intertextu[allie]ties | issue 3

what I read, watched, and listened to in september 2024 (plus a mood board for my novel-in-progress!)

Note: This issue is a bit on the longer side, so it’s possible it will be cut off if you’re reading the email version. Should you reach a point of truncation, simply click “View entire message” and you’ll be able to see the rest of the post.

hello, dear reader.

September is typically my favourite month, feeling more like a new beginning than January ever has, but this year I’m afraid it came up a bit short.

You see, this newsletter was supposed to be written and sent aboard our long-awaited honeymoon cruise around Japan, but alas! The will-they-won’t-they of the potential Air Canada pilot strike led Michael and I to discover that our “all-inclusive” travel insurance would not cover labour disruptions, meaning we would have lost the money we invested in our cruise if our flight was cancelled due to a strike. In the end, we decided to play it safe and push our trip to next year. Although Air Canada reached a tentative deal with its pilots two days after we effectively rescheduled everything, we’re at peace with the fact that we made the best call we could with the information we had at the time.

Oh, yes. I also spent two weeks earlier this month sick in bed with COVID. Sigh!

Flecks of gold nevertheless managed to peek through the blue. Michael and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary and continued to settle into our new home. I also found comfort in plenty of books, movies, television, and music – like a super-dee-duper ✨🍂 fall vibes 🍂✨ playlist and a steamy romance novella that’s The Idea of You meets Scandal. Read on for a round-up of my September recommendations!

✍️ Allie

Some of the books, movies, and television that kept me company this month!

All reviews are out of five stars.  

This month, I read 3 books:

1. Good Material by Dolly Alderton | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 | Yet another audiobook read! This one was a standout thanks to the narration prowess of Arthur Darvill and Vanessa Kirby. Truly fantastic voice acting performances from the pair of them! I am also now officially on the Dolly Alderton train. This 2023 novel is a thoughtful and moving post-mortem on a modern relationship. When Jen, the love of Andy’s life, breaks up with him after four years together, he is devastated. In his heartbreak, Andy goes into a tailspin as he tries to understand why she ended things. The final gut-punch of Jen’s side of the story is a masterstroke.

2. Big Fan by Alexandra Romanoff | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | This novella is hot right now – and for good reason! It’s a quick read, but packed full of everything that makes a good love story click: characters that feel human, connection and chemistry built through conversation, and conflict that realistically keeps the main couple apart (until their happily ever after, of course). Political consultant Maya has helped candidates ascend to the White House, but her track record isn’t enough to distract from her recent ex-husband’s sex scandal. Enter Charlie Blake: the lead singer of the boy band who once starred in Maya’s teenage dreams. He's staging a comeback and is looking to Maya for help. Can Maya save her career by keeping things professional with Charlie? It would be a lot easier if he wasn’t so gorgeous and charming and… into her?

3. Enlightenment by Sarah Perry |⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 | The Essex Serpent is one of my favourite books of the last decade. Ever since, I’ve considered Sarah Perry an “immediate read” author. Her Victorian sensibilities manifest in gorgeously labyrinthine prose and existential musings on the thin line between faith and science that appeal to me on an inexplicable level. Set over the course of twenty years, Enlightenment follows two unlikely friends, Thomas Hart and Grace Macauley, as they attempt to solve the mystery of a vanished nineteenth-century astronomer who may still be haunting them. It lost me a bit in the final act since one of the main two characters became increasingly insufferable (hint: it’s not Thomas), but if you’re happy to set aside plot for vibes, then this is for you.

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.  

This month, I watched 11 movies (an asterisk indicates a rewatch):

1. Amadeus (1984)* | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | Full review.

2. Titanic (1997)* | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | Full review.

3. Hit Man (2023) | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 | Full review.

4. WALL-E (2008)* | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 | Full review.

5. Batman Returns (1992)* | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | Full review.

6. Hard Target (1993) | ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 | Full review.

7. Contagion (2011) | ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 | Full review.

8. It Ends with Us (2024) | ⭐️⭐️ | Full review.

9. Transformers (2007) | ⭐️⭐️ | Full review.

10. Pearl Harbor (2001)* | ⭐️.5 | Full review.

11. Bats (1999) | ⭐️ | Full review.

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I also finished a few seasons of television this month:

1. Love Is Blind UK – Season 1 | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | Michael and I are big fans of the infamously shady Love Is Blind franchise. It brings us together, sparks interesting conversations, and makes us appreciate our relationship so much in comparison. (But I digress!) This latest season set in the UK was a breath of fresh air and so different from the original US version. The contestants were slightly older (thirtysomethings rather than twentysomethings), which resulted in more mature conflicts that were fascinating to watch. Be forewarned: the reunion is shocking!

2. Girls5Eva – Season 1 | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | I love Sara Bareilles and Renée Elise Goldsberry, so I’ve been meaning to watch this one for a while. The first few episodes were a bit slow and cringey, but the show grew on me as it went along. Some of their throwback songs are genuinely funny and the satirical look at 90s pop culture is surprisingly sharp. The guest star appearances from Bowen Yang and Andrew Rannells are also delightful.

3. Industry – Season 1 | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | Started this one because I’ve heard incredible things about its third and latest season (I believe the finale just aired last night). It’s not a confident three stars for me because I found the first half of the season stronger than the second, but the last episode managed to stick the landing. I do not care for a single character in this, which makes it hard to wholeheartedly embrace; however, I was never bored watching, which isn’t something I can say about a lot of television right now. So, here’s hoping it’s an upward trajectory from here! On to season two.

When I rediscover something I made years ago that brings me joy now, I always think of it as a gift from my past self to my present self. This month, I’ve been listening to my “autumnal equinox” playlist on Spotify that I put together back in 2020. It’s three and a half hours of dreamy, folksy acoustic meant to conjure up cozy fall days backlit by amber sunshine. I hope it feels like the warm hug of your favourite sweater. 🍁

Guess who didn’t do any creative writing this month? This girl. In many ways, the post-COVID fatigue and brain fog have wreaked havoc with my ability to string words together, but I intend to pick up my pen again in October. Until then, please enjoy this mood board I created for my novel-in-progress. Here’s a taste:

This is how my novel-in-progress is supposed to feel.

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Let me know what you’re reading, watching, or listening to! I’d be particularly interested to know if anyone has any recommendations for soft Halloween movies suitable for a scaredy cat (read: me). 🐈‍⬛

Happy fall, y’all! See you in October. 🎃