A FRAGILE ENCHANTMENT

BY ALLISON SAFT | ROMANTIC FANTASY

Allison Saft, NYT-bestselling author, is at it again! This romantic fantasy follows a magical dressmaker who is commissioned for a royal wedding. She’s put on blast after a gossip column takes notice of the spark between her and the groom-to-be. 

Publish date: Jan. 2

THE FURIES: WOMEN, VENGEANCE, AND JUSTICE

BY ELIZABETH FLOCK | NONFICTION

In a world filled with systems built against women, sometimes it’s hard to fight back. Flock explores the role and necessity of female-led violence through the stories of three real-life women. As the book’s description states, “through Flock’s propulsive prose and remarkable research on the ground—embedded with families, communities, and organizations in America, India, and Syria—The Furies examines, with exquisite nuance, whether the fight for women’s safety is fully possible without force.” 

Publish date: Jan. 9

EMILY WILDE’S MAP OF THE OTHERLANDS

BY HEATHER FAWCETT | FANTASY 

If you were a fan of “Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries,” the first book in the Emily Wilde series, then you’ve likely been anticipating the next installment. Emily, a curmudgeonly professor and genius scholar of faerie folklore, must unravel the secrets of mysterious faeries that have suddenly appeared at the university. If you love faeries, fantasy, and romance add this book to your TBR asap! 

Publish date: Jan. 16

HOUSE OF FLAMES AND SHADOW

BY SARAH J. MASS | ROMANTIC FANTASY 

If you’re a frequent Catcallreader, there’s probably no need to describe this one to you. This is the third installment in the Crescent City series, and at the risk of spoiling the previous books, we won’t say much. Expect plenty of action, love, and sexiness in a world filled with fae, angels, werewolves, demons, and witches. 

Publish date: Jan. 30

BE A REVOLUTION: HOW EVERYDAY PEOPLE ARE FIGHTING OPPRESSION AND CHANGING THE WORLD—AND HOW YOU CAN, TOO

BY IJEOMA OLUO | NONFICTION

The title of this book just about says it all. Oluo showcases how people across the United States are putting in effort to create positive change. According to the Goodreads’ description, “looking at many of our most powerful systems—like education, media, labor, health, housing, policing, and more—she highlights what people are doing to create change for intersectional racial equity.” As you read this book prepare to be inspired as she lays out a variety of ways we can help too. 

Publish date: Jan. 30

THIS IS THE HONEY: AN ANTHOLOGY OF CONTEMPORARY BLACK POETS

BY KWAME ALEXANDER | NONFICTION

If you’re a lover of words and eager to read poems penned by some amazing writers, you’ll want to check this one out. This powerful collection includes work from many inspiring poets including Rita Dove, Jericho Brown, Warsan Shire, Ross Gay, Tracy K. Smith, Terrance Hayes, Morgan Parker, and Nikki Giovanni. 

Publish date: Jan. 30

HOW TO LIVE FREE IN A DANGEROUS WORLD: A DECOLONIAL MEMOIR

BY SHAYLA LAWSON | MEMOIR

In this collection of essays, we follow Black queer travel writer, Shayla Lawson, around the globe. They talk about their experiences and encounters as a Black person traveling the world and some relationships they made along the way. 

Publish date: Feb. 6

GRETA & VALDIN

BY REBECCA K REILLY | LITERARY FICTION

This book has been marketed to fans of Schitt’s Creek and Normal People. If you’re a fan of either, this book is right up your alley! Siblings and flatmates, Greta and Valdin must navigate queerness and multiracial identity. As the Goodreads’ description says, “Rebecca K Reilly’s exploration of love, family, karaoke, and the generational reverberations of colonialism will make you laugh, might make you cry, and will certainly make you fall in love with Greta, Valdin and all of the Vladisavljevics.”

Publish date: Feb. 6

HOW YOU GET THE GIRL

BY ANITA KELLY | ROMANCE

High school basketball coach Julie Parker has no idea what’s coming. One of her player’s parents happens to be a former basketball star, Elle Cochrane. Elle joins the team as an assistant coach, but instead of just helping the team advance, she helps Julie figure out the world of dating. 

Expected publish date: Feb. 13

YOU HAD ME AT MERLOT

BY MELISSA BRAYDEN | ROMANCE

Leighton Morrow works for a big department store as a development coordinator. She’s part of a team that needs to demolish a café to make way for their new location. This is a hard assignment for Leighton as she’s not only a big fan of the place’s delicious pastries, but of the cute owner too. You Had Me at Merlot has all the ingredients to be one tasty and adorable LGBTQ+ romance. 

Expected publish date: Feb. 13

OURS

BY PHILLIP B. WILLIAMS | HISTORICAL FICTION

This book follows Saint, a conjuror on a mission to rescue enslaved people by annihilating plantations throughout Arkansas. Those she saves follow with her to a secluded community in St. Louis called Ours. According to the Goodreads’ description “…over time, her conjuring and memories begin to betray her, leaving the town vulnerable to intrusions by newcomers with powers of their own. As the cracks in Saint’s creation are exposed, some begin to wonder whether the community’s safety might be yet another form of bondage.”

Expected publish date: Feb. 20

THE HOUSE OF HIDDEN MEANINGS

BY RUPAUL | MEMOIR

Considering how well-known drag superstar RuPaul is, we don’t need to say much to get you excited about this one. His memoir goes back to his roots, discussing life growing up Black, poor, and queer, and then covers his journey to fame. 

Expected publish date: Mar. 5

WHO’S AFRAID OF GENDER?

