On our mid-month check in for July 2024, we recap some of the latest Asian American publishing announcements, as well as get some updates on the latest Books & Boba pick to get picked up for TV and which books by Asian authors made it into the New York Time’s best 100 books of the century!

Upcoming books mentioned in our publishing news:

• Reasons We Break by Jesmeen Kaur Deo
• Arctic Adventures: A Tundra Tale by Jyoti Rajan Gopal; illust by Alexandra Mims Cook
• Cactus Home by Vikram Madan
• The First Girl on Stage: Tunga Dances the Yakshagana by Shruthi Rao; illust by Devika Joglekar
• Tea Leaf Eggs by Karen E. Hong
• Hold by Randy Ribay; illust Zeke Peña
• Miles Ahead by Minh Lê; illustrated by Lynnor Bontigao
• Passé It On by Dani Chuatico
• How to Fake a Love Story in 15 Days by Aashna Avachat
• Baba Palooza by A.D. Ghani; illust by Nadia Alam
• Amina Banana by Shifa Saltagi Safadi; illust by Aaliya Jaleel
• The Other Lata by Kirthana Ramisetti

News stories covered on this episode:

• George R.R. Martin honors R.F. Kuang and Xiran Jay Zhao with 2024 Alfie Awards
• Xiran Jay Zhao wins The Astounding Award at the 2024 Hugos

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

On this episode, we discuss our July 2024 book club pick The Sense of Wonder by Matthew Salesses, a contemporary Asian American novel following the story of Won Lee, the only Asian American player for an NBA team, and his rise to stardom during a period known as “The Wonder.” Inspired on the real life Linsanity phenomenon, and the discourse surrounding it, we dive into Matthew’s take on the Asian American experience (and K-drama tropes) through the eyes of the star himself, a Korean American sports writer, and a female Korean American entertainment executive.

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

On our mid-month check in for July 2024, we recap some of the latest Asian American publishing announcements, as well as get some updates on the latest Books & Boba pick to get picked up for TV and which books by Asian authors made it into the New York Time’s best 100 books of the century!

Upcoming books mentioned in our publishing news:

• Seen: The Story of Corky Lee and His Photographs of Asian America by Julie Leung
• The Big Jump by Marie Tang; illust by Gillian Eilidh O’Mara
• Appetite by P. Paramita
• Black Bird by Sonny Liew
• A Riddle of Thorns by Sarena & Sasha Nanua
• A Village Made of Rainbows by Jo Wu; illust by Alina Chau
• The Never-Ending Goodbye by Leila Boukarim; illust Afsaneh Sanei
• Upside Down Iftar by Maysa Odeh; illust by Nadine Issa

News stories covered on this episode:

• The Fortunes of Jaded Women optioned for a TV series
• The Shortlist for the 2024 Ursula K. Le Guin Prize for Fiction
• NYT’s best 100 books of the century

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

On this episode, we discuss our June 2024 book club pick Greta & Valdin by Rebecca K. Reilly, following the story of two adult siblings from Auckland as they each try to escape from their arrested development and overcome their messy professional and romantic issues, while also dealing with their chaotic but close knit Maori-Russian family. We had a lot of fun discussing this very funny story with a surprisingly sincere heart.

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

On this episode we sit down with author Abraham Chang about his debut novel 888 Love and the Divine Burden of Numbers, an Asian American coming-of-age love story that takes place in 1995 New York City. We chat with Abe about the inspirations behind his novel as well as how he transitioned from working in publishing to becoming a published novelist.

Follow Abraham Chang on Instagram at @geekomnivore and check out his debut novel 888 Love and the Divine Burden of Numbers, available now on the Books & Boba bookshop!

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

On this episode we chat with author E. L. Shen about her YA coming-of-age novel The Queens of New York, which just had its paperback release. We chat with E. L. about the inspirations for her story about three best friends finding themselves over a summer apart, and dive deep into one of her plot points revolving around a surprisingly modern musical with racist themes.

Follow E. L. Shen on Instagram at @elshenwrites and check out her novel The Queens of New York, available now on the Books & Boba bookshop!

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