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While there weren’t any reviews posted at Sistahs on the Shelf in 2015, I definitely was reading last year. So I present to you my favorite SOTS books read in 2015:<\/p>\nWhile there weren’t any reviews posted at Sistahs on the Shelf in 2015, I definitely was reading last year. So I present to you my favorite SOTS books read in 2015:<\/p>\n
1. \u00a0 \u00a0 Under the Udala Trees by Chinelo Okparanta<\/a><\/strong> 2. \u00a0 \u00a0 Les Tales by Skyy, Nikki Rashan and Fiona Zedde<\/a> 3. \u00a0 \u00a0 For Sizakele by Yvonne \u2018Fly\u2019 Onakeme Etaghene<\/a> 4. \u00a0 \u00a0 The Rules by S. Renee Bess<\/a><\/strong> 5. \u00a0 \u00a0 Jam on the Vine by LaShonda Katrice Barnett<\/a><\/strong> 6. \u00a0 \u00a0 Southern Comfort by Skyy<\/a><\/strong> 7. \u00a0 All or Nothing by J. L. Dillard<\/a><\/strong> 8. \u00a0 \u00a0 This Time by Monique Thomas<\/a><\/strong> 9. \u00a0 \u00a0 Not Otherwise Specified by Hannah Moskowitz<\/a><\/strong> 10. \u00a0 \u00a0 Azure BLU: The Royal Saga by Feral Kitty<\/a><\/strong> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" While there weren’t any reviews posted at Sistahs on the Shelf in 2015, I definitely was reading last year. So I present to you my favorite SOTS books read in 2015: 1. \u00a0 \u00a0 Under the Udala Trees by Chinelo OkparantaIf done well, coming-of-age stories can make you fall in love, cry, and root for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"NEW SOTS POST: Favorite SOTS Books Read in 2015"},"categories":[7],"tags":[35,88,124,203,206,228,253,284,325,351,406,449,537],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.sistahsontheshelf.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6412"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.sistahsontheshelf.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.sistahsontheshelf.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.sistahsontheshelf.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.sistahsontheshelf.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6412"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.sistahsontheshelf.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6412\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7074,"href":"http:\/\/www.sistahsontheshelf.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6412\/revisions\/7074"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.sistahsontheshelf.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6412"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.sistahsontheshelf.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6412"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.sistahsontheshelf.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6412"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
If done well, coming-of-age stories can make you fall in love, cry, and root for the protagonist\u2019s journey into adulthood. Under the Udala Trees<\/em> was that book for me in 2015. Tenderly written, this is the book that captured my emotions in the most heartbreaking way. Set during the Biafran War in late 1960s Nigeria, Udala Trees<\/em> is a narrative that\u2019s been done before \u2013 a young woman coming to terms with her sexuality \u2013 but Okparanta conveys Ijeoma\u2019s life so beautifully and effortlessly as she loses her family to the war, braves the first plucks of love and being exposed, and suffers a life she\u2019s made to want. Yet there is a small glimmer of hope in the pages \u2013 it just doesn\u2019t come easy. (Read our 5-star review of her previous work, Happiness Like Water<\/em>.<\/a>)<\/p>\n
<\/strong>Hands down, the best short story collection I\u2019ve read in quite some time, Les Tales<\/em> is just that good. But why shouldn\u2019t it be? Here you have three popular authors of black lesbian fiction writing about forbidden love, stories that are fully fleshed, captivating and give you feel after feel. (You might have seen me squealing in some instances\u2026shhh). Skyy\u2019s romance sets up the magic of the book, while Rashan\u2019s plot involves a twisted but intriguing turn of events, but Zedde\u2019s story \u2013 girl! \u2013had my hormones all over the place. Zedde does what she does brilliantly \u2013 create extremely beddable love interests that you wish you could meet in real life. Overall, Les Tales<\/em> contains hot sex scenes and striking characters. It only makes me sad that Nikki Rashan produced one her finest works in this collection, and she\u2019s no longer with us.<\/p>\n
