“A good book is an event in my life.” ― Stendhal, The Red and the Black With the holidays looming, and the chances of a 'normal' Christmas looking slim, I thought it was high time to resume this blog, and what better way than with some book recommendations! Recently, I've been reading around absurdism and addiction, it's always fun to jigsaw books together into their themes. I should also warn, for the most part, these books aren't in any order whatsoever. I started with the intention of avoiding well-known books, but many have slipped in. Put any recommendations in the comments! :) Jazz-Age n ..read more

'Pomegranate' by ,Vlad Loktev “They all shared a certain coolness, a cruel, mannered charm which was not modern in the least but had the strange cold breath of the ancient world : they were magnificent creatures, such eyes, such hands, such looks - sic oculos, sic ille manus, sic ora ferebat.” Yes, yes, it has been done before, but after re-reading the book I really can't stop myself from casting what should have been the best movie of the decade. This is a book that has shaped generations of readers with its beautiful portrayal of the darkness that lurks within us. Tartt's descriptions are s ..read more

This is that moment when your reality feels altered, and uncomfortably alien. Often you're alone, or away from the crowd, and sounds start to become heavier, or there are no sounds. All your surroundings are unnaturally still, or terrifyingly fast in comparison to your own stillness. You can observe the dust particles flicking through the air, or the echoing of bright lights. This feels like something out of a film, like you're being watched, or that this moment holds significance in your life. What was meant to be a transitional scene has become a moment of piercing clarity and self-awarenes ..read more

“A good book is an event in my life.” ― Stendhal, The Red and the Black With the holidays looming, and the chances of a 'normal' Christmas looking slim, I thought it was high time to resume this blog, and what better way than with some book recommendations! Recently, I've been reading around absurdism and addiction, it's always fun to jigsaw books together into their themes. I should also warn, for the most part, these books aren't in any order whatsoever. I started with the intention of avoiding well-known books, but many have slipped in. Put any recommendations in the comments! :) Jazz-Age n ..read more

'Pomegranate' by ,Vlad Loktev “They all shared a certain coolness, a cruel, mannered charm which was not modern in the least but had the strange cold breath of the ancient world : they were magnificent creatures, such eyes, such hands, such looks - sic oculos, sic ille manus, sic ora ferebat.” Yes, yes, it has been done before, but after re-reading the book I really can't stop myself from casting what should have been the best movie of the decade. This is a book that has shaped generations of readers with its beautiful portrayal of the darkness that lurks within us. Tartt's descriptions are s ..read more

This is that moment when your reality feels altered, and uncomfortably alien. Often you're alone, or away from the crowd, and sounds start to become heavier, or there are no sounds. All your surroundings are unnaturally still, or terrifyingly fast in comparison to your own stillness. You can observe the dust particles flicking through the air, or the echoing of bright lights. This feels like something out of a film, like you're being watched, or that this moment holds significance in your life. What was meant to be a transitional scene has become a moment of piercing clarity and self-awarenes ..read more

1) The 'welcome home' cake in Coraline features a double loop on the O. Graphologically, a double loop on a lower case O means the person who wrote it is lying. As there is only one double loop, it means she is welcome but she is not home. 2) In Tarantino's 'Pulp Fiction', Mia outlines the assassins in his other film 'Kill Bill'. In fact, Tarintino has stated that many of his films exist in the same universe, where the events of 'Inglourious Basterds' lead to a desensitised, hyper-violent world. 3) For Christopher Nolan's 'Interstellar', he planted five-hundred acres of corn, specifically fo ..read more

"Do not try to live forever, you will not succeed." --George Bernard Shaw Have a firm handshake. Look people in the eye. Sing in the shower. Own a great stereo system. If in a fight, hit first and hit hard. Keep secrets. Never give up in anybody.  Miracles happen everyday. Always accept an outstretched hand. Be brave.  Even if you’re not, pretend to be.  No one can tell the difference. Whistle. Avoid sarcastic remarks. Choose your life’s mate carefully.  From this one decision will come 90 percent of all your happiness or misery. Make it a habit to do nice things for peopl ..read more

An epigraph is is a phrase or quotation that is set at the beginning of a document. As a writer, choosing a thought-provoking epigraph can act as a stimulus for your own writing, or instead, epitomize what you've already written. These are some of my favourite quotes from books I've read or referenced, that act as a lemon-slice into the minds of history's most interesting and eloquent people. Comment ones I've missed below. "The song is ended, but the melody lingers on" —Irving Berlin "I go to seek a Great Perhaps” —Francois Rabelais’ last words “If sanity and insanity exist, how shall we know ..read more

Interesting thoughts for writing blind characters Describing colours to blind people or colour-blind people can be frustrating because visuals are our first sensory resort. However a li.st user Ashley writes that “I can see just fine now, but for a while in my childhood, after a period of nothing, all I had was light and dark". Her family attempted to describe the colours she couldn't see visually, through sensory stimuli, including: Red: They had me stand outside in the sun. They told me that the heat I was feeling is red. They explained that red is the colour of a burn, from heat, embarrass ..read more