On this episode, we discuss our June 2020 book club pick, Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata & translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori. A short and humorous novel about Keiko, a Japanese who finds it hard to interact with people, who finds contentment in the routines of working at a convenience store, where she can do a good job and feel like a “normal person” contributing to society. We discuss what happens when  her ideal life is thrown for a loop as societal pressure mounts for her to settle down and get a real job, get married, or both. 

On this episode, we go over the latest book and publishing news in Asian American literature for our June 2020 mid-month check-in. We also discuss some of the recent social media movements in literature including #BlackoutBestsellerList and #PublishingPaidMe.

We chat with Joe Ide, author of the IQ series of detective novels about Isaiah Quintabe, a freelance private investigator solving mysteries and doing odd jobs for his Long Beach neighborhood. We ask Joe about how his experience growing up in South Central LA helped him with writing his novels, as well as his previous career as a screenwriter for hire. We also chat about HI-FIVE, the latest chapter of the IQ series that came out earlier this year, and the upcoming HBO adaptation of the series.

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Today’s episode is brought to you by Novel Gazing, the newest literary fiction podcast from Book Riot, North America’s largest independent book site. Novel Gazing is your destination for all things literary fiction, bringing you news from the world of fiction, and recommendations for under-the-radar reads, works in translation, buzzy books, and more. Stay in the know, expand your TBR and your view of literary fiction, and, of course, have some laughs with hosts Mary Kay McBrayer and Louise Johnson. – Subscribe to Novel Gazing wherever you get your podcasts!

A little late, but here is our discussion of the Books & Boba May 2020 book club pick, The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts by Maxine Hong Kingston, our first attempt at reading an Asian American literary classic. We dive into this memoir that blends autobiographical storytelling with folklore and oral histories, and reflect upon our own experiences as second generation children of immigrants. 

We’re a little late, but on this episode, we recap our book recommendations for the last week of May’s #AsianBooksChallenge. Thanks to everyone who participated in our challenge and recommended books by Asian and Asian American authors!

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Books & Boba recognizes that we are currently in a historic moment in American history. We know that Black lives matter and stand with the brave people fighting across the world for an end to systemic racism in our institutions as well as the death and inequality those systems cause. 

For a near-comprehensive list of resources on how you can support the fight, whether on the streets or from your home, click on this link (shoutout to Nico for putting it together)

On this episode, we go over the latest book and publishing news in Asian American literature for our May 2020 mid-month check-in, as well as recap our book recommendations for week 3 of #AsianBooksChallenge

For additional thoughts and discussion, visit the Books & Boba Goodreads forums on Goodreads.

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