On our second to last mid-month book news episode in 2025, we highlight some of the latest Asian American publishing announcements, and catch up on the latest book news for November 2025!

Upcoming books mentioned in our publishing news:

• Overrated by Gene Luen Yang & Jacob Perez
• Ink & Blood: Poetry and Power in the Lives of Emperor Li Yu and Chairman Mao by Chun Yu; illust. Sungyoon Choi
• The Peacock Throne by Zeba Shahnaz 
• Forest Freaks by Nat Iwata
• Mei Mei the Bunny by Laufey; Illusy. Lauren O’Hara
• Aunties by Pooja Makhijani; illust. Ruchi Mhasane
• The Girl, the Village, and the Terrible Thunder by Aimee Yealim Lee; illust. Hyewon Yum
• Jade vs. the Claw Machine by Margaret Chiu Greanias; illust. Heather Brockman Lee
• Sun’s Eid by Natasha Khan Kazi
• The Echo of Empires by Shameen Abubakar
• untitled picture book biography of Katherine Sui-Fun Cheung by Cheryl Kim; illust. Nicole Wong. 
• Mongoose’s Holi Party by Darshana Khiani; illust. Abhilasha Khatri
• The Gods Will Sing Our Song by Autumn Krause
• Echoes Across the Water by Livia Blackburne
• What’s for Iftar?! by Razeena Omar Gutta; illust. Esraa Hedery

Book news mentioned on this episode:

• 2025 Goodreads Choice Awards begins (Asian authors nominated for awards listed below)

Readers’ Favorite Fiction

• The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong
• A Guardian and Thief by Megha Majumdar
• The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai

Favorite Historical Fiction

• Homeseeking by Karissa Chan

Favorite Mystery & Thriller

• Vera Wong’s Guide to Snooping (On a Dead Man) by Jesse Q. Sutanto

Favorite Romance

• King of Envy by Ana Huang

Favorite Romantasy

• A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna
• Alchemised by SenLinYu 
• Immortal by Sue Lynn Tan

Favorite Fantasy

• Red City by Marie Lu
• Katabasis by R.F. Kuang
• Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao

Favorite Science-Fiction

• Hammajang Luck by Makana Yamamoto
• Saltcrop by Yume Kitase
• These Memories Don’t Belong to Us by Yiming Ma
• Luminous by Silvia Park
• Local Heavens by K.M. Fajardo

Favorite Horror

• What Hunger by Catherine Dang
• Bat Eater and Other Words for Cora Zeng by Kylie Lee Baker
• Immaculate Conception by Ling Ling Huang

Favorite Debut

• Homeseeking by Karissa Chen
• The Original Daughter by Jemimah Wei
• Alchemised by SenLinYu

Favorite Young Adult Fantasy & Sci-Fi

• Hekate:The Witch by Nikita Gill
• Heavenly Tyrant by Xiran Jay Zhao
• Every Spiral of Fate by Tahereh Mafi
• Watch Me by Tahereh Mafi
• The Floating World by Axie Oh
• Breath of the Dragon by Shannon Lee & Fonda Lee
• Never Ever After by Sue Lynn Tan
• A Forgery of Fate by Elizabeth Lim

Favorite Young Adult Fiction

• You’ve Found Oliver by Dustin Thao
• When Devils Sing by Xan Kaur
• I Am Not Jessica Chen by Ann Liang

Favorite Memoir

• Finding My Way by Malala Yousafzai
• 107 Days by Kamala Harris
• Mother May Comes to Me by Arundhati Roy
• Things in Nature Merely Grow by Yiyun Li

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

On this episode, we are joined by best selling author Dustin Thao to chat about his newest novel, You’ve Found Oliver, the follow up to his bittersweet debut You’ve Reached Sam. Dustin shares with us how a real life glitch in the matrix inspired the supernatural setting of his latest romance as well as his thoughts on time, grief, and magic.

Follow Dustin on Instagram at @thedustinthao and check out his newest novel You’ve Found Oliver available 9/30 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 sit down with author Benedict Nguyễn to chat about her debut novel Hot Girls with Balls, a romantic sports satire about two Asian American trans athletes at the top of their game as stars of the international men’s pro indoor volleyball league (who also happen to be girlfriends)!

Follow Benedict on Instagram at @xbennyboo and check out her debut novel Hot Girls with Balls available now on the Books & Boba bookshop!

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

Reera is off on family business so it’s a solo Marvin mid-month check in this week. On this short but sweet episode, Marvin highlights some of the latest publishing announcements for books by Asian and Asian American authors so that you can have even more books to keep an eye on for your TBR lists!

Upcoming books mentioned in our publishing news:

• SLASHER SUMMER By E.L. Chen
• AMBROSIA By Katrina Kwan
• MADDER LAKE By Katie Wu
• TIGER’S MOUTH By Lucy Tan
• EVERYTHING TO THE SEA By Alicia Upano
• DUST By Theresa Hottel
• AMERICAN HAN By Lisa Lee
• SHE WAITS WHERE SHADOWS GATHER By Michelle Tang
• THE FIDGET BOOTH By Abigail Hing Wen; illust by Maple Lam

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

On this episode, we welcome award winning author and illustrator Mike Curato to the podcast to chat about his latest graphic novel, Gaysians, an adult graphic novel following four gay Asians navigating love, identity, found family, and friendship in early 2000’s Seattle.

Follow Mike on Instagram at @mike_curato and check out his latest graphic novel Gaysians 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 sit down with debut author Rosa Kwon Easton to chat about her new novel White Mulberry, a historical fiction novel about a Korean woman who moves to Japan as a child to pursue her education during the period when Korea was occupied by Japan. Rosa shares with us the long journey to publishing her debut based on the real life experiences of her grandmother, who like the main character of her novel, worked as a nurse in imperial Japan.

Follow Rosa on Instagram at @rosakwoneaston and check out her debut novel White Mulberry available now on the Books & Boba bookshop!

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