Queerly Recommended

Kris is away this week, so Tara lit up the Queer Signal and her friend from Toronto, Amanda, showed up. Amanda and Tara talk different Pride events and their own queer journeys, before diving into recommendations.

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Official Recommendations

Tara describes Purposefully Accidental by G. Benson as an explosion of trope candy. Enemies to lovers? It’s in there. Slow burn? You betcha. Fake relationships? Of course! It follows the story of a famous actress coming back into contact with a childhood friend she once humiliated, who still holds a grudge. A grudge that develops into…romance!

Amanda's recommendation is The Untamed (2019), which is a difficult TV series to sum up. It’s a fantasy historical Chinese drama set in a world where cultivators (spiritual warriors) battle evil spirits, demons, and sometimes each other in cross-clan conflict. But really, it’s just the story of two lovely boys who, while queer in the original source material, aren’t allowed to be overtly queer onscreen, due to censorship. That said, it’s still pretty gay and a great story.

Works/People Discussed

• Yuri on Ice (MAPPA)
• She Who Became The Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan
• Simon Snow series by Rainbow Rowell
• RuPaul's Drag Race (Down Under, Secret Celebrity, UK)
• Sand Talk by Tyson Yunkaporta
• The Memory Librarian by Janelle Monáe
• Dirty Computer (2018) by Janelle Monáe

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This is not your normal episode of Queerly Recommended, friends! This week, we’re bringing you a conversation that Tara had earlier this year with nonbinary truth teller, Jonathan Van Ness (Queer Eye, Gay of Thrones).

In front of a live audience at Benevity's Goodness Matters conference, JVN talks all about authenticity, self-acceptance, and the importance of dualities. Somehow, Tara (just barely) keeps her shit together, especially when he says she should run for Congress. Can a Canadian run for Congress?

Please no Ko-fis this week. If you enjoy this episode, make a donation to the Transgender Education Network of Texas.

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Tara talks new hair colours and adding to her tattoo collection. Kris is back from ClexaCon, with stories of creating the perfect author photobomb. We’re not in our twenties anymore, with our back tattoos and art house films. We’re past our thirties (how past? None of your business), which means it’s documentary time, bay-bee!

This week, an interesting theme connects a number of the recommendations: how and why people quit competitions. When discussing Glow Up and RuPaul's Drag Race, Tara tells stories of queens and makeup artists who left before they could be kicked off, and in Kris’s official recommendation, she talks about a skateboarder who had to bow out of the Olympics because of misgendering. Was it planned? Not at all. Is it interesting? Let us know on Twitter.

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Official Recommendations

This week, Kris brings us the Netflix documentary Stay on Board: The Leo Baker Story. It’s an inspiring story of one person’s identity and the sport that they love. Kris really dug this one and we think you’ll dig it too.

Rounding the bases into home, Tara delivers another Netflix documentary, A Secret Love. Inspired by the recent explosion of Amazon Prime’s A League of Their Own, Tara followed up with this documentary about one of the original All-American Girls Professional Baseball League players and her partner, their secret lives, and their changes in older years. It’s a home run, folks.

Works/People Discussed

• ClexaCon
• GCLS
• Women’s Week
• Alone: Frozen (History Channel)
• Whiplash (2014)
• House of the Dragon (HBO)
• Glow Up (Netflix)
• Sandman (Netflix)
• Kissed By Her by Chelsea M. Cameron

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By the time you hear Kris say she's looking forward to the upcoming ClexaCon, bemoaning her 9 AM panel and how everyone’ll be hungover… it's already happened. Time is weird, people.

Regardless, WHENEVER you’re reading this (hearing this?) you’ll be treated to Tara and Kris passing judgement on the contestants wimping out of Alone: Frozen, all from the comfort of their homes. There’s a bunch more stuff, too, all of it very good. Too much to list, really (there is a list, it’s below). Oh, they pick their favourite Drunk Histories! Come on in.

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Official Recommendations

This week, Kris hits a home run with her official recommendation of Prime Video’s A League of Their Own. Rather than remaking the 1992 hit movie, this series version shares the stories of queer and/or Black players in the 1940s that couldn't be told 30 years ago.

And Tara brings us home with Hulu’s Fire Island. This gay romantic comedy is a contemporary reinterpretation of Pride and Prejudice. It takes place on real world Fire Island, where Noah makes it his weeklong business to get his friend Howie laid…all while a new Mr. Darcy enters the field.

Works/People Discussed

• ClexaCon
• First Kill (Netflix) based on the short story "First Kill" by V.E. Schwab, from the collection Vampires Never Get Old
• The Wilds (Amazon Prime Video)
• Killing Eve (BBC America/AMC)
• Buffy the Vampire Slayer (The WB/AMC)
• Lightyear (2022)
• Alone: Frozen (History Channel)
• Glow Up (BBC/Netflix)
• Canada’s Drag Race, RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under, RuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race
• Vanderbilt by Anderson Cooper
• The Sparks Brothers (2021)
• Mark Cuban CostPlus Drug Company
• Drunk History (Comedy Central)

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A lot is going on in this episode!

Kris has a book baby coming out. Who does it look like? We’ll find out! Tara reveals how the cosmic calendar and the finite nature of the known universe gave her some peace. They both try their best to fan cast The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and find it surprisingly tough. Kris walks down memory lane with her experiences of Lilith Fair and makes an impassioned argument for its return. To top it off, Kris reveals whether or not she has ever been dumped.

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Official Recommendations

This week, Kris recommends the Neil Patrick Harris show Uncoupled (Netflix), which follows Neil’s character Michael after he is dumped by his partner on his 50th birthday and his subsequent journey into middle-aged queer dating. Kris loved the focus on queer adults and the particular challenges and opportunities that come with that experience.

Tara doesn’t usually gush, but... who are we kidding? She totally does. And this week, she’s gushing about Ann McMan’s Dead Letters From Paradise. It's a historical mystery about a young woman managing the dead letter office Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and how her experiences there widen her world and connect her to the community around her. Tara tentatively describes this as Ann McMan’s best book. Listen to the review then go and pick this up!

Works/People Discussed

• Serendipity by Kris Bryant
• Fire & Ice by Rachel Spangler
• Fire on the Ice by Tamsen Parker
• In Her Court by Tamsen Parker
• Stranded Hearts (Romance Novellas) by Kris Bryant & Amanda Radley & Emily Smith
• Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey (2014)
• Blowers & Grafton: Halifax Street Food and Bar (Calgary)
• Alone and Alone: Frozen (History Channel)
• Trainwreck: Woodstock ‘99 (Netflix)
• Age of Adaline (2015)
• Canada’s Drag Race
• RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under
• The Anarchists (HBO Max)
• LuLaRich (Prime Video)
• Witch Hat Atelier by Kamome Shirahama

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With COVID behind her, we welcome Tara back to the land of the living (sorry, it’s a bit of a mess right now) and catch up with Kris who is back with Brit Ryder’s award from GCLS (thief!). There’s tons to catch up on!

We revisit a tale of sisterly abuse, which Tara claims is the best story she’s ever heard, minus the living-with-trauma bits. For some reason, the evil presence of Subway’s Jared is invoked, but don’t worry, we hold it down with catching up on Drag Race and recommending two, count ’em, two books!

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Official Recommendations

This week, Kris brings us two-time Goldie Award winner, Changing Majors by Ana Hartnett Reichardt. It’s a story about going off to college, thinking you’ll end up one way and discovering, welp, you're going in a whole different direction. Kris loves the writing on this one, even if it is — gasp — first person present tense. It works, y’know?

Tara’s love of ice queens and the rich girl/poor girl trope strikes again with The Delicate Things We Make by Milena McKay. Journalist Jamie lands the assignment of a lifetime when she's tasked with discovering the secret identity behind the elusive artist DeVor. Turns out, she discovers more than what she signed up for when she falls in love with none other than DeVor herself. Tara loves this one, between the tension, mutual obsession, and exploration of ethics and social issues. It’s a hard recommend from one of our two self-described softies.

Works/People Discussed

• The Golden Crown Literary Society (GCLS)
• The Great Canadian Baking Show: Season Five (CBC)
• Alone (History Channel)
• The Boys (Amazon Prime Video)
• RuPaul's Drag Race: All Stars Season Seven
• Drag Race Canada Season Three
• Queer Eye Season Six
• Queer Eye Germany
• It Started With a Kiss by Clare Lydon
• Dead Letters from Paradise by Ann McMan

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Sorry, friends. No episode this week, because Tara got COVID and couldn't record an episode. But, in the most mini of mini-sodes, Tara recommends two things:

1. Self-care
2. The Great Canadian Baking Show (and yes, it has great queer representation!)

See you in two weeks!

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The world’s a heavy place right now, so after pleasantries about puppies and tattoos, Kris and Tara sit down to talk about the devastating attack on reproductive rights that is the repeal of Roe vs. Wade. There’s no jokes about this, it just sucks.

Know what else is unacceptable? Sexual harassment of authors. Instead of questions this week, Kris and Tara bring on popular lesfic author, Jae, and Sarah Wendell from Smart Bitches Trashy Books to talk about some all-too-prevalent problem behaviours that authors face, ranging from inappropriate emails to straight-up stalking.

Then, of course, Kris and Tara share their recommendations as always. It might seem trivial in light of everything happening right now, but connecting people with queer media and creators is more crucial than ever. Seeing ourselves in the world is vital to begin changing it — and it fucking needs changing.

No Ko-fi link today, friends. Please donate to the National Network of Abortion Funds instead.

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Official Recommendations

This week, Kris brings us Transhood, a documentary from 2020. Transhood follows four children through their coming-of-age journeys over five years.

Tara brings us a few different pieces of media that tell Tig Notaro’s story. Tara starts with Tig's groundbreaking album Live, then recommends her documentary, Tig, her autobiography I'm Just a Person, and the show One Mississippi. Tig’s health struggles, trauma, recovery and success are expressed beautifully in each, ensuring there's at least one way you can take in her story, no matter your media consumption preferences.

Works/People Discussed

• Jae's post about stalking and harassment 
• Queer as Folk (Peacock)
• Umbrella Academy (Netflix)
• The Last Lavender Sister by Melissa Brayden
• RuPaul's Drag Race: All Stars, Season Seven
• Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)
• Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend (Netflix)

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There are many key figures in lesbian literature, without whom, we wouldn't have today's rich publishing scene. Radclyffe is one of them.

In this episode, Radclyffe shares what inspired her not just to write but to publish lesbian fiction, her thoughts on the industry, why lesbian fiction has always been political, and what she queerly recommends. Happy Pride y’all!

If you enjoy this episode, please consider buying Kris & Tara a Ko-fi!

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Works/People Discussed

• Women's Barracks: The Frank Autobiography of a French Girl Soldier by Tereska Torrès
• Odd Girl Out by Ann Bannon
• The Latecomer by Sarah Aldridge

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Welcome, welcome, one and all to your Queerly Recommended meal of the week!

As a little aperitif, we begin with a discussion of the corporatization of Pride. Following this is a starter of listener questions…as well as other questions! Is Kris a people pleaser? Who was the first lesfic author Tara and Kris met? We have a relaxing deconstruction of 80s fashion trends, an out-of-left-field callout on megahit and media darling, This Is Us, and Kris processes her toxic relationship with Survivor.

Finally, it's main course time, and we have our official recommendations!

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Official Recommendations

This week, Kris brings us the comedic drama 4th Man Out, where a working-class car mechanic makes the jump to come out to his best friends and live the life he’s always wanted.

Tara’s pick this week is the 1968 documentary, The Queen. If you care about the history of  drag and queer culture, you'll want to watch, as it covers the 1967 Miss All-America Camp Beauty Contest and the contestants involved. It even includes one of the most iconic reads of all time.

Works/People Discussed

• Stranger Things Season Four (Netflix)
• The Lincoln Lawyer (Netflix)
• The Staircase (HBO Max)
• Survivor (CBS)
• RuPaul’s Drag Race: All Stars Season 7
• Heartstopper (Netflix)
• Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022)
• Grey Gardens (1975)
• Derry Girls (Channel 4)
• Paris is Burning (1990)

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Kris and Tara are talking about drugs this episode — specifically, cannabis. They wonder about their parents' experience with Mary Jane and modern technology, before getting into their recs.

And the recs? They cover a wide variety (although very few books this time). Lots of good TV and movies out there, especially documentaries. We’re living in a golden age!

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Official Recommendations

This week, Kris decided to balance all the fluff that she's been bringing with the Patty Jenkins' 2003 directorial debut, Monster. A biographical crime drama, Monster tells the story of Aileen Wuornos, a sex worker who murdered seven of her male clients over the space of two years, and her relationship with the semi-fictionalized lover, Selby Wall.

And, it’s been a while since Tara’s recommended a game, but this is a good one. Half-visual novel, half tabletop roleplaying game, Citizen Sleeper puts you in the role of an android with the memories of the human who sold a copy of themselves into corporate slavery. You wake up on an ancient space station, after escaping the company. Each day you manage your precarity by taking jobs, meeting people and making choices. Will you use your energy to help a friend or do something so you can get more food? Only you can decide.

Works/People Discussed

• Kris’s Patreon
• Raina Telgemeier
• Same But Different (2019)
• The Lost City (2022)
• The Staircase (HBO Max)
• The Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness podcast: Episode 26 Who Were History’s “Female Husbands”? with Professor Jen Manion
• Heartstopper (Netflix)
• Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street (2021)

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Context for future historians: the world is currently ON ONE. Things are looking pretty dark right now. But if there's one theme for this week's episode, it's that we've been here before and we will fight again.

This week, Kris and Tara go hard. Kris talks about her moving experience supporting queer kids who were targeted by parents at their school. And watch out supporters of Friends, Pretty Woman and Batman (individually or all together, you know who you are), because Kris is coming in hot with some blistering takes on your formative cinema.

Tara details her trip from reading Jonathan Van Ness’s new book to digging into the queer history of her hometown and do you know what she finds? We’ve been here before. We’ll do it again. Despite the darkness and the erasure, these books, films, games, and everything that Kris and Tara recommend or talk about on this show are the result of queer lives coming to light. Queer isn’t new. It’s old as bones. None of us is alone.

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Official Recommendations

Kris’s official recommendation for this week is the British coming-of-age romantic series, Heartstopper, which follows Charlie Spring, a gay schoolboy who falls in love with someone he sits next to in class, Nick Nelson. She (and so many other people) say it's ADORABLE.

This week, Tara recommends the 2018 documentary Mapplethorpe, which tracks the Robert Mapplethorpe from his rise to fame in the 1970s to his untimely death in 1989. Mapplethorpe was a photographer best known for his black-and-white photographs and his controversial works that detailed the gay male BDSM subculture of New York City in the late 60s and early 70s.

Works/People Discussed

• Truth and Measure/Above All Things by Roslyn Sinclair
• All That Matters by Susan X Meagher
• While You Were Sleeping (1995)
• Luca (2021)
• Ambulance (2022)
• The State of Modern Action Films
• The Batman (2022)
• Love That Story: Observations from a Gorgeously Queer Life by Jonathan Van Ness
• Womontown | A Kansas City PBS Documentary

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This week opens on one of those eternal questions. No, it’s not "Cake or Death?" It’s something a lot more…I dunno, you’re going to have to listen.

