Favorite Seasonal Items

It's beginning to look a lot like Halloween -- all around this blog. And since we know Halloween is over, here's some of my favorite December stuff. My "religious" calendar is not easily categorized (that's all I'll say); however, I do enjoy the sights, scents, flavors and overall merriment which is December. And yes, I also do like fruitcake - if it's my mother's recipe. Go ahead and laugh; you're just jealous YOU can't have a slice of it with a dab of fresh butter. >:-p And creamy dreamy homemade eggnog; such a delight. No rum. No liquor shall touch my delicious eggnog! Not that I'm against an occasional mixed drink, it's just that eggnog must remain pure and undefiled. ;-) I've included a photo of Orange Drop Cookies (with orange frosting). They are tender cake-like cookies, fabulously delicious; I've not yet known one person who disliked Orange Drop Cookies (in fact I've known of people *fighting* over them). Have a good season everyone!

The cover I've wanted!

This was scanned by Absinthe of the now-gone (and still very much missed) "Gloomy Sunday" blog. It was her copy of course, and I've hoped to obtain one of my own, but apparently there are very few "out there". Before she unexpectantly pulled the plug on her blog last year, Absinthe offered to let me copy and use her scans; at the time of course I had no idea she was about to cease blogging. :-\ So, on the off-chance you're reading this Absinthe: Thanks again. It's my absolute favorite cover. I've found the novel itself locally (different edition/publisher), and later placed an order for what I thought was THIS edition with THIS cover. Alas it turns out I ordered (and paid S & H) for the same edition as I already had (its cover is pathetic).
What's this cute chubby kitten doing on Garnet Night? Yours truly is in a slightly foul mood this a.m.; something furry and adorable to look at might help restore the merries.

The Witches of Windlake, by Miriam Lynch

Late '60s, IIRC. Another bomb by Miriam Lynch (I'm beginning to wonder if "The Bells of Widow's Bay" was an exception for her??). This is another Gothic I set aside after roughly 50 pages (if that) into it. The cover art was obtained via FantasticFiction.uk. It is one of the more beautifully sinister of covers, and a pity it's a bit blurred. Deep reds and stark blacks dominate.

The story opens with a downtrodden late-teenaged heroine taking a stroll on an icy and bitterly cold late November afternoon. I was born/raised in Iowa, and that just does NOT happen. I wonder if Ms. Lynch was a native southern Californian; they seem to think people up north walk barefoot in the snow. >:-\ Anyway, the heroine's homelife is impoverished and mean. Her stepmother and half-siblings are against her, and she's seeking an afternoon away from the usual drudgery. She again comes across a nearby bleak old mansion and this time, feeling extra gutsy even if the sun is near to sinking beneath the horizon and it's the late 1800s and she has nary a lantern nor a candle on her, decides to investigate.

Turns out the menacing semi-dilapidated old house is inhabited. Initially its inhabitants aren't friendly, but she's allowed entrance. She's sized up by the master of the domain, who likes what he sees; he's a widower with an out-of-control son. Would she be willing to become the child's governess for good pay and free room/board?

The heroine readily accepts. She won't even bother returning home to inform her family. She dines with her new employers, one of whom is grandmother of the heroine's new charge. A fancy dinner is spread out in a luxurious dining room. The delicious meal starts off well enough...and then a pall descends over the hosts. Everyone picks fearfully at their plates. The heroine soon learns that witchly in-laws have been chasing down father and son; and within half an hour these 3 "grand dames" arrive and begin asserting control.

I found the storywriting stilted, and the course of events far too rushed and improbable. Maybe I'll pick it up again some time, but have no great urge to.

The Secret of Lucifer's Island, 1967 (?) by Miriam Lynch

This surprising stinker was so bad I nearly forgot I'd begun reading it months ago. Came to mind last evening. Miriam Lynch bombed this time. Ironically another novel of hers published around the same year -- "The Bells of Widow's Bay" -- was a 5 out of 5 stars imo; one of the best Gothics I've yet read.

This story falls flat from the onset. I managed to get to page 60 before putting it away. The story opens with a young (though adult) heroine reluctantly accompanying her flamboyant ex-Vaudeville aunt to visit other retired show-business "friends" on a remote island. Our heroine is exhausted after a long bus ride with her self-centered auntie, and now it's twilight and they're standing on a dock waiting for their boat ride which shows no indication of arriving. Aunt sends heroine to the local rowdy dive (beautiful young virgin to ruffian drunkards; what sort of an aunt is she?) to try and hire a boat. Heroine succeeds. In the darkness they're rudely driven across frightening choppy waters by a coarse and hostile man who curtly informs them he's NOT taking their bags to the island mansion; once they arrive at that dock, they're on their own. Aunt moans and frets; she and heroine struggle up craggy hills and through dense undergrowth and trees, through pitch-black darkness...groping their way to the mansion. When they finally arrive at the mansion (sans sprains, concussions, fractures) somehow they're both magically able to see in the dark. And it seems the mansion is desserted. But no, it's not -- a lady answers the door, who is immediately hostile and refuses to permit them entry. The heroine is nearly (understandably) ballistic by this point; turns out her dear old aunt had neglected to inform heroine she'd received no reply to a query to come visiting and took it upon herself to "party crash" the place. Her goal? To seduce and marry the wealthy retired actor who owns the island.

