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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 It wasn't perfect and some of the ideas they had seem out of date now, the ones we know about anyway.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...

The Companion by E.E. Ottoman

New York, 1948

After years of trying to break into New York City’s literary scene, Madeline Slaughter is emotionally and physically exhausted. When a friend offers her a safe haven as the live-in companion to reclusive, bestselling novelist Victor Hallowell she jumps at the chance to escape the city.

Madeline expects to find rest and quiet in the forests of Upstate New York. Instead, she finds Victor, handsome and intensely passionate, and Audrey Coffin, Victor’s mysterious and beautiful neighbor.

When Victor offers her a kiss and the promise of more Madeline allows herself to become entangled even as Audrey is also claiming her heart. The only problem is that Audrey and Victor are ex-lovers with plenty of baggage between them. As Madeline finds herself opening up and falling in love with both she starts to wonder, can there be a future for all three? 

PUBLISHER: Independently Published
YEAR: 2021
LENGTH: 172 pages
AGE: Adult
GENRE: Historical, Romance
RECOMMENDED: Highly

Queer Rep Summary: Lesbian/Sapphic Main Character(s), Bi/Pan Main Character(s), Trans Main Character(s).

THE COMPANION is a cozy historical MFF story where everyone is trans. It's intimate, which slowly turns into something erotic and sensual, but first and foremost Madeline feels safe, able to explore her companions and their desires along with the woods and fields. 

I love this, it's so nice to read something where no one has to explain what being trans means to each other, because, even though the historical setting means they don't use the terms I would use, they have this part of their identity in common. Victor and Audrey offer Madeline two kinds of support, and are open to building something together once she's ready to say that she wants something specific.

If you like this you may like:

  • Band Sinister by K.J. Charles
  • Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh

Graphic/Explicit CW for sexual content.

Minor CW for sexism, sexual harassment, homophobia, transphobia, smoking/drug use.

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