#DynamicDs Day 30: My current read paired with my strawberry margarita and husband‘s strawberry mojito - what my weekend was like.

#DynamicDs Day 28: It is #Difficult to dream differently in this dystopian universe lest you be perceived as dangerous and subsequently detained by an all-knowing government. Looking forward to reading it.

#DynamicDs Day 27: Fire and ember are #dazzling, indeed, especially when paired with gahwa and dates.

#DynamicDs Day 26: This may be a perfect example of #Divisive 😅 Review is forthcoming.

#DynamicDs Day 25: #Daughter

#DynamicDs Day 24: #Dark - I devoured this book.

#DynamicDs Day 23: #Danger

#DynamicDs Day 22: #Dad

#DynamicDs Day 21: #Dilemma

#DynamicDs Day 20: #Devil

#DynamicDs Day 19: #Dish

#DynamicDs Day 18: #Doll - review is forthcoming. 📚

So I was invited to be part of this podcast in Singapore where we talked about book clubs. Naturally, I mentioned the Litsy community, including #CampLitsy24 which is now #CampLitsy25, the #EuropaCollective and a few other book clubs I am a part of. I am only in the first seven minutes. Happy listening! https://omny.fm/shows/how-we-read/the-social-life-of-book-clubs?in_playlist=podc...

#DynamicDs Day 17: #Dessert of halo halo with ube ice cream alongside our book club title for the Emirates Literature Festival.

#DynamicDs Day 15: #Dice - my review here: https://wp.me/pDlzr-qEM

#DynamicDs Day 15: This book about climate #Denial is co- authored by a very good friend of mine, Mark Baildon, who just moved to Indiana University.

#DynamicDs Day 14: #Discovery

#DynamicDs Day 13: #Diamond - I have the entire series (just checked my bookshelves obsessively to check all titles are there), but haven‘t gotten around to reading it yet. Is it any good? Apparently it‘s been made into a film! 💕

I swear, this is the second and final set of four I am recommending for #CampLitsy25. Lols. Hopefully, there are others who share my interest in all these titles. 💕

These are my four nominated titles for #CampLitsy25 - well, the first set, that is. I tend to go overboard with these kinds of things. 🤓🥰📚

#DynamicDs Day 12: #Deceit

#DynamicDs Day 11: Cesaria, a Deaf girl, who uses sign language to communicate, is on her way to a #Dance performance. She was upset when her coach asked her to wear sandals for the #Dance and she preferred to be barefoot. When Cesaria was finally on stage, she simply allowed the rhythm to wash over her and did what was true and right for her body. My full review of this gorgeous title: https://wp.me/pDlzr-rb2

#DynamicDs Day 10: #Dog

#DynamicDs Day 9: #Dream Count is part of the new stack of books I bought this March - all women themed. Read the top of the stack by Han Kang for a book club meet this Thursday.

#DynamicDs Day 8: #Diary - I think I read this as part of the NYRB Book club at one point.

#DynamicDs Day 7: I loved seeing how the two friends were able to tell each other about the things they love through their dancing hands. The Afterword provides information about Filipino Sign Language and how it is distinct from American Sign Language. People tend to assume homogeneity among the non-speaking, #differentlyabled communities, and this book shows how this is not the case. My review of this award-winning book: https://wp.me/pDlzr-r64

#DynamicDs Day 6: A #Doctor can be a woman, too. Picturebook biography of the first female doctor in the US: Elizabeth Blackwell. Even after Blackwell graduated top of her class, there were angry male #doctor(s) who claimed that they hope she would be the last of her kind. That, of course, is moot and pointless in this day and age. My review: https://wp.me/pDlzr-bpe

#DynamicDs Day 5: #Dots is all about Japanese artist, Yayoi Kusama who – prior to being the visionary, hip, funky artist that she is now known to be – was a quiet country girl who spent her days dreaming beyond what she can see. My review of this fascinating picturebook biography here: https://wp.me/pDlzr-kqN

#DynamicDs Day 4: #Dock - I should read more Agatha Christie novels.

