Hi readers! I’ve decided to start a new monthly feature: the things I’ve read or watched that I’ve really enjoyed and that I think you’ll like, too. So here’s the first installment of the monthly Steamy Recs!
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Eight Kinky Nights by Xan West
Amazon* ~ Apple ~ Kobo* ~ More Stores
I found the most delightful comfort read in this book. It’s all about negotiating a relationship between the two main characters that fulfills them both, and meets their needs in ways no other relationship ever has. That relationship involves kink, but is so much broader than just kink. The characters are Jewish, autistic, polyamorous queer kinky women who are learning how to build a life for themselves that includes all of those parts of themselves, where they don’t have to mask or ignore parts of themselves in order to have a relationship.
This book is full of really interesting opposites: really intense sex scenes and characters discussing their non-sexual asexual preferences. Wonderful found family moments and characters recognizing their own individual strength and abilities. Deep comfort and frank discussions around trauma. Edgy kink play and fluffy slice-of-life scenes. The characters and their lives and relationships are complicated, and the book slowly peels all of that back layer by layer so that by the end I was deeply immersed in them and very satisfied by their happy ending.
I’m not autistic, Jewish or asexual, and yet so much of this book spoke to me on a deep level. Perhaps the parts that do match me (kinky, queer, polyam, with past trauma) were enough to connect with the book on, but I don’t think that’s it. I think the journey to find relationships and people that fully support us is a universal one, even if the characters are coming from a different perspective from us. The beauty of fiction is that it powerfully puts us in other’s shoes by letting us live their life for a while, and this book does that for me in full.
AJ and the Queen
Netflix – no link provided because I can’t figure out how to get a Netflix link anymore.
A couple of weeks ago I logged onto Netflix looking for POSE, which I’d started a couple of months ago but hadn’t gotten very far into. Turns out POSE apparently moved from Netflix to Amazon (available to watch for payment) so it wasn’t available for the night. Anyway, POSE wasn’t there but Netflix suggested AJ and the Queen so I gave it a shot. I’m so glad I did. It was fun and funny, totally campy, with characters that were unexpected and compelling. I’ll cop to never having watched RuPaul’s Drag Race, so I was fresh to the Drag scene. AJ and the Queen was a delightful look into life as a drag performer today. I came away loving RuPaul’s character, Ruby Red, and his performance. I loved seeing him put together each act and come out as the beautiful person he is. The last scene of the last episode is especially beautiful- the best outfit of the season, gorgeous cinematography, and a very emotional finish. *kisses fingers* Perfect. There’s a lot of comedy in the show, and it has a mainly light feel, but they slip in a lot of lived experience, and not all of it is rainbows and puppies (pun intended). Even today queer life has its hardships, but these characters are so strong and full of zest that you come away loving them. I really hope there’s another season.