Books and Boba

On this episode, we chat with author Erin Baldwin about her latest novel Good Luck, Babe! A sapphic YA coming of age romantic comedy about two former best friends who reluctantly agree to work together to pursue their dream of competing on an Amazing-race style reality TV competition, the catch is they also have to pretend to date because their season is for couples-only! Erin shares with us her journey as an author, her inspirations for the novel, as well as her own personal reality TV competition aspirations.
Follow Erin on Instagram at @erinbaldwin.books and check out her newest novel Good Luck, Babe! 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:
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Twitter
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The Books & Boba August 2026 pick is Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro
This podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective

On this episode, we discuss our July 2026 Patron's Choice Book Club pick, Sunshine Nails by Mai Nguyen, A family comedy about the Trans of Toronto Canada, a messy but close-knit family who come together to try and save their family's nail salon when gentrification comes into their neighborhood in the form of a high-tech all-inclusive rival nail salon, by any means necessary.
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 August 2026 pick is Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro
This podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective

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
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 July 2026 pick is Sunshine Nails by Mai Nguyen
This podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective

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
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 July 2026 pick is Sunshine Nails by Mai Nguyen
This podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective

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
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 July 2026 pick is Sunshine Nails by Mai Nguyen
This podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective