Show Notes
On this episode, we discuss our January 2026 (and patron's choice) pick, Reef by Romesh Gunesekera, a historical fiction novel about a boy who grows up as the personal cook and housekeeper for a wealthy marine biology enthusiast in Sri Lanka, blissfully and willingly unaware that the world outside the walls of his residence is slowly descending into chaos in the years leading up to Sri Lanka's civil war. 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)
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The Books & Boba February 2026 is Behind Frenemy Lines by Zen Cho This podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective
More from Books and Boba
On this episode, we catch up on the latest Asian American book news and publishing announcements for our October 2026 mid-month check-in
On this episode we sit down with speculative fiction author (and writing Youtuber) Lynn D Jung to chat about her debut novel Mothsblood, A dark academia/fantasy mystery thriller following Larkspur Lee, an ambitions and competitive Korean American woman studying alchemy in modern day Paris, who's life is turned upside down when she finds herself in the middle of an investigation when the immortal headmistress of her school is found inexplicably murdered, and the conspiracy she thought she left behind in the States follows her across the pond. Follow Lynn on Instagram at @lynndjung and check out her novel Mothsblood 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
On this episode we welcome back author E. L. Shen to chat about her newest novel Foreigners! Loosely based on her own family's history, Foreigners is a compelling take on the multigenerational Asian American story following characters from Qing dynasty China, 1960's New York, and present day New England, and the lies (big and small) we tell to fit in. Follow E. L. Shen on Instagram at @elshenwrites and check out her novel Foreigners, 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
On this episode, we discuss our September 2026 book club pick, Fishbone Cinderella by Elizabeth Lim, a classic Asian American multigenerational story, about the tenuous relationship between an immigrant mother and her American daughter, but with a magical realism twist as both mother and daughter also have mysterious powers from a family curse passed down through the generations (the mother can turn invisible and the daughter can feel the history of anything she touches). 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
On this episode, we catch up on the latest Asian American book news and the last 2 month of publishing announcements for our September 2026 mid-month check-is