by KB Meniado
Reading, like everything else in this pandemic, has become such a challenge, so if you read 17, 39, 86, or even just one book in the past three months, I would like to congratulate you. Us. Here are the 14 books that have helped me keep afloat.
They’re BoJo-worthy but are they also Bookshelf-worthy?
I try my best to diversify my reading choices so this list carries a variety of genre, making them Bookshelf-worthy for a certain kind of reader. Reviews published here on Bookbed are linked. I hope you find something you like! Feel free to recommend titles as well, or share your own list.
Filipino Prehistory by F. Landa Jocano
- tries to answer “Who is the Filipino?”
- challenges the reader to unlearn a lot of incorrect beliefs
- highlights strengths of our pre-colonized ways
Stand Up, Yumi Chung by Jessica Kim
- full of heart and laughter
- shows immigrant family dynamics
- features facets of South Korean culture
- follows a young girl’s growth in terms of “how to chase after a dream”
I Wrote This To Remind You That… by Arli Pagaduan
I Must Belong Somewhere by Dawn Lanuza
tw // death, suicide, ideation, violence, bullying, injury, self-harm, body image, sexism, & mental health
Rebel Girls Lead: 25 Tales of Powerful Women
- colorful, inspiring, and empowering
- reminds readers, especially girls, to believe in their strengths and their power to achieve
I Met You for a Reason by Layla S. Tanjutco, illustrated by Carla de Guzman
Girlhood: Teens Around the World in Their Own Voices by Masuma Ahuja*
- showcases patterns, similarities, and differences in the lives of young girls all over the world
- doesn’t cover all nationalities or countries but quite a well-rounded representation
The Sprite and the Gardener by Joe Whitt and Rii Abrego*
- whimsical graphic novel in pastel art
- follows the story of an unlikely friendship in the name of nurturing nature
- similar to the Tea Dragon Society series by Katie O’Neill
I Can Say No by Jenny Simmons*
- teaches readers, especially the young ones, the value of saying no
The Girl from Jakarta by Hester Keegan*
- stars a teen female rising in football stardom
- tries to balance representation of the main character’s roots (Indonesian, English)
The Philippines Is Not A Small Country by Gideon Lasco
- encapsulates the experiences of the average Filipino
- stirs a lot of discussion-worthy questions in terms of national identity and culture
- offers global perspective about history and development
And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer by Fredrik Backman
- follows a grandfather’s journey in saying goodbye to his grandson
- has strong emotional impact
- shows how families deal with each other
- treads on themes of love, loss, and grief
What Is Your Cat Really Thinking? by Sophie Johnson
- (if you have a cat or have ever encountered a cat before, this book will leave you ameowsed)
The Tropetastic Kindness Bundle by #romanceclass (not anymore available to purchase; proceeds already forwarded to beneficiaries)
- features different tropes in 15 romance stories (see my thread of excerpts here)
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BOOKBED 
Anything to share? :)