On our last podcast of the year, we catch up on the latest book news before diving into our discussion of the Books and Boba December 2018 book club pick, Young Jane Young, by Gabrielle Zevin, a story told from the perspectives of 5 women and the sexist scandal that connects their lives. It’s a story about the way we treat people who get caught up in sex scandals, and the double standard of who society permits to survive them. (For those interested in just the book news, the book discussion begins at around 16:00)

On this episode, we discuss the Books and Boba November 2018 book club pick, IQ, by Joe Ide, a detective crime story featuring Isaiah Quintabe (aka IQ), a genius detective solving mysteries around South Central Los Angeles. The story covers the origin of IQ as well as his latest case protecting his client from an assassin whose weapon of choice is a giant dog (a hound one might say). Can IQ solve the case along with his sassy street-smart partner Mr. Dodson?

On this episode, we discuss the Books and Boba October 2018 (also Filipino American History Month) book club pick, Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen, by Jose Antonio Vargas, a memoir of Vargas’ life as an undocumented American, from his childhood discovery of his status, to becoming an award winning journalist, to his current life as a high profile advocate for immigrant rights. To help us discuss this book, we invite Elaine Dolalas, one of the hosts of This Filipino American Life.

On this episode, we check in to chat about the recent book news including Asian American publishing announcements, award nominations, and end-of-year lists. Don’t forget to check back next week for the discussion episode of Books & Boba October 2018 pick, Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen by Jose Antonio Vargas.

On this episode, Reera chats with author Renee Macalino Rutledge, author of the award winning novel, The Hour of Daydreams, a modern take on a classic folktale taking place in the Philippines. Renee shares with us about her experiences writing her first fictional novel as well as the inspirations behind her story.

On this episode, we discuss the Books and Boba September book club pick, Number One Chinese Restaurant, by Lillian Li, a family drama surrounding the proprietors and staff of a semi-famous chinese restaurant in the Maryland suburbs outside of Washington DC. Marvin believes it to be a great follow up to our August book club pick and Reera has a lot of thoughts on the many plot lines that revolve around the Beijing Duck House at the center of this story.

On this episode of Books & Boba, Reera gathers some friends to chat about the Netflix adaptation of Jenny Han’s To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before. They chat about the differences between the book and the film, including their favorite parts of both and the parts that they wish made it to the adaptation.

It’s time to talk about the Books and Boba August book club pick, Crazy Rich Asians, the bestselling novel by Kevin Kwan that is now the hit movie of the summer! Reera and Marvin talk about their thoughts on the many many characters in the book, the quality of the love story, how the book stacks up against the movie, and a few of critiques as well. Also, updates on the latest publishing news from August regarding Asian American authors!

Reera chats with author Vanessa Hua, the author of [***A River of Stars***][1], a novel about young mothers seeking the American Dream, and the untold story of secret Chinese maternity homes. Vanessa talks about the inspirations behind her debut novel and balancing narratives between different Chinese narratives and perspectives.