American Horror Story: The Coven

THE COVEN

One of my favourite characters in a t.v series would have to be Fiona Good from ‘American Horror Story: The coven’. Jessica Lange is just amazing as the superior witch Fiona. The whole series is so empowering to women and so wickedly cool. I love the earthy bohemian witchiness of Misty, the treacherously exotic Marie Laveau and the wild wonderful red hair of peculiar Myrtle Snow. The Papa Legba character in the last episode I watched was terrifying but very enjoyable. I’ll be sad when it ends, but will continue using pinterest to fill my fix of magical witchy imagery! 
And youre in luck as some of my favourites are below!

Gemma Gary's Seals of the Four Roads

New Year

January  2014
 January has begun as it should and my new years resolutions (daily squats) have already lost their appeal. I spent midnight New Years on a bus as we journeyed to Shepherds Bush 02 for the pre-historic themed club night. Inflatable dinosaurs hanging from the balconies combined with men in dinosaur costumes dancing/djing on stage helped make us feel very prehistoric and we enjoyed the night dancing, laughing and queuing for the cloakroom. The fact we sang in the New Year on the bus made the whole evening more fun. 
I started my READING CHALLENGE on the Goodreads website (which I love) on January 1^st. So far I am on my 4^th book. This book ‘possession’ is taking me longer to read because of the long poetry sections. I don’t mind reading the poems slowly as I want to appreciate their significances. The book is riveting and combines my interests of poetry, history and fiction. 
 After seeing  ‘The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug’ at the cinema, I finally got round to actually reading ‘the Hobbit’. Everyone always says they have read ‘The Hobbit’ and it was something I’d been meaning to do for a while. The film gave me that final push, as I loved it so much and was left so disgruntled when it finished. I wanted more MORE! So I got more by reading the book and felt satisfied with discovering the ending ect. Though the film did have its flaws, (at times the characters felt very computer generated) the whole lord of the rings world is so appealing to me and is the only real fantasy franchise I truly enjoy.

Book 2 was by Elizabeth Wurtzel who is probably my favourite writer. I loved her first book ‘Prozac Nation’, it is one that has never actually left my mind and ‘Bitch: in praise of difficult women’ was very relevant to me when I was writing my dissertation on women and aging so loved that too. This book ‘More, Now, Again’ was just as sharp, desperate and confessional. I love her style and her accounts of despair and self-destruction, I love everything she writes.

The Golden Rose

I just love this painting by Donato Giancola

The Little Friend- Book Review

THE LITTLE FRIEND

By Donna Tartt

Yesterday I finished my second Donna Tartt book, ‘The little friend’. This book made a great read and I would've rated it higher, only the ending left me feeling a bit let down. Tartt's writing takes me easily to a place and time that consists of Mississippi heat, chattering old ladies and a sadness that lingers after a child’s death years ago. The rich, captivating writing quickly summoned me into the characters worlds in the same way Tartt did in her first novel ‘The Secret History’. However, with ‘The secret history’ I knew where the book was heading. I didn’t know how it would end, but I felt the build up throughout and eventually when the climax reached its height. With ‘The little friend’ I thought I knew where the book was headed but instead of a climax, I was brought down and left perplexed; was the crime not to be solved after all? I read a lot of reviews on Goodreads and it could be argued I missed the actual point of the book. Though the book expresses itself as a murder mystery/thriller, the actual crime that takes place is not the issue to be resolved. I found this very hard to get my head around because when a book opens with a murder and unfolds itself as subject waiting to be resolved, naturally I want a resolve by the ending. Actually I was reminded of the recent film ‘Prisoners’ when reading this book. Firstly because of the horrific subject of child abuse/murder and secondly because of the sequences involving snakes. Both film and book left me in a very similar resolve and though I enjoyed them, I felt unsure where to place my emotions (which is rare for me). Am I being challenged in a new way because I am watching/reading new types of thrillers? Or is the nature of these books and films to feel numb by the finish? I will read Donna Tartt’s ‘The Goldfinch’ because though ‘The little friend’ disappointed me a little, I still felt very connected to the narratives and characters. There were some beautiful sequences, particularly those involving Harriet and her quest to become like the Great Houdini. Whilst training to hold her breath for 3 minutes, Harriet embarked on a fantastic vision/hallucination that took her body from conscious space to bizarre theatre hall with animal audiences and magician illusionist. The main aspects of character and human behaviour were explored in a plentiful way that contrasted noise with silence. A chorus of sound was conveyed through the warmth and fussiness of the aunts and the constant hum of Ida Rhew. This was then met with an extended interval of silence that found Harriet bleakly alone with her own thoughts in a silent house. Everything constant about the house slowly glided away until only a drifting mother remained, like a ghost in her sadness. I can only guess that the ending felt the way it did, because it was mimicking the unresolved feelings and limp emotions an unexplained death will bring. Like Harriet, we are left in the same indefinite void.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

3 Days in Dublin

 My mum and I spent 3 lovely days in Dublin in October. For mum, she was returning home. 

For me, a place I had spent many summers as a child. Only now, I was fully able to appreciate the charm and beauty of  Dublin city and the people who inhabit it.  

Ireland has a certain magic, rooted in its legends and tales. A certain quality of the delightfully odd and eccentric .... in Ireland you get a feeling anything could happen! 

Valley of the Dolls

Valley of the Dolls

This book is still relevant in 2013, wonderfully scandalous and incredibly theatrical.
I'm always interested in books that give insight into woman's affairs, especially ones
that date back, and I can imagine how extravagant this book was percieved when it
was released in the 60's. Scandelous, yes, but also incredibly insightful, considering
Susann herself had been in the movie industry. Told from the point of view of three
beautiful women living in New York, you get a real insight into the bitchy,
glamorous and often tragic life of movie stars and women. A woman must chose
to sacrifice her integrity and morals for the money and fame, or try to stay grounded.

Staying grounded however, proves harder than one would think.
 Slick, savvy and an enjoyable read

Grouse Mountain

 I visited Grouse Mountain and took loads of wonderful photos which I have yet to upload on here! I did several drawings of the day I'd had and only recently did I finish painting one of them. I like the finished piece alot because it reminds me of the lumberjack show and how funny yet impressive that show was. With me being English also, Ive never seen a lumberjack show so the whole event felt very Canadian! Photos of the bears and bird show to follow soon!

Marky

I lost someone very special... 

but she has remained in my heart and dreams and recently I tried to make an illustration of this darling woman. The drawing did not turn out how I was imagining. Really, it was impossible to capture the magic of her smile and the cluttered but brilliant kitchen. I tried and in some ways its nice because this picture reminds me of some of the things I miss. But I will try again and hope I can keep her memory alive with such illustrations xxx