intertextu[allie]ties | issue 1

what I read, watched, and listened to in july 2024 (plus an excerpt from my novel-in-progress!)

hello, dear reader.

Here we are, together, at the beginning: my very first issue of intertextu[allie]ties! July was particularly eventful, so it turned out to be the perfect month to kick off this newsletter.

1) The biggest life update of all: my husband and I finally bought a house! After two years of searching, we move in next month and, needless to say, we’re walking on sunshine. ☀️ 2) I took myself on a week-long solo writing retreat to one of my favourite places on earth, Wolfville, Nova Scotia, where I wrote the first five chapters of my second novel (keep scrolling for a short excerpt)! This time to myself was so creatively restorative and I got to cap it off by celebrating Pride with my beloved bestie in Halifax before coming home. 🌈 3) Our feisty little Pembroke Welsh Corgi, Byron, also passed two Canadian Kennel Club pre-novice obedience trials and we couldn’t be prouder of our boy! 🐾

This month, I also read, watched, and listened to lots of great art – like a weird and wonderful time-travel romance and an action flick that dares to ask, “What if Betty White played John Wick?” So, read on for a round-up of my July recommendations.

✍️ Allie

All reviews are out of five stars.  

Despite being a lifelong bookworm, I haphazardly keep track of the titles I read and have never made it a practice of rating them. However, this newsletter is a perfect opportunity to start tracking and rating my reads on a regular basis!

This month, I read 4 books:

• Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | This one blew me away. A brilliantly assured debut where, in a not-so-distant future, a civil servant is tasked with acclimatizing a naval commander from the 1800s to the present for a top-secret (and possibly sinister) government project. Romance, improbably and yet inevitably, ensues. I’ll be shocked if this one doesn’t end up on all the ‘Best Books of 2024’ lists.

• You Are Here by David Nicholls | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | Listened to this one on audiobook! You Are Here is the latest title from the author of One Day. Set over the course of a ten-day hike across the English countryside, it's a midlife love story between lovable messes Michael and Marnie who bumble and banter their way through the surprising connection they find together.

• Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | This is the July 2024 The Gloss Book of the Month (a monthly book club with a chapter here in Saint John). Sutanto is actually a writer that I’ve been meaning to read for a few years now. The story centres around sixty-year-old Vera Wong whose quiet life turns upside down when she finds a dead man on the floor of her forgotten tea shop in San Francisco. A warm and winning novel with a sweet ensemble cast, this one is the definition of a cozy mystery.

• This Summer Will be Different by Carley Fortune | ⭐️⭐️.5 | Listened to this one on audiobook as well! This is my second novel by Fortune and I was drawn to the story because of the Prince Edward Island setting. Every summer for the past five years, Lucy visits PEI and vows she won’t sleep with her best friend’s brother again. And yet… Fortune did a beautiful job evoking the sea-salt beauty of Prince Edward Island, but it dragged on a bit too long and had a third-act breakup that was hard to swallow for me. Still, it would make for a great beach read: easy, breezy, and satisfyingly steamy.

I’m currently midway through two other very promising books, so those will make their way into the next issue no doubt!

All reviews are out of five stars. 

I write reviews for all the movies I watch on a little app called Letterboxd, so please check out my profile on there for my full thoughts on the films I watched this month. (I usually log a movie immediately after watching, so you’re getting my hot-off-the-press reactions!)

This month, I watched 8 movies:

• Thelma (2024) | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | Full review.

• The Apartment (1960) | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | Full review.

• Twisters (2024) | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | Full review.

• The Full Monty (1997) | ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 | Full review.

• Metropolitan (1990) | ⭐️⭐️⭐️| Full review.

• Rye Lane (2023) | ⭐️⭐️.5 | Full review.

• Le fabuleux destin d’Amélie Poulain (2001) | ⭐️⭐️ | Full review.

• The Wicker Man (2006) | ⭐️ | Full review.

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I’m admittedly more of a movie watcher; however, I am proud to say that I finished two seasons of TV this month.

• Veep: Season 7 | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | I introduced my husband to Veep back in January and it became our go-to show for a pre-bedtime laugh. We finished the seventh and final season this month and who knew this Veep re-watch would end up being so timely? The way the show has found its way back into the cultural conversation since Kamala Harris became the leading Democratic candidate after President Biden announced he won’t be running for a second term, has been fascinating. (Unsurprisingly, I've seen this clip from the show pop up several times.) I’ve also read a few great pieces revisiting just how phenomenal Veep is (like this article from Vox), which has made for just a really cool experience since the show is so fresh in my mind.

• Bridgerton: Season 3 | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | I saw a ton of discourse online about this season – some glowing, some scathing – but, as a casual fan, I can confidently say that I enjoyed it. Although I wish the romance between Penelope and Colin had been developed a bit more to give me the full friends-to-lovers experience (flashbacks to deepen the significance of how long they’ve known each other, anyone?), Nicola Coughlan and Luke Newton did a lovely job.

Here’s a receipt of my top ten songs from this month (if you have Spotify, you can make one for yourself here):

As you can see, I was not immune to the charms of Chappell Roan and Sabrina Carpenter, two ladies I’m happy to see having a cultural moment right now. My theatre kid roots are also showing here with The Phantom of the Opera overture and the Glee cast cover of “Hopelessly Devoted to You.” I also had a little Bridgerton ripple effect with the Archer Marsh instrumental cover of “Give Me Everything,” which just slaps. (Or is it simply the millennial in me?) 🎶

In other music news, I made an animal-themed playlist for a day trip to the zoo with my husband. So, if that sounds like something you’d like, press play and enjoy!

I’m currently in the process of querying literary agents for my debut novel, a best-friends-to-lovers contemporary romance called A BIT BACKWARDS, in hopes that someone out there would like to represent it. 🤞

When I’m not querying, I’m working on other writing projects. There are two that have the potential to become my second novel and the one I worked on this month is a modern-day, secret-identity romance set in an opera house. (Can you guess what it’s a modern retelling of? 👀)

Here’s an excerpt from one of the chapters I wrote in July:

When Christine resurfaces from her fugue state and checks her phone, she’s shocked to see that it’s nearly 11 pm and the auditorium is deserted. The only illumination is the lone glow of the ghost light, the dull sizzle of the singular bulb the only sound on the stage.

A rogue swell of excitement crowds into Christine’s chest and she calls out, “Hello?”

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Byron hopes you all had a great month of July!

Let me know what you’re reading, watching, or listening to! I’d love to hear more about the books, movies, television, and music making your life a little brighter.