Bri and Bridie's first live show at the Vanguard in Newtown! The show was recorded on the 19th of December 2023.

In this very Xmas themed special; they each go through their top 3 books of the year, some surprise gifts for each other, as well as their 2024 predictions and resolutions.

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This week was Bri's birthday so Bridie read her astrology chart with... mixed results. Bridie shares a book you should read if you liked 'Yellowface' by R.F. Kuang and Bri raves about her favourite film of the entire year. Then the two of them get into a discussion about the developing ethics of reality television and whether or not we like watching people suffer.

Articles/Books referenced in this episode:

https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2023/dec/12/viewers-enjoy-seeing-people-suffer-reality-tvs-desperate-struggle-to-be-more-ethical

Erasure -Percival Everett:

https://www.booktopia.com.au/erasure-percival-everett/book/9781555975999.html

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This week Bridie's book recommendation is a beautiful family saga by a Palestinian-British author and Bri's book recommendation argues that online creators have shaped the last decade of culture. Then the two of them have a big fight about gift-giving. Finally, newspaper headlines are asking: are we dumb? Because Australia's education system is segregated and worsening. 

Articles/book referenced in this episode:

https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/news/education/2023/11/25/exclusive-less-than-half-albaneses-cabinet-went-state-schools 

https://7ampodcast.com.au/episodes/why-private-school-kids-run-the-country 

https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/full-story/id1482061243?i=1000621531126

The Parisian by Isabella Hammad:

https://www.booktopia.com.au/the-parisian-isabella-hammad/book/9781784705701.html

Good Material by Dolly Alderton:

https://www.booktopia.com.au/good-material-dolly-alderton/book/9780241523674.html

Extremely Online - Taylor Lorenz

https://www.booktopia.com.au/extremely-online-taylor-lorenz/book/9780753560792.html

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This week Bridie sits down with journalist and author Gina Rushton who has just had her book reviewed in the New Yorker! They discuss horny books to get you out of a reading rut; the different things freaking women out about becoming mothers in Australia, England and America; and what Gina changed her mind about since publishing her book. Her book was published in Australia as The Most Important Job in the World and in the UK and US as The Parenthood Dilemma.

Articles/books referenced in this episode:

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/11/27/the-quickening-elizabeth-rush-book-review-the-parenthood-dilemma-gina-rushton

Mrs S by K Patrick:

https://www.booktopia.com.au/mrs-s-k-patrick/book/9780008561000.html

Vladimir by Julia May Jonas:

https://www.booktopia.com.au/vladimir-julia-may-jonas/book/9781529080476.html

Big Swiss by Jen Beagin:

https://www.booktopia.com.au/big-swiss-jen-beagin/book/9780571378562.html

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This week Bri and Bridie step out of the news cycle for a moment and bring each other bigger topics and phenomenon they're dying to chat about: recommendation and review culture getting out of control; Masterclass; Anna Wintour; and talking to children about weight and food.

Articles/Books referenced in this episode:

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/jul/23/parenting-kids-weight-virginia-sole-smith

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/10/magazine/stale-culture.html

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This week Bridie talks about a book she couldn't put down even with one of her kids throwing up in the bed. Together they discuss Anne Helen Petersen's 'Culture Study' newsletter edition about why people are obsessed with Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's new beginning, and how to possibly navigate the whiplash we're all experiencing on social media right now. They finish with a chat about whether or not university is 'worth it' anymore. 

Article/Books referenced in this episode:

https://annehelen.substack.com/p/you-only-like-the-beginning-of-things 

https://yourbookstore.io/p/the-work?barcode=9781761069390&search_key=bri+lee

https://www.sydneytheatre.com.au/whats-on/productions/2023/oil 

https://www.afr.com/work-and-careers/education/have-young-australians-lost-faith-in-the-value-of-uni-20231101-p5eglz 

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15771916/

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This week Bri and Bridie disagree on almost everything! Whether or not religion and ethics should be taught in public schools, whether or not the things they like are 'common', and then they fight about lip fillers. Bridie read Glossier, the book and story behind the biggest millennial brand ever, which led to a discussion about hustling and women in business. They finished by comparing what they're afraid of in this new era of deepfakes proliferating online. 

Articles/Books referenced in this episode:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-11-06/celebrity-crypto-scams-kochie-wilkins/103061608

https://newsandreviews.substack.com/p/teaching-ethics-to-children

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/no-grieving-no-podcasts-no-aperol-spritz-the-new-rules-t6f8d3zgn

https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/see-also/id1613072110

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/dolly-alderton/id1465937091?i=1000633028164

Glossy - Marisa Meltzer

https://www.booktopia.com.au/glossy-marisa-meltzer/book/9781668058114.html

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This week Bridie discovers that historical fiction can actually be amazing, and recommends a book about the first ever written character being a woman. Bri has read the new Britney Spears memoir, which leads to a discussion about the gross misogyny of the paparazzi era. Then the two discuss the ethics of David Sedaris using other peoples' stories after a complaint piece was published in Slate.

Articles/Books referenced in the episode: 

https://variety.com/2023/film/columns/killers-of-the-flower-moon-leonardo-dicaprio-martin-scorsese-1235772356/

The Woman in Me - Britney Spears:

https://www.booktopia.com.au/the-woman-in-me-britney-spears/book/9781761107627.html

Inanna - Emily H Wilson:

https://www.booktopia.com.au/inanna-emily-h-wilson/book/9781803364407.html

How David Sedaris Turned Me Into One of His Freaks:

https://slate.com/human-interest/2023/10/david-sedaris-tour-live-books-ethics.html

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This week Cool Story announce that tickets go on sale for our first ever live show! It's going to be a COOL STORY XMAS EXTRAVAGANZA. In this week's episode, Bri and Bridie compare their notes on cinema etiquette after seeing The Killers of the Flower Moon together (Bri was very mad) and they wonder whether or not Martin Scorsese has ever met a human woman. In the news, some large employers are trialing four day working weeks, Bridie shares some fascinating history about that movement, and they finish on how and why all the women in Iceland went on strike for a day. 

Ticket link for the live show:

https://moshtix.com.au/v2/event/cool-story-with-bri-bridie-xmas-xtravaganza/157690

Bridie's playlist of bangers:

https://spotify.link/KNgFwDL8bEb

Articles/books referenced in the episode:

https://www.smh.com.au/business/workplace/it-s-a-privilege-not-an-entitlement-medibank-to-trial-four-day-work-week-20231020-p5eds5.html 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/oct/23/icelands-first-full-day-womens-strike-in-48-years-aims-to-close-pay-gap 

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In this author special Bri Lee interviews Rebecca Makkai about her latest novel, 'I Have Some Questions For You'. It's a boarding school literary thriller for the post #MeToo world. Makkai shares her theories on why women love true crime, the challenges and rewards of writing in second-person, and what she was most surprised to hear from readers on her tour. 

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