MY 2021 FAVORITES || Yearly Wrap-Up

YOU GUYS!! Can you believe there’s only a few more days left of 2021 😳 this year felt like the longest ever, but at the same time flew by really quick.

There were a lot of firsts. I moved into an apartment, did my first in-person semester of college, and inevitably, made a lot of new experiences there, some good and some bad. Regardless of how this year turned out, I know it’ll be a memorable one for so many reasons.

All that being said, I’m ready to say bye to 2021.

2021 Diverse Book Releases

Confession time: I’ve only read one 2021 release this year.

When the year started, I made it my own personal mission to read as many books on my backlist TBR as possible. That means that I’ve read a lot of books I’d been meaning to pick up in previous years, and caught up on those instead of new ones.

Books as Songs from Red (Taylor’s Version)

I have been COUNTING DOWN THE DAYS until Taylor Swift drops Red (Taylor’s Version),,, and on November 12th, you can probably catch me laying on the floor of my room with a box of tissues nearby 🥲 most of those tears will probably be shed from listening to the 10 minute version of All Too Well.

Now, whether or not you’re a self proclaimed swiftie, I’ve tried my best to have a book from a variety of genres so hopefully you can find something that fits the vibe! My goal was to have a book for everyone, but it did prove to be quite a challenge. This honestly might have been the hardest post I’ve ever written, and I realized in the process that I really have not read as much romance as I would’ve thought,,,and also I’m a huge fan of second-chance romance, apparently, so expect a lot of that.

NOTE: This list does not include every song from Red. I tried my best to do most of them though!

A Complete Guide to Fall: Book, Movie, and Show Recommendations

Depending on where you are in the world, the leaves are changing colors, the weather is getting cooler, and the days are getting shorter. All signs point to us being one day closer to 🎃👻spooky season👻🎃 aka, the best time of year.

I decided to make this one stop list of ALL my recommendations when it comes to Fall/October/Halloween related content. In my opinion, everything I’m about to say is so on brand for this season and will give you exactly what you’re looking for.

I hope this post is helpful and you’re able to walk away with some new recommendations!

Nonfiction Books: How to Read More and Recommending my Favorites

If you’ve been with me and my blog for a while, then it’s no secret that I 100% prefer fiction books to nonfiction. There’s just something about being swept away in the lives of people who don’t exist and fantastical lands that’s unmatched. That being said, I have read a good number of nonfiction books, whether it be for school or on my own and have actually enjoyed quite a few of them. I’ll also admit that memoirs are definitely my preferred sub genre within nonfiction as a whole, so there are more of those on this list of recommendations.

Although nonfiction books aren’t always the most enjoyable, they can be fun if you’re interested in the subject matter and want to learn more about things you didn’t know about before. That being said, there is no pressure at all to read more nonfiction. In the past, I’ve seen there being major prejudice against people who primarily read fiction and even have been told myself that I wasn’t a real reader because I didn’t read about real life things. That is just not true at all and over time I have learned that I 100% prefer nearly any other genre. 🤷🏽‍♀️ All that being said, I do like to branch out occasionally from my comfort zone and have actually found myself liking some of the nonfiction books I’ve read. If you want to read more nonfiction and are not sure where to start, then this is the post for you!

Keep reading for tips on how to read more if you’re interested and some of my favorites!

Books to Read for AAPI Heritage Month

If you didn’t know, May is AAPI (Asian-American and Pacific Islander) Heritage month, which is something I didn’t realize until recently. I’m a first generation Indian-American so this is something I’m really happy to participate in and spread more awareness of books centered around Asian voices and characters.

Diversity in literature is so important for readers everywhere and can introduce you to new cultures, identities, struggles, and more. It’s a great way to learn more about the world and about people whose lives may be different than yours. I think it’s important to highlight these books and encourage everyone to branch out regardless of what they usually read and try something new.

I will be recommending books centered around AAPI characters and/or written by AAPI authors. I’ve read all the books on this list of recommendations and at the end will list books I personally have not read yet but are on my TBR and sounds amazing if you’re interested in reading them 💙

Books to Read in the Summer | seasonal recommendations

Depending on where you are in the world, we’re getting one day closer to summer! Finally. It’s been a rough semester of online university and I’m happy to finally have a chance to relax a little and enjoy some good weather 🥰

If you’re anything like me, you’re in the mood for different types of books depending on the season. For example, in the winter you might prefer fantasy/sci-fi whereas in summer it’s more of a contemporary/romance vibe. Hopefully that is not just a ‘me thing’ and some of you can relate lol.

Here are some recommendations for books to read over the summer that perfectly fit the vibes! Loooots of YA contemporary on this list because that genre is literally MADE for sunny days 🌞 But I will also add more diverse genres in case that’s more to your liking.

10 Popular Books That are Worth the Hype

We all know the feeling of being excited to read a book because it’s been receiving high praise from everyone you know. Then, you read the book and…it wasn’t what you’d expected. You feel disappointed and start to question if you read the same book everyone else did.

Well, this list is full of books that had the exact opposite effect! These are all popular books that you’ve most definitely heard of if you’ve been a part of the online book community. Some of them I was hesitant about while others I knew before even starting that they would become instant faves. What they all have in common is I absolutely loved them.

A little disclaimer before we start: Obviously not every book is going to be to everyone’s liking. Every book gets its fair share of criticism because we all have our own thoughts! These are just my opinions 💙 ALSO, I’m going to try not to mention popular books I have talked about in previous posts. For example, I often talk about Six of Crows, Crescent City, etc. as being books I love so they won’t be mentioned here.

Anyways, let’s get into it!

My Favorite Fictional Couples & Cute Romance Reads

Hello friends! Long time, no post. I did take a little break from the blog just because I have been way too busy with school (ew). This semester has been crazy and stressful, which sucks, but I think I’m starting to get into the rhythm of things. Anyways, if I go a little longer without posting, you can just assume I’m drowning in essays and homework 🤧 In fact, I have been so busy to the point where I’ve hardly even gotten a chance to read! Sad. In case you were wondering, I’m currently in the middle of Strange the Dreamer which I will say is pretty damn good so far. I’ve only read, like, 33% of the book so far BUTTT I have a feeling it won’t go downhill. At least, I hope it won’t. While I do want to finish it before February ends, it’s very possible I won’t with the way things have been going. Ultimately that would mean I didn’t read anything this month which would be kind of a yikes, but I’m not going to push myself too hard.

9 Books That Made me Emotional

As someone who gets emotional very easily, I really struggled to narrow this list down to just nine books. Not all these books necessarily made me cry, but they all made my heart heavy and feel all the feels. Also, I don’t know about you, but sometimes I really like getting into my emotions while reading?? It’s weird, but I know I’m not the only one who feels like that. Hopefully if you’re ever in the mood to read something deep, you’ll find a book from here to check out ❤