<description>&lt;p&gt;On our first mid-month book news check-in episode for 2026, we go over the latest Asian American publishing news from the holiday season, as well as check out some of January's new releases from Asian and Asian American authors.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Upcoming books mentioned in our publishing news:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ol&gt;&lt;li data-list="bullet"&gt;&lt;span class="ql-ui" contenteditable="false"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;em&gt;Death Wish&lt;/em&gt; by &lt;strong&gt;Lilly Lu&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li data-list="bullet"&gt;&lt;span class="ql-ui" contenteditable="false"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;em&gt;What Hungers in the Dark&lt;/em&gt; by &lt;strong&gt;Monika Kim&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li data-list="bullet"&gt;&lt;span class="ql-ui" contenteditable="false"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;em&gt;How to Crash a Kite&lt;/em&gt; by &lt;strong&gt;Ellie Peterson&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li data-list="bullet"&gt;&lt;span class="ql-ui" contenteditable="false"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;em&gt;Tokki's Tricks&lt;/em&gt; by &lt;strong&gt;Aram Kim&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li data-list="bullet"&gt;&lt;span class="ql-ui" contenteditable="false"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;em&gt;Girl Gods &lt;/em&gt;by &lt;strong&gt;K-Ming Chang&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li data-list="bullet"&gt;&lt;span class="ql-ui" contenteditable="false"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;em&gt;Cerulean&lt;/em&gt; by &lt;strong&gt;Sajni Patel&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li data-list="bullet"&gt;&lt;span class="ql-ui" contenteditable="false"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;em&gt;Hanging Out with Nani&lt;/em&gt; by &lt;strong&gt;Vikram Madan&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ol&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;January New Releases mentioned in our book news:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ol&gt;&lt;li data-list="bullet"&gt;&lt;span class="ql-ui" contenteditable="false"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;em&gt;The Swan's Daughter &lt;/em&gt;by &lt;strong&gt;Roshani Chokshi &lt;/strong&gt;(Jan 6)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li data-list="bullet"&gt;&lt;span class="ql-ui" contenteditable="false"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;em&gt;Fly, Wild Swans: My Mother, Myself and China&lt;/em&gt; by &lt;strong&gt;Jung Chang&lt;/strong&gt; (Jan 13)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li data-list="bullet"&gt;&lt;span class="ql-ui" contenteditable="false"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;em&gt;A Year Without Home &lt;/em&gt;by &lt;strong&gt;V.T. Bidania&lt;/strong&gt; (Jan 13)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li data-list="bullet"&gt;&lt;span class="ql-ui" contenteditable="false"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;em&gt;This Is Where the Serpent Lives&lt;/em&gt; by &lt;strong&gt;Daniyal Mueenuddin&lt;/strong&gt; (Jan 13)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li data-list="bullet"&gt;&lt;span class="ql-ui" contenteditable="false"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;em&gt;City of Others &lt;/em&gt;by &lt;strong&gt;Jared Poon&lt;/strong&gt; (Jan 13)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li data-list="bullet"&gt;&lt;span class="ql-ui" contenteditable="false"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;em&gt;The Moon Without Stars&lt;/em&gt; by &lt;strong&gt;Chanel Miller&lt;/strong&gt; (Jan 13)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li data-list="bullet"&gt;&lt;span class="ql-ui" contenteditable="false"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;em&gt;A Midnight Pastry Shop Called Hwawoldang &lt;/em&gt;by&lt;strong&gt; Lee Onhwa&lt;/strong&gt; (Jan 13)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li data-list="bullet"&gt;&lt;span class="ql-ui" contenteditable="false"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;em&gt;How to Commit a Postcolonial Murder &lt;/em&gt;by &lt;strong&gt;Nina McConigley&lt;/strong&gt; (Jan 20)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li data-list="bullet"&gt;&lt;span class="ql-ui" contenteditable="false"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;em&gt;The Elsewhere Express&lt;/em&gt; by &lt;strong&gt;Samantha Sotto Yambao &lt;/strong&gt;(Jan 20)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li data-list="bullet"&gt;&lt;span class="ql-ui" contenteditable="false"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;em&gt;The Poet Empress&lt;/em&gt; by &lt;strong&gt;Shen Tao&lt;/strong&gt; (Jan 20)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li data-list="bullet"&gt;&lt;span class="ql-ui" contenteditable="false"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;em&gt;Two Women Living Together&lt;/em&gt; by &lt;strong&gt;Kim Hana&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;Hwang Sunwoo&lt;/strong&gt;; Gene Png (Translator) (Jan 20)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li data-list="bullet"&gt;&lt;span class="ql-ui" contenteditable="false"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;em&gt;Early Mornings at the Laksa Cafe &lt;/em&gt;by &lt;strong&gt;Janet Tay &lt;/strong&gt;(Jan 27)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li data-list="bullet"&gt;&lt;span class="ql-ui" contenteditable="false"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;em&gt;A Beast Slinks Towards Beijing&lt;/em&gt; by &lt;strong&gt;Alice Evelyn Yang &lt;/strong&gt;(Jan 27)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ol&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Books &amp;amp; Boba is a podcast dedicated to reading and featuring books by Asian and Asian American authors&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Support the Books &amp;amp; Boba Podcast by:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ol&gt;&lt;li data-list="bullet"&gt;&lt;span class="ql-ui" contenteditable="false"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.patreon.com/booksandboba" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;Joining our Patreon to receive exclusive perks&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li data-list="bullet"&gt;&lt;span class="ql-ui" contenteditable="false"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href="https://booksandboba.captivate.fm/bookshop" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;Purchasing books at our bookshop&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li data-list="bullet"&gt;&lt;span class="ql-ui" contenteditable="false"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href="https://booksandboba.captivate.fm/merch" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;Rocking our Books &amp;amp; Boba merch&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ol&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;p&gt;Follow our hosts:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ol&gt;&lt;li data-list="bullet"&gt;&lt;span class="ql-ui" contenteditable="false"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;Reera Yoo (&lt;a href="https://twitter.com/reeraboo" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;@reeraboo&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li data-list="bullet"&gt;&lt;span class="ql-ui" contenteditable="false"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;Marvin Yueh (&lt;a href="https://twitter.com/MarvinYueh" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;@marvinyueh&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ol&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;p&gt;Follow us:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ol&gt;&lt;li data-list="bullet"&gt;&lt;span class="ql-ui" contenteditable="false"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.instagram.com/booksandboba/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;Instagram&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li data-list="bullet"&gt;&lt;span class="ql-ui" contenteditable="false"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href="https://twitter.com/BooksandBoba" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;Twitter&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li data-list="bullet"&gt;&lt;span class="ql-ui" contenteditable="false"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/197124-books-boba" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;Goodreads&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li data-list="bullet"&gt;&lt;span class="ql-ui" contenteditable="false"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.facebook.com/booksandboba" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;Facebook&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ol&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Books &amp;amp; Boba January 2026 pick is &lt;u&gt;&lt;a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/reef-romesh-gunesekera/36f817d17f082b81?ean=9781573225335&amp;amp;next=t&amp;amp;aid=11692&amp;amp;listref=book-club-picks-91552a56-f7a9-40f3-b303-66310685ac2e" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;Reef &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/u&gt;by Romesh Gunesekera&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This podcast is part of &lt;u&gt;&lt;a href="https://booksandboba.captivate.fm/potluck" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Mentioned in this episode:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Don't miss Chinese Republicans, a new play from Alex Lin&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Coming to the Roundabout Theatre Company this winter, Chinese Republicans is a biting new satirical drama from Alex Lin, directed by Chay Yew, following three high-powered businesswomen who meet for lunch every month to discuss their latest career triumphs, as they’ve done for decades. But the group is jolted when Katie, a bright-eyed 24-year-old new to the workforce, joins to navigate the world of corporate finance. As each of the women attempts to steer Katie towards what they’re certain is best, they’re forced to grapple with how much they already have and are willing to sacrifice to climb the corporate ladder. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://booksandboba.captivate.fm/chineserepublicans"&gt;Tickets for Chinese Republicans on sale now!&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>

