On this episode, we welcome author Aurora Palit to talk about her debut novel, Sunshine and Spice, an adult romance story between two members of a conservative Bengali Canadian community who enter into a fake relationship to help solve each others cultural dilemmas out despite being complete opposites. We chat with Aurora about her writer’s journey as well as the inspirations for her spicy debut.
On our mid-month check in for September 2024, we highlight some of the latest Asian American publishing announcements, get some updates on which authors of Asian descent who made it to the National Book Awards long-lists, and touch a little on the latest controversy with NaNoWriMo!
Upcoming books mentioned in our publishing news:
Flashlight by Susan Choi
Let It Be a Tale: Palestinian Journalists on Survival and Resistance edited by Zahra Hankir
The Singular Life of Aria Patel by Samira Ahmed
Stars, Stripes, and Summer Nights by Celeste Dador
How to Free a Jinn by Raidah Shah Idil
Okchundang Candy by Jung-soon Go, translated by Aerin Park
Nest of Tongues by Randy Ribay
Every Single Splendor by Mae Respicio
A Zombie Day by An Na; illust by August Zhang
A Space for Nina by Karen Koh
When They Burned the Butterfly by Wen-yi Lee
Everything We Never Had by Randy Ribay
Kareem Between by Shifa Saltagi Safadi
The First State of Being by Erin Entrada
The Tale of a Wall: Reflections on the Meaning of Hope and Freedom by Nasser Abu Srour, translated by Luke Leafgren
The Book Censor’s Library by Bothayna Al-Essa; translated from Arabic by Ranya Abdelrahman and Sawad Hussain
Taiwan Travelogueby Yáng Shuāng-zǐ; translated by Lin King
Where the Wind Calls Homeby Samar Yazbek; translated by Leri Price
Books & Boba is a podcast dedicated to reading and featuring books by Asian and Asian American authors
On this episode, we chat with author Randy Ribay about his latest novel, Everything We Never Had, a YA story about four generations of Filipino men, each grappling with their own unique relationships with identity, masculinity, and father-son relationships. We talk with Randy about his inspirations for the book, as well as his thoughts on its themes of breaking out of toxic cycles.
Join us as we discuss our August 2024 book club pick, Land of Milk and Honey by C Pam Zhang. A story about a Chinese American chef who is stranded abroad when a global climate catastrophe hits and decimates the world’s food supply, putting her chosen profession (as well as her own identity and livelihood) in jeopardy. The story follows her journey of self-discovery as she takes a job as a private chef for an elite research colony in the Italian mountains, one of the few places left in the world with sunlight and abundance, but not all is as it seems.
Books & Boba is a podcast dedicated to reading and featuring books by Asian and Asian American authors
On this episode, we chat with author Trinity Nguyen about her debut novel, A Banh Mi for Two, a sweet sapphic romance about a Vietnamese American exchange student and Vietnamese food blogger/street food vendor and their foodie adventures in Saigon. We chat with Trinity about the inspirations for her novel as well as what her favorite Vietnamese foods are!
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
Books & Boba 