Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book 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 perks Purchasing books at our bookshop Rocking our Books & Boba merch Follow our hosts: Reera Yoo ( @reeraboo ) Marvin Yueh ( @marvinyueh ) Follow us: Instagram Twitter Goodreads Facebook The Books & Boba September 2026 pick is Fishbone Cinderella by Elizabeth Lim This podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective

On this episode, we welcome author Julie Abe back to the show to talk about her newest middle grade fantasy novel, The Magic Library of Waterfall Way , a story about an unremarkable girl in a magical world of remarkable people, and her one chance at finding a guild to finally belong to in order to avoid exile, but in order to do so, she must fulfill a quest to save a magical library. We're excited to catch up with Julie as she launches her newest MG fantasy series! Follow Julie on Instagram at @julieabebooks and check out her latest novel The Magic Library of Waterfall Way 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 perks Purchasing books at our bookshop Rocking our Books & Boba merch Follow our hosts: Reera Yoo ( @reeraboo ) Marvin Yueh ( @marvinyueh ) Follow us: Instagram Twitter Goodreads Facebook The Books & Boba September 2026 pick is Fishbone Cinderella by Elizabeth Lim This podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective

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 more specifically, how far should someone go to give their children a better life). 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 perks Purchasing books at our bookshop Rocking our Books & Boba merch Follow our hosts: Reera Yoo ( @reeraboo ) Marvin Yueh ( @marvinyueh ) Follow us: Instagram Twitter Goodreads Facebook The Books & Boba September 2026 pick is Fishbone Cinderella by Elizabeth Lim This podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective

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 Hello, Limerence is 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 perks Purchasing books at our bookshop Rocking our Books & Boba merch Follow our hosts: Reera Yoo ( @reeraboo ) Marvin Yueh ( @marvinyueh ) Follow us: Instagram Twitter Goodreads Facebook The Books & Boba August 2026 pick is Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro This podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective

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 to be the man who signed her termination papers (as well as her one night stand)! Follow Susan on Instagram at @susanleewrites and check out her latest novel See You at the Sunset is 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 perks Purchasing books at our bookshop Rocking our Books & Boba merch Follow our hosts: Reera Yoo ( @reeraboo ) Marvin Yueh ( @marvinyueh ) Follow us: Instagram Twitter Goodreads Facebook The Books & Boba August 2026 pick is Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro This podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective

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 inspirations for the novel, as well as her own personal reality TV competition aspirations. Follow Erin on Instagram at @erinbaldwin.books and check out her newest novel Good Luck, Babe! 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 perks Purchasing books at our bookshop Rocking our Books & Boba merch Follow our hosts: Reera Yoo ( @reeraboo ) Marvin Yueh ( @marvinyueh ) Follow us: Instagram Twitter Goodreads Facebook The Books & Boba August 2026 pick is Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro This podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective

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 and featuring books by Asian and Asian American authors Support the Books & Boba Podcast by: Joining our Patreon to receive exclusive perks Purchasing books at our bookshop Rocking our Books & Boba merch Follow our hosts: Reera Yoo ( @reeraboo ) Marvin Yueh ( @marvinyueh ) Follow us: Instagram Twitter Goodreads Facebook The Books & Boba August 2026 pick is Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro This podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective

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 Café 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 perks Purchasing books at our bookshop Rocking our Books & Boba merch Follow our hosts: Reera Yoo ( @reeraboo ) Marvin Yueh ( @marvinyueh ) Follow us: Instagram Twitter Goodreads Facebook The Books & Boba July 2026 pick is Sunshine Nails by Mai Nguyen This podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective

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 by Jennifer Xu and Kate Rhodes Book news mentioned on this episode: Vincent Yu wins the 2026 Barnes & Noble Discover Prize Trailer for Director Taika Waititi’s adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel Klara and the Sun released Hachette Book Group Employees Win Union Election Publishers, Authors File Class Action Lawsuit Against Google 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 perks Purchasing books at our bookshop Rocking our Books & Boba merch Follow our hosts: Reera Yoo ( @reeraboo ) Marvin Yueh ( @marvinyueh ) Follow us: Instagram Twitter Goodreads Facebook The Books & Boba July 2026 pick is Sunshine Nails by Mai Nguyen This podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective

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 on Instagram at @yejinsuhh and check out her debut novel The Last Soldier of Nava 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 perks Purchasing books at our bookshop Rocking our Books & Boba merch Follow our hosts: Reera Yoo ( @reeraboo ) Marvin Yueh ( @marvinyueh ) Follow us: Instagram Twitter Goodreads Facebook The Books & Boba July 2026 pick is Sunshine Nails by Mai Nguyen This podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective

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 afloat amongst the tempest that is Jay Gatsby's obsessive quest to acquire the love of her best friend Daisy. 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 perks Purchasing books at our bookshop Rocking our Books & Boba merch Follow our hosts: Reera Yoo ( @reeraboo ) Marvin Yueh ( @marvinyueh ) Follow us: Instagram Twitter Goodreads Facebook The Books & Boba July 2026 pick is Sunshine Nails by Mai Nguyen This podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective

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 Singaporean culture. Follow Yu_Mei on Instagram at @yumei.balasingamchow and check out her debut novel Names Have Been Changed 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 perks Purchasing books at our bookshop Rocking our Books & Boba merch Follow our hosts: Reera Yoo ( @reeraboo ) Marvin Yueh ( @marvinyueh ) Follow us: Instagram Twitter Goodreads Facebook The Books & Boba June 2026 pick is The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo This podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective

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 Waite All the Gardeners by Varsha Bajaj; illust. by Grace Easton Shifu Mama by Roger Lam; illust. by Alina Chau Bamboo Magic by Teresa Robeson ; illust. by Wazza Pink Kung Fu Crane Girl by Mia Wenjen ; ilust. by debut artist Yujie Huang Boss Games by Kelly Yang Eight Little Hands by Hanh Bui ; illust. By Kerisa Greene Flickers of Hope by Hanh Bui ; illust. By Kerisa Greene Book news mentioned on this episode: Marjane Satrapi, author of Persepolis, dies at 56 Taiwan Travelogue wins the 2026 International Booker Prize 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 perks Purchasing books at our bookshop Rocking our Books & Boba merch Follow our hosts: Reera Yoo ( @reeraboo ) Marvin Yueh ( @marvinyueh ) Follow us: Instagram Twitter Goodreads Facebook The Books & Boba June 2026 pick is The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo This podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective

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 her debut, as well as how her experience reviewing books have prepared her to be on the other side as a published author. Follow Cindy on Instagram at @readwithcindy and check out her debut novel The Secret World of Briar Rose 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 perks Purchasing books at our bookshop Rocking our Books & Boba merch Follow our hosts: Reera Yoo ( @reeraboo ) Marvin Yueh ( @marvinyueh ) Follow us: Instagram Twitter Goodreads Facebook The Books & Boba June 2026 pick is The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo This podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective