This week, Kris and Tara talk pets and compare parenting styles across species. Kris shares her 28-hour look into a life with young kids and says, “No thanks!”, while Tara has started seeing a chiropractor after a life of being suspicious of them and…maybe it’s working?
Official Recommendations
From Kris: Crush (2022)
Kris’s official recommendation this week is Crush. It’s a teenage romantic comedy about a high school girl who joins the track team to pursue her crush, only to fall for someone she doesn’t expect. Kris applauded this low-stress, amazingly cast, clever and sex-positive movie, and thinks you should check it out too.
From Tara: The Guest Book by Mae Marvel
Tara’s official recommendation this week is The Guest Book by Mae Marvel, a sapphic romance about two very different American women who find themselves (and each other!) in Europe on a romantic treasure hunt. Tara found this to be a very special book, with a beautiful and unique voice and great characters.
Works/People Discussed
- The Pitt (HBO Max)
- Alone (History Channel)
- House of the Dragon (HBO)
- RuPaul’s Drag Race: All Stars (Paramount+)
- The Witches of Eastwick (1987)
- Ice Princesses by Maria Rigou
Support & Follow the Show
Transcript
>> Tara Scott: Foreign. Hey everyone. Welcome to Queerly Recommended, the podcast where we recommend queer books, films, TV shows, and more. I’m Tara Scott and I review Sapphic Fiction. It’s a lesbian review and smart, trashy books. And this week I’m recommending a recently released Sapphic Romance.
>> Kris Bryant: And I’m Chris Bryant, a contemporary romance writer for Bold Strokes books. And this week I’m recommending a film from 2022.
>> Tara Scott: All right, Chris, everybody is waiting.
What is up with our favorite kitten?
>> Kris Bryant: So Teddy is a spitfire.
>> Kris Bryant: Oh my goodness. He’s adorable. And guess who’s not happy with him being around.
>> Tara Scott: Oh, is it orange kitty or black kitty?
>> Kris Bryant: Yes.
>> Tara Scott: Well, it’s got to be one of them. Or it’s Debs.
>> Kris Bryant: Or both. Yeah. So orange kitty is tolerable. I. I always yell, he’s a baby. He’s a baby. He’s. And here. But he, like, he tolerates him, like, but not really. We let him like, do their little cat kitten thing for about five seconds and then I pull them apart. Yeah, Black kitty is absolutely buck. No, I’m out. Like my, my love, my sweet black kitty, like, swiped at Teddy today. And even Teddy was like, oh, no. Yeah, so he’s. And he’s a big cat too, so I’m like, this isn’t gonna work. So Teddy annoying him, of course. Like, he’s a kitten. He’s gonna ride the out of everybody.
>> Tara Scott: Yeah.
>> Kris Bryant: So what we have to do is we have to play like, like musical cats. And I have to put Teddy in the office and let the other two eat and then go do what they have to do. And then they go in the bedroom and sleep for 10 hours. So shut the door. And then Teddy has full run. And then when orange kitty and black kitty went out, they knock on the door and then I rearrange the cats and then they come out and do their thing and then they want to go outside.
>> Tara Scott: So I guess it’s not like with a puppy where like, Henry would try it with Ember and she would just like knock them over like. Yeah, just like a loving you dude.
>> Kris Bryant: Well, I think because Teddy has no, he has no idea. So like, he doesn’t know how, how his little teeth hurt or has little murder mittens. You know, they kind of hurt.
>> Tara Scott: So cats don’t teach other cats how to be. They, they don’t teach kittens how to be cats.
>> Kris Bryant: I don’t know because I’ve never had a full grown cat and a kitten in the same place together. Like this never happened for me. So I don’t know. I’m winging it here. I’m pretending like I’m a, you know, helicopter mom. I’m chasing after him all the time. He’s fast. This is the fastest kitten in the Midwest. Super fast. This is funny. So the other night I was putting. So here’s the deal. So Teddy has to be put up at night because he will destroy us in the bedroom. Like he has so much energy and he just runs and runs and scratches on everything. And Debbie’s like, absolutely no.
>> Kris Bryant: So he stays in the office. He’s got where he, that’s a safe zone. So he stays there. And so the other night I was putting him up and I told Debbie, I was like, you have to be very careful. So you have to like kind of put him like far enough away from the door and try to close it. So I’m telling her this, I’m like telling her, hey, so you have to be real careful. And you know, and she’s like, oh, by the way, Teddy got out as I was closing the door. I missed it completely. And he ran off and went to one of the bedrooms.
>> Tara Scott: So that’s how fast he is.
>> Kris Bryant: He is so fast and he is so much fun. I, I absolutely love this. I, I’m sad that it’s going to take the other cats some time to get used to him. I’m sad about that. But I know Teddy’s not going to be a kitten forever, so I’m just milking it for all it’s worth. I’m. Yeah. Running him ragged. I am playing with the, the little fishing line. We play the fishing pole. We play. There’s these little tiny puff. I think I talked about them last time. They’re itty bitty like cotton balls, but they’re real tight and they’re different colors.
>> Tara Scott: Yeah.
>> Kris Bryant: And he loves them like he’s a soccer cat. FIFA. he would play on any of the teams. He would do so well. He’s so quick and I just, I just adore him. So that is my Teddy update. He’s still adorable and I still love him to death.
>> Tara Scott: Good, good.
>> Kris Bryant: Yeah, yeah. And I decided no, it wasn’t my decision, it was somebody else’s decision. I’m not going to say who, but we decide. Well, again, I can’t say.
>> Tara Scott: Sure.
20 month old and 9 year old in tiny house overnight
>> Kris Bryant: I had a 20 month old and a 9 year old in this tiny postage stamp size house for an overnight and.
>> Tara Scott: Oh, okay. How’d that go?