Kris and Tara go all over the map in this one. They discuss THAT ENDING of Killing Eve. They pass judgement on store names in Hallmark movies. And, speaking of Hallmark movies, Kris might have to rescind her "No Hallmark" bumper sticker. Also, if you haven’t been listening beyond the outro in previous episodes, maybe now’s a good time to start. :)

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Official Recommendations

This week, Kris looks into the abyss of Hallmark and likes what she sees! It’s the movie Love, Classified. Romance novelist Emilia returns to her tiny hometown and into the lives of her adult children, Taylor and Zach. Sure, she says she's there for a book signing arranged at the local book shop, but really, Emilia wants to reconnect with them. Taylor and Zach each explore the possibility of love using a classified app, and Taylor's match with a woman is a pleasant surprise within an overall delightful movie. Go Hallmark!

Tara’s recommendation is actually a Kris recommendation, making it a twofer — one that comes with the Queerly Recommended Seal of Approval. Queercore is a documentary that follows the cultural and social movement that began as an offshoot of punk and was distinguished by its discontent with society's disapproval of the gay, bisexual, lesbian and transgender communities. It includes appearances from Bruce LaBruce, GB Benson, John Waters, Kathleen Hanna, and Peaches.

Works/People Discussed

• Kraft Smooth Peanut Butter
• Killing Eve (BBC)
• Walking Dead (AMC)
• HALO (Paramount Plus)
• RuPaul’s Drag Race
• Queer Eye
• Over the Top: A Raw Journey to Self-Love by Jonathan Van Ness

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We’re running on fumes and getting loopy. Kris is fresh off of a ten-hour drive and Tara has been working all day. You know what that means? That’s right, it’s a Monday night recording sesh. Get ready for the weird, the tired and the queer… recommendations, that is.

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Official Recommendations

This week, Kris recommends the Netflix drama, Inventing Anna. It's inspired by the story of Russian-born Anna Sorokin, who conned members of New York City's elite into believing she's Anna Delvey, German heiress. By leaning on this (very, very fake) image, she's able to get people to give her hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash, goods, and services, towards her goal of opening a club.

Tara recommends the delightful f/f romance Delilah Green Doesn’t Care by Ashley Herring Blake. It follows Delilah Green as she returns home to Bright Falls, Oregon, so she can photograph her estranged stepsister's wedding. A fling with her stepsister's totally proper, single-mom, super-hot best friend might be just the ticket for getting through the festivities. Now they just need to make sure they don't catch any feelings.

Works/People Discussed

• Killing Eve (BBC)
• Good Sam (CBS)
• Hotel Queens by Lee Winter
• Nalini Singh
• Our Flag Means Death (HBO Max)
• Gentleman Jack (HBO)
• I Was Better Last Night by Harvey Fierstein
• Above All Things by Roslyn Sinclair
• Abby Craden

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It’s the run up to awards season! So, in addition to congratulating our friend Brit Ryder for making finalist in the Foreword Indies for Not Guilty, Tara and Kris discuss the Lammy nominations.

Next, they dive into an important listener question from Sheena at The Lesbian Review about which movie would they would queer up. Tara and Kris also indulge in the reality world of the Tinder Swindler and Love is Blind and have some takes to share.

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Official Recommendations

Kris cheats! She has two official recommendations this week. The first is Normal Heart, the 2014 movie based on the largely autobiographical play of the same name by Larry Kramer, detailing the rise of the AIDS epidemic from 1981-1984. Kris’s second recommendation is Nuclear Family, a documentary mini-series on HBO that follows the lives of two lesbians raising their children and the legal complications that ensue from the sperm donor.

Tara didn’t cheat, but she did something else this week: she changed her mind. She had all these notes for one recommendation, but pivots wildly to bring to you the lesbian fiction classic, Desert of the Heart by Jane Rule. There’s a deep history to his book, which revolves around queerness in the mid-20th century against the backdrop of Reno's divorce industry.

