On this episode, we sit down with author Tania Tay to discuss her new cafe cozy romance novel The Matcha Maker Café (which she wrote under the pen name Lily Chen). We chat with Tania about her journey to becoming a novelist, her experience writing about the British East Asian experience for IP projects, as well as the rise (and decline) of cafe culture.

Learn more about Tania at taniatay.com and check out her novel The Matcha Maker Café available now on the Books & Boba bookshop!

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

On this episode, we catch up on the latest Asian American book news and publishing announcements for our July 2026 mid-month check-is

Upcoming books mentioned in our publishing news:

• Swaplife by Abdi Nazemian and Pedro Rhuas
• My Heart or Yours by K. Sugimoto
• Destined or Damned by Sara Jafari
• Chicken’s Noodle Soup by Naaz H. Khan; illust. by Valentina Tu
• Novae by Jennifer Xu and Kate Rhodes

Book news mentioned on this episode:

• Vincent Yu wins the 2026 Barnes & Noble Discover Prize
• Trailer for Director Taika Waititi’s adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel Klara and the Sun released
• Hachette Book Group Employees Win Union Election
• Publishers, Authors File Class Action Lawsuit Against Google

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

On this episode, we chat with author Yejin Suh to talk about her debut novel The Last Soldier of Nava, a Korean-inspired fantasy novel following a girl named Shadow, a former peerless soldier who awakens after a thousand years of slumber, who struggles to retain her freedom under a new identity, even as she is dragged back to her immortal father’s court by his new protege (whom she also feels an attraction to).

Follow Yejin on Instagram at @yejinsuhh and check out her debut novel The Last Soldier of Nava available now on the Books & Boba bookshop!

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

Join us as we discuss our June 2026 pick, The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo. A queer retelling of the classic American novel The Great Gatsby. Set in a magical alternate Jazz Age New York, this version is told through the perspective of Jordan Baker, a side character in the original text, re-imagined as a Vietnamese American adoptee who does her best to survive in a high society as an outsider while trying to stay afloat amongst the tempest that is Jay Gatsby’s obsessive quest to acquire the love of her best friend Daisy.

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

On this episode, we sit down with author Yu-Mei Balasingamchow to talk about her debut novel Names Have Been Changed, a modern epistolary novel told in the style of tell-all podcast hosted by a Singaporean woman who has been on the run across the world for a decade. We’re excited to chat with Yu-Mei about her debut that’s part globetrotting adventure and part love letter to diaspora communities and the hidden sides of Singaporean culture.

Follow Yu_Mei on Instagram at @yumei.balasingamchow and check out her debut novel Names Have Been Changed available now on the Books & Boba bookshop!

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

On this episode, we catch up on the latest Asian American book news and publishing announcements for our June 2026 mid-month check-is

Upcoming books mentioned in our publishing news:

• Life Is a K Drama by Sherri Shepherd & Jayci Lee
• Ophelia No. 23 by Saou Ichikawa
• A Girl’s Spine by Saou Ichikawa
• Birchwood Prep #1: Lina’s Secret by Mae Raespicio
• Kapa Kuiki: My Hawaiian Quilt by Ilima Kahokuhealani Todd; illus. by Mae Waite
• All the Gardeners by Varsha Bajaj; illust. by Grace Easton
• Shifu Mama by Roger Lam; illust. by Alina Chau
• Bamboo Magic by Teresa Robeson; illust. by Wazza Pink
• Kung Fu Crane Girl by Mia Wenjen; ilust. by debut artist Yujie Huang
• Boss Games by Kelly Yang
• Eight Little Hands by Hanh Bui; illust. By Kerisa Greene
• Flickers of Hope by Hanh Bui; illust. By Kerisa Greene

Book news mentioned on this episode:

• Marjane Satrapi, author of Persepolis, dies at 56
• Taiwan Travelogue wins the 2026 International Booker Prize

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