Books and Boba

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 by:Joining our Patreon to receive exclusive perksPurchasing books at our bookshopRocking our Books & Boba merchFollow our hosts:Reera Yoo (@reeraboo)Marvin Yueh (@marvinyueh)Follow us:InstagramTwitterGoodreadsFacebookThe Books & Boba December 2025 pick is Blackmail and Bibingka by Mia P. ManansalaThis podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective

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 check out her newest novel The Cuffing Game available now on the Books & Boba bookshop!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 to receive exclusive perksPurchasing books at our bookshopRocking our Books & Boba merchFollow our hosts:Reera Yoo (@reeraboo)Marvin Yueh (@marvinyueh)Follow us:InstagramTwitterGoodreadsFacebookThe Books & Boba November 2025 book club pick is Taiwan Travelogue by Shuang-zi Yang, translated by Lin KingThis podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective

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 Aimee Yealim Lee; illust. Hyewon YumJade vs. the Claw Machine by Margaret Chiu Greanias; illust. Heather Brockman LeeSun's Eid by Natasha Khan KaziThe Echo of Empires by Shameen Abubakaruntitled picture book biography of Katherine Sui-Fun Cheung by Cheryl Kim; illust. Nicole Wong. Mongoose's Holi Party by Darshana Khiani; illust. Abhilasha KhatriThe Gods Will Sing Our Song by Autumn KrauseEchoes Across the Water by Livia BlackburneWhat's for Iftar?! by Razeena Omar Gutta; illust. Esraa HederyBook news mentioned on this episode:2025 Goodreads Choice Awards begins (Asian authors nominated for awards listed below)Readers’ Favorite FictionThe Emperor of Gladness by Ocean VuongA Guardian and Thief by Megha MajumdarThe Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran DesaiFavorite Historical FictionHomeseeking by Karissa ChanFavorite Mystery & ThrillerVera Wong's Guide to Snooping (On a Dead Man) by Jesse Q. SutantoFavorite RomanceKing of Envy by Ana HuangFavorite RomantasyA Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu MandannaAlchemised by SenLinYu Immortal by Sue Lynn TanFavorite FantasyRed City by Marie LuKatabasis by R.F. KuangWater Moon by Samantha Sotto YambaoFavorite Science-FictionHammajang Luck by Makana YamamotoSaltcrop by Yume KitaseThese Memories Don’t Belong to Us by Yiming MaLuminous by Silvia ParkLocal Heavens by K.M. FajardoFavorite HorrorWhat Hunger by Catherine DangBat Eater and Other Words for Cora Zeng by Kylie Lee BakerImmaculate Conception by Ling Ling HuangFavorite DebutHomeseeking by Karissa ChenThe Original Daughter by Jemimah WeiAlchemised by SenLinYuFavorite Young Adult Fantasy & Sci-FiHekate:The Witch by Nikita GillHeavenly Tyrant by Xiran Jay ZhaoEvery Spiral of Fate by Tahereh MafiWatch Me by Tahereh MafiThe Floating World by Axie OhBreath of the Dragon by Shannon Lee & Fonda LeeNever Ever After by Sue Lynn TanA Forgery of Fate by Elizabeth LimFavorite Young Adult FictionYou’ve Found Oliver by Dustin ThaoWhen Devils Sing by Xan KaurI Am Not Jessica Chen by Ann LiangFavorite MemoirFinding My Way by Malala Yousafzai107 Days by Kamala HarrisMother May Comes to Me by Arundhati RoyThings in Nature Merely Grow by Yiyun LiBooks & Boba is a podcast dedicated to reading and featuring books by Asian and Asian American authorsSupport the Books & Boba Podcast by:Joining our Patreon to receive exclusive perksPurchasing books at our bookshopRocking our Books & Boba merchFollow our hosts:Reera Yoo (@reeraboo)Marvin Yueh (@marvinyueh)Follow us:InstagramTwitterGoodreadsFacebookThe Books & Boba November 2025 book club pick is Taiwan Travelogue by Shuang-zi Yang, translated by Lin KingThis podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective

Join us as we discuss our October 2025 book club pick, Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by Kylie Lee Baker, a Chinese American horror story taking place during the COVID-19 pandemic following Cora Zeng, a crime scene cleaner haunted by the trauma of witnessing her sister's murder in a NYC subway station, as well as what appears to be her sister's actual hungry ghost. We follow Cora and her co-workers on a blood-soaked quest as they try to simultaneously figure out how to exorcise her ghost, as well as solve a series of serial murders in NYC, all involving East Asian women.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 to receive exclusive perksPurchasing books at our bookshopRocking our Books & Boba merchFollow our hosts:Reera Yoo (@reeraboo)Marvin Yueh (@marvinyueh)Follow us:InstagramTwitterGoodreadsFacebookThe Books & Boba November 2025 book club pick is Taiwan Travelogue by Shuang-zi Yang, translated by Lin KingThis podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective

On this episode, we sit down with author Yume Kitasei to chat about her latest novel, Saltcrop, a science fiction story about three sisters who grew up in a near future Earth after an ecological collapse changed the world. When the eldest sister goes missing while working for a megacorporation (because capitalism persists even after the end of the world), the younger two set off on a dangerous trip across the seas to find her. Follow Yume on Instagram at @yumewrites and check out her newest novel Saltcrop available now on the Books & Boba bookshop!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 to receive exclusive perksPurchasing books at our bookshopRocking our Books & Boba merchFollow our hosts:Reera Yoo (@reeraboo)Marvin Yueh (@marvinyueh)Follow us:InstagramTwitterGoodreadsFacebookThe Books & Boba October 2025 pick is Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by Kylie Lee BakerThis podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective