#320 - Author Chat w/ Allison King

On this episode, we sit down with author Allison King to chat about her debut novel The Phoenix Pencil Company, a novel that's part historical fiction, part magical realism, and part sapphic romance about a young woman who discovers her family's secret magical power to reconstruct anything written by a pencil while taking care of her ailing grandmother and learning about her own family's history from Shanghai to Taiwan to the States. Follow Allison on Instagram at @allisonkingwrites and check out her debut novel The Phoenix Pencil Company 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 July 2025 pick is Bingsu for Two by Sujin WitherspoonThis podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective

On this episode, we're joined by author Naomi Xu Elegant to chat about her debut novel Gingko Season, a story about a young Chinese American woman finding love, identity, purpose, and political awakening alongside her friends, set in New York City in 2018. 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 July 2025 pick is Bingsu for Two by Sujin WitherspoonThis podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective

On this episode, we discuss our June 2025 book club pick is Afterparties by the late Anthony Veasna So, a short story collection about a community of Cambodian Americans in San Joaquin County. Join us as we discuss all nine short stories that take us through a myriad of emotions with Anthony's often melancholic, sometimes hopeful, and darkly funny storytelling.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 July 2025 pick is Bingsu for Two by Sujin WitherspoonThis podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective

On this episode, we welcome award winning author and illustrator Mike Curato to the podcast to chat about his latest graphic novel, Gaysians, an adult graphic novel following four gay Asians navigating love, identity, found family, and friendship in early 2000's Seattle.Follow Mike on Instagram at @mike_curato and check out his latest graphic novel Gaysians 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 June 2025 pick is Afterparties by Anthony Veasna SoThis podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective

On our mid-month check in for June 2025, we highlight some of the latest Asian American publishing announcements, and catch up on the latest book tea!Upcoming books mentioned in our publishing news:Stormraven by Kelsea YuMomma's Christmas Gift by Kao Kalia Yang; illust. by Jacqueline TamBlood of Silver by Allie NguyenWorth a Shot by Dora WangLion Dancer's Lost Lettuce by Michelle Jing Chan Leaf It to Me! by Katrina Moore; illust. by Biva NguyenFried Rice Surprise by Patricia Tanumihardja; illust. by Shiho PateMore Than What Eyes See by Miso Kwak; illust. by Thaís MesquitaKiri by Alice ChuThe Quest for the Longest Noodle by Stephanie Sy; illust. by Cindy WumeHunger Fighter by Jacqueline Chio-Lauri; illust. by Kristin SorraOh, My Affogato! by Daphne Ang and Donna GhorbanpoorPlanted by Niña MataToday Is Children's Day by Aram KimThe Shape of Love by Carren Jao; illust. by Corinne CaroShaping Ramadan by Mustaali RajBeneath the Same Round Moon by Jasmine Fang; illust. by Rồng Phạm &amp; Vinh Nguyễn Book news mentioned on this episode:Chicago Sun-Times publishes a summer reading list filled with fake titles generated by AIBookToker given book deals despite having zero writing experienceBooks &amp; Boba is a podcast dedicated to reading and featuring books by Asian and Asian American authorsSupport the Books &amp; Boba Podcast by:Joining our Patreon to receive exclusive perksPurchasing books at our bookshopRocking our Books &amp; Boba merchFollow our hosts:Reera Yoo (@reeraboo)Marvin Yueh (@marvinyueh)Follow us:InstagramTwitterGoodreadsFacebookThe Books &amp; Boba June 2025 pick is&nbsp;<a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/afterparties-stories-anthony-veasna-so/15622048?aid=11692&amp;ean=9780063049895&amp;listref=book-club-picks-91552a56-f7a9-40f3-b303-66310685ac2e" rel="noopener noreferrer"...

On this episode, we're excited to welcome author Susan Lee to the podcast to chat about her latest novel, The Romance Rivalry, a YA romantic comedy about two rival booktubers who find themselves as freshmen at the same small liberal arts college and enter a competition with each other to see who can find love first using nothing but romance tropes!Follow Susan on Instagram at&nbsp;@susanleewrites and check out her latest novel&nbsp;The Romance Rivalry&nbsp;available now on the&nbsp;Books &amp; Boba bookshop!Books &amp; Boba is a podcast dedicated to reading and featuring books by Asian and Asian American authorsSupport the Books &amp; Boba Podcast by:Joining our Patreon to receive exclusive perksPurchasing books at our bookshopRocking our Books &amp; Boba merchFollow our hosts:Reera Yoo (@reeraboo)Marvin Yueh (@marvinyueh)Follow us:InstagramTwitterGoodreadsFacebookThe Books &amp; Boba June 2025 pick is&nbsp;Afterparties&nbsp;by Anthony Veasna SoThis podcast is part of&nbsp;Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective

On this episode, we discuss our May 2025 book club pick Blob: A Love Story by Maggie Su. A story about Vi, a twenty three year old biracial midwest Asian American woman, reeling from a bad breakup and a lifetime of bad choices, who finds a sentient blob in the alleys behind a bar and decides to mold it into her ideal romantic partner. What could go wrong?Books &amp; Boba is a podcast dedicated to reading and featuring books by Asian and Asian American authorsSupport the Books &amp; Boba Podcast by:Joining our Patreon to receive exclusive perksPurchasing books at our bookshopRocking our Books &amp; Boba merchFollow our hosts:Reera Yoo (@reeraboo)Marvin Yueh (@marvinyueh)Follow us:InstagramTwitterGoodreadsFacebookThe Books &amp; Boba June 2025 pick is&nbsp;Afterparties by Anthony Veasna SoThis podcast is part of&nbsp;Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective

On this episode, we're excited to welcome NYT bestselling author Axie Oh, who joins us to chat about her latest novel The Floating World,&nbsp;an epic romantic fantasy following the adventures of an amnesiac mercenary and a small town village girl (with hidden chosen one powers) that blends the JRPG vibes of Final Fantasy with a re-imagining of the Korean Legend of the Celestial Maidens. Follow Axie on Instagram at&nbsp;@axieoh and check out her latest novel&nbsp;The Floating World&nbsp;available now on the&nbsp;Books &amp; Boba bookshop!Books &amp; Boba is a podcast dedicated to reading and featuring books by Asian and Asian American authorsSupport the Books &amp; Boba Podcast by:Joining our Patreon to receive exclusive perksPurchasing books at our bookshopRocking our Books &amp; Boba merchFollow our hosts:Reera Yoo (@reeraboo)Marvin Yueh (@marvinyueh)Follow us:InstagramTwitterGoodreadsFacebookThe Books &amp; Boba May 2025 pick is&nbsp;Blob&nbsp;by Maggie SuThis podcast is part of&nbsp;Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective

On our mid-month check in for May 2025, we highlight some of the latest Asian American publishing announcements, celebrate some Asian American authors on the NYT bestsellers list, and check in on some increasingly bummer news happening in the industry (and society)!Upcoming books mentioned in our publishing news:Julia Song is Undateable by Susan LeeShoe Box Dreams by Qing ZhuangRoar by Varsha Bajaj&nbsp;The Stolen&nbsp;Queen by Kendare BlakeAh Ma's Home by Gillian Sze; illust by Leah HongThe Oks Are Not O.K. by Grace K. ShimWhen Shadows Burn by Vanessa LeAt Fifteen by Remy Lai; illust by Basia Tran&nbsp;Friday Nights in Chinatown by Michelle LamArlo All Over Again by Sayuri Stabrowski; illust by Dave SzalayLove Language by Christine KoInstar by Sabrina ImblerWatch Me by Tahereh MafiThe Floating World by Axie OhBook news mentioned on this episode:NYT Bestsellers ListRomantasy ball turns into a Fyre Festival&nbsp;Amazon’s Audible unveils plans to use AI for narrating and translatingFiring of the Librarian of CongressBooks &amp; Boba is a podcast dedicated to reading and featuring books by Asian and Asian American authorsSupport the Books &amp; Boba Podcast by:Joining our Patreon to receive exclusive perksPurchasing books at our bookshopRocking our Books &amp; Boba merchFollow our hosts:Reera Yoo (@reeraboo)Marvin Yueh (@marvinyueh)Follow us:InstagramTwitterGoodreadsFacebookThe Books &amp; Boba May 2025 pick is&nbsp;Blob&nbsp;by Maggie SuThis...

On this episode, we're excited to welcome Carolyn Huynh, the author of Books &amp; Boba pick The Fortunes of Jaded Women, to discuss her sophomore novel, The Family Recipe, another dramedy about a messy Vietnamese American family, this time following the estranged scions of a banh mi empire who are thrown into competition with each other for their inheritance by their eccentric father. Follow Carolyn on Instagram at&nbsp;@carolynkhuynh and check out her latest novel The Family Recipe available now on the&nbsp;Books &amp; Boba bookshop!Books &amp; Boba is a podcast dedicated to reading and featuring books by Asian and Asian American authorsSupport the Books &amp; Boba Podcast by:Joining our Patreon to receive exclusive perksPurchasing books at our bookshopRocking our Books &amp; Boba merchFollow our hosts:Reera Yoo (@reeraboo)Marvin Yueh (@marvinyueh)Follow us:InstagramTwitterGoodreadsFacebookThe Books &amp; Boba May 2025 pick is&nbsp;Blob&nbsp;by Maggie SuThis podcast is part of&nbsp;Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective