intertextu[allie]ties | issue 11

The best things I read, watched, and listened to in May 2025 (plus what made me happy this month!)

hello, dear reader.

“Tra la! It’s May!” sings Guenevere in the classic 1960 musical, Camelot. “That lovely month when ev’ryone goes blissfully astray.” 🌸

Well, I may not have gone astray per se, but I did go on holiday! I spent the first days of May in the Sunshine State with Michael, my mom and dad, my sister, and her family. 🍊 It was really special to travel together as a group for the first time; to see the wonder of Disney World through my niece’s young eyes; and to share this place that holds so many happy memories for me with my husband (who now identifies as a full-on Disney convert). 🙌

This getaway afforded me golden opportunities to read by the pool and on the plane, but I also watched some great television and made a new playlist when I got back. So, read on for my May recommendations – plus a random assortment of things that made me happy this month.

✍️ Allie

☀️ Disney dreaming! ☀️

I enjoyed both the latest release from my auto-buy author and this dreamy modern-day fairytale set in Harlem, but an unlikely favourite emerged in Julie Soto’s Not Another Love Song. 🎻

Since my novel-in-progress centres around a love story between two musicians, I was looking to lean into a contemporary romance with music at the heart of it. After scouring Reddit and Goodreads for recommendations, I settled on Soto’s 2024 rivals-to-lovers tale, and it gave me everything I wanted:

• ✅ A tall, dark, and brooding love interest who is weak at the knees for the main character

• ✅ An all-consuming attraction sparked, heightened, and powered by music

• ✅ A hearty dose of both sweetness and spice (including a steamy scene featuring a cello!)

If you’re a fan of Ali Hazelwood or classical-meets-contemporary music in the vein of 2Cellos, then I would add Not Another Love Song to your TBR pile immediately.

May was a month of excellent television in our household! 📺

We started and finished the first season of The Studio on Apple TV+ and it was a madcap delight. Starring director-producer Seth Rogen, the great Catherine O’Hara, a fantastic Ike Barinholtz, hidden gem Chase Sui Wonders, and the ever-hilarious Kathryn Hahn, The Studio is half-love letter to Hollywood, half-satirical commentary on the inners workings of the film industry. Each of its ten episodes are packed with cameos from the likes of Zoë Kravitz, Rhea Perlman, Paul Dano, Anthony Mackie, Greta Lee, Martin Scorsese… the list goes on and on!

The first two episodes are my favourites but, if you love the movies and are in the mood for something fun with a side of cringe comedy, look no further than The Studio. (It’s already been renewed for a second season! 🎬)

We’ve also been glued to the latest season of HBO’s The Rehearsal. Canadian comedian Nathan Fielder is back and zanier than ever, building on the same premise that powered the first season of The Rehearsal – that Nathan will help everyday people prepare for dreaded conversations or events by recreating their apartments, work places, or local haunts; hiring actors to portray their loved ones, bosses, or teammates; and rehearsing every possible scenario of a future situation. 🎭

It's as absurd as it sounds and Fielder never shies away from a single awkward interaction, which makes for great TV. In this second season, he’s convinced the “Fielder Method” (as he calls his rehearsal process) can prevent aviation disasters. So far, hilarity has ensued.

If you like the complete picture of every movie I saw in a month, you can check out my Letterboxd diary for all my reviews.

I can never resist the challenge of creating a playlist for an ultra-specific mood or occasion. So, for our housewarming party this past weekend, I decided to put together a collection of songs with “home” or “house” in the title – the only two outliers are “Two Of Us” by the Beatles and “Lookin’ Out My Back Door” by CCR, but the two earn their rightful spots in the playlist by being undisputably about going home.

(Did I miss any songs that make you think of home? 👀)

a non-exhaustive list of things that made me happy this month:

• Meeting the Mandalorian and an animatronic Baby Yoda who made actual cooing sounds and moved his cute little ears just like in the show. (My heart!)

• Being reunited with Byron, our beautiful demon corgi, after being away on vacation.

• Adding a real-life Pinterest board to my writing room to map out my novel-in-progress.

• Finishing up our upstairs hallway home improvement project: we added panelling and a series of three black and white photos from our wedding!

• Walking barefoot in the sand with my beloved on a sunny evening in Disney World.

• Filling three vases with baby’s breath for our housewarming party.

---

It feels slightly surreal to say that this humble newsletter has a little over 90 subscribers! 🥹 If you know anyone who you think might also enjoy it, I would so appreciate you sharing it with them and helping me reach 100. (!!!)