YEAR END FAVORITES

Year end favorites are here and these books were some of my absolute favorite reads from 2021!

We’ve got six days until we say good-bye to 2021!

But before we get to 2022 we do need to address the AMAZING (yes all caps) books we’ve read this year.

A Year in Reflection

Last year I took a very hard look at my bookshelves and realized my shelves did not hold the diversity reflected in the real world. And this year I am very excited to have read more books by and about people of color.

I found books that were empowering, inspirational, thought-provoking, and showed the joy in communities I wanted to celebrate and promote. I challenged myself to recognize the voices that were underrepresented in my personal library, making room for them to find shelf space to live and call home.

And friends, there are a number of books I’ve read that did just that. Filling my shelves with stories I will want to read again and again.

But First…

I wanted to take a moment to say, thank you.

Thank you for taking the time to be here with me. Where we found new viewpoints in our book community and building on those experiences. Listening, relearning, and educating myself in how to be a better reader.

I’m here to share stories that are meaningful and that will bring you joy once you’ve finished the last page.

Now let’s get to those favorites shall we.

Sheaf & Ink’s Year End Favorites

Ten

“A compelling and fierce voice, ***Chlorine Sky*** is about strength, determination, and friendship. It is a novel that readers will be drawn to.”
– **Sheaf and Ink**

Chlorine Sky by Mahogany L . Browne

Nine

“Cinematic. The ***Reckless Kind*** is atmospheric. Transporting readers to the frigid fjords of Scandinavia. Heath’s ability to write a cast of unique characters, who feel real and tenderly brought into inception, is exceptional.”
– **Sheaf and Ink**

The Reckless Kind by Carly Heath

Eight

“***Year of the Reaper*** is a suspenseful tale filled with ghosts, romance, and betrayals that will have readers tuck this read into their favorite books.”
– **Sheaf and Ink**

Year of the Reaper by Makiia Lucier

HMH

Seven

“Brilliantly crafted and meticulously researched, ***So Many Beginnings*** is a book that reexamines our nations history through the familial bonds of sisterhood and Black lives. Morrow’s celebration of the March sisters while reimagining this devastating period is utterly breathtaking. To see the resilience, strength, and joy in each of the characters Morrow brings to life.”
– **Sheaf and Ink**

So Many Beginnings A Little Women Remix by Bethany C. Morrow

Six

“**We Free The Stars** is a book not to be missed. Faizal creates characters that are wholly envisioned and achingly real, balancing their fates on the edge of a razor sharp blade.”
– **Sheaf and Ink**

We Free the Stars by Hafsah Faizal

Five

*“Unflinching,* ***Iron Widow*** *is a story with sharp edges, ready and willing to draw blood one page at a time. This book will sink it’s teeth in deep and won’t let you go. Not even at its end.”* – **Sheaf and Ink**

Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao

Four

*“The Darkness Outside Us is intense. Schrefer brilliantly devises a plot readers will devour whole. I loved every page.”* – **Sheaf and Ink**

The Darkness Outside Us by Eliot Schrefer

Three

“***Skin of the Sea*** delivers on every level. Exquisite story telling, Bowen creates an epic story layered with West African Lore and Mythology that will have readers anxious for more.” – **Sheaf and Ink**

Skin of the Sea by Natasha Bowen

Two

“***A Pho Love Story*** will have readers falling in love and hungry too. It has so much to offer about the Vietnamese culture, language, food, and history that is as mesmerizing as it is delectable.”
– **Sheaf and Ink**

A Pho Love Story by Loan Le

One

“Summers’ ingenious storytelling– a dual narrative of true crime podcast uncoiling with Sadie’s own story– will have readers incapable of putting ***Sadie*** down. It is a book that unflinchingly examines the ugly truths of true crime investigations and societies views (and lack there of) on missing girls.”
– **Sheaf and Ink**

Sadie by Courtney Summers

Highly Recommend SADIE Audiobook

Sadie audiobook

An innovative audiobook production featuring more than 30 voices, Sadie explores the depth of a sister’s love – poised to be the next story listeners won’t be able to pause. … He starts his own podcast as he tracks Sadie’s journey, trying to figure out what happened, hoping to find her before it’s too late.