On this episode, we sit down with author K. X. Song to talk about her newest novel, The Night Ends with Fire, an epic adult fantasy inspired by the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, The Legend of Mulan, and Chinese folklore, following the adventures of a young woman, touched by the Azure Dragon, who enters the army as a man to escape her fate as a woman in a patriarchal society. We chat with K. X. about her journey to becoming a writer as well as her inspirations for the themes in her adult fantasy debut.

Follow K.X. on Instagram at @ksongwrites and check out her novel The Night Ends with Fire, 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 welcome author Tara Sim to chat about her latest novel, We Shall Be Monsters, a YA dark Indian-inspired fantasy take on the Frankenstein story following a girl on a quest to resurrect her sister (who’s accidental death she may also be responsible for) who gets drawn into a web of political intrigue by people who want her knowledge and powers. We chat with Tara about her journey as an author, as well as the inspirations behind her book (especially the very good zombie pup).

Follow Tara on Instagram at @tarasimauthor and check out her novel We Shall Be Monsters, 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 Malia Maunakea about her latest middle grade novel, Lei and the Invisible Island, which concludes her MG duology following the summer adventures of Lei, a Native Hawaiian girl from Colorado, who rediscovers her roots as she deals with the antics of spirits and gods drawn from Hawaiian folklore while visiting her grandmother in Hawaii for the summer. Malia shares with us her journey as an author, the inspirations for her series, as well as her thoughts on Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander representation in literature.

Follow Malia on Instagram at @maliamaunakea and check out her novel Lei and the Invisible Island, 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 discuss out May 2024 Book Club pick, Kill Her Twice by Stacey Lee, a YA noir mystery about two Chinese American sisters who investigate the murder of their friend, an up and coming Hollywood starlet, in 1930’s Los Angeles. Listen in as we dive into this novel which blends of the gritty themes of noir fiction with the light-hearted tones of a cozy mystery, with a splash of Asian American coming-of-age for good measure.

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

On our mid-month check in for May 2024, we recap the latest Asian American publishing announcements, as well as catch up on some book awards news and hot topics on Booktok. We also share some of the live audio that we captured from attendees at the 2024 Long Beach Festival of AAPI Books!

Upcoming books mentioned in our publishing news:

• Immortal the Blood by Molly X. Chang
• Maggie and the Story Shadows by Annabelle Oh
• Big Jobs for Little Babies Series by Katrina Moore; illust. by Benson Shum
• Ex Marks the Spot by Gloria Chao
• Hairy Man Suit by Haleh Massey
• Gwei, the Hungry Ghost by Emeline Lee; illust. by Basia Tran
• In the Country I Love by Alaa Al-Barkawi
• Ai & Aiko and the Little Curve by Peter Draw
• Binna’s Dalgona by Sojung Kim-McCarthy
•  As Long as You Loathe Me by Swati Hegde
• The Vastness of Us written by Terisa Siagatonu; illust. by Lucyola Langi
• Sparkles for Sunny: A Lunar New Year Story by Sylvia Chen; illust. by Thai My Phuong
• Ramadan on Rahma Road: Celebrating Food, Family, and Friendship by Razeena Omar Gutta & Faaiza Osman; illust. by Atieh Sohrabi

News stories covered on this episode:

• Barnes & Noble Children’s & YA Book Awards

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

On this episode we discuss our March 2024 book club pick, Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-Reum & translated by Shanna Tan, a story about a woman who leaves her unfulfilling life in the city to start up an independent bookstore in a small neighborhood. We dive into the book’s themes as the owner, workers, and customers of the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop all search for their purpose in life, and how the answers clash with what society tells them what success is supposed to look like.

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

Support the Books & Boba Podcast by:

• Joining our Patreon to receive exclusive perks
• Purchasing books at our bookshop
• Rocking our Books & Boba merch

Follow our hosts:

• Reera Yoo (@reeraboo)
• Marvin Yueh (@marvinyueh)

Follow us:

• Instagram
• Twitter
• Goodreads
• Facebook

The Books & Boba April 2024 pick is Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

This podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective