#216: Recommend-Nation

Adal, my life forever changed when you recommended Zapp's voodoo pretzel stix!

I recommend the Discworld books by Terry Prathett. I don't suggest starting with the first couple of books. Mort or Guards! Guards! are excellent starting points, though my first book was Small Gods and that really drew me in. Snuffle balls are a great toy for dogs who like puzzles, but also don't destroy their toys too quickly. Search for it on Amazon. My little dog loves it.

Cory!

If you grew up watching Spirited Away, the new Live Action play is showing in select US theaters. It was performed in Tokyo and is one of the best stage performances I have ever seen. I think it is coming to streaming services in November 2023. Beautiful sets, acting, and omg the puppetry. The amount of talent it took to put a Studio Ghibli animated movie to a 3 hour play is unrivaled. Yes, this version still made me cry.

Valerie Thorngren

Switch game: Donut County. Very light puzzles, so funny and warm. Cozy and doesn't require much thought. About 3 hour gameplay, I love trading the controller back and forth with a friend and playing through it in an afternoon. A raccoon and his human friend live in an animal city modelled after LA. You play an app and see how that affects the town. Playful distruction ensues

Valerie Thorngren

Relationship rec: Before bed most nights I thank my partner for something that he did that day. Doing the dishes or taking out the trash, or something bigger like driving me to therapy. Something I genuinely was grateful for. At first he would just smile and say you are welcome. But eventually he started thanking ME for things and sometimes even initiating it. Even if his response was "Thank YOU for being cute", it felt amazing to hear. He is acts of services and I am words of affirmation, so this has been such a great exchange that naturally became part of our relationship. ❤️👏😘

Valerie Thorngren

I pay 8$ a month specifically to hear you talk Erin

Another recommendation on top of Adel’s is This Must Be the Place by Sure Sure. It’s even better than the original in my opinion!

Recommend The Prodigal Son tv show, Good Omens (the book and the tv show), the Bartimaeus Trilogy books, and the Mercy Thompson books.

Chelsie

Flea Market Flip is fun if you like DIY projects.

Elizabeth Teeter

Consider: A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers

TV show rec: Danger 5 Video Game Rec: Grounded Places (in no particular area): Alamere Falls, Pacific Cocktail Haven, Hopleaf, Anza Borrega, Hoh Rainforest The only children's book you need: The Stinky Cheeseman

Colin H.

Recs from me Morganville vampire series Electrical tape, fixes everything duct tape can't Purse that you use exclusively to hold your slightly smaller purse

Yakuza like a Dragon rules, one of y'all should play that. Also, watch Angels in America and Paprika.

Emily Beaman

My hot rec may sound like it’s coming out of left field…but are you looking for a comfort show, something to binge on a Sunday afternoon? Try 911 or its spin-off 911: Lone Star. Believe me, watch one and you won’t help but watch a dozen. It’s gory but funny? Stupid but sincere? Aggressively progressive, with gay, lesbian, and trans characters all given full story arcs? Trust me, these shows go all out. They rule. Watch one or two when you need to decompress, they do the job.

CT

The Outer Wilds is the best video game ever made and it’s not even close. I’m not kidding. Do not do an ounce of research before playing it. I play a lot of video games and some of them are good. I’ll tell my girlfriend “this is one of the best games ever made” and she’ll be like “what about Outer Wilds” and my response is always “that’s not a fair comparison.” It’s so good. I’ve been putting off the DLC because I need to savor every second. Truly this game is insanely well made, has one of the strongest premises I’ve ever seen, and trusts its player like few games do today to incredible benefits. I don’t recommend things because I don’t like most things. But I love this game.

Chris

Game recommendation - the Ace Attorney visual novel game series, Fire Emblem Awakening Book recommendation - “Holes” by Louis Sachar, “The Joy Luck Club” by Amy Tan, and anything written by Khaled Hosseini Show recommendation - As Told by Ginger, Oshi no Ko, Shadows House, The Mole Music Recommendation: EPIC the Musical, “Idol” by YOASOBI, “Mephisto” by QUEEN BEE Board game recommendation - Horrified and Horrified: American Monsters, Poetry for Neanderthals, Moose Master Web series recommendation - the Jet Lag: The Game on YouTube Life in general - taking breaks, drinking water, napping

Mikki Lindo

The Wayfarer series— it starts with A Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet. Reallllly cozy space travel universe. Becky Chambers’ world building is unmatched and if you have ever felt like sci fi is too harsh or unfeeling, you should read these guys

Ben!

Cultivate is amazing. Their food is SO creatively interesting and delicious but still feels just like a chill weeknight dinner spot.

The Oakesfields

Okay I don’t know what it is about that song but Kishi Bashi’s cover of ‘This must be the place’ has the power to really start a day right! If I feel off when I’m getting up that’s the song I always put on and it never fails to lift the mood and the day!

elliebean

Yes yes yes yes yes!!!!!! ♡♡♡

Madison Darcey

Gonna recommend the format of Audio Books. Libraries have digital audiobooks you can check out and return all from the comfort of your phone and listening to books is great

Chrysanthemum

I cannot recommend enough O'Shaughnessy in Ravenswood enough. Irish pub run by a lovely irish woman and a fantastic Irish brunch on weekends. Also Cultivate by Forbidden Root has an amazing beer list that they rotate regularly! They have a huge cocktail/mocktail menu as well but i haven’t tried too much of that because the beer always calls my name.

Jenna Mosillami

TV show rec: No one ever talks about this show (for obvious reasons, you're about to learn), but I love it and have watched it through at least 8 times! It's called "Threesome" from Comedy Central UK. The three leads have the best chemistry of any actors I've ever seen! It's not as dirty or sexy as the title makes it sound, it's really more about "growing up" as you turn 30. I see it's on Prime UK, but not sure where else it can be found, sorry. I'm still looking.

Joni Gray

Pretty much stopped everything (including) the podcast) to go and listen to Islanders. Wow. Wow. Wow.

AJ

-the show Our Flag Means Death!! its so funny and amazing and gay and I feel like many HRR fans will like it! plus it has Taika waititi and Rhys Darby :) -Matcha powder on vanilla icecream, soo good. -the podcast Margaret moves to Mars, very silly 6 ep comedy, u will like it if you've listened to A Winkle in Time! -electric heated mattress topper. its insanely nice to slip into your bed and feel super toasty.

Dana Fah

I know you're getting a ton of recs, but I'm hoping that you'll eventually see mine (I've recommended this multiple times already, in previous posts). PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE, watch the movie Detention (2011, directed by Joseph Kahn)! It's a bonkers comedy that feels like every 90s teen movie smashed into a blender, and then played back at hyper speed. It's also got some of the funniest, most bizarre scenes I've ever seen. It's also so dense that I was still discovering jokes on the fifth watch. I will even buy you all a copy, if that's what it takes.

Sean M Carrick

The smiley face dish scrubbie thingies! Game changer!

Burke

On the topic of jpc's recommendation for your local library, I have to strongly recommend the app called Libby. It's an app where you can connect your library card, and it takes most library cards in the world, and you can borrow ebooks and audiobooks for free in on loan from your library. They automatically send them back to the library at the end of the loan term, or you can give them back early. You can make a bunch of different lists (for To Read books and such). There's a huge selection of things, and if they don't have what you want at that moment, you can be put on a holds list and it will send to your device when your name on the waiting list is at the top, or you can actually recommend your library to get that book for you so you can read it. I have read probably 26 books already in 2023 just using the Libby app, and I've probably recommended a few books and all of them so far have been acquired, and now I can read those. ♡♡♡

Madison Darcey

I recommend buying an outdoor rocking chair. There is genuinely nothing I enjoy more than sitting outside on a beautiful day in a rocking chair

1. Nerds on vanilla ice cream (or custard). 2. Making brownies in a waffle maker (the mini waffle makers work the best) 3. Putting little baskets where you place mail/keys so that it "becomes" organized

Devyn McIlraith