Tuesday 4 July 2017

Musing Mondays - YA historical fiction with a bisexual male protagonist & release dates


Musing Monday, July 3, 2017

Musing Mondays is a weekly meme that asks you to choose one of the following prompts to answer:


  • I’m currently reading…
  • Up next I think I’ll read…
  • I bought the following book(s) in the past week…
  • I’m super excited to tell you about (book/author/bookish-news)…
  • I’m really upset by (book/author/bookish-news)…
  • I can’t wait to get a copy of…
  • I wish I could read ___, but…
  • I blogged about ____ this past week…

Up next I think I’ll read…


The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue
by Mackenzi Lee

I can't remember how exactly I heard about this book, it was either a review on someone's blog, or one of the other bookish sites in my feed (like BuzzFeed Books or Bookster, or Book Riot) had an article that had it included in a list. Regardless of how I came across it, I did - and the moment I read the description I knew I had to read it. Finding bisexual representation in genre fiction books is not an easy task, and this is the first one I've ever seen with a male bisexual main character. That alone was enough to pique my interest.

I looked to see if one of my public libraries had a copy, which is very easy to do thanks to the Chrome Library Extension because it show's your local library's holdings right on the Goodreads or Amazon page for a given book. The extension informed me that the Kitchener Public Library has 5 copies, so I went to their website to place a hold. I got to the catalogue and was informed that all of the copies were unavailable, so I placed a hold and was informed that I was hold 6/8. I didn't take note of when the book was actually released, turns out it was only released on June 27 of this year, if I'd noticed that I would have released that the books were in cataloguing still. But I didn't - so I was prepared that it was going to probably be about a month or so before I actually got my hands on a copy. However, on Wednesday night I received an email telling me my hold was available for pick up - cue much shock on my part when I read that on Thursday morning. After work that night I proceeded directly to the library to pick up my book. Now I have it until July 20.

First, though I have to get through Hag-Seed because it's due back on July 6 and I only started it on the 1st. I had to finish Blood Prophecy first before I could get to Hag-Seed you see. I'm only 29 pages into it and it's not going well, my desire to pick it up and keep reading it is very low. Not because of Margaret Atwood's writing, which is spot on, but because it's reminding me already just how much I really don't like the story in The Tempest. Anyhow, I digress, here have the summary for The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue:

An unforgettable tale of two friends on their Grand Tour of 18th-century Europe who stumble upon a magical artifact that leads them from Paris to Venice in a dangerous manhunt, fighting pirates, highwaymen, and their feelings for each other along the way.

Henry “Monty” Montague was born and bred to be a gentleman, but he was never one to be tamed. The finest boarding schools in England and the constant disapproval of his father haven’t been able to curb any of his roguish passions—not for gambling halls, late nights spent with a bottle of spirits, or waking up in the arms of women or men.

But as Monty embarks on his grand tour of Europe, his quest for a life filled with pleasure and vice is in danger of coming to an end. Not only does his father expect him to take over the family’s estate upon his return, but Monty is also nursing an impossible crush on his best friend and traveling companion, Percy.

Still it isn’t in Monty’s nature to give up. Even with his younger sister, Felicity, in tow, he vows to make this yearlong escapade one last hedonistic hurrah and flirt with Percy from Paris to Rome. But when one of Monty’s reckless decisions turns their trip abroad into a harrowing manhunt that spans across Europe, it calls into question everything he knows, including his relationship with the boy he adores.

Witty, romantic, and intriguing at every turn, The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue is a sumptuous romp that explores the undeniably fine lines between friendship and love.-- via Goodreads

        THIS WEEK’S RANDOM QUESTION: Do you follow book release dates and eagerly await a new arrival? Or do you just kind of check things out in a more casual manner?


I am not very good at following release dates, mainly because if I were trying to it would be an expensive prospect and almost like having a second job. There are just that many different series that I am following. If I were to buy every new book in a series I am following, or every new book that looks interesting on their release date I would quickly go broke and be even more stuck for space than I am. I have 250+ (it was 250 when I counted 2 weeks ago but I've added a few library books and bought a few more since then) books on my TBR shelves. So as you can imagine I'm not buying sequels and new books on their release dates unless I've been really, really hyped for them. Actually, this year is the first year that I'm even tracking release dates on certain books because an earlier Musing Monday question asked if there were any books coming out that I was excited for. In fact, in reviewing that post I just realised I've just missed 2 exciting ones, one I want to get ASAP and one I will be waiting on. I want the 3rd volume of Faith as soon as I can get my hands on it. But I will definitely wait until probably next year on Darkest Promise because it usually takes it that long to be released in paperback and as all of my Gena Showalter books are paperback I would like to continue having them in that format. Now I'm really eager for the next Dragon Kin novel, not until August though so I still have some waiting on that one. I may just have to start eagerly awaiting it.


4 comments:

  1. This book is instantly added to my TBR because you are right! Bisexual representation in fiction is so hard to find, specifically in it being a male. Some of the conversations I enjoy having on my blog are related to marginalized populations through fiction books and I knew that this was going to be a challenging one to do eventually. The bisexual population gets a lot of flack from society, so it is great to see some representation in a media source. Greatly piqued my interest.

    I snapped when I saw your response to the random question! I agree, it would definitely be an expensive prospect and is exactly why I do not follow new releases. I instead enjoy used bookstores. I just cannot fathom waiting around for a new release for myself when there are a million books out there that need loving homes just beyond those doors of that used bookstore. It may not be new to everyone else, but at least it is new to me.

    My response to Musing Monday: https://cassiewinterslibrary.blogspot.com/2017/07/musing-mondays-july-3-2017.html

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    1. You're spot on with your assessment of bisexual representation. Bi-erasure is a real and serious problem that ticks me right off.

      Yeah, I rely on Libraries, both the academic library where I work, and my local public libraries to help me out a lot when it comes to new books. It doesn't always work though. I've always been a big fan of finding something new to you regardless of how old it is to anyone else.

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  2. This sounds like a neat book. Definitely hard to find this type of representation in fiction--which is a shame. I can't follow book releases anymore either. No time.

    Hope you have a great week.

    http://thebookconnectionccm.blogspot.com/2017/07/musing-monday-july-3.html

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    1. You have a great week too! Thanks for dropping by :)

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