Friday, 8 October 2021

31 Days of Halloween: Day 7


And it's another day of Halloween! Back to being a bit more low-key, with just a story and a tea. Still spooky though.

Today's Story



Today's story was 'The Withered Arm' by Thomas Hardy. Aka 'If Tess of the D'Urbervilles had lived' (spoiler alert: she wouldn't have been happy).

Today's Tea





Today's tea was Sailor's Brew from Flying Fish. Okay, a sailor isn't very Halloweeny, but look at that picture and tell me it's not Cthulhu dressed for a day's work at the bank. This is just a really nice Assam tea, and it's the one so far I'd definitely drink all year round.

Thursday, 7 October 2021

31 Days of Halloween: Day 6


My Halloween month continues! (And yes... I know this post is a day late, but I've had a busy week of non-Halloween things as well, so I'm just catching up!)

John Carpenter's Village of the Damned



We decided on a random film on the Horror channel tonight... and it was a good 'un! I haven't seen John Carpenter's 1995 version of Village of the Damned for ages. It's got Christopher Reeve! And Kirstie Allie! But it also poses the question... where are the kids getting those creepy little outfits from? Are their 'parents' dressing them like that? Or is there a specialist clothes shop in Midwich? (As a side note, I really want to reread The Midwich Cuckoos now. And The Chrysalids too come to think of it.)

Today's Story



Today's story was 'The Hand' by Guy de Maupassant. It's a relatively short one, and it's creepy rather than horrifying. Vendetta!

Today's Tea





Today's tea was Berry Lugosi's Dead from Tenacious Tea - definitely the most awesome packaging so far, and the fruitiest tea! As the packaging promised, it is very much a blood red infusion as well.

Wednesday, 6 October 2021

31 Days of Halloween: Day 5


Continuing with my Halloween month, and I did a few seasonal things today that I definitely think I can count as Halloween celebrations.

The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix



My tram reading this week is Grady Hendrix's The Final Girl Support Group. I didn't have a massive distance to travel today, so I only read the first three chapters (I love the chapter numbering so far, by the way). Let's see how this one works out...

Dead of Night



This week, we're doing horror cinema with the second year students. Today's film was one of my all-time favourites - the 1945 anthology horror film, Dead of Night. I had a really lively and fun seminar with my students this afternoon. I don't have any Hugo Fitch earrings so I accessorized my teaching with my new Billy the Puppet earrings from idlehandsx on Etsy.


Pumpkin Spice Latte



This seems to be the go-to drink for Halloween month, so I thought I should give it a try. I had my first ever pumpkin spice latte today! Not gonna lie, I'm pretty sure it'll be my last pumpkin spice latte as well. That is not a nice drink at all.

Today's Story



Today's story was 'An Episode of the Terror' by Honoré de Balzac. Earnest, but suspenseful, but more political commentary than straightforward horror.

Today's Tea





Today's tea was Spiced Winter Red Tea from teapigs. Technically, I think it's one of their Christmas teas... but I just thought the snowman was kinda creepy.

Tuesday, 5 October 2021

31 Days of Halloween: Day 4


And it's another day of Halloween for me! Not a lot of spooky stuff going on today (as I was mostly teaching and in meetings), but I still have my horror story-a-day and Halloween tea to celebrate the season!

Today's Story



Today's story was 'The Torture of Hope' by Villiers de l'Isle Adam. A grim little tale that makes the Poe stories that preceded it seem rather jolly (vanilla even, lol).

Today's Tea





Today's tea was Gingerbread Chai by Bird and Blend Tea Co. Wow - that's a gingerbread-tastic tea. Bit of a kick to it as well.

Sunday, 3 October 2021

31 Days of Halloween: Day 3



Carrying on with my daily Halloween stories and teas. Today was another full-on work day so I didn't get chance to do any other Halloween stuff. I did do a litter-pick in Crumpsall Park this morning, and so I saw some pretty cool autumnal stuff. I think one of the things I spotted has a bit of a Halloween vibe to it, so I'm counting it!

Fairy-Tale Mushroom



The litter-pick might not have been a Halloween event, but I think this awesome mushroom has a Samhain feel to it.

Today's Story



Today's story was 'The Premature Burial' by Edgar Allan Poe, concluding the Poe triptych that kicks off this collection.

Today's Tea







Given the first three stories in the collection, it seems fitting that today's tea was Edgar Allan Poe from The Literary Tea Company. Quaff this vanilla Ceylon tea and forget your lost Lenore! A little lighter and more delicate than I was expecting, but rather nice. And who knew Poe would taste of vanilla?

Saturday, 2 October 2021

31 Days of Halloween: Day 2


It's the second day of my Halloween month celebrations. I did have quite a lot of work to do today so I haven't done any actual Halloween activities yet, but I've still enjoyed a horror story and a Halloween-themed tea.

Today's Story



Today's story was 'The Tell-Tale Heart' by Edgar Allan Poe. The collection is a bit Poe-heavy to begin with, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Today's Tea





Today's tea was Woodcutter's House from The Tea Crew (based in Littleborough so near enough local). I know I had an apple tea yesterday, but this one is a baked apple herbal tea so a bit different. And okay, a woodcutter's house isn't Halloween-y in itself, but I'm obviously imagining a forest and a big bad wolf with this one.

Stories to be Read with the Lights On 8: No Loose Ends by Miriam Allen deFord


The next story is 'No Loose Ends' by Miriam Allen deFord. And it's a bit of a different experience to the previous story... I remembered this one straightaway. It actually feels like I read this story more recently than the others, but I don't know where or when I might have done so.


deFord's story is about a gang of criminals who are hired of 'get rid' of a woman's husband. They're not a particularly close-knit gang, so you have a feeling from the start that the title might be ironic. When the woman's husband makes his appearance, there's a little hint as to how the story will transpire. As soon as I reread it, I remembered the ending quite clearly.

With the best will in the world, this isn't the most mind-blowing story ever (although it's perfectly enjoyable). So I'm wondering why it's stuck in my head more clearly than some of the others. Either I've read this story more recently in another anthology or 'No Loose Ends' is just way more memorable than it appears.

đŸ „Previous Story

Stories to be Read with the Lights On 7: Three Ways to Rob a Bank by Harold R. Daniels


I am a bit behind with this, as I haven't really been keeping on top of the 'story-a-day' thing. I'm going to try and read a couple more stories today though. After the giddy nostalgia of 'The Landlady', I have to admit I'm back to 'this isn't ringing any bells' with the opening of Daniels's story.


Ah... partway through this one started coming back to me. I had a glimpse of a memory, and I realized I might be remembering where this one's going... And then I definitely remembered the second half of this one, and the big reveal at the end was familiar. Of course, that might be because the ending is kinda predictable so it's easy to see it coming even if you haven't read the story before! Nevertheless, it's a decent enough little tale. It's sad to think that it's dated because of its depiction of the publishing world. $300 payment for a debut short story by an unknown author? Wow!

đŸ „Previous Story

Friday, 1 October 2021

31 Days of Halloween: Day 1


After last year, I've decided to do Halloween properly this year and celebrate a little bit every day in October. I've got quite a few bigger things lined up (and a couple of costumes sorted already), but mostly I'm going to be celebrating at home in the best possible way... with horror stories and tea! I wanted to do a horror story-a-day, so imagine my delight when I found this collection from the 90s of 31 classic horror stories. Perfect!


The problem is... despite what it says on the cover, turns out there's only actually 30 stories in the book. Looks like I'll be doing a story-a-day until the 30th October then. At least I've got an incredible selection of teas to see me through the whole month!

Today's Story



Today's story was 'The Black Cat' by Edgar Allan Poe. Definitely a classic, and definitely a good way to kick off a month of Halloween.

Today's Tea





Today's tea was Monster Mash by Monster Mash Teas, a spiced apple tea I assume they came up with while they were working in the lab late one night.

My Year in Books 2021: September

Time for my monthly round-up of the books I've read for pleasure. It's not a huge post this month, but it's not the shortest one either. I've read three novels in September (aside from the ones I've read for work or review).

In case you're interested, here are my posts from earlier in the year: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August

And here are my reviews for September...

One by One by Ruth Ware (2020)


In April I read One by One by Freida McFadden, and I made a passing joke about it not being One by One by Ruth Ware (the better-known book with that title). So I decided it was time this month to catch up with the other One by One! Ware’s One by One has enjoyed a bit of comparison with Agatha Christie’s mysteries (specifically And Then There Were None – and we all know how much I enjoy reading books like And Then There Were None!). It’s very much a classic murder mystery novel with a contemporary flavour. A group of stakeholders for a tech start-up company arrive at a ski lodge in the Alps for a corporate getaway, but disaster strikes when the group are cut off by an avalanche. Worse still, one of the group is missing, presumed dead, and it’s not long before other deaths follow. Someone is picking the guests off… well… one by one. One by One is a page-turning read, and it is very enjoyable. There is a nod to Christie (one of the guests grimly intones ‘And then we were…’ after each of the deaths), but also some well-judged contemporary details relating to the start-up, its app, and social media use. The problem for me was that the killer is screamingly obvious from their first appearance (if you’re familiar with the conventions of murder mysteries) and the clues are signalled with a very heavy hand. An undeniably fun read, but a very easy mystery.

The Many by Wyl Menmuir (2016)


During lockdown, Salt had a marketing campaign to help them ride out the financial uncertainties of the pandemic. I took that opportunity to buy a small selection of their books, choosing (as I usually do) based on how intriguing the blurb looked, rather than any previous knowledge of the book or the writer. The Many is the second I’ve read from my selection. It’s a slim, but deeply atmospheric, novel set in an unnamed village somewhere on the Cornish coast. Timothy Buchannan has bought a dilapidated house, but as he attempts to renovate it and prepare for his wife’s arrival, he faces hostility, silence and confusion from the villagers. The Many is utterly absorbing, as the way Menmuir conjures a place shrouded by secrets and silence is both captivating and skilful. But there’s obviously something more to the silence and secrecy than a straightforward hostility to incomers. Something is off here, in a deeper way than it initially appears. I will admit I got an inkling early on where the book was going to go but that didn’t reduce my enjoyment of it. The Many is a beautifully written book, haunting and meditative in some places, unsettling and borderline disturbing in others. Menmuir’s pitch-perfect writing creates a sense of place that is uncanny in the true sense of the word: it defamiliarizes the familiar. I felt like I could picture the village so clearly, but at the same time it was utterly alien. This one is a recommendation from me.

The Poison Tree by Erin Kelly (2010)


I picked up this next book at a charity shop in Bakewell. I’ve read one of Kelly’s other novels, but I have to admit what really drew me to this one was its 90s setting. The story begins in the present, with narrator Karen preparing for the father of her child to move back into the family home. Although it’s initially unclear why Karen and Rex have been living separately, it’s not long before it’s revealed that Rex has been in prison. As the present day section describe how the two deal with Rex’s release, Karen reflects back on the incidents of the 1990s that led to his incarceration. It’s certainly an intriguing idea, but I’m not sure the book quite lives up to its promise. Firstly, it’s not the most original story, and it is quite predictable. Karen remembers her time at university, when she is a fish-out-of-water type, stumbling into the world of a larger-than-life brother and sister who live in a strange house that’s sort of posh and sort of shabby bohemian. As the book keeps reminding us, someone is going to die at the end of their heady summer together. It’s very Fatal Inversion, and I couldn’t shake the comparison with Vine’s novel. Secondly, it’s not really a 90s setting. Aside from a couple of references to the Spice Girls and Princess Diana, plus a chunky mobile phone or two, The Poison Tree didn’t really make much of its setting. A bit disappointing to be honest.

Review: Sandy (Peripeteia Theatre Company, GM Fringe)

Wednesday 29th September 2021
Salford Arts Theatre

The Greater Manchester Fringe ran throughout September. I’ve been reviewing shows from this year’s festival programme for this blog and for North Manchester FM. The final show I saw at this year’s Fringe was Sandy by Peripeteia Theatre Company at Salford Arts Theatre. The radio version of my review will be broadcast on this Saturday’s Hannah’s Bookshelf, but here’s the blog version…


The marketing information for Sandy was a bit circumspect, and so I went into this show with very few expectations. I knew it would be a ‘two-hander’, and I knew it would touch on the themes of femininity and womanhood. I also knew that the play would involve an inanimate object having thoughts and feelings, though I didn’t know how this would be presented on stage. Given the image of a lipstick on the play’s poster, I put all this together and came to… completely the wrong conclusion!

Written by Anna Pellegrini and directed by Adam Cachia, Sandy is a one-act play that packs a real punch. It’s no exaggeration to say that this was the hardest-hitting of the shows I saw at this year’s festival, and some scenes were pretty uncomfortable to watch. This is most definitely not a criticism – the play confounded what expectations I did have, and it’s a piece of theatre that will certainly stick with me for a while.

The play begins with a single figure, sitting with her (it does appear to be a female figure) back to the audience. She is motionless as the audience arrive, and we can see only the back of her long curly hair and a body shrouded in what looks like a hairdresser’s cape or something similar. The lights go down, and the figure on stage begins to speak, attempting to make sense of the things around her – for instance, a face is described in terms of a series of abstract shapes – and the space in which she finds herself.

The play’s opening is slow and unsettling. We have only small clues to help us parse the details that we see and hear. The figure on stage – who will eventually become known as Sandy – is played by Juliet Daalder, and her opening monologue is performed static on a chair with her body covered. There is something uncomfortable about Daalder’s performance, taking us tentatively into the uncanny valley, a place we’ll explore more as the play develops.

Now, I have seen another review of Sandy that resolutely refuses to give any spoilers about what is revealed on stage. I’ve taken the decision to be more direct in my review, partly because I’m not giving away any details that aren’t easy to find on the company’s social media, and also because I don’t think these details spoil the play. Nevertheless, I will remind you that I went into the play with uncertain expectations – if you want to have the same experience, then don’t read the rest of this review! Just take my word for it that this is an excellent piece of Fringe theatre that you should check out if you can!

So, for those of you who have stayed…

When the other performer, Hannah MacDonald, enters, the audience is able to start making sense of what they’re seeing – though this is a truly discomforting revelation. Daalder’s ‘character’ (if that’s the right term) is a sex doll. MacDonald plays an unnamed woman who has purchased the doll for her partner in an attempt to appease him and rekindle their relationship.

What follows is the promised ‘two-hander’, in which a triangle of relationships is played out through suggestion, implication and reaction. Through MacDonald’s monologues (even though she is often speaking towards Daalder’s character, it’s hard to describe this as a dialogue, as the two characters don’t always hear or respond to one another) and through her physical performance and mannerisms, we learn of the relationship this nameless woman has with her partner. The picture that’s painted is not a pretty one, and the audience intuit abuse, manipulation and the constant undermining of the woman’s self-esteem. MacDonald performs this with a brittle, almost abrasive, quality, creating a character driven as much by anger as by self-pity and sadness.

We also see Daalder’s doll’s relationship to the woman’s partner. In many ways, this is more raw than the nameless woman’s story. Told mostly in the aftermath of – shall we say? – encounters, there is a brutality to this part of the triangle that is really quite hard to watch. Daalder performs this with a powerful sense of physicality – and more on that shortly. It is because of the brutality and discomfort in these scenes that I’m loath to call her by the name given in the title. ‘Sandy’ is a name bestowed on the doll by the man (who, by the way, we don’t ever see or hear on stage). Such is the power of the scene in which this is explained that I actually feel uncomfortable calling the doll Sandy.

The third relationship presented is, in many ways, the one the audience is most invested in, and yet it is also the hardest one to understand. Much of the play’s focus is on the relationship between the nameless woman and the doll. The doll is hopeful when she’s purchased by the woman, and she imagines that they might be friends. Initially, the woman sees the doll as just that, brushing her hair and remembering the dolls she played with as a child. Each sees the other as ‘perfect’, but while this is a source of love for the doll, it becomes the site of resentment and bitterness for the woman.

At turns heart-breaking, shocking and frustrating, the woman’s relationship to the doll is what sticks in the mind after watching Sandy. Pellegrini’s script offers a really original idea, and the way in which the two characters talk at each other, rather than to each other, only very occasionally seeming to hear and understand one another, is very well-done. Cachia’s direction really adds to this, with the physical interactions between the two characters veering from intimate to detached (violent, even) in a way that is convincing but disturbing.

I have to give praise to the performances here, though. Daalder is captivating as the doll. Through her physical movement, facial expressions and speech patterns, she is a doll. As I say, this really is a trip to the uncanny valley – we know the actor is a human, but she is so doll-like at times that it’s hard to keep hold of that. One scene in particular, where the placement of Daalder’s limbs signals the aftermath of something unspoken but still somehow explicit, is particularly unsettling.

MacDonald’s performance takes us in the opposite direction. She begins as the human to Daalder’s non-human, but this binary is soon unsettled through the performance. MacDonald captures the disintegration of a personality with subtlety and depth. Neither one of the characters we see on stage can truly be called human.

As should be clear from this review, this is a strong recommendation from me! Sandy was the final play I saw at this year’s festival, but what a place to end! It’s interesting to compare it to where I started at the beginning of the month. The first play I saw was Eleanor May Blackburn’s Subdural Hematoma, a one-woman show that deals, in part, with a process of rehumanization. As I said in my review of Blackburn’s show, Subdural Hematoma includes sequences in which Blackburn deindividualizes herself through the use of a blank face mask, which I referred to as ‘uncanny’ and an ‘in between state’. I was reminded of this when I saw Sandy (and, of course, I was back at the Salford Arts Theatre, where the festival began for me), as it felt like something of a reversal. Although ostensibly Sandy presents an inanimate object with human thoughts and feelings, it’s actually a sustained exploration of dehumanization. Daalder’s doll isn’t really a person, but then neither is MacDonald’s woman.

Overall, Sandy was an exciting, thought-provoking and truly disquieting way to end this year’s Fringe festival. I don’t know if Peripeteia Theatre Company have plans to perform Sandy again elsewhere, but if you do get the chance to see it, I recommend you do so.

Sandy was on at Salford Arts Theatre on 29th and 30th September, as part of this year’s Greater Manchester Fringe. For more information about the Greater Manchester Fringe, please visit the festival’s website.