On this episode, we discuss our September 2026 book club pick, Fishbone Cinderella by Elizabeth Lim, a classic Asian American multigenerational story, about the tenuous relationship between an immigrant mother and her American daughter, but with a magical realism twist as both mother and daughter also have mysterious powers from a family curse passed down through the generations (the mother can turn invisible and the daughter can feel the history of anything she touches).

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

On this episode, we catch up on the latest Asian American book news and the last 2 month of publishing announcements for our September 2026 mid-month check-is

Upcoming books mentioned in our publishing news:

• For You I Would Forget by Zeyneb Holdridge
• We Rose from the Sea by Olivia Sun
• Fern and the Fox by Sophie Diao
• A Drop of Kindness by Andrea Wang; illust. by Sally Soweol Han
• Wings by Susan Tan; illust. by Rowan Kingsbury
• Yukiko and the Little Black Cat by Sarah Tsiang; illust. by Joey Ng
• Wanbo by Shiho Pate
• Incomplete Works by Sarah Chihaya
• From the Clear Blue Sky by Jackie Akiko Cloud
• Monster Moon Rising edited by Ellen Oh
• Meow Meow Magic by Yu Kito Lee
• The Boy from Cloud Mountain by B.B. Tan
• 10 Sleepy Cats by Lili Chin
• Z Is for Zoomies by Lili Chin
• Dear June, I’m Mad at You by Vivienne Chang & Eugenia Yoh
• Super Shy by Vivian Truong
• Tapestry of Gold by Tasia M.S
• Write Back Soon by Remy Lai

Book news mentioned on this episode:

• Bridgerton star Yerin Ha to narrate American Hagwon by Min Jin Lee
• R.F. Kuang’s Taipei Story debuts at #3 on NYT Bestsellers List for Hardcover Fiction
• HarperCollins Launches Manga Imprint
• C.B. Lee’s Coffesshop in an Alternate Universe wins Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book

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

On this episode, we’re very excited to bring you an author chat with Rachel Khong, author of our September 2017 book club pick Goodbye Vitamin (episode 28), to talk about her latest book, My Dear You, a short story collection featuring a genre-spanning stories exploring themes of identity, relationships, and time. From a story about missed connections and a cat that conjures the ghosts of ex-boyfriends, to contemplation of the afterlife both literal and figurative.

Follow Lisa at thedreamside.com and check out her new book My Dear You available now on the Books & Boba bookshop!

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

We sit down for an author chat with Lisa Lee to talk with her about about her debut novel American Han, a Korean American family drama about the Kims, a family whose members are each going through their own personal crises. When an even bigger crisis occurs the whole family is forced to come together and deal with the consequences of decades of built up resentment and estrangement, all stemming from the relentless pursuit of the “Amerian Dream.”

Follow Lisa on Instagram at @lisaleehello and check out her new novel American Han available now on the Books & Boba bookshop!

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

Happy New Year! On our first mid-month book news check-in episode for the year of the horse, we go over a hefty list of latest Asian American publishing news as the publishing industry revs back into gear after the holidays.

Upcoming books mentioned in our publishing news:

1. Blur the Lines by Kanitha P.
2. Paper Ghosts by Samantha Chong
3. Cold Blood by Aashna Avachat
4. Untitled Contemporary YA By Jesmeen Kaur Deo
5. The Strange Sketches of Luna Li by Gloria L. Huang
6. She Comes Out at Night by Michelle Jing Chan
7. If We Could Be Everywhere by Sarah Suk
8. The Sisterhood of Southern Peaches by Katrina Moore
9. Footprints in Snow by Keiko Hayner
10. Something Inside Me Knows by Malinda Lo
11. The Luckies by Sarah Mlynowski and Christina Soontornvat; illust. by Madi Wong
12. The Monster Inside by Cherry Mo
13. Jitty and the Machine by Mitali Banerjee Ruths; illust.by Iacopo Bruno
14. Wipe Out by Saadia Faruqi; illust. by Karen De la Vega
15. The Erhu Sings by Sally Deng
16. Blooming Behind Barbed Wire by Traci Huahn; illust. by Mayumi Sasage
17. House of Forgotten Souls by Kat Cho
18. Hello, DELA, by Kiku Hughes
19. Tae Lim Decks It Out by Angela Ahn
20. Izzy and Wolfi by Dane Liu; illust. by Maya Tatsukawa
21. The Light Garden by Joanna Ho; illust. by Minako Tomigahara

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

Happy New Year! We ring in the Year of the Horse with an exciting author chat with Lillian Li (author of past book club pick #1 Chinese Restaurant), who joins us to chat about her newest novel Bad Asians, a coming of age story following four childhood friends who all move home after graduating college in 2008 after their well laid plans were derailed by the great recession. They inadvertently become part of a viral Youtube documentary that will continue to haunt them throughout their adult lives as they drift apart and come back together again and again.

Follow Lillian on Instagram at @zillianzi and check out her new novel Bad Asians available now on the Books & Boba bookshop!

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