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We've Always Been Queer

The podcast is Books That Burn because the original idea was "books that burn you", discussing fictional depictions of trauma. It's also an intentional reminder of the pile of burning books, you know the photo I mean, the one from WWII. It's a pile of books about queerness, gender, and sexuality. Just in case you don't know, the Institut für Sexualwissenschaft (Institute for Sexual Science) was headed by Magnus Hirschfeld.  It was a resource for gay, intersex, and transgender people, both of knowledge and medical help. It also helped the community with addiction treatment and contraception. It wasn't perfect and some of the ideas they had seem out of date now, the ones we know about anyway. But they were trying to make queer people's lives better, and they were a community resource at a time when people really needed it. Which is all the time, we always need these accesses. And the Nazis burned the whole library. It took days, they had to drag the books ou
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The Queer Principles of Kit Webb by Cat Sebastian (London Highwaymen #1)

Kit Webb has left his stand-and-deliver days behind him. But dreary days at his coffee shop have begun to make him pine for the heady rush of thievery. When a handsome yet arrogant aristocrat storms into his shop, Kit quickly realizes he may be unable to deny whatever this highborn man desires.

In order to save himself and a beloved friend, Percy, Lord Holland must go against every gentlemanly behavior he holds dear to gain what he needs most: a book that once belonged to his mother, a book his father never lets out of his sight and could be Percy’s savior. More comfortable in silk-filled ballrooms than coffee shops frequented by criminals, his attempts to hire the roughly hewn highwayman, formerly known as Gladhand Jack, proves equal parts frustrating and electrifying.

Kit refuses to participate in the robbery but agrees to teach Percy how to do the deed. Percy knows he has little choice but to submit and as the lessons in thievery begin, he discovers thievery isn’t the only crime he’s desperate to commit with Kit.

But when their careful plan goes dangerously wrong and shocking revelations threaten to tear them apart, can these stolen hearts overcome the impediments in their path?

TITLE: The Queer Principles of Kit Webb
AUTHOR: Cat Sebastian
PUBLISHER: HarperCollins
YEAR: 2021
LENGTH: 303 pages
AGE: Adult
GENRE: Historical, Romance
RECOMMENDED: Yes

Queer Rep Summary: Gay/Achillean Main Character(s), Bi/Pan Main Character(s).

This was fun but weirdly forgettable. The story never stays tense for too long, and most of the stressful topics are handled as things that are at least partially processed or happened a while ago. Even Kitt's very tragic backstory isn't discussed fully until well into the book, and at a moment where it specifically matters to the story and isn't just tragedy for the sake of complexity.

I like that the book begins by establishing that Percy isn't going to be rich for very long, thus reducing the tension in the story. Even though Kitt doesn't learn this for a while, I was much happier knowing that the giant disparity between their stations wouldn't stay forever. 

If you want a romance that has a bit of danger but usually keeps the stress low, try this one.

Graphic/Explicit CW for sexual content.

Moderate CW for grief, classism, violence, gun violence, injury detail, medical content, medical trauma, parental death, death.

Minor CW for ableism, alcohol, alcoholism, religious bigotry, infidelity, forced institutionalization, pregnancy, toxic relationship, blood, cancer, terminal illness, child death.

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Two men sit across from each other at a low table. One is blond with unbound hair, the other has brown hair tied with a red ribbon.


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