Everyone at the mansion are cold and UNwelcoming of their "guests."

Next we find the heroine escorted to a dingy, poorly furnished room. She learns, to her continued delight, that auntie's room is clear across the mansion. Somehow she manages to trace aunt and ex-lady friend (in a hugely sprawling and dimly lit strange mansion??); they're arguing. Heroine, not wanting to be discovered eavesdropping, hurries back to her room -- but not before she sees a ghost.

At this point I stopped reading on the basis of "too improbable" and just plain silly. Nice cover art though; got it from Ebay I think.

The Vampire Tarot : Part 2

Earlier this week I posted about this Tarot deck. I have a Tarot collection (related to Jungian psychology), but no longer do readings.

I'd purchased this gorgeous deck a week ago, but waited until the time was right to open the box: Tonight. Actually I've not yet removed the shrink wrap from the cards themselves to savor the art, and won't until the time is right.

A bit of humor: The box lid is difficult to remove from the box itself. It is a very snug fit and it occurred to me if an actual vampire had this much trouble lifting a coffin lid, s/he'd have suffocated already - lol!

Tucked inside the black gem of a box is the shrink-wrapped deck of cards, snug in a recessed compartment; above and covering the cards is a beautiful soft-cover book which design matches the box lid's exterior. It is 227 pages and filled not only with an overview of Bram Stoker's "Dracula," but also a history of the Tarot and then a general (though concise) history of vampirism in Europe.

If you've ever wondered why vampire legends abounded in Eastern Europe versus Western Europe (I vaguely have but never pursued it), I came across an interesting bit of history in the book: After "The Great Schism" of 1054 (the split of the eastern Greek Church and western Roman Catholic), the Greek Church continued its belief in vampires, i.e. that an uncorrupted corpse was a sign of an evildoer whom sacred ground had rejected. The RC Church held a radically different view: Uncorrupted corpses were a sure sign of a saint. Also (going further back in time), during Charlemagne's reign (800 - 814 AD) the RC Church forbade belief in vampires. However, once the Inquisition geared up centuries later...you know the rest: "Everyone's a heretic" -- including the now very real vampire.
:-\

I am very much looking forward to reading the **treasure trove** of historical information in the book!

Another humorous note: While browsing through the short section on Tarot history and black/white reproduced images of standard (other deck) Trumps, I thought I read "Lemonade." :-O Huh?! No, it is "Le Monde": French for "The World" of course.
:-p

Coffin Candle Tins from AntiSally

And other goodies!

Okay, I know it's probably not Goth to say "Oh, aren't those CUTE?" But yeah: Those coffin candle tins are *adorable.* :-D

***Introduction Priced at $3.99:

Coffin Candle Tins. Each 2" metal coffin tin filled with 100% natural soy wax in your choice of GothRosary Fragrances and a pure cotton wick. The perfect spa candle for those personal inventory days. A great over the hill gift or the best way to tell your Goth that you love them. The empty tin is a lovely keepsake box for pocket or purse...***

I've done business with AntiSally before and highly recommend her at: GothRosary.com. She makes all sorts of cool stuff, including a private Goth item I particularly cherish. Will do business with her again soon (and no, she's not aware that I'm promoting her and doesn't know about this blog).

Gothic Tarot of Vampires

Mmmm...I'd like that gorgeous vampire to bite me! ;-p If memory serves, this Tarot was manufactured in the mid-1990s. It is still being manufactured last I knew, though my years-old deck is stashed safely away. Unfortunately my favorite cards in the deck (a vampire hanging upside down and somehow magically toasting another standing on the floor [the wine in his chalice held by reverse gravity apparently], and also the sensuous embrace of a vampire and vampiress) are not available online.

It is a somewhat violent and disturbing deck of cards; a sort of fierce beauty I often don't like. It's also a strange cocktail of European sophistication, Detroit gritty city, "The Crow"-esque: Sometimes sauve and elegant, other times back-alley and grimy. I can't think of a single adjective to describe it. The inclusion of Japanese dwarf trees (of all things!) in a couple of cards is outright outlandish. It's a busy deck with a hodge-podge of semi-related images. Frankly I sometimes think it's the stupidest deck ever, yet...it does all come together somehow.

More information:

http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/gothic-vampires/details.shtml