Hello friends!!
ONE DAY MORE. ONE MORE DAY TO REVOLUTION 2022.
I’m echoing everyone’s sentiments: How is it already the 31st of December, with 2022 being… tomorrow? Well regardless, there’s one last day of closure for 2021, and I’ve a record for being notoriously late to blog milestones and all, so for once here’s a wrap up that’s just in time. I’m excited to review 2021 in all its bookish, Poppy-War-ish glory!

2021 READING STATS

For 2021, I set my Goodreads goal to 60 books, and I managed to exceed it by 9 books! There was a period of time where I was 5-6 books behind, so I’m pleasantly surprised by that. Another thing I’m happy about would be my balance of YA and Adult books, 2020 was a year of mostly YA books and this year I wanted to venture more into the Adult category, definitely will be doing so again next year!
One of my biggest goals from 2020 was to read more diversely, specifically, books by Asian authors, as I could directly resonant more with them being Asian myself. I’ve been intentional about selecting books by Asian authors, particularly Chinese or Singaporean authors (starting off with my own culture!!), and it’s been so eye-opening. There’s something inherently different reading a book by someone who grew up with the same culture as you did, I’ve found so many books where I was able to appreciate the mythology in its fullness, and others where I resonated so deeply with, something simply reading books by White authors has never made me feel before. Truly heartening to see the book community diversify as well!

This comes as no surprise to me. This year of school was stressful, so what a reprieve fantasy was! Historical fiction was high as well, another of my favourite genres. I also found some sci-fi books that I loved more than expected. My only disappointment would be the lack of non-fiction books, oops.

My average rating for this year is 3.1 stars which is… good? I’ve met quite a few disappointments this year, but at the same time found many 4 stars and above reads!! Hoping to be more selective in the books I read next year and bring the rating up to 3.5 maybe?

This next segment was based on a whim, and is entirely Encanto’s fault. I watched Encanto not too long ago, and with its songs reverberating in my head non-stop, I was drawn back once again into a Disney craze. Thus, in order to highlight some memorable books of the year, here they are matched to some Disney lyrics!!
YOU’LL BE IN MY HEART, ALWAYS
FROM THIS DAY ON, NOW AND FOREVER MORE; my absolute favourite books




Related Post: My Top 10 Books of 2021
YOU’RE A SPINELESS, PALE, PATHETIC LOT
AND YOU HAVEN’T GOT A CLUE; the worst books of this year




TALE AS OLD AS TIME
TUNE AS OLD AS SONG, BITTERSWEET AND STRANGE; books that are/should be classics




WE DON’T TALK ABOUT BRUNO, NO, NO, NO
SEVEN FOOT FRAME, RATS ALONG HIS BACK; the biggest disappointments i don’t want to think about





SCRUB THE DECK AND MAKE IT LOOK… SHINY
LIKE A TREASURE FROM A SUNKEN PIRATE WRECK; the book covers that make me have heart eyes




YOU GOTTA DIG A LITTLE DEEPER
FIND OUT WHO YOU ARE; books that took time to process being incredibly thoughtful




FOR THE FIRST TIME IN FOREVER
NOTHING’S IN MY WAY; the most intriguing premises of books i’ve read this year





BLOGGING
One word to describe my blogging journey in 2021 would be sporadic. I literally posted whenever I felt like it, and when busy seasons gone, well, my blog would be empty for a few months. Nevertheless, I managed to write 31 posts, and out of them, here are some of my favourites:
- If You Liked that Marvel Movie, Read this Book! – My first recommendations post in a year, coinciding nicely with a newfound Marvel craze! (So excited for the MCU content 2022 is going to bring!)
- My 1st Blogiversary | Reflections and Gratitude – I was more than a month late to my own blogiversary, would not recommend!! But truly, I’m so grateful for this platform and I loved reflecting and shouting out to bloggers as I wrote the post!
- My Top 10 Books of 2021 – !!!
- 2021 Mid Year Book Freak Out Tag – I was at my peak of my Poppy War obsession whilst writing this haha
Other milestones
- We hit 499 followers!! I find this really funny, and insane!
- I started to be granted ARCs towards the end of the year and be approved by publishers when I directly emailed them!
- I started a bookstagram, and despite being a person who has no aesthetic sense, it’s been a marvellous experience.
- A whole lot of people have read The Poppy War after hearing my cries, and many have loved it!

And that’s a wrap! I have a lot of specific goals and plans for next year, so I think I’ll save it for its own post!
I hope that amidst all the rocks and boulders 2021 threw us, everyone managed to have a pretty decent year. If not, here’s my wish that 2022 would be Poppy War level excellence (minus the pain) for you!!

How was 2021 for you? Are you excited for 2022? Have you read any of the books mentioned here and agree with my ratings?

ooh what a fun post to read! I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy we were liars, I personally really liked it! and yes skyhunter has a gorgeous cover, but sadly I ended up dnf’ing that book :((
great post!💕
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Thank you so much! Glad to hear you liked We Were Liars, I must admit the ending was pretty groundbreaking! Aw it seems like our tastes are inverted haha, thanks for the comment, Suhani!! ❤
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I was literally sitting here humming Les Mis and then I opened your wrap up and the first line was Les Mis lol.
I love the graphs as always! And listing your books based off of Disney songs isn’t something I’ve seen before but it’s great! (I can only recognize like two of the lyrics but that’s okay!)
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Ah yes, Les Mis fans unite!! Aww, thank you for that! 💓
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I love this??? There have been several gorgeous book covers this year but the skyhunter one is stunning! Your graphs are both informative and aesthetic, and I think that’s a win-win!
Happy reading and hope you have a great year ahead 💕
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THANK YOU JAN !! Agreed Skyhunter and Steelstriker, its sequel are both gems to look at. Hope that 2022 has been treating you well! 💪
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Also PLEASE make an Encanto tag 😖
It would be amazing
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😉😉
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I love how insightful this post was! The graphs were so fun to read. We Were Liars was one of those books I had to sleep on for several nights to process. But The Guilded Wolves was a total no go for me as well.
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Thank you, Hazel, that’s so kind of you! Yeah true, despite it not being the best for me, I have to admit that the ending was equal parts groundbreaking and confusing haha! Thanks for stopping by! 😚
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I love this so much!! Also your graphs are so beautiful! I really didn’t like We Were Liars either and I thought I was the only one, booktok seems to love it! Ahh I still haven’t read The Poppy War and I really need to get to it 😅 I hope you have a wonderful 2022 Cherelle!
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Cherry!! Thank you so much! Ah right! It’s terrifying not liking popular booktok books haha, and argh I truly hope you love The Poppy War! Hope that 2022 has been treating you well! 🥰
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Love this Disney style 2021 wrap up and all the references!
I’m so excited to watch Encanto and from what I’ve seen so far of the music videos…ahhh! I know I’ll love it!
I’m sorry about your disappointing and worst reads of the year but I’m glad you found new favourites! 💙
Here’s to 2022 🥂
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Aww, thank you so much! Yess the music makes the movie in the case of Encanto, I hope you enjoy/enjoyed it! Hope 2022 has been treating you well 💓
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this is SUCH an interesting post… and a pretty one, too! i love it ❤
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😚
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Lovely wrap up!! Your graphs are so pretty and aesthetically pleasing! I also loved how you sorted through all the books by Disney songs!! So creative!! I also totally agree about We Were Liars that was a flop for sure haha
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Maddie! Thank you so much ahh, glad to find another non-fan of such a popular book hehe. 👍
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I loved reading this wrap-up, Cherelle!!
[Especially your Disney lyric match-up. :)]
Happy New Year!
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Thank you, Esmeralda! Hope 2022 has been a good one for you! 🫶
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Lovely post and so visually appealing too. Thanks to this post my never ending TBR got a lot longer 😛
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🥺💓 and haha honestly that’s inevitable when reading posts about books hehe, can definitely relate!
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i loved the poppy war so much, but i wanted to wait to finish the series as i’ve heard its heart wrenching!
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YES poppy war supremacy indeed! Ah you are right, RF Kuang doesn’t pull any punches but the series is still brilliant! 🥹😭🤩
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Happy new year and Wow I love the Disney song book recommendations also what did you use to find the stats for the books you read the graphs looked super cool
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Hope this year has been treating you well! Glad to hear that, I used the website visme to make it, the graphs there are really customisable, hope this helps! 🫶
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This is a really fun post to read! I read The Poppy War and plan to read The Burning God sometime this year :’) One thing I notice from 2021 was I’ve been reading more books by Asian authors too, especially Malaysian and Singaporean 😀 I didn’t get to read any books from Indonesian authors despite meaning too, so it’s going to be my *top* priority this year!
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Thank you Tasya! Ah I wish you all the best with The Burning God, it’s the literal definition of pain but brilliant all the same haha. Yay to reading more books by authors in our region, all the best with that goal! Thanks for the lovely comment! 💓
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lovely review darling! i loved all the cute statistical graphics! my 2021 was rough buddy 😪 but it introduced me to many amazing books so it had its merits. but i am very very excited for 2022!! i’m glad we’ve both read jade city in 2021 because WOW one of the best urban fantasy books ever. i wish u all the best books in 2022!!
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🫶🫶
