It’s the last day of 2024, so we're looking back at our favourite recommendations of this year. These books and films moved us in a way that's lasting, whether for the message they provided or the comfort they brought.

Of course, Tara and Kris also squeeze in some Cracker Barrel discourse (What age is their target audience? What’s the deal with the sodium content?) and chat about gambling and fantasy football.

Happy New Years, everyone!

Official Recommendations

Kris’s top three recommendations for 2024:

• Consecrated Ground by Virginia Black 
• Will & Harper (Netflix)
• Good Grief (Netflix)

Tara’s top three recommendations for 2024:

• View from the Top by Rachel Lacey
• Tempting Olivia by Clare Ashton
• Loser of the Year by Carrie Byrd

Works/People Discussed

• Black Doves (Netflix)
• Survivor (CBS)
• Queer Eye, season 9 (Netflix)
• Drag Race Down Under, season 4 (Starz)
• Canada’s Drag Race, season 4 (Crave)
• Dragon Age: Veilguard (Bioware)
• Ice Queen by Gun Brooke

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We're bringing more holiday recommendations to you in this slightly shorter episode of Queerly Recommended. We also get an after-action report on Orange Kitty following an injury and discover some unsettling facts about cat eyelids.

From meddling Grandmas to Secret Santas, we’re your one-stop for queer media and opinions this holiday season.

Official Recommendations 

From Kris: Merry Weihnachten by E. J. Noyes

Kris has known since GCLS that she’d only have time for one Christmas book this year, so she's been excited since July to read Merry Weihnachten by E. J. Noyes. It's a sapphic romance between an American woman and her new neighbor from Germany, as they decide to merge traditions over the holidays. Kris adored this book, and especially the main character, Evie. It’s spicier than most Christmas books, but who doesn’t like to be surprised with a little spice during the holiday season?

From Tara: A Break in Communications by Lily Seabrooke

This week, Tara recommends A Break in Communications by Lily Seabrooke. It's a rivals-to-lovers romance between coworkers, where Anna hates Lucy and has no idea that Lucy is hopelessly in love with her. This book is chock-full of tropey goodness— it's a workplace romance, it has a fake romance, it takes place over the holidays. It’s got everything!

Works/People Discussed

• Special Ops: Lioness (Paramount+)
• Star Wars: Skeleton Crew (Disney+)
• RuPaul’s Drag Race UK (BBC Three, BBC One)
• Drag Race Down Under (WOW Presents Plus)
• Canada's Drag Race (Crave)
• Cozy Grove (Nintendo, Playstation, Xbox, Android, iOS, Steam)
• Music Box: Yacht Rock: A Dockumentary (2024)
• Deck the Palms by Kat Jackson

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Tara and Kris discuss the important matters of the moment: Christmas trees! Are you a white light or coloured light kind of house? Listen to find out Kris's stance and then stay to catch up on horrible HR managers, Orange Kitty and Black Kitty updates, as well as all the delicious food that Tara "bricked" herself with on a recent work trip to Toronto. And, as always, they have recommendations

Official Recommendations

From Kris: Bad Sisters (Apple TV+)

This week, Kris recommends Bad Sisters, an Irish black comedy series. It revolves around a group of sisters and what happens when one sister’s controlling husband suddenly dies, putting them at the center of a life insurance investigation. Kris loved everything about this series, and if that’s not enough for you, it has Fiona Shaw. What more can you ask for?

From Tara: Don’t Marry Me at Christmas by Clare Lydon

This week’s recommendation is the latest Christmas romance from British romcom queen, Clare Lydon. Tara was a little sad not to see a Lydon Christmas romance last year, but the wait was worth it. Don’t Marry Me at Christmas is a frenemies-to-lovers (we love this description) situation that will give you all the good feelings and leave you hungry for cupcakes. Dig in!

Works/People Discussed

• The Great British Baking Show (BBC)
• Survivor (CBS)
• Disclaimer (Apple TV+)
• Cross (Amazon Prime Video)
• RuPaul’s Drag Race UK (BBC Three, BBC One)
• Drag Race Down Under (WOW Presents Plus)
• Sort Of (CBC)
• A Christmas Chance by A.L. Brooks
• This Christmas by Georgia Beers
• The Christmas Catch by Clare Lydon

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Last episode, we said we love you and to take care of yourself. That's more true than ever. 

This week, Tara and Kris trade stories about the week of the US election, its aftermath, and more importantly, what comes next. They settle on being pirates.

We’re still here, folks, and we’re going to be here until the wheels fall off this thing. Kris doesn’t have a recommendation this week, but Tara has come through with not one but two Christmas romances.

Official Recommendations

From Tara: A New Leash on Love and Frosted by the Girl Next Door by Jaime Clevenger and Aurora Rey

This week, Tara is recommending two Christmas romances that take place in a small Colorado town and run in parallel with each other.

