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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 It wasn't perfect and some of the ideas they had seem out of date now, the ones we know about anyway.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 Witch Collector by Charissa Weaks (The Witch Walker Trilogy #1)

The Witch Collector is a magical, enchanting, fantasy romance whose pages are filled with threads of love, loss, and healing. Highly, highly recommended for anyone who loves fantasy romance, fantasy with strong female leads, unique magic systems, and beautiful writing. I, Raina Bloodgood, have lived in this village for twenty-four years, and for twenty-four years he has passed me by.

His mistake.

Raina Bloodgood has one desire: kill the Frost King and the Witch Collector who stole her sister. On Collecting Day, she means to exact murderous revenge, but a more sinister threat sets fire to her world. Rising from the ashes is the Collector, Alexus Thibault, the man she vowed to slay and the only person who can help save her sister.

Thrust into an age-old story of ice, fire, and ancient gods, Raina must abandon vengeance and aid the Witch Collector in saving the Frost King or let their empire—and her sister—fall into enemy hands. But the lines between good and evil blur, and Raina has more to lose than she imagined. What is she to do when the Witch Collector is no longer the villain who stole her sister, but the hero who’s stealing her heart?

The Witch Collector is book one in a thrilling romantic fantasy trilogy, perfect for fans of Naomi Novik, Sarah J. Maas, and Jennifer L. Armentrout.

TITLE: The Witch Collector
AUTHOR: Charissa Weaks
PUBLISHER: City Owl Press
YEAR: 2021
LENGTH: 372 pages
AGE: Adult
GENRE: Fantasy, Romance
RECOMMENDED: N/A

Partial Queer Rep Summary: No canon queer rep.

DNF 118 pages in (32%).

In retrospect I should’ve realized a book whose blurb mentions three authors I don’t like reading (as a positive comparison) was not going to be a book I would probably enjoy. 

I like the main character (Raina). I appreciate the way a story-specific version of sign language is used for her to communicate and others to communicate with her, and I like that the book has a list of author supplied contact warnings available at a link. That’s basically where the stuff that I like ends, and most of those ultimately aren’t about the actual story. 

I have enjoyed other books where two people that are from groups that hate each other for various reasons end up in a romance. I often do like those... when the two individuals involved haven’t already hated each other specifically in this context. But I’m having trouble relating to this story where part of the main premise is that Raina specifically hates the Witch Collector, and then has to travel with him, and the book seems to be heading towards a romantic/sexual relationship between them. I am not in favor of this trajectory, and the rate at which she is softening to him does not, to me, line up with what he’s actually doing. Ultimately, it’s just not a story that I care to read and so I'm stopping.

Graphic/Explicit CW for grief, sexual content, fire/fire injury, blood, gore, violence, injury detail, war, murder, parental death, child death, death.

Moderate CW for cursing, alcohol, kidnapping.

Minor CW for pregnancy, self harm, suicidal thoughts, animal death.

Link to author CWs

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