#DynamicDs Day 3: #Doorway - more than one here. Received this book as a gift from a doctoral student. 💕

#DynamicDs Day 2: #DoubleLetterTitle and it happens to be DD too! Awesome. I am still disappointed this did not win over James, but c‘est lavie. 💕

#DynamicDs Day 1: In this picturebook, we find out From The Files Of A Hard-Boiled #Detective what really happened to Humpty. The main character of the story is Joe Dumpty, Humpty‘s younger brother who happens to be a #detective. Most naturally, he is keen on cracking the case of his brother, whom he feels has been pushed from that great wall. My review: https://wp.me/pDlzr-iqi

#CoverStories Day 31: #Prison - Zeba was detained (but more like imprisoned) for the murder of her husband, and awaiting a conviction. All the other incarcerated women committed the crime of fighting back against abusive husbands or family members or accused of having sex outside of marriage – called zina or crimes of immorality – even just a mere suspicion is enough to dishonor a woman and her family. My review: https://wp.me/pDlzr-ndv

#CoverStories Day 30: #Sea - enjoyed this novel but haven‘t gotten myself the copy of the sequel yet. Is it any good?

#CoverStories Day 29: #Music that transcends borders is what Yo Yo Ma, United Nations Messenger of Peace, creates - and this is a fantastic picturebook biography that shows exactly that. My full review including a video of Yo Yo Ma‘s historic musical performance that took place at the Rio Grande also known as the US-Mexico Border: https://wp.me/pDlzr-quq - A very timely book.

#CoverStories Day 28: #Golden peach indeed. Recent ebook find from Libby.

#CoverStories Day 27: This story definitely reminds me of summers either spent with family in the US or in the Philippines. I especially liked this statement: “We go to a house that‘s not any of ours, near the ocean and a #lake.”
My review: https://wp.me/pDlzr-psc

#CoverStories Day 26: Love shared through #Letters is finely wrought in this strange series that is a work of art with the correspondence in handwritten missives found in each page. My review here: https://wp.me/pDlzr-coy

#CoverStories Day 25: #Waves - a recent book haul from Big Bad Wolf in Dubai.

#CoverStories Day 24: I thought I better share this Baldwin‘s Book #Barn feature of Erik Weibel of ThisKidReviewsBooks - which has since closed down because he is now an adult. When he was still a child book blogger, I invited him to do a guest post at GatheringBooks - and he shared his book hunting expedition at this gem in Pennsylvania here: https://wp.me/pDlzr-7GD

#CoverStories Day 23: Fats‘s review: “Tim Wadham‘s picturebook tells the captivating story of a little girl whose “make-believe basket” tranforms her into royalty. Adorned with royal crown and #jewelry, Rose becomes the Queen of France. The Queen of France goes around the house and talks to Rose‘s parents.”
Full review here: https://wp.me/pDlzr-75b

#CoverStories Day 22: I have sort-of #Pastel colored and women-authored books for my birthday month. They all look delicious!

#CoverStories Day 21: 13 #Clock(s) tells the story of an evil duke who has murdered time (all thirteen clocks in the castle had been frozen at the same time, one snowy night, seven years before – thus it was always ten minutes to five in the castle); an enchanted princess; and a Prince disguised as a Minstrel who wishes to save the princess.
My full review: https://wp.me/pDlzr-iO

#CoverStories Day 20: #Bridge - Fats‘ review:
“TL;DR: A woman was in charge of the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge.

Before reading this book, I had no idea who Emily Warren Roebling was. Set during the 1860s, How Emily Saved the Bridge tells the story of the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge. Of course, the story goes beyond that.”

Full review: https://wp.me/pDlzr-kTb

#CoverStories Day 19: #River - Alistair Cleary is not a typical would-be-13-year-old boy. In this story, secrets are thrust into him for safe-keeping whether he likes to or not, because people see something in him. There is a sense that he can be trusted, and that he has vision as can be attested by his short story about aliens who visit Earth and pretend to be sixth-graders. My review: https://wp.me/pDlzr-8mD

#CoverStories Day 18: Central to this tale is the plight of a father and his young son (who was sent a new pair of #shoes by his mother who is working in the United States) as they travel from their home in El Salvador to Guatemala to the US-Mexican border, ostensibly to be reunited with the mother. My review of this timely tale: https://wp.me/pDlzr-gum

#CoverStories Day 17: #Keyhole

#CoverStories Day 16: #Running - as Iphigene wrote in her review: “This book isn‘t for everyone. It is first and foremost for people who know Murakami and who want to understand the man behind the fiction. It is also for runners. I have a feeling that runners could relate to his experiences—the challenges and pleasure in the sport. It is for loners, for those who seek to be understood.” Full review: https://wp.me/pDlzr-1Wc

#CoverStories Day 15: #Reflections on consolations. Entire book is all about reflections on meanings of everyday words. Pistachio nutella crepe. 💕

#CoverStories Day 14: #Feather