BY JUDITH BUTLER | NONFICTION

“The aim of “Who’s Afraid of Gender?” is not to offer a new theory of gender but to examine how “gender” has become a phantasm for emerging authoritarian regimes, fascist formations, and transexclusionary feminists. In their vital, courageous new book, Butler illuminates the concrete ways that this phantasm of “gender” collects and displaces anxieties and fears of destruction. Operating in tandem with deceptive accounts of “critical race theory” and xenophobic panics about migration, the anti-gender movement demonizes struggles for equality, fuels aggressive nationalism, and leaves millions of people vulnerable to subjugation.” –Goodreads

Expected publish date: Mar. 19

LONG LIVE QUEER NIGHTLIFE: HOW THE CLOSING OF GAY BARS SPARKED A REVOLUTION

BY AMIN GHAZIANI | NONFICTION

The amount of gay bars in the world has decreased over the years, a scary thought to some. This book proves that just because these bars are closing, doesn’t mean queer spaces are vanishing. Ghaziani shows that queer culture is simply changing through interviews and stories from a range of LGBTQ+ individuals. 

Expected publish date: Mar. 19

LIKE LOVE: ESSAYS AND CONVERSATIONS

BY MAGGIE NELSON | NONFICTION

Maggie Nelson has penned multiple cult classics. This collection of essays and conversations comes from 20 years of her work. Themes include love, friendship, feminism, and queer issues. If you enjoy essays, women, and LGBTQ+ discussions, this is a book you won’t want to miss. 

Expected publish date: Apr. 2

A GOOD HAPPY GIRL

BY MARISSA HIGGINS | FICTION

“A poignant, surprising, and immersive read about a young professional woman pursuing an emotionally intense relationship with a married lesbian couple.” –Goodreads

Expected publish date: Apr. 2

THERE’S GOING TO BE TROUBLE

BY JEN SILVERMAN | HISTORICAL FICTION

“A woman is pulled into a love affair with a radical activist, unknowingly echoing her family’s dangerous past and risking the foundations of her future in this electrifying novel.” – Goodreads

Expected publish date: Apr. 9

FUNNY STORY

BY EMILY HENRY | ROMANCE 

Emily Henry is at it again! Things seem to be going well for Daphne until her fiancé Peter realizes he’s in love with his childhood best friend Petra. At least she still has her dream job as a children’s librarian. Now she needs to find a roommate, and who better to fill that spot than Petra’s ex, Miles? As if things aren’t complicated enough, they come up with a plan that takes things further. Is she really going to fall in love with her ex-fiancé’s new fiancée’s ex? 

Expected publish date: Apr. 23

MEAN BOYS

BY GEOFFREY MAK | MEMOIR

Queer Chinese American writer Geoffrey Mak’s new memoir is sure to be a hit this year! According to the Goodreads description, “he grants readers an inside pass to the spaces where culture was made and unmade over the past decade, from the antiseptic glare of white-walled galleries to the darkest corners of Berlin techno clubs. As the gay son of an evangelical minister, Mak fled to those spaces, hoping to join a rootless, influential elite. But when calamity struck, it forced Mak to confront the costs of mistaking status for belonging.” 

Expected publish date: Apr. 30

THE Z WORD

BY LINDSAY KING-MILLER |  LGBTQ+ HORROR  

Navigating bad breakups and finding your place as a queer person is already complicated enough, but what if you added a zombie outbreak on top of that? The Goodreads description says it best, “now, Wendy and her friends and frenemies—drag queen Logan, silver fox Beau, sword lesbian Aurelia and her wife Sam, mysterious pizza delivery stoner Sunshine, and, oh yeah, Wendy’s ex-girlfriend Leah—have to team up to stay alive, save Pride, and track the zombie outbreak to its shocking source. Hopefully without killing each other first.” Count us in! 

Expected publish date: May 7

LIES AND WEDDINGS

BY KEVIN KWAN |  ROMANCE  |  FICTION

Prepare to laugh your butt off and be entertained because the author of Crazy Rich Asians is back at it again. “In a globetrotting tale that takes us from the black sand beaches of Hawaii to the skies of Marrakech, from the glitzy bachelor pads of Los Angeles to the inner sanctums of England’s oldest family estates, Kevin Kwan unfurls a juicy, hilarious, sophisticated, and thrillingly plotted story of love, money, murder, sex, and the lies we tell about them all.” –Goodreads

Expected publish date: May 21

LOVING SYLVIA PLATH: A RECLAMATION

BY EMILY VAN DUYNE |  NONFICTION

“A nuanced, intelligent, and passionate exploration of the life and work of one of the most misunderstood writers of the twentieth century. Sylvia Plath is an object of enduring cultural fascination―the troubled patron saint of confessional poetry; a writer whose genius is buried under the weight of her status as the quintessential literary sad girl. A pro-Plath polemic, Loving Sylvia Plath examines these myths in order to dismantle them and asks why, when Plath speaks frankly about her husband’s brutality, we refuse to take her at her word.” –Goodreads

Expected publish date: July 9

Sophie McDowell (she/her) is a writer and creator currently living in Kansas City. She got her degree in mass media with an emphasis in film and video from Washburn University. She also has minors in art, history, and women’s studies. When Sophie isn’t writing or volunteering her time to social justice, she can be found hanging out with her pets. 

Kelcie McKenney (she/her) is a writer, editor, and artist who is passionate about intersectional feminism, local activism, queer representation, and strengthening community. You can find Kelcie reading (probably smut or Twilight), talking astrology, hanging with her three-legged cat and four-legged dog, or trying to overthrow the patriarchy.