On this episode, we check out the latest book and publishing news in Asian American literature for our APAHM 2023 edition of our mid-month check-in and Reera teaches Marvin what a Bigolas Dickalas is.

Upcoming books mentioned in our publishing news:

• The First State of Being by Erin Entrada Kelly
• Samina Goes to a Wedding by Farida Zaman
• The Pink Pajamas, by Charlene Chua
• Perfect Is Not Perfect by Laan Cham
• A City Full of Santas by Joanna Ho ; illust by Thai Phuong
• Stay Angry, Little Girl, illust by Michelle Jing Chan
• The Library Is Open by Kim Chi and Stephan Lee
• Of Jade and Dragons by Amber Chen
• Thea and the Mischief Makers by Tracy Badua
• Airbnboo by Tracy Badua
• The Cliff House by Guojing
• The ABCs of Queer History by Seema Yasmin
• Wolf Girl by Anh Do
• I Could Give You the Moon by Ann Liang
• K-Jane by Lydia Kang
• Some of Us: A Story of Citizenship and America by Newbery Rajani LaRocca; Illust by Huy Voun Lee
• Ping’s Perfect Pot by Helen H. Wu; illust by Zihua Yang

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On this episode, we chat with Melissa de la Cruz, probably one of the most prolific Asian American authors in the industry, about her new YA thriller The Headmaster’s List, about Spencer, a Filipina-American private high school student, who sets out to figure out the truth behind a fatal car crash that left one of her classmates dead, her ex-boyfriend under arrest, and herself without her memories of the night. Of course, we also chat with Melissa about her long storied career as an author.

Follow Melissa on IG at @authormelissadelacruz and check out her novel, The Headmaster’s List, availaible now on the Books & Boba bookshop!

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On this episode, we chat with debut author Deepa Varadarajan about her novel, Late Bloomers, about an Indian American family of two recent divorcees and their adult children who are each going through their own romantic adventures and turmoil. We chat with Deepa about the inspirations behind her book as well as why “Late Bloomers” is such a relatable trope for Asian American children of immigrants.

Follow Deepa on IG at @deepavaradara and check out her debut novel, Late Bloomers, availaible now on the Books & Boba bookshop!

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On this episode, we discuss our April 2023 book club pick, Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q Sutanto. A murder mystery where super-auntie Vera Wong attempts to solve the murder of a mystery man she finds one morning lying dead in her tea shop, and inadvertently forms a found family with her suspects.

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On this episode, we chat with author and illustrator Victoria Ying about her new YA graphic novel, Hungry Ghost, a coming of age story about a Chinese American girl dealing with adolescence, parental expectation, and eating disorders. We talk with Victoria about her background in animation as well as her semi-autobiographical inspirations behind the story of Hungry Ghost.

Follow Victoria on IG at @victoriaying and check out her new graphic novel, Hungry Ghost, availaible now on the Books & Boba bookshop!