Books and Boba

Potluck Podcast Collective

#340 - January 2026 Book News

JAN 26, 202655 MIN
Books and Boba

#340 - January 2026 Book News

JAN 26, 202655 MIN

Description

On our first mid-month book news check-in episode for 2026, we go over the latest Asian American publishing news from the holiday season, as well as check out some of January's new releases from Asian and Asian American authors.Upcoming books mentioned in our publishing news:Death Wish by Lilly LuWhat Hungers in the Dark by Monika KimHow to Crash a Kite by Ellie PetersonTokki's Tricks by Aram KimGirl Gods by K-Ming Chang Cerulean by Sajni Patel Hanging Out with Nani by Vikram MadanJanuary New Releases mentioned in our book news:The Swan's Daughter by Roshani Chokshi (Jan 6)Fly, Wild Swans: My Mother, Myself and China by Jung Chang (Jan 13)A Year Without Home by V.T. Bidania (Jan 13)This Is Where the Serpent Lives by Daniyal Mueenuddin (Jan 13)City of Others by Jared Poon (Jan 13)The Moon Without Stars by Chanel Miller (Jan 13)A Midnight Pastry Shop Called Hwawoldang by Lee Onhwa (Jan 13)How to Commit a Postcolonial Murder by Nina McConigley (Jan 20)The Elsewhere Express by Samantha Sotto Yambao (Jan 20)The Poet Empress by Shen Tao (Jan 20)Two Women Living Together by Kim Hana, Hwang Sunwoo; Gene Png (Translator) (Jan 20)Early Mornings at the Laksa Cafe by Janet Tay (Jan 27)A Beast Slinks Towards Beijing by Alice Evelyn Yang (Jan 27)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 January 2026 pick is Reef by Romesh GunesekeraThis podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast CollectiveMentioned in this episode:Don't miss Chinese Republicans, a new play from Alex LinComing to the Roundabout Theatre Company this winter, Chinese Republicans is a biting new satirical drama from Alex Lin, directed by Chay Yew, following three high-powered businesswomen who meet for lunch every month to discuss their latest career triumphs, as they’ve done for decades. But the group is jolted when Katie, a bright-eyed 24-year-old new to the workforce, joins to navigate the world of corporate finance. As each of the women attempts to steer Katie towards what they’re certain is best, they’re forced to grapple with how much they already have and are willing to sacrifice to climb the corporate ladder. Tickets for Chinese Republicans on sale now!