Works/Authors Discussed

• Shrill (Hulu)
• While You Were Sleeping (1995)
• Ocean’s 8 (2018)
• Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954)
• American Survivor
• Dog (2022)
• Spiderman: No Way Home (2021)
• The Tinder Swindler (Netflix)
• Love is Blind Season Two (Netflix)
• The Headmistress audiobook (narrated by Abby Crayden, OMG)
• The Roads Left Behind Us by Kat Jackson

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There’s a lot of looking back in this episode. Kinda weird how that turns out sometimes. What are we looking back at? Our favourite butch-femme pairings, the age gap romance discussion from the previous episode, and the evergreen Evelyn Hugo discussion.

Kris and Tara also pose the impossible question: is Stanley Tucci the Toni Collette of men…OR is Toni Collette the Stanley Tucci of women?

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Official Recommendations

This week, Kris recommends the film Supernova (2020). Sam and Tusker are traveling across England in their old RV to visit friends, family and places from their past. Since Tusker was diagnosed with dementia two years ago, their time together is the most important thing they have. Kris reflects on how representation doesn’t always have to be happy, that it’s important to showcase the difficult and sad realities of losing someone you love to dementia.

Tara recommends Truth and Measure by Roslyn Sinclair. What began life as a 300K word Devil Wears Prada fanfic has been reborn as a superb duology, The Carlisle Series. Jules Moretti is personal assistant to the icy fashion magazine mogul, Vivian Carlisle. Their professional relationship takes an unexpected turn towards romance when Vivian learns she's pregnant and Jules is the one person who has her back.

Works/Authors Discussed

• Satisfaction Guaranteed by Karelia Stetz-Waters
• Wrong Number, Right Woman by Jae
• Spindrift by Anna Burke
• Jenny Frame
• Rachel Spangler
• Radclyffe
• My Policeman (2022)
• Mistakes were Made by Meryl Wilsner
• Killing Eve (BBC)
• The Walking Dead (AMC)
• Love is Blind (Netflix)
• Pieces of Her (Netflix)
• RuPaul's Drag Race UK vs the World
• RuPaul's Drag Race Season 14
• The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

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This week’s episode is a live recording that was part of The Lesbian Review’s Sexy Reads event!

Kris and Tara come bearing recommendations. Sexy recommendations. You have questions, we have questions. What is Kris’s safe word? Is live, in-person sex therapy ‘a thing’? People in the chat have the answer!

If you enjoy this episode, please consider buying Kris & Tara a Ko-fi!

Transcript coming soon.

Works Discussed

• Macho Sluts by Patrick Califia
• The Night Off by Meghan O’Brien
• Party Favors by Jaime Clevenger
• Seasons of Love by Harper Bliss
• Fire on the Ice by Tamsen Parker
• In Her Court by Tamsen Parker
• The Sex Therapist Next Door by Meghan O’Brien

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What stage of the pandemic are you in? We’re not talking waves here — we’re talking clothes. No pants? That’s a given, but what else? When’s the last time you wore a shirt? A proper, honest-to-goodness adult shirt? It’s been a while, hasn’t it?

Post-pandemic catch-up, Tara and Kris talk about what’s good and continue to plan their post-covid Kansas City tour. Kris also comes out as a Toon Blaster and she doesn’t care who knows it! What’s a Toon Blaster? We have some ideas.

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Official Recommendations

This week, Kris recommends Jay’s Gay Agenda by Jason June. It's a debut novel that introduces us to a gay teenager who can’t exactly join in with the straight kids in his life about their romantic lives, so instead plans out all the firsts that await him once he graduates. As Kris says, it’s a book for all queers about the excitement and joy of coming out and into a wider community.

Tara recommends The Demon Equilibrium by Cathy Pegau. Yes, this book has demons and the lesbians who hunt them. But at its heart, it’s the story of Grace and Maggie, two women who — when together — can harness magical power to fight evil. The story is told in two timelines: the first when Grace and Maggie meet, learn to use their shared power and fall in love, and the second when they reunite after a forced separation and Maggie can’t remember who Grace is. While demon hordes abound, Grace waits to see if her old love will fall in love all over again.