>> Kris Bryant: I have no words. Everyone’s still alive, so that’s good everyone’s still alive. Although the nine year old was pretty practicing parkour off the furniture. because that’s what they do apparently.
>> Tara Scott: M. Are these two siblings?
>> Kris Bryant: No, they are cousins, so. Okay.
>> Tara Scott: Okay.
>> Kris Bryant: So, we had Lincoln and it started with Lincoln. Lincoln.
>> Tara Scott: God, he’s already 20 months.
>> Kris Bryant: Isn’t that crazy?
>> Tara Scott: Yeah, he’s flown by.
>> Kris Bryant: Yeah. And he is a tank. He’s a tank of a boy. He’s absolutely adorable. So that’s the plan because there’s like a. The whole weekend, his mom’s gonna be gone and so.
>> Tara Scott: Oh, it hasn’t ah, happened yet.
>> Kris Bryant: No, no, no, we had. Yeah, so we had him. So we had him for the week. For the. Just a, like a 24.3 hours. No, I’m just kidding. we had him for an overnight and then some. But one of the other kids wanted to come over and so was not discussed with me. That’s fine.
>> Tara Scott: Okay.
>> Kris Bryant: And I’m like, I heard about. Like that is a bad idea. Like that is just a bad idea because there’s gonna be a lot of energy and it’s really hard to get the baby to sleep. Huh?
>> Tara Scott: Uh-huh.
>> Kris Bryant: So yeah. And plus babies go to bed early pretty early and nine year olds stay up later. So. Yeah. It was the longest 28, 30 hours of my life. It’s very long. You know, Sweet kids. Sweet kids. But a lot.
>> Tara Scott: Oh yeah, kids are a lot kids.
>> Kris Bryant: Yeah. When you’re not around them. Like babies are one thing, toddlers are another thing. And then you get a kid that’s like self sufficient and has an imagination, which is amazing, and just kind of let them loose. And what they do is like, how is this happening? I just look at him like, what, what are you doing?
>> Tara Scott: Yeah.
>> Kris Bryant: What makes you think this is okay? And it’s. But it’s fun though, to see things. Like I have this massive bubble blower thing. You dip it in, the bubble stuff and like, like we’re talking hundreds of bubbles come out. It’s like a huge thing. Yeah. So then he was like, oh, I’m gonna do. So he’s shooting with. He’s shooting this with one hand and on the other hand he has this like. I don’t. It’s like a squirt gun.
>> Kris Bryant: So he’s like shooting the bubbles and then he’s shooting the bubbles. So he’s like, yeah, so. And he’s doing all these things, like rolling and like, it’s just. I’m like, where does he get the Energy. Like, I need to bottle that up, take it, sell it something. Because that was very highly energetic weekend for me. So.
>> Tara Scott: Uh-huh.
>> Kris Bryant: This weekend will be very relaxing for me, I promise. Good.
>> Tara Scott: Yeah.
>> Kris Bryant: I would be doing very little so that.
>> Tara Scott: As it should be.
>> Kris Bryant: Right. That is what’s going on with me. What about you?
>> Tara Scott: Well, I started going to a chiropractor, and I opened it by saying, I need you to know I’m highly skeptical. I. I’m sorry, not highly skeptical. I need you to know I’m a little skeptical of, chiropractors, because my mom worked for one many years ago who did. And she goes, oh, like a crack your back kind. And I was like, yep. And like, I still remember, like, going to him to, like, sort out some kind of a back issue. It was, like, in my early 20s, and I had just started working, and I went from, you know, like, being more physically active to working a desk job. And I had this. And it was like a muscular pain anyway, but I remember him going to crack my back, and the way he had me twist up, and he was gonna, like, put that pressure on me, and I wouldn’t let him do it because it was like my whole I’m gonna die instinct kicked in. And she’s like, yeah, we’re not. We’re. We’re not gonna do that. So I’m seeing if that can help with. I have, like, jaw issues. I have tmj. And we’re gonna see if we can fix that, if that’ll help with some of the headaches and the migraines.
>> Kris Bryant: And it was really interesting to go
>> Tara Scott: to somebody expecting adjustments. And she’s like, do you have hypermobility? And I said, that’s what Chad said. Chad was, my physiotherapist who helped me with all my other injuries that I got exercising. I don’t know if you remember.
>> Kris Bryant: I. I do.
>> Tara Scott: Brained my ankle real bad during a lockdown, and then I resprained it real bad again during the next lockdown when
>> Kris Bryant: you couldn’t go to physio.
>> Tara Scott: And he had told me he saw, like, the way I could extend, like, if I was stretching my wrists, the way I could extend my forearm and how my elbow comes up. And he’s like, don’t do that. You’re. You’re hypermobile. Don’t do that. so she’s like, do you have hypermobility? And she said, yes. And I said, yes. And she’s like, we’re not going to actually do adjustments. We’re going to do soft tissue work. So I’ve been getting like, needles in my jaw.
>> Kris Bryant: Oh, wow.
>> Tara Scott: Weirdest. Absolute weirdest. Yesterday I went for. It was my second treatment, and she was talking about. I think it’s like your voice box has like two different. There’s like a phalanx and a something or and larynx. And she was like, grabbing parts of my throat to move them around and stretch things. And I was like, I, I feel like I finally am starting to get a sense of what it would be like to be choked. And I don’t love it. And she’s like, are you okay? And I was like, yes, because you told me what you’re doing. Right. She announces everything.
>> Kris Bryant: Yeah.
>> Tara Scott: If there’s any. And she did stop at one point because I was clearly like, I forget what I did to signal that I wasn’t okay. We took a little break.
>> Kris Bryant: It’s so weird just thinking about it. Yep. Nope, that’s tough. That’s tough.
>> Tara Scott: But we’ll see. It could be, I think it could be helpful. Like, it’s been a couple good days for headaches, so I don’t know. Promising. But it was interesting to go from, like, yeah, I don’t think that’s. For me, it’s kind of witch doctory to, like, you know what? Worth it. Even my family doctor, when I asked him about it, he’s like, I mean, worth a try. And I was like, okay, fair enough. Because he will be very free with his opinion around, like, no, why don’t you set your buddy on fire? That doesn’t make sense.
>> Kris Bryant: It’s quackery, so love it.
>> Tara Scott: and then the other thing is, I had a couple of coworkers come to town, so that was great. One of them is from Edmonton, which is like a three hour drive from here. The other one from Toronto. And so we did this fabulous dinner on Monday at a local. It’s like a really trendy Indian restaurant that was just. Oh, my God, it was so good. I’ve never been. I’ve always wanted to go. Now I want to take everybody there. It was just so delicious. And then the next day, those two and I. I took both days off and those two and I, we went to Drumheller, which is a town that’s about an hour and a half from where I live. It has a phenomenal dinosaur museum. Like, it’s one of the world’s best dinosaur museums. So if you want to go see a whole T. Rex skeleton and a bunch of ceratops and A bunch of other stuff. That’s the place to do it. and it’s out in an area called the Badlands. And we got to see. It’s so cool, like on the way there. Like, I live in a city in the suburbs and if you drive like 15, 20 minutes, it’s canola fields. And like the canola fields are all bright yellow. And there were a bunch of them between here and there. And then when you get there in the Badlands, it was like there used to be a shallow ocean. That’s why there’s so many fossils that are found here. But you see these hills where you can see the layers as the erosion happened over time. And so it’s this really stark difference between the layers in the hills. But also it’s bright green right now because it’s July and there’s been a lot of rain. It’s so beautiful. And I sent you some photos of hoodoos. anybody who doesn’t know what they are, look them up. H o o D o o s They’re these really cool structures that happened, like, as a result of erosion.
>> Kris Bryant: Like, it’s just, it looks alien.
>> Tara Scott: It does. It looks like something from another Mars.
>> Kris Bryant: I’m, Yeah, I’m. Yeah, it’s. It’s really cool.
>> Tara Scott: I think it was just really great to step away for a day, hang out with friends I never get to see in person. And also just this reminder that, like, where I live is so beautiful and there’s so many landscapes that are not that far away. And yes, our politics suck. I hate it. I hate the politics here, but I love how beautiful my province is.
>> Kris Bryant: Yeah.
>> Tara Scott: So that was pretty fun.
>> Kris Bryant: That’s cool.
Chris: I’m watching the Pit second season now
>> Tara Scott: All right, Chris, what have you been watching when you have not been chasing a teenage.
>> Kris Bryant: It has, you know, like I said, I am m trying to, you know, because I work and so when I come home, I want to play with Teddy.
>> Tara Scott: Yeah.
>> Kris Bryant: And I have. How do parents do this? I just like, you can’t have favorites. And I have to give each, each cat equal time and that’s really hard. So I have to try to like, get Teddy’s energy out and stuff. So. Yeah, so I’ve only been watching television. I haven’t really had a chance to do much of anything, but I’m watching a really good show. I love it so much. I’m watching the Pit second season. I’m on second season now.
>> Kris Bryant: So let’s get into it because this is a fantastic show and there is some queerness there.
>> Tara Scott: Hey, that’s good.
>> Kris Bryant: Hey. Yeah, so. And I can’t wait. So Debbie and I are watching. We watched the first season and it takes place in one day. So every episode is one hour of that day.
>> Tara Scott: Oh yeah, it’s like 24, but.
>> Kris Bryant: Yeah, 24, but it’s 15, I guess. Yeah. So. Which I love. I love that. and so we have maybe three episodes left of second season. But I can’t wait to turn around and show Deb er. Cause she’s never seen it. So she gets to see it. Yeah, so she gets to see Noah Wiley as a baby. He was a baby. Yeah, just a baby. So like I see him and you know, I have a giant television and his face is so big and I just want to moisturize his face.
>> Tara Scott: We were never intended to see faces at that size.
>> Kris Bryant: Right? Yeah. And it’s just like I just, that’s all I want to do. Like I see him and he’s a nice looking man and I just want to like moisturize his face. I do.
>> Tara Scott: I feel like there’s too much detail. There’s too much detail in TVs now. Have you ever done that? Like you go back to watch something old, something from like a few decades.
>> Kris Bryant: Yeah, because they put that dreamy stuff on. Yeah.
>> Tara Scott: Like, well, but then depending on like if you have the settings too sharp, it looks like you’re actually watching a shitty stage play.
>> Kris Bryant: That’s true. That’s true. It does. It looks like it’s. It’s. Yeah, like a soap opera. I always call it the soap opera look. And so then you have to change it to like movie setting or whatever. Yeah, that’s terrible.
>> Tara Scott: I think of it like, there was a BBC miniseries that I saw from like the 1970s where like it very much looked like a stage.
>> Kris Bryant: I know when that first happened, like my, my sister, like her at the time boyfriend, they got the TV and I’m like, why does your TV look like a soap opera? Like, I don’t like this. But it was really big and like we’d go over there to watch everything and I’m just like, I don’t like this. And so then they figured out we have to change the settings. So. So here’s a story about the pit. Let me tell you the story. So my sister’s fiance had an emergency appendectomy last night.
>> Tara Scott: Brutal.
>> Kris Bryant: So I go, busted.
>> Tara Scott: Did they get it before it burst?
>> Kris Bryant: Yes, they did. But like there was like, there’s like pus and gangrene. Starting to set in. Yeah. So he has to stay there for a while. But I. Busted. I’m like, I’ve seen the pit. Let’s go. I can help you. Like, I’ve been watching, like, I’ll get it myself. 24 hours of the Pit. I’m pretty sure I’m a doctor at this point. It’s kind of like, when you watch any baking show or any sort of cooking.
>> Tara Scott: Oh yeah.
>> Kris Bryant: When you first start it, you don’t know anything. And then by the eighth episode, you know, like, you need to put that in at this.
>> Tara Scott: Yeah. You’re like, why did, why did you decorate it that way, you fool.
>> Kris Bryant: I know. Why did you put it in the oven when it’s supposed to be blah M. So that’s how I feel about the pit. And we kind of laughed about it. My sister just laughed because, you know, she knows I’m always on watching television and she never watches tv. So I’m, always like, you should watch the pit.
The pit. That’s what we’re watching right now. It’s really, really good. She’s like, yeah, no. And I’m like, I’m a doctor now. Dr. Chris is here in the house.
>> Tara Scott: So you skipped the mcat.
>> Kris Bryant: I did. I skipped it. And it’s actually, it’s really. There’s so much going on there. I highly recommend it. And there are, like I said, there are some queer characters. I’m in it for the storyline and just kind of like I don’t understand anything that they’re doing, but it’s so fascinating to me.
>> Kris Bryant: So it was funny when my sister sent a message, she’s like, hey, we’re at the hospital. Don’t freak out. Because she knows. I. A lot of times I look at her location. I actually were checking in on my dad. But you know, when you look at locations, it shows all your family, friends, all your people. And so she, she knows. So she says, hey, we’re at the hospital. Don’t freak out. Russell’s, having some issues with the stomach and so she’s like, we think it’s his appendix. And Debbie’s over there. Maybe it’s a kidney stone. Because on the TV there’s somebody who’s dealing with a kidney stone.
>> Tara Scott: Could it be a gallstone?
>> Kris Bryant: Yeah. And so, it was just hilarious. But yeah. So this is what happens on television when you sit and watch TV non stop.
>> Tara Scott: oh, absolutely. Like all the professional hockey, all the professional soccer players in North America now.
>> Kris Bryant: Yeah, exactly. yeah. So I have Also been watching soccer. Like, this is the first time I got involved in soccer. Speaking of which.
>> Tara Scott: Nice.
>> Kris Bryant: And the only reason why is because it’s in my hometown. You know, like I said, the. Oh, yeah, stadium’s like, three miles away from where I am, and, there’s a whole traffic issue. But like I said, I never. I left work early and worked from home on those days when they had games. But, like, our town, little Kansas City, like, everybody has loved it. They’ve said glowing things online. All the people who visited loved it. So yay.
>> Tara Scott: us.
>> Kris Bryant: Go Kansas City. You did it. We did it. Let’s see. Loan I’m behind on Alone. Only because we’re so tired.
>> Tara Scott: You gotta teach that kitten to watch alone.
>> Kris Bryant: Oh, I know. That kitten needs to settle down, but not really, because I love. I love the spunkiness. I do. And house. of the Dragon. Still. Still plugging through that one. It’s not the same. Like, nothing will be the same as the first Game of Thrones.
>> Tara Scott: Yeah.
>> Kris Bryant: Like, it just won’t be. And so I don’t love it. I like it. I don’t love it.
>> Tara Scott: What if you wait for it? Bailed,
>> Kris Bryant: but also dragons. How can I bail on dragons? Because I’m in it for the dragons. I’m not in it for anything else.
>> Tara Scott: Just what you need to start doing is fast forwarding through everything that’s not a dragon.
>> Kris Bryant: But a lot of it is dragony, and it’s dragony because they’re wild dragons. So there are some wild dragons out there, and then there’s some. It’s kind of interesting because it’s like the imprint. It’s almost like the whole. Remember Avatar and, all sky, Twilight, Everything else.
Twilight. Wait, it’s. It’s there and it’s the Twilight. So it’s kind of that thing, like, either the dragon’s gonna be okay with you, or he’s gonna burn you, or she’s gonna burn you. Like, either or. And it’s all about the dragons right now. Like. Like, it’s. You want it. You’re rooting for the. I’m rooting for the dragon every time.
>> Tara Scott: Like, for the dragon to eat the people.
>> Kris Bryant: that’s a possibility. Yeah. Because some of the people are just mean, but then they make their dragons mean.
>> Tara Scott: Oh, that’s not good.
>> Kris Bryant: I don’t like that. Like, if I had a dragon, I would have a fierce dragon, but also a nice dragon, you know, I wouldn’t have a dragon that wouldn’t be afraid to fight, but wouldn’t Seek out to fight.
>> Tara Scott: Oh, it wouldn’t start a fight, but it would end a fight.
>> Kris Bryant: Exactly. That would be my dragon.
>> Tara Scott: Yes.
>> Kris Bryant: We should have. We should come up with dragon names and this could be a whole thing.
>> Tara Scott: All right, you go.
>> Kris Bryant: Never mind. So that’s enough about me.
What have you been reading and watching or playing?
>> Tara Scott: Okay, so Drag Race All Stars season 11 is going into the finale. There are six people going to the finale because it is a lip sync smackdown finale. So that should be fun. There’s been some absolutely excellent lip syncs this season. So, that’s been really good. I’ve been enjoying it. It’ll be over soon. And Canada’s Drag Race is having its first All Stars season, which I’m pretty excited about today. They’ve had five or six main seasons now, so they’ve actually had enough main seasons to start doing All Stars season.
>> Kris Bryant: Nice. Yeah.
