The 66th Thomas Wolfe Memorial Literary Award for 2021 was presented on December 9th to Even As We Breathe by Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle. It is the first novel by an enrolled member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians to have been published by a major mainstream publisher.
My Monticello by Jocelyn Nicole Johnson made the Time magazine list of the ten best fiction books of 2021.
Publishers Weekly has announced their best books of 2021. They include:
Pure America: Eugenics and the Making of Modern Virginia by Elizabeth Catte
Nina: A Story of Nina Simone by Traci N. Todd
In the Wild Light by Jeff Zentner has been named on the best children’s books of the year by the New York Times.
Where I Can’t Follow by Ashley Blooms, due out February 15th, is set in fictional Blackdamp County, Kentucky. It made the Good Housekeeping list of “The 15 Best and Most-Anticipated Books of 2022.
Book Lovers by Emily Henry, due May 3rd, is set in fictional Sunshine Falls, North Carolina, just outside real Asheville. It is on the 30 books that Parade magazine can’t wait to read in 2022. It also made Bibliofile’s 25 most anticipated and best books of 2022 and Bustle’s 65. and It is one of 17 most anticipated fiction books from Ask.