Works Discussed

• Reacher (Amazon Prime)
• Perilous Obsession by Carsen Taite
• Toon Blast (Zynga)
• RuPaul’s Drag Race (VH1)
• RuPaul's Drag Race: UK Versus the World (BBC Three)
• Queer Eye (Netflix)
• Gnosia (Petit Depotto) - Played on Nintendo Switch
• Count Your Lucky Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur

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Valentine’s Day is around the corner, and we have chosen you (yes, you!) to be our valentine. And the gift we’ve chosen? A very special hangout with f/f romance author extraordinaire Melissa Brayden, who's recently had her story Kiss the Girl turned into a game through the Chapters: Interactive Stories app.

We’re talking love this episode, people! In addition to reading your valentines, Kris, Tara and Melissa compare their fave fictional couples, kisses, and romances that they love to reread. We also find out if Kris has a low bar for kissing in media (Melissa thinks so), Kris thinks out loud about Charlize Theron’s mouth, and Tara recounts her Summer of Steel at the tender age of twelve.

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Works Discussed

• Chapters: Interactive Stories - App
• Imagine Me & You (2005)
• Atomic Blonde (2017)
• Steven Universe (Cartoon Network)
• The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
• Tricky Wisdom by Camryn Eyde
• And Playing the Role of Herself by K.E. Lane
• Wynonna Earp (Syfy)
• The Red Files and Under Your Skin by Lee Winter
• Star by Danielle Steel
• Paradise by Judith McNaught
• Too Close to Touch by Georgia Beers
• Letters Never Sent by Sandra Moran
• Turn Back Time by Radclyffe
• Fated Love by Radclyffe
• Rage of Angels by Sidney Sheldon
• Winter Jacket by Eliza Lentzski
• Leave Yesterday Behind (1978)
• Doctor Quinn, Medicine Woman (CBS)
• Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
• All that Matters by Susan X. Meagher
• Didn’t Stay in Vegas by Chelsea M. Cameron
• Truth and Measure by Telanu

If you want to check out more from Melissa, you can find her on:

• Twitter: @MelissaBrayden
• Instagram: @mbraydenbooks
• Facebook @melissabrayden

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What can I say? I’m a little disappointed. Tara and Kris start with some teasing about stuff that’s not even in this episode and I’m the show notes! I want to include everything!

There’s a whole bunch of stuff that does come up that I can tell you about, though. Kris has a Cujo story (what, you’re surprised?). Somehow Willy Wonka makes an appearance. Kris reminisces about the time Queer Eye came to her town and the pair discuss what it would take for them to get in bed together. It’s less than you'd think!

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Official Recommendations

This week, Kris recommends the Showtime series Yellowjackets. It's the story of a girl’s soccer team in the 1990s that crash lands in the wilderness, only to be rescued 18 months later. What happened in those 18 months? It’s a creepy, tense show that jumps time periods between the crash and the girls in middle age being confronted with the possibility that someone knows the secret of what happened to them.

Tara follows with her recommendation for D'Vaughn and Kris Plan a Wedding by Chencia C. Higgins. Kris and D’Vaughn are contestants in a reality show, Instant I Do, where strangers get together and pretend to be getting married in six weeks. They have to convince their families that everything is real, and if anyone suspects, they lose. The problem is that Kris and D’Vaughn catch real feelings in their fake relationship.

Works Discussed

• The Lesbian Review Sexy Reads Event
• Lez Geek Out!cast episode with Tara
• Australian Survivor (Castaway Television)
• Catfish (MTV)
• RuPaul’s Drag Race (VH1)
• Queer Eye (Bravo)
• You Sexy Thing by Cat Rambo
• The Map to You by Rachel Stockbridge

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