
One of my goals in 2023 was to walk my 50th labyrinth. And, I’m happy to announce that I did it! Read about it here and see all the labyrinths I’ve walked since I started keeping track. http://a-semi-blogged-life.blogspot.com/2022/03/labyrinths.html
I’m also starting to transfer all my Filipino Reads book reviews to StoryGraph. https://app.thestorygraph.com/tags/8468c100-a420-4f5a-8efd-d9702cb6f273
Lia & Luís: Puzzled! by Ana Crespo
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Lia & Luis are back for another Storytelling Math tale. This time, they receive a mysterious package in the mail and they have to use logic and other skills to figure out the hidden message.
Cinda Meets Ella by Wallace West
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
A fun western twist on Cinderella that’s just outright goofy and inclusive and perfect for fans of fairy tale retellings.
A Kids Book About Banned Books by the National Coalition Against Censorship
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I was impressed by how quickly they put this book out because it seemed timely but I saw it was published last year so it’s sad that it’s still relevant. A quick great introduction to start the conversations with young people about what book banning is, why it’s happening, and what we can do to prevent it.
Invisible by Christina Diaz Gonzalez
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I’d been curious about this graphic novel but when I read someone review it on their IMWAYR post, it made me want to move it up my TBR because I’m sucker for anything that involves community involvement. A wonderful English-Spanish story of defying stereotypes and being good. It’s one of those books that you wish more adults would read so they can learn about their own bias and prejudices.
The Black Bestiary: An Alejandro Pardo Compendium by Budjette Tan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
A follow-up to The Lost Journal of Alejandro Pardo, this multi-layer book explores more monsters of Philippine mythology using the aforementioned journal. It also continues to explore what sharing these stories have done to the narrator, who is now living in a compound to avoid whatever looms in the darkness. I felt like there were a couple typos that took me out of the story. While I didn’t particularly enjoy it, I thought the story within a story was cool.
You can view all my reviews over on Goodreads. Please consider supporting independent bookstores when you want to buy any of the books I’ve mentioned via Bookshop.org or Libro.fm.
Thanks for visiting my blog. Happy Reading!