Sorry to hear that, hope that 2022 has been and will be a great year in life and books! Truly, Jade City was SO impressive, I’m procrastinating reading Jade Legacy because I don’t want the series to end! Have you read the other two installments? Thanks Thea!! ❤️
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I ALSO PROCRASTINATED READING JADE LEGACY BUT I BIT THE BULLET AND AM READING IT NOW!!!
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OMG HOW IS IT
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not as much as i thought! i think it’s still building up (as this series does) so i’m apprehensive hehe ITS GOOD
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I love your stats. Direct email works better and I’m glad you started getting approval. My 2021 was good but I’m hoping 2022 turns out even better.
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Thank you so much! Yeah it really saddens me at times when I get rejected because I don’t live in the US 😔 so every ARC is something I treasure! Ah glad to hear that and I hope 2022 is going well for you. 🥰🥰
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CHERELLE YOU HAVE THE BEST POSTS !! i love this so much like books + disney? WE STAN !! aH its sad to hear that you didn’t love the gilded wolves but thats understandable, its not for everyone. city of brass and the keeper of night are on my tbr for 2022 though !! happy new year bestie !! i promise i’ll try to finish tdr and tbg this year and spam you on instagram ❤
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SAM YOU’RE TOO KIND 🥺 Eeks I really wanted to like The Gilded Wolves, so I’m intent on giving the series another try with the sequel! 💪 You need those books on your life !!! hope 2022 has been going smoothly for you 💓👍
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This is such an amazing wrap up! Happy new year Cherelle ❤
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thank you!! and you too, hope the year has been a good one for you! 💖
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What a fun wrap-up post Cherelle! Wishing you an amazing 2022 Reading year! 🥳💞✨
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Thank you! Hope 2022 has been a good one for you, life and books wise! 💛
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Ahh love this!! I was most definitely singing along to the disney lyrics. I’m shocked to see that chloe gong’s second release was your fave. I’d love to know why as I have yet to start the series. Speaking of starting series, I will one day come to the dark side that is the poppy war. One day. So happy you read all those amazing books in 2021! 69 books is an amazing feat. Be proud!!! Can’t wait to see what 2022 has in store for you! ❤ ❤
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Yes, singing lyrics as you read them 💯💯 These Violent Delights was one of the few enemies to lovers I really enjoyed, but mostly because of the Chinese culture and history in it! Unfortunately, the sequel was disappointing for me, but I’d still recommend it! 🥀 HAHAHA, yup The Poppy War will change your reading experience (for better or for worse 👀) Thank you so much! Hope that 2022 is going incredibly for you, Saniya! 🥰
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Your wrap up is so aesthetically pleasing Cherelle!! I swear I love reading your post every time ❤ Happy New Year and well wishes to a good reading year !!
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Aww Lia, thank you for such a sweet comment! Hope that this new year has been treating you well! ❤️
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I LOVE THE WAY YOU SET UP THIS WRAP UP!! It’s so pleasing to read! 🥰 Now in my mind: The Poppy War = Cherelle and that is your legacy! I hope you’ll find books that make you feel the same way this year and that you will enjoy! I was *not* surprised to see City of Brass here haha 😂 I love seeing your bookstagram posts and congratulations on your blog too!! You deserve all of it! You are an amazing person with amazing reading taste and I wish you a happy new year! 💕
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Thank you Karla and ahh my life mission has been accomplished now ❤️❤️. Lol yeah, City of Brass really did us dirty but I treasure the buddy read! I hope 2022 has been treating you well like you deserve! Sending love 💓💓
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the Disney lyric headers 😍😍😍
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disney >>>>
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Love this Disney references. Glad to hear that you finished your reading goals and loved books by Asian authors more this year. Also, congarts on hitting 499 followers!
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Yay! Thank you so much Isha!! Hope 2022 has been treating you well, glad to see your updates on IG 💓💓
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I have not watched Encanto but I loved that segment! (yesyes i know i need to watch it but i just? don’t watch movies?) And this post was so aesthetic 😍
Hope you have a great 2022!
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Haha, honestly for Encanto, the songs were the star of the show so watching the music videos would suffice! 😂 Thank you Sumedha, hope that you’re having a great year! 👍💗
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i love this wrap up!! i definitely agree with some of your views on the books haha. happy 2022 cherelle 💛💛
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Gauri!! haha we both have superior taste <333 hope 2022 is going well! 🫶
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the absolute PAIN I felt seeing our violent ends on this list (jk), but AHH I have to read the poppy war so bad and it’s genuinely been on my TBR for ages and I’m so happy that it’s one of your new favorites! this was such a fun read and the graphics are all stunning as usual ❤
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Eeks sorry!! I feel the pain too, I really wanted to love it! 😔 YES you do, I hope you love The Poppy War though it is pain in one word… thank you so much I hope the year has been a good one for you! 🥰
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Wow~ you’ve seem to read a lot of books! Also, YOUR GRAPHICS ARE LITERALLY SO PRETTY LIKE HOOOW
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