Rephonic
Artwork for Books and Boba
Asian American Literature
Jane Wong
Shanghai
River East, River West
The American Dream
Atlantic City
King Of the Armadillos
Foul Lady Fortune
Expat Life
Coming Of Age
Gambling Addiction
Alcoholism
Organ Meats
Cait Corrain
The Glass Scientists
Immigrant Experience
Cultural Revolution
Beijing Olympics
Domestic Violence
A Drop Of Venom

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.

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes353Founded9 years ago
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ArtsBooksSociety & Culture

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Artwork for Books and Boba

Latest Episodes

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 Good... more

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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 somethin... more

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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... more

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Happy New Year! We ring in the Year of the Horse with an exciting author chat with Lillian Li (author of past book club pick #1 Chinese Restaurant), who joins us to chat about her newest novel Bad Asians, a coming of age story following four childhoo... more

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Recent Guests

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
Yume Kitasei
Brooklyn-based Japanese and American writer of speculative fiction.
Episode: #333 - Author Chat w/ Yume Kitasei
Jade Chang
Author of "What a Time to Be Alive" and "The Wangs Vs the World"
Episode: #331 - Author Chat w/ Jade Chang
Dustin Thao
Vietnamese American writer based in New York City, author of You've Reached Sam and You've Found Oliver
Author
Episode: #329 - Author Chat w/ Dustin Thao
Emma Pei Yin
British-born Hong Kong Chinese writer and editor
Episode: #328 - Author Chat w/ Emma Pei Yin
Amran Gowani
Writer, content creator, and former Wall Street analyst
Episode: #327 - Author Chat w/ Amran Gowani
Will Wheaton
Podcaster and Sci-Fi author
Episode: #327 - Author Chat w/ Amran Gowani

Hosts

Marvin Yueh
Co-host of the show, focused on literary discussion and book recommendations; affiliated with Books & Boba.
Reera Yoo
Co-host of the show, engages in author discussions and book club conversations; affiliated with Books & Boba.

Reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars from 225 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 States5 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 States2 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 States2 years ago

Listeners Say

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

Audience enjoys a warm, friendly host banter and insightful industry updates.
Guests and conversations are valued for depth and relatable book recommendations.
Listeners praise representation and Asian American focus, with high engagement for diverse authors.
Some critiques note pacing or tone fluctuations but still find the discussions informative.

Chart Rankings

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

Apple Podcasts
#90
Indonesia/Arts/Books
Apple Podcasts
#103
Poland/Arts/Books
Apple Podcasts
#163
India/Arts/Books
Apple Podcasts
#189
Poland/Arts
Apple Podcasts
#196
Austria/Arts/Books
Apple Podcasts
#209
Indonesia/Arts

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

#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.
#343 - Author Chat w/ Lillian Li
Q: What made you want to set the book in the early days of YouTube and social media?
It was important to explore how viral events can uniquely affect friendships.
#336 - Author Chat w/ Lyla Lee
Q: How has your journey with your sexuality evolved with writing each of these books?
Lyla discusses her past experiences with queerness and how it informed her portrayal of queer characters in her books.
#336 - Author Chat w/ Lyla Lee
Q: Can you just tell us a little bit about how you got started in writing and how you landed an agent?
Lyla shares her journey from storytelling as a child to her formal writing and agent search experiences in middle and high school, culminating in her eventual success in publishing novels.
#333 - Author Chat w/ Yume Kitasei
Q: Did you think about the Asian American context in your writing?
Yes, I think the theme of not discussing family problems resonates across cultures, including my own mixed background.

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 book-focused conversation series centered on Asian and Asian American authors across genres, from memoirs and literary fiction to YA, romance, and genre fiction. Episodes mix author chats, book club-style discussions, and mid-month publishing news, often weaving in industry trends, representation, and cultural identity. Notable strengths include in-depth literary analysis, thoughtful author insight, and a casual, friendly host dynamic that keeps conversations approachable for readers while offering serious takes on publishing and representation.

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How many listeners does Books and Boba get?

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What are the audience demographics for Books and Boba?

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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. The Stacks
2. Book Riot - The Podcast
3. Overdue
4. NPR's Book of the Day
5. All the Books!

How many episodes of Books and Boba are there?

Books and Boba launched 9 years ago and published 353 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.

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What guests have appeared on Books and Boba?

Recent guests on Books and Boba include:

1. Lillian Li
2. Yosha Gunasekera
3. Lyla Lee
4. Yume Kitasei
5. Jade Chang
6. Dustin Thao
7. Emma Pei Yin
8. Amran Gowani

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.

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