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
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.
On this episode we sit down with author Abraham Chang about his debut novel 888 Love and the Divine Burden of Numbers, an Asian American coming-of-age love story that takes place in 1995 New York City. We chat with Abe about the inspirations behind his novel as well as how he transitioned from working in publishing to becoming a published novelist.
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 this episode we chat with author E. L. Shen about her YA coming-of-age novel The Queens of New York, which just had its paperback release. We chat with E. L. about the inspirations for her story about three best friends finding themselves over a summer apart, and dive deep into one of her plot points revolving around a surprisingly modern musical with racist themes.
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
Books & Boba 