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!
Continue reading
By Kelcie McKenney
The increase in popularity of the Romance genre has had us at Catcall kicking up our feet and giggling. What’s better than watching new readers find out that romance is totally for feminists too? We’re clearly big fans (I mean, check out our smut guide or our whole Catcall Reads section!) and we’ve been salivating at the rise of #BookTok and the influx of romance-books-turned-movies/shows. And now things are gettin’ local.
This week, Romance writer and TikTok’s #BookTok sweetheart Katee Robert is in town on the Cruel Seduction Tour, hosted by the Lawrence Public Library and the Raven Book Store—which has a romance-themed shelf and IG at @ravenaboutromance. Katee is celebrating the release of her newest book, Cruel Seduction, in the Dark Olympus series. It’s a collection of Greek Mythology retellings that are spicy AF (highly recommend!). On the tour, she’s bringing friends Ana Huang, author of Twisted Love, and Sierra Simone, author of Priest and a KC local. The three are lining up a panel about all things romance, plus chattin’ with readers and singing books.
Continue reading
By Kelcie McKenney
Buckle up romance readers, we’ve got a Valentine’s Day treat for you.
Words and Whiskey, an intoxicating book club podcast, covers books that are worth reading and drinks that are worth drinking. Hosts Krossland Shaw and PJ Heller have been working their way through Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn as of late, but decided to spice things up with an episode covering the romance genre.
“That’s right, this week we’re tackling the ROMANCE Genre, and attacking it with as much panache as possible. Kross is joined by an incredible group of guests who really want to get your gears turning, and help you understand why the Romance Genre is as big and as important as it is.”
Those guests include a host of hard-core romance readers (including Catcall Editor-in-Chief Kelcie McKenney—hi!) who cover everything from soft and sweet YA and historical romance to, *cough*, well, monster fucking. So strap in and strip down for this two-parter romance ride (with Part 2 dropping later today!).
Continue reading
By Lindsay Bell
help me choke
on the shame of it all
please
fill the space
between these teeth
with prying hands
and coerce these lips
to bring your grace
i am the siren
are are my muse
this place in my heart
is reserved for you
By Kelcie McKenney
From moody heartbreak to unrequited love, dance songs to soul-searchers, fill your Valentine’s Day up with songs from some Romantic Comedy classics (and a few other romance flicks thrown in the mix).
“Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” – Heath Ledger
Catcall 