Tale of Brin and Bent and Minno Marylebone

An adult graphic novel, this curious, indeed quite strange book, was un-put-down-able. A swift read, evaporating quickly like the fate of the young character 'Minno', this other-worldy tale has a dark undertone emphasised through both imagery and the suggestion of extreme violence. The look of the characters brought to mind Dave McKean's work using manipulated photographs, although these particular images have their own fleshy deadness...

Final characters as they appear in the book

Character designs/concepts in progress

Page layout from the graphic novel

Clay head used for illustration - photographed and digitally inserted into image (below)

The Brain that Changes Itself

This fascinating book explores the discovery of neuroplasticity - that our thoughts can change the structure and function of our brains, even into old age. Packed with examples that illuminate the concepts, Dr. Norman Doidge introduces principles we can all use in daily life and explores the profound implications of the changing brain.

A refreshing look at human possibility and human nature, especially in the context of questioning the current and incredible emphasis on new technology and AI.

Quiet as a Nun - TV series

Talking of horror - I recall something genuinely affecting: as a child, this completely freaked me out - apparently it rates in the top 100 scariest TV moments...

Adapted from Antonia Fraser's Thriller of the same name, 'Quiet as a Nun'TV series

American Horror Story

After 'Breaking Bad' ends... what is one to watch?

American Horror Story (just finished Season 1) promises to fill that gap. It does have some compelling imagery/scenes/ideas, but I couldn't help thinking there were extra dollops of gratuitous violence, particularly against women (right on trend) and some 'weird' for the sake of weird.
Update: The series definitely got better as it went on, the violence evened out a bit gender-wise and I found myself keen to keep watching though the rubber suited figure did feature in a nightmare I had.