#282 The Sense of Wonder by Matthew Salesses

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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

#281 – Author Chat w/ Amber Chen

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On this episode, we chat with author Amber Chen about her debut novel, Of Jade and Dragons, a fantasy adventure and murder mystery set in a Silkpunk world, about a girl who loves engineering as she pretends to be her brother to infiltrate a prestigious academy in order to uncover the conspiracy that killed her father. We chat with Amber about her journey as a writer as well as the real life inspirations behind her debut.

Follow Amber on Instagram at @amberwrites88 and check out her novel Of Jade and Dragons, available now on the Books & Boba bookshop!

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

#280 – July 2024 Book News

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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:

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

#279 – Author Chat w/ K. X. Song

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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

#278 – Author Chat w/ Tara Sim

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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

#277 – Greta & Valdin by Rebecca K. Reilly

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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