On this episode, we chat with author Andrew Yang (not the candidate) about his debut novel, I’m Not Here to Make Friends, a coming of age story about two girls who join the cast of a “Terrace House” like reality TV series that gathers six Asian Americans from across the country to live together for the cameras. Andrew shares with us his author’s journey, as well as geek out a little with Reera about their favorite Terrace House moments.

Follow Andrew on twitter at @ayang_writes and check out his novel, I’m Not Here to Make Friends, available now on the Books & Boba bookshop!

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On this episode we discuss our August 2023 book club pick Bitter Medicine by Mia Tsai. A contemporary fantasy romance about Elle, a skilled healer and Chinese immortal laying low to hide from her murderous little brother, and Luc, a French half-elf with a certain set of skills who does secretive work for the king of Faeries. Together they try to figure out how to make their nascent relationship work while balancing their obligations to their magical families and careers.

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On this episode, we’re excited to finally get to chat with author (and one of the founding members of #WeNeedDiverseBooks) Aisha Saeed about her latest novel, Forty Words for Love, a story of childhood friends on the verge of adulthood who find themselves at a crossroads as Moonlight Bay, the small magical town they grew up in, faces an economic crisis when the magical pink waters it’s known for fades away. Caught between chasing their dreams and their obligations to their families, this is a magical contemporary stories that addresses real life issues such as how economic tensions manifest in anti-immigrant sentiment.

Follow Aisha on instagram at @aishacs and check out her novel, Forty Words for Love, available now on the Books & Boba bookshop!

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On our mid-month check in for July 2023, we review the latest Asian American book and publishing announcements, while catching up on a pretty terrible few weeks for the Asian American literature community (and the literature industry in general).

Upcoming books mentioned in our publishing news:

• Piper Chen Sings by Phillipa Soo & Maris Pasquale Doran; illust by Qin Leng
• Mabel and the Museum by Dana Wulfekotte
• A Roof! by Stephanie Ellen Sy; illust by Daniel Tingcungco
• A Pair of Little Red Mittens by Kirin Hayashi, illust by Chiaki Okada; translated by Avery Fischer Udagawa
• The Beat of the Dragon Boat by Christina Matula; illust by Nicole Wong
• The Door Is Open edited by Hena Khan
• The Little Cloud by Pam Fong
• Grace Lee Boggs’s Gardens of Hope by Songju Ma Daemicke; illust by Li Lin
• The Lost Souls of Benzaiten by Kelly Murashige
• Ritu in the Sun by Moniza Hossain
• Unbreakable: A Japanese American Family in an American Incarceration Camp by Jolene Gutiérrez & Minoru Tonai; illust by Chris Sasaki

News stories covered on this episode:

• @BooksForMaui auction for disaster relief
• Love in Taipei, the film adaptation of Loveboat, Taipei, premieres on Paramount+
• The cancelled Asian American Literature Festival revives as Ghosted World: An Uncalled Asian American Literature Festival
• Prosecraft shuts down after authors protest

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On this episode, we sit down with author Kelly Loy Gilbert to talk about her latest novel, Everyone Wants to Know, a coming of age story following Honor Lo, the youngest daughter of a family who grew up under the spotlight of a popular reality TV show. We chat with Kelly about her inspirations behind the story as well as her journey as an author.

Follow Kelly on instagram at @kellyloygilbert and check out her novel, Everyone Wants to Know, available now on the Books & Boba bookshop!

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On this episode we discuss our July 2023 book club pick The Imaginary Lives of James Poneke by Tina Makereti. A coming-of-age story of a Maori boy, armed with a British education and eager to see the world, who ventures to London to be a living exhibit for a British artist’s exhibition. It’s an epic tale written in the style of Victorian fiction, but told from the perspective of an indigenous youth growing up under colonization.

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