A New Leash on Love by Jaime Clevenger and Aurora Rey (Bella Books) is about an interior designer who's back in the hometown she hates, only to fall for Shawn. Shawn is as sweet as the cupcakes her sister bakes for the family business and can't help falling for Kit right back.

Frosted by the Girl Next Door by Aurora Rey and Jaime Clevenger (Bold Strokes Books) features Shawn's sister Tara falling for Kit's friend Casey. Casey's new to town and opens a sex shop next door to their cupcake store. Is the shop a town scandal or the best thing that's happened to it in a long time? Read it to find out!

Works/People Discussed

• Rebecca Solnit's post
• Rachel Maddow clip
• Jen Psaki on Tiktok
• On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century by Timothy Snyder
• Lambda Legal
• National Center for Lesbian Rights
• Lee (2023)
• The Great British Baking Show (BBC)
• The Great Canadian Baking Show (CBC) 
• Baroness Von Sketch Show (CBC)
• Disclaimer (Apple TV+)
• RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, season 6 (BBC Three, BBC One)
• Drag Race Down Under, season 4 (WOW Presents Plus)
• Will & Harper (2024)
• Martha (2024)
• Agatha All Along (Disney+)
• Hope in the Dark by Rebecca Solnit

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It's a big week. We love you and hope you're taking care of yourself, whatever that may look like. 

Kris gives an update on her visit to P-Town for Women's Week and her plans for Friendsgiving. Tara talks ice queens and participating in The Lesbian Review's event.

As always, we have a bunch of recommendations. We hope they give the distraction you need from the world outside. 

Official Recommendations

From Kris: Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019)

This week, Kris caves to peer pressure in the best possible way to watch the film Portrait of a Lady on Fire. It’s the story of a young painter who masquerades as a walking companion to capture a reluctant subject in her last days of freedom before marriage. The ending isn’t happy, but it is, according to Kris, "satisfying," because this movie has a different take on love.

From Tara: Most Wonderful by Georgia Clark

This week, Tara recommends the holiday romance, Most Wonderful by Georgia Clark. It follows a trio of siblings as they find love (and themselves) when they head home for the holidays. One is a showrunner who has fallen for their star. Another is a complete disaster trying to… not disaster. And the third has recently discovered their lifelong friend is super hot. Tara loved it. Great vibes all around.

Works/People Discussed

• The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon (AMC)
• The Great British Baking Show (BBC)
• Love is Blind, season 7 (Netflix)
• Heartstopper, season 3 (Netflix)
• RuPaul's Drag Race Global All Stars (Paramount+)
• RuPaul's Drag Race UK, season 6 (WOW Presents Plus)
• Culinary Class Wars (Netflix)
• Synchronicity by J.J. Hale

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Kris is out this week because it was recorded when she was heading off for Women’s Week. But fret not! Tara is joined by none other than Becks, reader and listener extraordinaire, and Director of Outreach for GCLS. They talk books, cozy games, politics, and so much more. 

Official Recommendations

From Becks: positivity! 

Instead of a film, TV show, or book, Becks recommends… positivity! We're living in difficult times, so it's important to reach out and let the people who make your life better know that you appreciate them.

Maybe that means sending an author a nice email. Maybe it’s posting a review for something that moves you to tears. Whatever it is, Becks suggests you act on the positive impulse you get from what moves you.

From Tara: Reverence by Milena McKay

This week, Tara recommends Reverence by Milena McKay. Set in the world of 1980s ballet, Reverence is a beautifully written sapphic romance with an ice queen and some quality angst (but not too much). 

For Tara, it’s so much more than that, though. Reverence is an important book for us all to be reading right now, given what's happening in the world. What’s past isn’t always prologue, but we need to know what came before to deal with what’s in front of us. Read this and get back to Tara. She’s desperate to talk about it.

Works/People Discussed

• Starship Q Star Podcast
• Lake, developed by Gamious
• Stardew Valley, developed by Eric Barone
• Spiritfarer, developed by Thunder Lotus Games
• Cozy Grove, developed by Spry Fox
• Here We Go Again by Alison Cochrun read by Natalie Naudus and Jeremy Carlisle Parker
• The Well of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall
• RuPaul's Drag Race Global All Stars (Paramount+)
• RuPaul's Drag Race UK, season 6 (WOW Presents Plus)
• Binge Queens (WOW Presents Plus)
• Culinary Class Wars (Netflix)
• Physical: 100 (Netflix)
• Dave the Diver, developed by MINTROCKET and Nexon
• Make My Wish Come True by Rachael Lippincott and Alyson Derrick
• Make Her Wish Come True by A.L. Brooks
• The Goodmans by Clare Ashton
• The Delicate Things We Make by Milena McKay
• The Music and the Mirror by Lola Keeley
• Loser of the Year by Carrie Byrd

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Welcome everyone, to a big update about Kris’s neighborhood! We have Orange Kitty, weird neighbors, maybe new neighbors, and everything in between. Come on in and be entertained.

Official Recommendations

From Kris: Will & Harper (Netflix)

This week, Kris recommends the new documentary Will & Harper. It’s about Will Ferrell and his best friend Harper, one of the writers he met and came up with at Saturday Night Live. Harper transitioned later in life, and she and Will go on a trip across America to reconnect, learn and experience a very different world. It has tough parts and joyous parts, and it made Kris cry three times. 

From Tara: The Duke’s Sister and I by Emma-Claire Sunday

This week, Tara recommends (checks notes) a Harlequin Historical Romance?!? The Duke’s Sister and I by Emma-Claire Sunday is a story about a woman trying to get married to a duke and falling for his raucous sister. Tara found this book and the hidden history it presents joyous and uplifting. Maybe history didn’t happen quite like this (we'll never know), but this book is a celebration of the fact that we have always been here. 

Works/People Discussed

• TLR event: Frozen Attitudes Melted Hearts: Ice Queen Weekend
• RuPaul's Drag Race Global All Stars (Paramount+)
• RuPaul's Drag Race UK (WOW Presents Plus)
• Tea with the Dames (2018)
• I’ll Get Back to You by Becca Grischow
• Tribute by L.M. Rose

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Project 2025's introduction makes it clear that the very existence of LGBTQ people is under threat, and that includes cutting off access to fiction that represents us. Because most queer fiction is published in the US, that means access could be dramatically restricted for everyone worldwide. And even if Project 2025 isn't rolled out, state-level challenges are unlikely to slow down anytime soon.

Laura Green from the Sapphic Book Review podcast joins Kris and Tara for this important bonus episode to talk about the very real and current threats against the books we love, and share tangible steps that anyone can take, whether you live in the US or not. 

Works/People/Organizations Cited

• Banned penguin children’s book with same-sex couple
• Maggie Tokuda-Hall
• Authors Against Book Bans
• Heather has Two Mommies by Lesléa Newman
• Unbanning Books webinar recording

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• Blusky

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We come up with new terms like knife queens™, heart punchers, and the dangers of sneak reading. All of that is followed by recommendations, as always.

Official Recommendations

From Kris: In Bloom by Kat Jackson

This week, Kris recommends In Bloom by Kat Jackson. It centers around two damaged people, burned by love, who discover that they may not have actually experienced love until now.

This is a difficult book, with lots of hard emotions. Kris praises the writing, including Jackson's way with words and characterization, as well as the book's sense of humor. Run, don’t walk, and get ready to feel something.

From Tara: View from the Top by Rachel Lacey

This week, Tara recommends View from the Top by Rachel Lacey. Tara has read five books by this author, and this smalltown romance is her favorite. She describes it as a "one-night stand to enemies (ish?) to friends to lovers" and it immediately went to her to-reread list. 

Works/People Discussed

• Frozen Attitudes Melted Hearts Panel (The Lesbian Review)
• Sense8 (Netflix)
• Prison Break (Fox)
• Fear the Walking Dead (AMC)
• Wynonna Earp: Vengeance (2024)
• RuPaul's Drag Race Global All Stars (Paramount+)
• Race Chaser Podcast
• Just One Good Reason by Harrytoad (Devil Wears Prada fanfic)
• Strange Attractors by Ana K. Wrenn
• Informed Consent by Rachel Spangler

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Kris talks about her new book Perfect and her first-ever experience working with a sensitivity reader. Tara shares about vacationing without children, finding a signed copy of one of her favourite books, and the joys of a newly painted house. After a month apart, they have a lot to catch up on!

Official Recommendations

From Kris: Sense8 (Netflix)

This week, Kris recommends the 2015 Netflix series, Sense8. Eight strangers across the globe suffer a traumatic vision that also seemingly connects them to each other. They begin to experience what the others experience and are able to communicate across great distances through their senses. Kris adored the concept and was unable to stop watching.

From Tara: Second Verse by Natasha West

This week, Tara recommends Natasha West’s Second Verse, a tropetastic sapphic romance that Tara found delightful. It's a friends-to-enemies-to-lovers romance told in two timelines, with two women who had once experienced an intense connection at the end of high school and parted on disastrous terms, reuniting 20 years later when their children become best friends. 

Works/People Discussed

• Perfect by Kris Bryant
• A Sweet Sting of Salt by Rose Sutherland
• Alone (History Channel)
• Alone Australia (SBS)
• Twisters (2024)
• Three Body Problem (Netflix)
• Cherish by Kris Bryant
• The Complete Carlisle Series by Roslyn Sinclair
• In the Dead of Night by Lost_my_soul_in_a_black_hole

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