#261 - Untethered Sky by Fonda Lee

On this episode we sit down with author Samira Ahmed about her newest novel This Book Won't Burn, a YA coming-of-age story about a girl who moves to a small town in the middle of her senior year and finds herself embroiled in her town's politics as she finds out that hundreds of books in her school's libraries have been marked for book bans. We chat with Samira about her own experiences taking on book bans across the country as well as her thoughts on the importance of reading diversely. Follow Samira on Instagram at @sam_aye_ahm and check out her novel This Book Won't Burn, available now on the Books & Boba bookshop!Books & Boba is a podcast dedicated to reading and featuring books by Asian and Asian American authorsSupport the Books & Boba Podcast by:Joining our Patreon to receive exclusive perksPurchasing books at our bookshopRocking our Books & Boba merchFollow our hosts:Reera Yoo (@reeraboo)Marvin Yueh (@marvinyueh)Follow us:InstagramTwitterGoodreadsFacebookThe Books & Boba May 2024 pick is Kill Her Twice by Stacey LeeThis podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective

On this episode we discuss our April 2024 book club pick, Yellowface by R.F. Kuang, which follows the story of struggling writer June Hayward who finally finds the publishing success she's always dreamed of... after taking the unfinished transcript of her recently deceased writing bestie, the way more successful Athena Liu, and passing it off as her own. We dive into this provocative novel that explores how far some people are willing to go to be anointed in a system that's rigged from the start.Books & Boba is a podcast dedicated to reading and featuring books by Asian and Asian American authorsSupport the Books & Boba Podcast by:Joining our Patreon to receive exclusive perksPurchasing books at our bookshopRocking our Books & Boba merchFollow our hosts:Reera Yoo (@reeraboo)Marvin Yueh (@marvinyueh)Follow us:InstagramTwitterGoodreadsFacebookThe Books & Boba May 2024 pick is Kill Her Twice by Stacey LeeThis podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective

In honor of next weekend's Festival of AAPI Books (which we will be exhibiting at again), we're sharing some of the conversations we recorded at last year's festival which until now were only available on our Patreon exclusive bonus podcast, Boba Chats! We're excited to share our candid chats with author friends Jessica Kim, Phil Yu, Julie Tieu, and Julie Abe. If you like what you head, consider becoming a Patreon supporter!And if you're in the Long Beach area next weekend, don't forget to come say hi!Books & Boba is a podcast dedicated to reading and featuring books by Asian and Asian American authorsSupport the Books & Boba Podcast by:Joining our Patreon to receive exclusive perksPurchasing books at our bookshopRocking our Books & Boba merchFollow our hosts:Reera Yoo (@reeraboo)Marvin Yueh (@marvinyueh)Follow us:InstagramTwitterGoodreadsFacebookThe Books & Boba April 2024 pick is Yellowface by R.F. KuangThis podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective

It's a Marvin only episode for this month's book news check-in, let's see how it goes as he reviews some of the latest Asian American publishing announcements, as well as some new and potentially exciting adaptation news. Upcoming books mentioned in our publishing news:Adam & Evie’s Matchmaking Tour by Nora NguyenSisters at Sea by Yume KitaseiThis Place Kills Me by Mariko Tamaki; illust by Nicole GouxAlice Chen’s Reality Check by Kara Loo & Jennifer YoungDreamt I Found You by Jimin HanThe Emperor of Gladness by Ocean VuongSublimation by Isabel J. KimThe Serpent Called Mercy by Roanne LauA Dark and Narrow House by Usman T. MalikTen Incarnations of Rebellion by Vaishnavi PatelThe Ex-Boyfriends Favorite Recipe Funeral Committee by Saki KawashiroThe Blanket Cats by Kiyoshi ShigematsuLeverage by Amran GowaniThe Art of Love by Kristi HongWhen Sleeping Women Wake by Emma Pei YinThe Satisfaction Café by Kathy WangNews stories covered on this episode:Festival of AAPI Books – May 5, 2024The Sympathizer on HBOCrazy Rich Asians to become a musicalBooks & Boba is a podcast dedicated to reading and featuring books by Asian and Asian American authorsSupport the Books & Boba Podcast by:Joining our Patreon to receive exclusive perksPurchasing books at our bookshopRocking our Books & Boba merchFollow our hosts:Reera Yoo (@reeraboo)Marvin Yueh (@marvinyueh)Follow us:InstagramTwitterGoodreadsFacebookThe Books & Boba April 2024 pick is Yellowface by R.F. KuangThis podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective

On this author chat, we sit down with Sheila Sundar about her debut novel Habitations, a decades-spanning story of identity, immigration, expectation and desire, and of love lost and found, exploring the stories of immigrant scholars, and what it means to make a home. Sheila shares with us her journey to becoming a novelist, as well as the inspirations behind the themes of her novel.Follow Sheila on Twitter at @sundarsheila and check out her novel Habitations, available now on the Books & Boba bookshop!Books & Boba is a podcast dedicated to reading and featuring books by Asian and Asian American authorsSupport the Books & Boba Podcast by:Joining our Patreon to receive exclusive perksPurchasing books at our bookshopRocking our Books & Boba merchFollow our hosts:Reera Yoo (@reeraboo)Marvin Yueh (@marvinyueh)Follow us:InstagramTwitterGoodreadsFacebookThe Books & Boba April 2024 pick is Yellowface by R.F. KuangThis podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective

On this episode, we sit down with author A.H. Kim to talk about her latest novel Relative Strangers, a contemporary adaptation of Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibilities following the Korean-American Bae-Wood family as they find themselves thrown from their home as the result of an unexpected estate battle. We chat with Ann about her inspirations for the story, and what goes into adapting a timeless story with an Asian American lens.Follow Ann on Instagram at @ahkim.writer and check out her novel, Relative Strangers, available now on the Books & Boba bookshop!Books & Boba is a podcast dedicated to reading and featuring books by Asian and Asian American authorsSupport the Books & Boba Podcast by:Joining our Patreon to receive exclusive perksPurchasing books at our bookshopRocking our Books & Boba merchFollow our hosts:Reera Yoo (@reeraboo)Marvin Yueh (@marvinyueh)Follow us:InstagramTwitterGoodreadsFacebookThe Books & Boba April 2024 pick is Yellowface by R.F. KuangThis podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective

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 authorsSupport the Books & Boba Podcast by:Joining our Patreon to receive exclusive perksPurchasing books at our bookshopRocking our Books & Boba merchFollow our hosts:Reera Yoo (@reeraboo)Marvin Yueh (@marvinyueh)Follow us:InstagramTwitterGoodreadsFacebookThe Books & Boba April 2024 pick is Yellowface by R.F. KuangThis podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective

On this episode, we welcome author Vanessa Le to chat about her debut novel The Last Bloodcarver, a Vietnamese-American inspired YA fantasy about a girl with the power to alter human biology who wants to be a healer even if the world sees her as a monster, who is caught and sold into the service of a wealthy family to heal the last surviving witness to a suspected murder. We chat with Vanessa about her inspirations for her fantasy action meets medical murder mystery, as well as how her background as a Vietnamese-American med student helped her develop her book's world and magic system!Follow Vanessa on Instagram at @lochnessly and check out her debut novel, The Last Bloodcarver, available now on the Books & Boba bookshop!Books & Boba is a podcast dedicated to reading and featuring books by Asian and Asian American authorsSupport the Books & Boba Podcast by:Joining our Patreon to receive exclusive perksPurchasing books at our bookshopRocking our Books & Boba merchFollow our hosts:Reera Yoo (@reeraboo)Marvin Yueh (@marvinyueh)Follow us:InstagramTwitterGoodreadsFacebookThe Books & Boba March 2024 pick is Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-Reum & translated by Shanna TanThis podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective

On our mid-month check in for March 2024, we recap the latest Asian American book and publishing announcements, as well as go over some exciting adaptation and festival news!Upcoming books mentioned in our publishing news:The Perfections by Lulee MaRevolutions Are Made ofLove by SunYung Shin and Mélina Mangal; illust by Leslie BarlowNunu and the Sea by Isabella Kung A Home on the Page by Kao Kalia Yang;illust by Seo KimDeathly Fates by Tesia TsaiDragon Force: Infinity'sSecret by KatieTsang and Kevin Tsang Falling Star by Linda LiuI Guess I'll Go Eat Worms by Linda LiuThe Day the BooksDisappeared by JoannaHo and Caroline Kusin Pritchard; illust by Dan SantatLou with the Band by Alexandra LeighYoungProdigal Tiger by Samantha ChongThe Art of How Dogs Sleep by Alison KimNews stories covered on this episode:Babel optioned for screen adaptationYALLWEST announces lineup*Support the podcast by supporting our Patreon*Follow our hosts:Reera Yoo (@reeraboo)Marvin Yueh (@marvinyueh)Follow us:FacebookTwitterGoodreads GroupThe Books & Boba March 2024 pick is Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-Reum & translated by Shanna Tan This podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective

On this episode, we welcome author Sophie Wan to chat about her debut novel Women of Good Fortune, a story of three "leftover" women living in Shanghai each stuck in their own ruts from living under the patriarchy, who decides to do something about it, by planning a heist to steal the red envelope money a crazy rich wedding. We had a great chat with Sophie about her inspirations for the story as well as what goes into constructing a good heist!Follow Sophie on Instagram at @thesophiewan and check out Sophie's debut novel, Women of Good Fortune, available now on the Books & Boba bookshop!*Support the podcast by supporting our Patreon*Follow our hosts:Reera Yoo (@reeraboo)Marvin Yueh (@marvinyueh)Follow us:FacebookTwitterGoodreads GroupThe Books & Boba March 2024 pick is Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-Reum & translated by Shanna Tan This podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective