By Sophia-Joelle McDowell
Art by Kelcie McKenney
This past year was full of Taylor Swift references and great movies like Barbie. 2023 also brought plenty of new and enjoyable reads. Whether you’re a lover of romance, thrillers, smut, nonfiction, or really any other genre, we’ve got you covered!
We know, we know…your TBR is already packed full, but there’s always room for one or five more, right? Here are some new releases hitting bookstore and library shelves near you in 2024!
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By Bella Rainey
Writing about your own book is always a humbling experience, and it is also required when you write a book.
Hey friends, my name is Bella Rainey. You may recognize me from KCtoday, but if not, it’s so nice to meet you. Outside of writing for KCtoday (or here for Catcall), I have a tendency to basically never stop writing. Whether it is a notes app entry or a full novel, I seem to never run out of words to say.
That brings me to the aforementioned novel. Let’s rewind the tapes.
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By Nicole Mitchell
Over two years ago, Mercury Stardust—aka the Trans Handy Ma’am on TikTok—responded to a comment that went viral. Since then, she’s been giving out her expert DIY and other home maintenance advice to renters on TikTok, began her podcast “Handy Ma’am Hotline,” and wrote her first book, titled Safe and Sound: A Renter-Friendly Guide to Home Repair.
Safe and Sound gives readers tips on over 50 home projects from her perspective as a maintenance technician of over 16 years. Chapters cover a wide variety of maintenance, such as plumbing, electrical, carpentry, and safety needs—plus QR code links to videos to help you along the way.
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By Sophia-Joelle McDowell
As a transracial Korean adoptee living in the midwest, Hanna Lee started writing during the rise of the pandemic when AAPI hate was high and they had a lot to process.
Lee believes writing can help people process what they’re going through, and it offers a healthy and structured way of going about this.
The books they have written to process their own experiences have resonated with many readers. Lee spoke with us about their past and the pages they earned in the process.
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By: Sophia-Joelle Oswald
The Trans Rights Readathon, which started on March 20th and lasts until March 27th, came from the mind of Sim Kern. This trans author, whose books include Seeds for the Swarm and Depart, Depart!, suggested the readathon in response to the hundreds of anti-trans bills being proposed in the United States.
Kern eagerly reached out to BookTok with the hopes that other people would be excited to raise some money through the enjoyable act of reading. Thousands of readers on BookTube, Book Twitter, and Bookstagram have since jumped on board.
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