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 night, it picks up 2 wayward souls, and offers then a chance to find a new purpose on board it’s dreamlike cars, but is there a catch?

Books & Boba is a podcast dedicated to reading and featuring books by Asian and Asian American authors

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 middle grade and young adult readers, including past Books & Boba book club pick Front Desk!

Follow Lisa on Instagram at @kellyyanghk and check out her new novel The Take available now on the Books & Boba bookshop!

Books & Boba is a podcast dedicated to reading and featuring books by Asian and Asian American authors

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 Ordinary Name by Souvankham Thammavongsa
• The Golden Shoes by Jocelyn Cho
• The Summer I Turned Pretty Graphic Novel by Cynthia Yuan Cheng and Arielle Jovellanos; illust by Sara Faber
• Before & Now by Balsam El-bayya
• Goat for Dinner by Tao Nyeu
• Curiosities by Robert Kondo and Megan Bartel
• Sarah in Charge by Ellen Oh
• This Is Our Diwali by Jyoti Rajan Gopal; illust by Michelle Pereira
• The Book Witch by Nora Elghazzawi
• Magic Shoyu Shop by Debbi Michiko Florence; illust. by Minako Tomigahara

Book news mentioned on this episode:

• Amazon pulls support from Kindles pre-2013

Books & Boba is a podcast dedicated to reading and featuring books by Asian and Asian American authors

On this episode, we’re very excited to bring you an author chat with Rachel Khong, author of our September 2017 book club pick Goodbye Vitamin (episode 28), to talk about her latest book, My Dear You, a short story collection featuring a genre-spanning stories exploring themes of identity, relationships, and time. From a story about missed connections and a cat that conjures the ghosts of ex-boyfriends, to contemplation of the afterlife both literal and figurative.

Follow Lisa at thedreamside.com and check out her new book My Dear 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

We sit down for an author chat with Lisa Lee to talk with her about about her debut novel American Han, a Korean American family drama about the Kims, a family whose members are each going through their own personal crises. When an even bigger crisis occurs the whole family is forced to come together and deal with the consequences of decades of built up resentment and estrangement, all stemming from the relentless pursuit of the “Amerian Dream.”

Follow Lisa on Instagram at @lisaleehello and check out her new novel American Han available now on the Books & Boba bookshop!

Books & Boba is a podcast dedicated to reading and featuring books by Asian and Asian American authors