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intertextu[allie]ties | issue 9
what I read, watched, and listened to in march 2025 (plus the latest aquatic additions to our family!)
hello, dear reader.
March is my birth month, which makes it my favourite! There’s just something deliciously poetic about beginning a new chapter in my life at the same time the Earth transitions into spring, shaking off its wintery frost in favour of a fresh beginning. 🌷
Despite an ongoing bout of the common cold, my first weeks as a thirty-three-year-old have been splendid. I received a new full manuscript request from a literary agent; Michael and I began a little home improvement project together; and I celebrated my birthday surrounded by friends and family who gathered in our home for an all-day Disney movie marathon.
I also filled this month with lots of great books, movies, television, and music – like a red-hot read I can only describe as Wuthering Heights on ice and a fiddle-forward new single from Chappell Roan. Read on for my March recommendations!
✍️ Allie
All reviews are out of five stars.
A Court of Wings and Ruin (699 pages) by Sarah J. Maas | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | After devouring the first and second ACOTAR books in February, I tore through the third instalment this month. Picking up from where A Court of Mist and Fury ended in a stunning cliffhanger, Feyre is now a double agent. Separated from her true love, she must hide her heart’s allegiance and navigate the politics of a rival court to take it down from the inside. What follows is an ambitious chronicle of the ties that bind and break between friends, family, and lovers as their world’s fragile peace is shattered and the kingdom of Prythian is plunged into war. While A Court of Wings and Ruin was a tiny bit of a letdown from the dizzying heights of its predecessor, the epic love story that captured me so fully taking a backseat to the developing conflict in this one, I was still swept up in the action of it all. That said, even though I know the series continues, this felt like a comfortable endpoint for me – at least, for now.
The Favorites (448 pages) by Layne Fargo | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | Wuthering Heights! On ice! Need I say more? Released in January of this year, The Favorites tells the story of famed figure skating team, Kat Shaw and Heath Rocha, whose unwieldy chemistry on and off the ice catapulted them all the way to the Olympics – but also fuelled the forces behind their downfall. And now, ten years after the incident that shocked the world and put an end to their partnership, a tell-all documentary promising to reveal the real story airs. Following in the footsteps of Cathy and Heathcliff, literature’s favourite toxic couple, Kat and Heath’s obsession with one another is only heightened in this modern retelling by its new setting: the cutthroat world of ice dancing. As someone who has rewatched Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir’s Moulin Rouge! routine more times than I can possibly count, this book was practically tailor-made for me. And it delivered in spades! Pick this up and I guarantee you’ll be hooked.
All reviews are out of five stars. Rewatches are indicated by an asterisk (*).
My Disney movie marathon birthday celebration consisted of an eight-movie line-up, which directly correlates to the high number of films I watched this month. Still, there were a few new releases like Black Bag (still in theatres) and Companion (available to rent) that delighted me with their compact run times and smart scripts! 🎬
Beauty and the Beast (1991)* | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | Full review.
Lilo & Stitch (2002)* | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | Full review.
Mulan (1998)* | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | Full review.
84 Charing Cross Road (1987) | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 | Full review.
Aladdin (1992)* | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 | Full review.
Black Bag (2025) | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 | Full review.
Companion (2025) | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 | Full review.
Tarzan (1999)* | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 | Full review.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)* | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 | Full review.
Shadow of a Doubt (1943) | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 | Full review.
Last Breath (2019) | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | Full review.
Lisa Frankenstein (2024) | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | Full review.
Your Friend, Nate Bargatze (2024) | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | Full review.
Nate Bargatze: The Tennessee Kid (2019) | ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 | Full review.
Sleeping Beauty (1959)* | ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 | Full review.
The Princess and the Frog (2009)* | ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 | Full review.
Last Breath (2025) | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | Full review.
Pocahontas (1995)* | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | Full review.
Mickey 17 (2025) | ⭐️⭐️.5 | Full review.
September 5 (2024) | ⭐️⭐️.5 | Full review.
The Accountant (2016) | ⭐️⭐️ | Full review.
The Philadelphia Story (1940) | ⭐️⭐️ | Full review.
In the world of television, Michael and I crushed the first season of the weird and wonderful What We Do in the Shadows (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️), a mockumentary-style sitcom inspired by the 2014 film of the same name. The show follows the absurd antics of four centuries-old vampire roommates who live on modern-day Staten Island. Each twenty-minute episode is a slice of silliness elevated by outstanding performances! We are currently obsessed with Laszlo Cravensworth as played by Matt Berry and the ridiculous way he pronounces things.
Lady Gaga’s newest album, Mayhem, came out on March 7 and has been the soundtrack of this past month. Going off the two singles leading up to its release, the rest of the record initially surprised me with its lighter, funkier tone but, after a few listens, the whole has cohered into a no-skips album that’s had me dancing around the house for weeks.
My personal highlights include: 🐍 “Garden of Eden” (I cannot wait to see this lip-synced on a future season of Drag Race); 🌫️ “Vanish Into You” (a friend has already said she’s excited to roller skate to this one and I couldn’t agree more); 🧟♂️ “Zombieboy” (that bridge is pure serotonin); and 🫀 “LoveDrug” (my instant and unshakable favourite).
The only other song that’s managed to slip into my steady Gaga rotation is Chappell Roan’s new single, “The Giver.” It’s giving sapphic Shania Twain and is an absolute joy! This is going to be blaring through the open window of every passing car this summer. Guaranteed.☀️
My husband is a skilled aquarist (someone who enjoys maintaining aquariums and caring for aquatic animals) and he recently started a three-gallon cherry shrimp tank in our home. 🦐 I thought I would introduce the latest additions to our household!
💙 Jean-Prawn | A beautiful midnight blue , Jean-Prawn (or J-P for short) is a shy boy who likes to hide amidst the moss.
🧡 Shrimpina | Bright orange with a white stripe, Shrimpina loves being admired. She often strikes a pose on the various plants inside the tank.
🩷 Elizabeth | Pinkish brown in colour, Elizabeth is our heartiest shrimp. She is a very social girl who is often out and about.
🤍 Phantom | A “ghost” shrimp, Phantom is translucent and hard to spot. He likes perching on the heater and his favourite food is algae.
🤎 Mr. Fudge | A rich chocolate brown, Mr. Fudge is the latest addition to the tank. His defining traits remain to be discovered.
April is just around the corner and it’s gearing up to be a busy month full of birthdays, hosting friends, and a family trip! But there will always be room for books, movies, television, and music. What are you reading, watching, or listening to these days? Let me know in the comments. 👇🏻