<\/strong>This was a debut novel that took me by surprise. For Sizakele<\/em> is about NYU sophomore Taylor, an immigrant transplanted to the US as a young child, fighting to preserve her Nigerian culture in a world that overlooks the immigrant experience. She\u2019s also struggling with girlfriend, Lee, mostly because of Taylor\u2019s bisexuality, a serious point of contention between them. When Taylor befriends fellow Nigerian student Sy, she shares the pangs of her hot-and-cold romance, as well as the familiarity of their native land. It\u2019s a connection she gravitates toward, in the midst of trying to figure out where she and Lee are headed and how best to live her life. For Sizakele<\/em> is for anyone who\u2019s survived a painful breakup, who questions whether love is enough, and whether the past can truly be healed. Etaghene also deftly portrays of the LGBT immigrant experience in America, something sorely needed in literature.<\/p>\n
Both a mystery and a discourse in black lesbian authorship, The Rules<\/em> is truly engaging. It\u2019s the kind of book that throws a lot at you, but makes you think. Protagonist London Phillip\u2019s anguish to find missing lesbian author Milagros Farrow makes for a compelling, character-driven story in the way that Bess is so good at. In any good thriller, there are the good guys, the bad girls and the one whose good intentions go horribly wrong. If you enjoy mature romance and themes, The Rules<\/em> definitely fits the bill.<\/p>\n
Jam on the Vine<\/em> is a remarkable piece of historical fiction following Ivoe Williams from a precocious 5-year-old girl with a thirst for knowledge in the Jim Crow South to a woman launching the first female-run African American newspaper with lover Ona in Kansas City in 1919. The toils and triumphs Ivoe faces in the creation and distribution of her publication, named Jam! On the Vine<\/em>, are the bread-and-butter of Bennett\u2019s well-researched novel. She captures the strength black women employ to be heard and respected in one of the country\u2019s most volatile times. While at times Jam<\/em> moves densely toward Ivoe\u2019s future endeavors, her family is richly drawn, and the love story is energetic.<\/p>\n
Her first full-length novel since the acclaimed Choices<\/a><\/em> series ended in 2013, Skyy had a lot riding on Southern Comfort<\/em>. She conquered that hurdle in creating the love long-distance love affair between British bred Willow and Tennessee native Katrina. The book jet sets between London and Memphis as the pair navigate a relationship and friendships from differing coasts. The result is good fun \u2013 even when drama rears its head as it tends to do in Skyy\u2019s books. Based on Southern Comfort<\/em>, I\u2019m excited to see where she goes next.<\/p>\n
An invigorating, empowering rompfest best describes All or Nothing<\/em>, the first installment in J.L. Dillard\u2019s The Pleasure Principle<\/em> series. Sideline reporter AJ Arenas\u2019 story begins when her engagement ends, and she decides to shed her good girl image \u2013 involving a dose of threesomes, secrets and, just maybe, love. AJ\u2019s astounding to watch: her confidence and pursuit of her desires, be it woman or man, without hurting anyone. And I found her rendezvous with women to be hotter than fish grease. With All or Nothing<\/em>, prepare to be pleased.<\/p>\n
Monique Thomas writes everyday love stories, the kind that feel familiar and whose characters that could be your real-life friends. This Time<\/em> is no different. When former roommates and one-time lovers Nina and Trish are reunited by a set up, the women\u2019s\u2019 drunken night together evokes the hurtful memories that haunted their years of no contact. Their road to forgiveness is so genuine and real. It\u2019s a happily ever after worth the emotions it puts you through. This Time<\/em> also features one of my favorite lines all year: \u201cJust so you know I\u2019m not a piece of guaranteed ass.\u201d<\/p>\n
The synopsis of Not Otherwise Specified<\/em> depicts main character Etta to a tee: she\u2019s a black, bisexual, bulimic, former ballet dancer who feels she doesn\u2019t fit anywhere in her small Nebraska town. All of this could make Etta an utter mess, but she\u2019s simply a teenager trying to find her way. Etta\u2019s insecurities and struggles at 17 are what label her endearing because despite her shortcomings she\u2019s very self-aware. At that age all you want is to do is find your place and friends who love you for you. I loved Etta; I rooted for her so much. There hasn\u2019t been a character quite like Etta in young adult fiction, and I hope voices like hers get more exposure in 2016.<\/p>\n
The continuing saga originating from 2012\u2019s Royal BLU<\/a><\/em>, Azure BLU<\/em> is pure drama from beginning to end. It\u2019s hopeful that the characters, Royal especially, have learned from their mistakes and matured as women. Some have, and some haven\u2019t (I\u2019m looking at you Royal). But I guess it\u2019s all about growing up and learning what it takes to be in an adult relationship. Hopefully by Book 3, it\u2019ll take effect; until then one can enjoy the flurry of these hookups.<\/p>\n\n\n