>> Tara Scott: Right. So it’s, like, so cool to see them do that. Watch the first episode. Had a great time. Was very sad to see who got sent home the first episode, but somebody had to go. But also, what’s fun. So usually in Canada’s Drag Race, the main host and judge is Brooklyn Heights, who competed in season. I forget of the main US Drag Race, but she is Canadian. And then there’s two other. Like, there’s a stylist. And then I forget, Brad Garreski. And then I forget what. Tracy Melchior, what else she does. But she’s some kind of a media personality. And they’re the judging panel. But for this All Stars, they brought back the winner of season one to be on the judging panel with Brooklyn. And they brought back Jimbo, who was on season one, but actually was on one. One of the American All Stars ones. So it’s all drag queens on the panel. So I find that very exciting. Otherwise, we also. Okay, so I think I mentioned before, we’re going back and watching movies from, like, the 80s and 90s. Just as, like, kind of a fun, nostalgic thing. We picked one to watch. So we watched the Bird Cage. We rewatched it with friends. And so we picked for our next movie. None of us had seen it. Oh. So I think our friend’s girlfriend, I think she had seen it. But it was on the list of, like, if you liked Death Becomes her, you should watch. So we’re like, okay, great. Haven’t. Don’t know much about it. We watched the Witches of Eastwick. Did you ever see that?
>> Kris Bryant: Yes, I saw it back when it came out. I haven’t seen it since. But, yes, I’m gonna say it does.
>> Tara Scott: I. I don’t feel like I, know I didn’t see it originally. I don’t feel like it held up. And I don’t think any of us felt like it held up because we got to the end and we’re looking at more information, and I was like, wait, that movie was a comedy?
>> Kris Bryant: Like, yeah.
>> Tara Scott: Genuinely had no idea that it was supposed to be a comedy. And so for the people that haven’t seen it, it’s based on a John Irving novel. M. It has Cher, Susan Sarandon, and Michelle Pfeiffer, and they’re all friends. They’re all single. I think they’re all divorced, or one of them might be widowed. And they kind of make this, like, wish for a man to come to town, and they sort of, like, list the qualities, and it ends up being Jack Nicholson, which is like, I’m sorry, this guy who looks like this for these women. But basically, they got what they wished for, and he’s. Listen, this movie is, like, 40 years old. I don’t care about spoiling it. He’s. He’s a demon or he’s the devil or something like that. And I. I wonder if part of why it doesn’t feel funny, which is kind of similar to what I was saying about some of the birdcage, is that it’s supposed to be, like, this small town, and. And I think the, like, religiosity or whatever of the locals and how they’re, like, so uptight because they’re religious. Like, I think that was supposed to be, like, over the top and comedic, and it’s. And it’s worse now.
>> Kris Bryant: Yeah, it’s. Yeah, it’s, like, reflective now.
>> Tara Scott: Yeah. So it was just one of those, like, what. We’re all watching it going, like, what. What is happening? What is the tone? What is this supposed to be?
>> Kris Bryant: What.
>> Tara Scott: So anyway, at least I can say now I’ve seen it. That’s. That’s a true fact that I can say. John Williams did the score for that movie. Like, so much money went into. And it was funny because I was talking to my aunt the following. Yeah. Oh, yeah, that was a great movie. And I was like, really? And she said, I saw it when it came out, and I was like, right, Yeah.
>> Kris Bryant: I mean, yeah. Because even, like, all the rom coms, you know, from back in the 90s, like, they’re. They did not hold up well, but we loved them back then, you know. Yes.
>> Tara Scott: There’s, Like, there are Some here.
Like I said, I was really surprised by how well death becomes her holds up. But I think it’s because this whole idea of body modification feels even more relevant today.
>> Kris Bryant: Right.
>> Tara Scott: Especially when it’s in service of like, eternal youth and all of that. So, yeah, don’t, don’t watch the Witches of Eastwick.
>> Kris Bryant: No, thank you.
>> Tara Scott: I forget what we chose. Oh, I think we’re gonna do Big Trouble in Little China next.
>> Kris Bryant: Okay.
>> Tara Scott: And then I said I want to watch because I’ve, I’ve heard it’s very good. I’d like to watch a genuinely good rom com from that time. I think we’re gonna watch Moonstruck.
>> Kris Bryant: Okay. So Kurt Russell has amazing hair.
>> Kris Bryant: And Moonstruck, Cher’s got some pretty good lines. Cher’s always had really good. Yeah, I was gonna say. Yeah. that has. Is it Nicholas Cage in there?
>> Kris Bryant: Okay. So. Yeah, well, that was a long time ago too. I haven’t seen it since then.
>> Tara Scott: I don’t think I’ll report back when we eventually get to it.
>> Kris Bryant: Moonstruck. Yeah.
>> Tara Scott: And I’m reading a book right now called Ice Princesses by Maria Ragou, who I haven’t heard of before, but I read about it in, J.J. arias, talked about it in her newsletter. She said it was something she read and she loved. And so this one is set in the world of ice skating. So Isabella Pierce, she was like a skating star. She, you know, did incredible. And both of her parents were, were figure skaters. And so now she’s, you know, she’s a commentator. She’s kind of seen as part of like a dynasty. And then there’s the other person is Cecilia. She’s a coach from Argentina. It’s interesting. So, like, Isabella is running this program to try to like, help talent from parts of the world that don’t traditionally thrive in, like, there’s certain countries that tend to dominate figure skating. And so that’s how, you know, Cecilia comes in with, with this kid and they sort of like ran into each other in the past. Cecilia is very protective of her skater and she remembers Isabella saying something kind of offhand that it turns out she kind of took the wrong way, but it made her really doubt herself as, as a skater. And so it’s this like forced proximity because they’re both at the same rink and I don’t want to shock you. They’re both super hot. So of course they ended up attracted to each other. I’m really enjoying it. It’s super fun. I’m almost halfway through and I’m looking forward to seeing where it goes.
>> Kris Bryant: Nice.
>> Tara Scott: Yeah, that’s a good one. And it’s on Kindle Unlimited. So if anybody has that going and they’re looking for the next read, that could be a fun one.
>> Kris Bryant: So.
>> Tara Scott: All right, Chris, what is your official recommendation?
>> Kris Bryant: So my official Recommendation is a 2022 coming of age movie called Crush.
>> Tara Scott: Okay.
>> Kris Bryant: And you can watch it now on Hulu. I don’t know where else you can watch it, but that’s where I watched it.
>> Kris Bryant: So within the first five minutes I knew I was going to love it. I knew I was gonna love it. You know, I was thinking about one, the last recommendation, Riley, and what I said about how queerness nowadays, when they, they try to portray it as, you know, it’s a lot easier for kids to come out and. Or even be out. So this wasn’t even that like this is. The queerness was already established. Everybody knows that the main character, Paige is out. She’s been in love with this other queer girl at school, Gabriella. And that has been her goal. Like she’s had two goals in her life. One is to go to art school. She’s a junior in college or in high school. And her second is to be Gabriella’s girlfriend. Like that’s those, those are her two dreams. That’s what she’s ever wanted in her whole life. Cute.
So here’s the here’s the little blurb, the movie blurb. When a young artist is forced to join her high school track team, she uses it as a chance to pursue the girl for whom she’s been harboring a crush. But she finds herself falling for unexpected teammate and discovering what real love feels like. Oh, look at that look. You just gave me a look. It is a very fun movie. super cute and has like heart stopper vibes. You know, that whole series, just feel good and you just. Nothing about it makes you uncomfortable. It’s just so wonderful. It’s absolutely. It was a delightful movie. I think you could even watch it with your high schooler.
>> Tara Scott: I know, I know. Who can believe?
>> Kris Bryant: I can’t. No, no, no, no. It’s fresh and fun and guess who the mom is.
>> Tara Scott: Who?
>> Kris Bryant: Megan Mulally.
>> Tara Scott: Oh, fun.
>> Kris Bryant: The mom. And I love that. she is so wonderful as a mother. Very supportive. Like she will talk to her daughter. Hey, so I got these dental dams and, and she, and Paige is like, mom, we don’t use those. And she’s like, well, I’m Just gonna go ahead and leave them here. If you don’t use them, I still have the receipt. You know, that kind of thing. Or she’ll put like supportive books on her bed and just leave. You know, just. Absolutely. Just like the mom you want as a queer kid. Like the mom you want for sure. And her best friend, her. This is so. This part kills me. The character Paige, she’s kind of quirky, she’s awkward, she’s super cute. she doesn’t know, like she doesn’t go to high school parties. And her best friend is like running for class president. And his girlfriend is also running for class president. And here’s the funniest thing. So her best friend is gay, but.
>> Tara Scott: Hm.
>> Kris Bryant: In real life. But he’s playing a straight in this movie. And I think they kind of poke fun at it because every single time they’re together, he and his girlfriend, they make out. They’re just making out the whole time. And. And it’s just. It’s one of those where I don’t know if it’s like tongue in cheek and they’re kind of making fun because, you know, for so long straight people have played queer people. And so I don’t know if this is one of those where there’s an obviously gay person playing a straight person.
>> Tara Scott: I don’t know.
>> Kris Bryant: But you could tell that they were really like poking at that.
>> Kris Bryant: So. But every single time they got together, it was hilarious. They would just make out like. It’s just. That’s funny. Let’s make out. Let’s make out. It was just cute. It was funny.
>> Kris Bryant: And like this chock full of super awesome quotes. So I saved two because you of all people will appreciate this. I really think you need to watch this movie. Okay. So let me see if I can find them. So stop sharing without consent. Horrifying. It’s horrifying. That’s. That was the whole quote.
>> Tara Scott: That’s so funny.
>> Kris Bryant: That made me laugh. That made me laugh. And this one, this is a sex positive household page. Shane does not live here. That’s the mom.
>> Tara Scott: Yeah.
>> Kris Bryant: So I just like there were so many cute quotes and I really, really enjoyed it. I. You know, obviously, you know, it doesn’t go the way you think it is. You know, her whole life she’s wanted to go for, you know, this, this one thing. It doesn’t really work that way. Also Michelle Buteau. Michelle, she’s the principal.
>> Tara Scott: Nice.
>> Kris Bryant: Yes.
So there’s gonna be that. I know. So there’s that element. Like there’s. The cast is actually superb. I love this cast. I love everything about this. And it’s so teenage ish that it took me back, but in a good way. So like it’s very nostalgic. And I was like, oh, I remember that. Oh, I remember doing that. So it was just fun to watch because I hadn’t seen that in a while. So like I said, you can definitely watch this with your high schooler. And I think it’s only an hour and a half, it’s not very long. and then there’s a little bit of a mystery to the storyline. So it’s not just about her trying to get with this. With Gabriella, there’s like a little mystery that she’s trying to solve along the way. So it’s really cute. So I loved it. It had happy queer stuff, 100% like low angst. Just love, happiness, support. It was all good. There wasn’t anything bad. So I highly recommend.
>> Tara Scott: It sounds wonderful.
>> Kris Bryant: Yeah, it really is. I was surprised and I started watching it and I was like, this is really cute. How come I didn’t look this up before?
>> Kris Bryant: I think it’s safe to watch with the family, with the kids. you know, they do discuss sex, but not like really in depthly. Just like, like I said, the dental dams, things like that, you know, to safe sex and things.
>> Kris Bryant: So crush 2022. That is my official recommendation. What about you, Tara? What is your official recommendation?
>> Tara Scott: Okay, so it is a book that came out. I can’t remember if it was earlier this month or last month, but it’s pretty recent. And it’s called the guest book by Mae Marvell. Marvel. Mae Marvel. Well that’s probably how I should have said in the first place. Why did I say Marvell? Like Canadian matter. Yeah, it’s my Canadian accent.
