Books and Boba

We sit down for an author chat with Lisa Lee to talk with her about about her debut novel American Han, a Korean American family drama about the Kims, a family whose members are each going through their own personal crises. When an even bigger crisis occurs the whole family is forced to come together and deal with the consequences of decades of built up resentment and estrangement, all stemming from the relentless pursuit of the "Amerian Dream."
Follow Lisa on Instagram at @lisaleehello and check out her new novel American Han available now on the Books & Boba bookshop!
Books & Boba is a podcast dedicated to reading and featuring books by Asian and Asian American authors
Support the Books & Boba Podcast by:
Joining our Patreon to receive exclusive perks
Purchasing books at our bookshop
Rocking our Books & Boba merch

Follow our hosts:
Reera Yoo (@reeraboo)
Marvin Yueh (@marvinyueh)

Follow us:
Instagram
Twitter
Goodreads
Facebook

The Books & Boba April 2026 pick is The Elsewhere Express by Samantha Sotto Yambao
This podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective

On this episode, we discuss our March 2026 Book Club Pick, Butter by Asako Yuzuki, a story of food and murder following a Japanese journalist who begins a professional relationship with a convicted serial killer, charged with the murders of three domestic partners, in hopes of getting an exclusive interview. However, she ends up getting more than she bargained for as she gets sucked into the killer's philosophy and worldview that leads her to question amd she knows about the pleasures of food, the importance of friendships, as well as how traditional gender roles makes fools of us all.
Books & Boba is a podcast dedicated to reading and featuring books by Asian and Asian American authors
Support the Books & Boba Podcast by:
Joining our Patreon to receive exclusive perks
Purchasing books at our bookshop
Rocking our Books & Boba merch

Follow our hosts:
Reera Yoo (@reeraboo)
Marvin Yueh (@marvinyueh)

Follow us:
Instagram
Twitter
Goodreads
Facebook

The Books & Boba April 2026 pick is TBA (check our Instagram or website in a few days)!
This podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective

For our mid-month book news check in for March 2026, we catch up on the latest Asian American publishing announcements as well as check in on the ongoing fight against book bans:
The Carlton Girls: Casey and the Cruel Thief by Julie Abe
The Goodfolke Family by Roshani Chokshi
P.S. Are We Friends Now? by John Schu and Jasmine Warga
My Neighbor Yokai by noho
Fall, in Love by Mia Kayla
The Gravedigger's Apprentice by Linda Cheng
Seeking Wonderful by Susan Yoon; illust. Veronica Mang
We Are the Light: A Story of Diwali by Rajani LaRocca; illust. Sayan Mukherjee
Home Is Waiting to Be Found by Tina Athaide; ilust. Vũ Thủy Ngọc Hà
Matcha & Matches by Cara Tanamachi
Tea Leaves and Fate Strings by C.B. Lee
The Red Thread by Laura G. Lee
Scream, Queen! by Sujin Witherspoon

Book news mentioned on this episode:
Lee & Low postpones their quadrennial Diversity Baseline Survey in order to concentrate on fighting book bans

Books & Boba is a podcast dedicated to reading and featuring books by Asian and Asian American authors
Support the Books & Boba Podcast by:
Joining our Patreon to receive exclusive perks
Purchasing books at our bookshop
Rocking our Books & Boba merch

Follow our hosts:
Reera Yoo (@reeraboo)
Marvin Yueh (@marvinyueh)

Follow us:
Instagram
Twitter
Goodreads
Facebook

The Books & Boba March 2026 pick is Butter by Asako Yuzuki
This podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective

On this episode, we discuss our February 2026 book club pick, Behind Frenemy Lines by Zen Cho, a romantic comedy about two Asian lawyers in London who share an (kinda?) adversarial relationship who end up sharing an office and perhaps become something more as they find themselves in a pseudo fake relationship to help with each other's personal troubles. We read Zen Cho's Regency era fantasy romance Sorcerer to the Crown almost a decade ago and were very excited to see what a contemporary Zen Cho romance looks like.
Books & Boba is a podcast dedicated to reading and featuring books by Asian and Asian American authors
Support the Books & Boba Podcast by:
Joining our Patreon to receive exclusive perks
Purchasing books at our bookshop
Rocking our Books & Boba merch

Follow our hosts:
Reera Yoo (@reeraboo)
Marvin Yueh (@marvinyueh)

Follow us:
Instagram
Twitter
Goodreads
Facebook

The Books & Boba March 2026 pick is Butter by Asako Yuzuki
This podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective

Happy New Year! On our first mid-month book news check-in episode for the year of the horse, we go over a hefty list of latest Asian American publishing news as the publishing industry revs back into gear after the holidays.
Upcoming books mentioned in our publishing news:
Blur the Lines by Kanitha P.
Paper Ghosts by Samantha Chong
Cold Blood by Aashna Avachat
Untitled Contemporary YA By Jesmeen Kaur Deo
The Strange Sketches of Luna Li by Gloria L. Huang
She Comes Out at Night by Michelle Jing Chan
If We Could Be Everywhere by Sarah Suk
The Sisterhood of Southern Peaches by Katrina Moore
Footprints in Snow by Keiko Hayner
Something Inside Me Knows by Malinda Lo
The Luckies by Sarah Mlynowski and Christina Soontornvat; illust. by Madi Wong
The Monster Inside by Cherry Mo
Jitty and the Machine by Mitali Banerjee Ruths; illust.by Iacopo Bruno
Wipe Out by Saadia Faruqi; illust. by Karen De la Vega
The Erhu Sings by Sally Deng
Blooming Behind Barbed Wire by Traci Huahn; illust. by Mayumi Sasage
House of Forgotten Souls by Kat Cho
Hello, DELA, by Kiku Hughes
Tae Lim Decks It Out by Angela Ahn
Izzy and Wolfi by Dane Liu; illust. by Maya Tatsukawa
The Light Garden by Joanna Ho; illust. by Minako Tomigahara

Books & Boba is a podcast dedicated to reading and featuring books by Asian and Asian American authors
Support the Books & Boba Podcast by:
Joining our Patreon to receive exclusive perks
Purchasing books at our bookshop
Rocking our Books & Boba merch

Follow our hosts:
Reera Yoo (@reeraboo)
Marvin Yueh (@marvinyueh)

Follow us:
Instagram
Twitter
Goodreads
Facebook

The Books & Boba February 2026 is Behind Frenemy Lines by Zen Cho
This podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective