Rephonic
Artwork for Books and Boba
Asian American Literature
Asian American Identity
Cultural Identity
Mental Health
Social Media
Asian American Authors
Family Dynamics
Generational Trauma
Cultural Representation
Publishing Industry
Identity
Colonialism
Cultural Expectations
Jane Wong
Sister Snake
After Parties
Bingsu For Two
The Midnight Taxi
Patriarchy
Book Banning

Books & Boba is a book club dedicated to books written by Asian and Asian American authors. We cover a wide range of genres including contemporary, historical fiction, sci-fi, fantasy, YA, nonfiction, thrillers, graphic novels, and memoirs.

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes364Founded10 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
ArtsSociety & CultureBooks

Listen to this Podcast

Artwork for Books and Boba

Latest Episodes

On this episode, we're very excited to welcome booktuber, and now published author, Cindy Pham to chat about her debut novel, The Secret World of Briar Rose, a sapphic dark retelling of the legend of sleeping beauty, following a jaded thief who, whil... more

On this episode we discuss our May 2026 pick is No-No Boy by John Okada, one of the earliest in the Asian American canon following the story of Ichiro Yamada who returns home to Seattle after serving 2 years in prison for refusing to serve in the mil... more

YouTube

On this episode, we welcome author Vincent Yu to chat about his debut novel, Seek Immediate Shelter, which follows the stories of several members of a small town community in Massachusetts, who have to deal with the consequences of their impulsive ac... more

YouTube

For our mid-month book news check in for May 2026, we catch up on the latest Asian American publishing announcements as well as check in on some of the latest news and tea from the greater book industry.

Upcoming books mentioned in our publishing ne... more

YouTube

Key Facts

Accepts Guests
Contact Information
Podcast Host
Number of Listeners
Find out how many people listen to this podcast per episode and each month.

Similar Podcasts

People also subscribe to these shows.

Recent Guests

Cindy Pham
Queer Vietnamese American author, debut novelist
Author, The Secret World of Briar Rose
Episode: #357 - Author Chat w/ Cindy Pham
Vincent Yu
Author, debut novel Seek Immediate Shelter
WW Norton; LiveRight
Episode: #355 - Author Chat w/ Vincent Yu
Canwen Xu
Author of Boring Asian Female
Author, debut novel Boring Asian Female
Episode: #353 - Author Chat w/ Canwen Xu
Kelly Yang
Author of Front Desk and The Take
Author
Episode: #351 - Author Chat w/ Kelly Yang
Rachel Khong
Author of Goodbye Vitamin and Real Americans; new short story collection My Dear You
Author
Episode: #349 - Author Chat w/ Rachel Khong
Lisa Lee
Author of American Han
Author, American Han
Episode: #348 - Author Chat w/ Lisa Lee
Lillian Li
Author of Bad Asians and No. 1 Chinese Restaurant
Episode: #343 - Author Chat w/ Lillian Li
Yosha Gunasekera
A Sri Lankan American attorney and author of The Midnight Taxi, who represents wrongly convicted individuals.
The Innocence Project
Episode: #342 - Author Chat w/ Yosha Gunasekera
Lyla Lee
Best-selling author of YA and adult romance novels including The Cuffing Game.
Episode: #336 - Author Chat w/ Lyla Lee

Hosts

Marvin Yueh
Host and co-host, known for warm, insightful book discussions and industry context.
Reera Yoo
Host and co-host, brings literary analysis and community focus to conversations.

Reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars from 227 ratings
  • Yes!!

    Thank you for the representation! I love the focus on Asian/Asian American authors. I actively seek AANHPI authors and my TBR is fuller bc of this podcast. Also so pleased to see favorite authors featured here. Very happy to have this in my ears! Mahalo nui ❤️

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    KalenaMed
    United States8 months ago
  • Love this pod

    I love the idea of an AAPI podcast related to books. I listened to a handful so far and I love the book review ones the best. Most podcasts have only glowing reviews about every book so it’s nice to hear both the positive and negatives about a book before deciding to read it. Keep up the great work!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    SeraphinaS100
    United Statesa year ago
  • They are the Boba!

    Reera and Marvin are the Boba! They give me all the same feels as a delightful Bubble Tea and they are cultivating more delectable and diverse reading experiences.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    SquidInkyDink
    United States2 years ago
  • Boba?

    I was looking through Apple podcast and saw this and I was so excited because I love books and boba 🧋🧋🧋and then found found out there was no boba involved, i listened a bit and though5 it was a decent podcast but I am still very disappointed that there is no boba involved in this podcast because I really like boba and I think it’s good, I just don’t want other people who love boba to get scammed out of a boba podcast. Thank you for your consideration,

    A disappointed listener,

    The Boba Que... more

    Apple Podcasts
    2
    Podcast Critic/ Boba Lover 🧋
    United States3 years ago
  • Lovely dive into AAPI books!

    A very good source for upcoming books by AAPI authors highlighting our stories. Invaluable for helping to navigate and find the good stuff out there. We are blessed to have a breadth of AAPI authors now. Keep up the good work Reera and Marvin!!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    iPad gamerzzz
    United States3 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Audience notes the banter and warmth as a strength, with strong enthusiasm for author interviews.
Fans appreciate practical takeaways for readers and writers, plus timely publishing news.
Listeners praise the focus on Asian/Asian American authors and diversity of recommendations.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts
#124
Belgium/Arts/Books
Apple Podcasts
#157
India/Arts/Books
Apple Podcasts
#161
India/Arts
Apple Podcasts
#237
Taiwan/Arts/Books
Apple Podcasts
#237
Singapore/Arts/Books
Apple Podcasts
#250
Hong Kong/Arts/Books

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

#353 - Author Chat w/ Canwen Xu
Q: What prompted the shift from a contemporary novel to a thriller?
Feedback from the agent and editor suggested adding suspenseful elements would heighten engagement; the shift also allowed deeper explorations of character and social dynamics within a high-stakes setting.
#353 - Author Chat w/ Canwen Xu
Q: How did the voice and the percentile concept come to you?
The voice emerged from wanting to show explicitly how societal measurements translate into internal hierarchy and self-worth, exploring the tension between showing and telling while making the obsession feel believable and urgent.
#353 - Author Chat w/ Canwen Xu
Q: Can you give our listeners a brief pitch of what the book is about?
Boring Asian Female follows a Columbia senior who measures life by percentiles and aims for Harvard Law; after a rejection, she fixates on a rival who did get in, spiraling into obsessive, suspenseful actions that reveal the dangers of tying self-worth to external milestones.
#348 - Author Chat w/ Lisa Lee
Q: What inspired you to write American Han and to focus on the concept of Han in an American context?
Lee explains she wanted to understand the anger and resilience in her own family, and how Han could be refracted through the immigrant experience in America, blending Korean heritage with American racism and the pressure to assimilate.
#343 - Author Chat w/ Lillian Li
Q: How did you get started in writing?
I began by writing fan fiction with friends in elementary school, which evolved into creative writing classes.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
Interests
Professions
Age Range
Household Income
Social Media Reach

Frequently Asked Questions About Books and Boba

What is Books and Boba about and what kind of topics does it cover?

A thoughtful, conversation-driven show centered on books by Asian and Asian American authors, blending author interviews, mid-month publishing updates, and lively book club discussions. Episodes typically feature in-depth author chats, industry news, and nuanced discussions of identity, representation, and culture, with a warm, bantering host duo that fans often praise for approachable yet insightful commentary. Noteworthy is the clear emphasis on publishing industry insights, literary exploration across genres, and ongoing engagement with a multilingual, diverse literary community—making it a strong fit for listeners who want both book recommendations and context about how Asian American literature is produced and marketed.

Where can I find podcast stats for Books and Boba?

Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for Books and Boba. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to Books and Boba and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.

How many listeners does Books and Boba get?

Rephonic provides a full set of podcast information for three million podcasts, including the number of listeners. View further listenership figures for Books and Boba, including podcast download numbers and subscriber numbers, so you can make better decisions about which podcasts to sponsor or be a guest on. You will need to upgrade your account to access this premium data.

What are the audience demographics for Books and Boba?

Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for Books and Boba, including gender skew, age, country, political leaning, income, professions, education level, and interests. You can access these listener demographics by upgrading your account.

How many subscribers and views does Books and Boba have?

To see how many followers or subscribers Books and Boba has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to Books and Boba?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Books and Boba:

1. Book Riot - The Podcast
2. NPR's Book of the Day
3. The Book Club Review
4. The Stacks
5. Zero to Well-Read

How many episodes of Books and Boba are there?

Books and Boba launched 10 years ago and published 364 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact Books and Boba?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

Where can I see ratings and reviews for Books and Boba?

Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for Books and Boba from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.

View all the reviews in one place instead of visiting each platform individually and use this information to decide if a show is worth pitching or not.

How do I access podcast episode transcripts for Books and Boba?

Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of Books and Boba. Search within each transcript for your keywords, whether they be topics, brands or people, and figure out if it's worth pitching as a guest or sponsor. You can even set-up alerts to get notified when your keywords are mentioned.

What guests have appeared on Books and Boba?

Recent guests on Books and Boba include:

1. Cindy Pham
2. Vincent Yu
3. Canwen Xu
4. Kelly Yang
5. Rachel Khong
6. Lisa Lee
7. Lillian Li
8. Yosha Gunasekera

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

Find and pitch the right podcasts

We help savvy brands, marketers and PR professionals to find the right podcasts for any topic or niche. Get the data and contacts you need to pitch podcasts at scale and turn listeners into customers.
Try it free for 7 days