>> Kris Bryant: That’s right. American is Marvel. Canadian is Marvell.
>> Tara Scott: So the two leads are. It’s interesting. I wouldn’t call this an opposites attract as much as just that they’ve had wildly different lives and it’s these two women and they meet at an inn in a small town in the uk. And so there’s Cosima Frank. She was raised the daughter of, I’m trying to think the best way to put it is almost like if George Lucas and Carrie Fisher were one person in the sense that her mother was the head of this studio, but her career kind of like originated in this very popular sci fi series. Like she was the lead of the series and she Ended up, you know, growing to become this like mogul. So that’s why I say it’s like Carrie Fisher, as one of the stars of Star wars, except also if she were the creator of it and had a studio like George Lucas did. Wow. Cosima is an only child. Her mother recently died. She has been given the job of like, you have to name the person who’s running the studio. Now she is going to have to find a new place to live. She’s almost 30, so like it’s fine. She’s almost 30 and she’s rich.
>> Kris Bryant: So like I was gonna say, I don’t feel bad for her, right?
>> Tara Scott: But the house that she lived in with her mother and stepfather, her stepfather also has to get the fuck out of his own house because the mother has basically said we’re going to turn it into a museum. She’s trying to figure out what to do with all this. She had been doing a bucket list with her mom and she’s like, fuck it. I’m going to go across the last item off the bucket list which is to go to this inn in the uk, which is the place where her parents met and fell in love in the first place. So that’s her. She gets there and she mostly stays locked in her room. So we kind of see like how she ends up going there. The other person, Edie. We, when we first meet Edie, we see her at the end. We don’t see kind of her, her life at home in Green Bay, Wisconsin, but she is kind of like licking her wounds because she had to close her business which had been her dream. She had like a vegan cheese shop. She was an award winning winning cheesemaker of this vegan cheese. But unfortunately it was located in Green Bay, Wisconsin. So which, so I think like there are some kind of rom com vibes to this. But I like, I enjoyed it so much that I questioned if it was a rom com. So because I have, I ah, love romances and I have mixed experiences with rom com. But she’s decided like, so she’s half, she’s half English and so she’s gone to like this inn is affordable but she doesn’t have very much money and so it’s not like she can go travel all over the UK and so she’s mostly just staying there. She’s asked that she’s asking the elderly woman who, who owns it and runs it like, come on, can I bake something? And she’s like, get the fuck out of my kitchen. No, you Can’t. Okay, well, can I help, like, clean the sitting room? No. Get the fudge out of.
>> Kris Bryant: Go.
>> Tara Scott: Do you want to do something? Fine. Take this tray of food up to that lady who’s staying up in her room. That is how they meet. And she invites her. She invites Cosima to go for a walk. And so they do, and they’re just. They have nothing in common, but they get along. and. And it’s almost this, like, because Edie isn’t intimidated by Cosima’s fame, like, lots of people know who she is. Like, she looks like her mother and all that. And so they start sort of spending time together. And there’s this thunderstorm one night, and it was so loud. Like, they both kind of end up on the main floor. And they dig into the guest book, which, like, neither of them had touched, because, again, Morag, who runs the inn, is like, get the away from my guest book. Like, she’s just this lovably crabby woman who’s like, Look, I’m almost 90. Let me do what I’m gonna do. And they realize, like, there’s. It’s not just that they really. They’re going through, and they’re like, oh, there’s like, some kind of a coded sort of situation here. And Morag’s like, fine, there’s a treasure hunt. And it was a treasure hunt that was created by this mystery writer. And she’s like, you need to go and do this. But the treasure hunt is going to take them to other places in England, to France and to Spain. And Edie’s like, well, have fun doing it. I can’t travel. And Morag’s like, I’m gonna pay for you to go do this, so you’re gonna do it. And so they do.
>> Kris Bryant: They go to his friends.
>> Tara Scott: Along the way, of course, because it’s a romance. They find love. But, like, it was so good and so interesting because they’re so different.
So, like I said, Cosima was raised by an extremely famous mother who’s also like, yes, she’s a star. She’s also, like, a Hollywood mogul. And now Cosima has to figure out who she’s going to be because she’s always like, she worked for her mom. She’s always kind of did what it was that she was told to do, but her mom isn’t there to be a driving force anymore. So, like, who. Who is Cosima? What does she want? And something that was really interesting was seeing her find herself surprised to realize that she’s attracted to Edie because she knew that she was somewhere on the arrow a spectrum, but she’d never been attracted to anybody before. She’d never been in a relationship before. She’d never slept with anybody before. And all of a sudden she’s like, oh, now I know where I am on the spectrum. It’s demisexual because I’m into this one specific person that I’ve gotten to know. And then Edie, on the other hand, she’s never quite felt like she fit in. She’s always felt a little bit like the odd person out. And some of that seems to really come down to, like, she has ADHD and the ADHD rep. I felt like it was so good that if I didn’t already knew that I had it, I would probably be going to talk to my doctor. I love this one moment where she’s like, I actually have to focus. When an unformed thought wiggles its way in. Be quiet before it wiggles its way back out. And I start thinking about frosting recipes. Like, this idea of, like, trying to grasp the thought that, you know, you want to have it and grabbing it before it. Let’s, go. My other favorite thing, she says, because this was very much me, especially when my youngest was very. Well, both my kids, when they were young and I was still drinking coffee. This is why I don’t drink coffee anymore there. So, it’s after the first time they sleep together, they don’t get very much sleep that night. And so they’re like, going to, you know, checks. I can’t remember if they’re in Spain or France at that point. I think they’re in Spain. And she’s like, how are you so awake right now? I don’t understand. Cosima’s like. Cause I had a. I had a triple espresso. You know, I didn’t turn that down. And she said, I can’t have caffeine on an, When I’ve had no sleep. Or else I see colors that don’t exist. And like. Yeah, that idea of, like, if you haven’t slept and you have a brain like that and you try to put caffeine on it, and it just starts. You just having this, like, whoa. Like, my brain. Is it working properly? No, it’s not. One of the things I also really enjoyed, like, as they’re sort of as they start to get to know each other, and it starts this kind of joke that continues on through the rest, is they decide to make a game out of which one of Them has. Has had the saddest life.
>> Kris Bryant: Oh, right.
>> Tara Scott: Because Cosima can pull them my mom just died cards.
>> Kris Bryant: Right.
>> Tara Scott: Edie can also pull the. Well, I had to shut down my cheese shop, which was my ultimate dream card. I also love. It’s a vegan cheese shop and it’s called Fauxmage.
>> Kris Bryant: F A U X. Like, how cute is that? Yeah, that’s cute.
>> Tara Scott: It’s this really lovely. Like they’ve both gone to this place because they’re, in a way, they’re kind of trying to avoid that next step in their lives and also that chance to just kind of like, I need to do a little bit of healing, I need to do a little bit of pouting, whatever that might be. So Cosima has to choose that studio head and it’s going to be a problem because it’s a publicly traded company. Edie has to go work a job that she doesn’t really want to do. Her mom managed to get it for her, but as they get to know each other, they really do show up for each other. And I think we really especially see it on cosmic side.
I think the voice in this book is so, so singular
And, and I. I love these because it also gets at like, I think the voice in this is so, so singular. Like, I feel like I’ve never read anything quite like this book before because of the voice that’s there. And it’s not something that I talk about very often because it’s kind of hard to describe. So I pulled two quotes. You can tell I love this book because I pulled quotes for quotes.
>> Kris Bryant: Yeah, right. Yep.
>> Tara Scott: So the first one is, I can’t remember sort of the context around it, but Cosima just basically like reflecting on how Edie feels other people perceive her or something like that. And it says Cosima blinked, her eyes stung, which was absurd. Who was this woman who made gourmet vegan food and dreamed about romantic history while wearing what were obviously her brother’s cast off pants for pajamas? How had someone so singular and imaginative not found a better place than a foam hat cheesehead town that made fun of her for not being the same as everyone else? M And it’s like in a very short set of words, it’s so funny and it’s so poignant all at the same time. And you can see that like, oh, Cosima sees her in a way that Edie feels like even her own family doesn’t see her. And I just think it’s lovely. And then another example of it that I think is so beautiful and kind of heartbreaking at the Same time. And it goes back to the ADHD rep thing. This is when they, they have the guest book. And like I said, the, the whole treasure hunt thing, like a lot of it comes down to there’s a code that has to be deciphered. And Cosima is really good at that. Like she’s, she’s able to do code breaking type stuff. And so she says, you have to pay attention when I explain. Cosima put her hand over the page with the cipher, frowning at Edie. I’ll try my hardest if you ignore my distracting stimming behaviors. Edie stood up to change her position to the table. And then Cosima says, I don’t mind your squirming and wiggling. And I just love that, like it can be said outright, like that without any judgment. Like, yeah, it’s okay that you wiggle. It’s okay that you squirm. That’s just how your body moves. And there’s even another point where she talks, where she’s reflecting, that she actually appreciates how much she wiggles because it helps her understand where she is like within a physical space. Because Cosimas not used to being touched. She’s a part of like a social circle where it’s all about looking at each other, but it’s not necessarily about touching each other.
So I just thought that was super interesting, the location. So like I said, it’s. I actually love that it’s about two Americans spending time in the UK and in Europe. We don’t actually see them in the US the inn is like its own character. And there’s also like, it has the history there of Cosimas, family and also side characters. I’m not going to actually talk at all about the mystery of the treasure hunt. Just know that there is a mystery. There is a treasure hunt. They’re going from places to place. I really enjoyed it. About halfway through their search, I was like, I wonder if it’s about, X. And here’s the thing, sometimes when I’m able to predict stuff in books, it almost bums me out because it’s like, that was so predictable. Yeah, that was not the case this time. So I was, I was correct. But it was also incredibly satisfying. The payoff for what it was and how it worked. I absolutely loved it.
Mae Marvel is the pen name of two co authors Ruthie Knox and Annie Mare
So the other thing I’m going to say that was actually really cool about this book, which I realized kind of later on is Mae Marvel is the pen name of two co authors, Ruthie Knox and Annie Mare. I recommended one of Annie Mare’s books last year. But not only are they authors, they’re married to each other. So I thought, how cool is that?
>> Kris Bryant: That is cool.
>> Tara Scott: So I just think it’s a really special book. I’ve never read anything quite like it before. I think the premise is unique. The characters are so unique and the voice is just. Like I said, it’s just so. It’s so singular. It’s so unique. I really loved it and I think this is one of those stories that’s going to be sticking with me for a while. So it’s called the Guest Book and. And I highly recommend it.
>> Kris Bryant: That sounds very cool. I like it pretty good.
>> Tara Scott: I do love it when I find a good book that I love.
All right, that is all for this episode. Thank you so much for listening. If you’ve enjoyed the show and you haven’t subscribed yet, please make sure you subscribe on your podcast app. If you have a friend that you think would like to check out Crush or the guest book or anything else we’ve talked about today, please tell them about our show because it helps more people learn about it and find the queer media that maybe they’re going to love. And if you want to support us, we do have a link in our show notes to our coffee.
>> Kris Bryant: if you want to connect with us on your favorite social media sites. Is there such a thing? Are there favorites anymore?
>> Tara Scott: they’re at least worst ones.
>> Kris Bryant: That’s true. They’re better than others. Some of them. Some of them are better than others.