intertextu[allie]ties | issue 2

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

hello, dear reader.

It’s been a whirlwind of a month! 🌪️ Since my last newsletter, every week has been a never-ending to-do list leading up to the big move into our new home. And, of this past weekend, I am proud to say that we have officially taken up residence in what we are already affectionately calling our “manor.” This has been a milestone in the making for quite some time and we are so grateful to all our loved ones, near and far, who lent a helping hand leading up to and on move-in day!  

Given the circumstances, much of my brain space has been occupied with things like mortgages and packing (so much packing); however, I still found the time to read, watch, and listen to some cool things that I’m excited to share with you – like a moody animated superhero noir and an exhilarating historical fiction book in the vein of Challengers. 🎾 

Read on for a round-up of my August recommendations!  

✍️ Allie

August memories: Celebrating Pride | Our new home! | Roller skating

All reviews are out of five stars.  

This month, I read 3 books:

• Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | Listened to this on audiobook (taking advantage of a three-month free trial of Audible)! Like almost everyone else in the wide world of books, I’m a big fan of Taylor Jenkins Reid, or TJR as the cool kids say. She has a gift for crafting fiction that is compulsively readable, creating fictional celebrities like Evelyn Hugo, Daisy Jones, and now Carrie Soto who feel so real that her stories read like tell-all biographies of figures you’ve known forever. By 1988, Carrie Soto is the greatest tennis player the world has ever seen. But, six years later, her record is broken by next-generation tennis superstar Nicki Chan. That’s why, at thirty-seven, Carrie decides to come out of retirement to reclaim her title. Carrie Soto is Back is a heart-pounding exploration of the price of perfection and what it means to be truly great.

• The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston | ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 | Once the story got going, I was hooked. When Clementine, a book publicist teetering on the edge of burnout, inherits her late aunt’s Upper East Side apartment, what should be a gift feels more like a curse. You see, the apartment is magical – without warning, you can step through the doorway and suddenly you’re seven years in the past. This is how Clementine meets a charming stranger who makes a mean lemon pie. But you can’t fall in love with someone living seven years behind you… right? This is my second Poston novel and I just love the way her mind works!

• The Bodyguard by Katherine Center | ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 | Center’s latest novel, The Rom-Commers (its bright cover featuring a delightful amount of magenta never fails to catch my eye at the local Indigo), came out this summer, but this title from 2022 has been in my to-read pile for a while, so I decided to tackle this one first. This story focuses on Hannah Brooks, an Executive Protection Agent, who’s been assigned to guard reclusive Hollywood superstar Jack Stapleton from his most devoted stalker. Warm and unabashedly genuine, The Bodyguard pulls out all the tropes of a Hallmark movie yet Center does a wonderful job and making them all feel natural. I will not hesitate to pick up another one of her romances!

I read some good books this month, but I also read some awesome articles that stuck with me.

• Anne Helen Peterson’s A Unified Theory of Glen Powell was the perfect chaser to Twisters, providing a thoughtful, four-point theory on Powell’s recent rise to movie stardom (particularly love the second point on this list). 👀

• What Big Life Moments Should We Be Celebrating More? by Alisha Ramos details a 300-person bash a woman threw for herself to celebrate a decade of living in New York City and it got me thinking about all the overlooked milestones we forget to celebrate yet absolutely should. 🎉

• Vanity Fair’s gorgeous tribute to an actor I miss all the time,“He’s Absolutely Extraordinary”: Remembering Robin Williams, collects some truly amazing anecdotes from greats like Nathan Lane and Sally Field on the ten-year anniversary of Williams’ passing. 🥺

All reviews are out of five stars. 

This month, I watched 5 movies:

• Dial M for Murder (1954) | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 | Full review.

• Zodiac (2007) | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 | Full review.

• To Catch a Thief (1955) | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | Full review.

• Xanadu (1980) | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | Full review.

• Alien: Romulus (2024) | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | Full review.

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While I’m typically more of a movie watcher, I watched some fun television this month!  

• Batman: Caped Crusader – Season 1 (Amazon Prime) | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | I’m not sure how many people know this about me, but I’m a big Batman fan. When I was sixteen, I read a slew of incredible graphic novels like Hush, Year One, and The Long Halloween that made a lasting impact on me. As a result, I’m a Batman snob with high standards for what makes a good caped crusader story. When I saw good things about Amazon Prime’s new animated series, Batman: Caped Crusader, I decided to give it a go and was delighted. I enjoyed its fresh take on classic villains like the Penguin, Harley Quinn, and Clayface, and found the 1940s setting to be the absolute perfect backdrop for this neo-noir detective story. Plus, I loved the character design for Batman himself. There’s just something about his pointy-eared silhouette that makes my heart beat out an exclamation point.  

• Owning Manhattan – Season 1 (Netflix) | ⭐️⭐️⭐⭐️ | It feels strange to rate a reality show, but my husband and I couldn’t watch this one fast enough. If you love New York City and getting a glimpse inside gorgeous homes (all served with a generous slice of workplace drama) then this is the show for you! I found myself unexpectedly charmed by Ryan Serhant, founder and CEO of real estate company SERHANT, the firm at the centre of Owning Manhattan. (Those emails he sends to his daughter for her to read in the future! 🥹) There’s also plenty of office pettiness and gasp-worthy moments sure to keep you riveted.

When I went to generate a receipt of my top ten songs from this month, like I did in the previous issue, my list turned out to be more or less the same – just with more Chappell Roan. (I went pretty hard on The Rise and Fall of a Midwestern Princess.)  

So, to mix things up this time around, I thought I’d share a few new-to-me songs that I discovered in August. I really enjoyed “Up All Night,” a true stomp-and-holler callback from a power trio if I ever saw one: James Bay, The Lumineers, and Noah Kahan; “Back At Your Door,” a melancholy country duet from Orville Peck and Debbii Dawson; and a retro soft-rock duet, “Die With A Smile,” from Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars.  

While I would have been a bit more excited by something sonically stranger that leans into Gaga and Bruno’s respective quirks for a truly out-of-this-world collaboration, I was delighted by their oddball music video. (Gaga’s prop cigarette is campy and hilarious.) 

I didn’t manage to carve out as much writing time as I would have liked this month, but I was able to chip away at the next chapter in my novel-in-progress. It’s slow-going since the scene I’m working on wants to be sexy but keeps veering towards silly. Alas, it’s a delicate balance! Here’s an excerpt:

His mouth hovers over hers for a moment that stretches like a bow drawn slowly across strings. “Not yet,” he murmurs before disappearing, his form dissolving like the sinuous strands of smoke after a candle is blown out.

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Let me know what you’re reading, watching, or listening to! I’ve been searching for new music to fall in love with, so please pass along any suggestions. (Anything that makes me feel like Chappell Roan’s “HOT TO GO!” would be incredible. 💃🏻)  

Hoping you all had a beautiful August!