Annie Kapur
Bio
200K+ Reads on Vocal.
English Lecturer
đLiterature & Writing (B.A)
đFilm & Writing (M.A)
đSecondary English Education (PgDipEd) (QTS)
đBirmingham, UK
Stories (1968/0)
Book Review: "The Lighthouse Witches" by C.J Cooke
There are certain books I have read in my time that are atmospheric classics. Books such as: The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice, The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson and even Salemâs Lot by Stephen King. But, I had yet to read a book which told the atmosphere of the dark sea scenes so well within its writing. Of course, we have the scenes at sea of books such as: Moby Dick by Herman Melville in which the scenes at sea are atmospheric yes, but far more about whales than about the haunting nature of the sense of place, The Old Man and the Sea I find is a lovely example by Ernest Hemingway but still - not as haunting and brooding as I would like and finally 20â000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne which is most obviously the darkest and most brooding of the three. The Lighthouse Witches by CJ Cooke though, is a completely different thing. Whilst we have the very normal atmospheres of everywhere else, whether it be light or dark - the parts set at the lighthouse overlooking the sea seem far darker, always seem very dangerous and all of a sudden, like a wave, it rushes over you and brings you into the same feeling the characters have of impending doom.
By Annie Kapur3 years ago in Geeks
Book Review: "Major Labels" by Kelefa Sanneh
When I read books about music I normally choose autobiographies of musicians or biographies written by people well-researched and well-versed in the subject. For example: I have read the autobiography (no matter how true or false) of Bob Dylan entitled: âChroniclesâ. I have also read numerous biographies of Bob Dylan, the seminal ones including the expansive âSong and Dance Manâ by Michael Gray and the experimental but mind-blowing accounts of âFriends and Other Strangersâ by Harold Lepidus. I have read numerous biographies about Charlie Chaplin (yes, he sang to - so it counts!) and also, his heartbreaking autobiography - which seems to surpass them all. When it comes to books about people, especially musicians and actors I really do prefer to see some really extensive research going on and not for the book to look like one big Wikipedia Page. Sometimes though, this is not wholly possible and the book must be presented as a series of chaptered articles on particular subjects in order to get the message across. I have not come across many that do this in a way that is compelling until now. âMajor Labelsâ is not a âlong Wikipedia (page)â as stated by some reviewers. Instead, it is a compilation of chapters on subsections of genres of music - helping us to see the stories within stories and the meaning behind some of the greatest genres ever to be performed.
By Annie Kapur3 years ago in Geeks
Book Review: "The Morning Star" by Karl Ove Knausgaard
Everyone was talking about this book as being the next big book in literary fiction and that is not just because the hardback is absolutely massive. I had heard, before purchasing the book, many things of what to expect. Last year, I read a book that was somewhat similar in style to this one called âCity on Fireâ in which it covers a bunch of New Yorkers on New Yearsâ Eve during the 70s and goes around telling each story as they slowly converge on each other in space and time. A beautiful, thick bulk of a book, but beautiful nonetheless. I think that this book by Karl Ove Knausgaard is a bit similar in the fact that we take a group of people that seemingly have nothing in common and we give them something to have in common. As time and space converge, so do the stories and each character seems not so different from the last at all. A book dealing with the idea of togetherness in times of need, when I read this book I honestly could not stop thinking about how each character though reacting differently to a situation realises how they need to do the best thing for themselves in order to move forwards.
By Annie Kapur3 years ago in Geeks
Book Review: "Night. Sleep. Death. The Stars." by Joyce Carol Oates
When I think of Joyce Carol Oates, I normally think of the woman who wrote the dark almost folk horror novels such as âThe Corn Maiden and Other Storiesâ. I have read a bit of Joyce Carol Oates apart from that but, the following novel is really something I have never experienced by her before. When it comes to socio-political novels that deal with family dynamics as well as issues of racism, classism and police brutality - Joyce Carol Oates is probably not the author that comes to mind. Instead, authors like Toni Morrison, Harper Lee and others do. That is perfectly fine. But this novel by Joyce Carol Oates has really put her on the map as one of the great writers of the American Lifestyle novel. Examining the state of America through a small family in upstate New York is one of the joys of this book, the other is to be able to witness the interior family dynamics in comparison to the exterior social and political world. Both have an impact on each other and I think that the further you get into the story, the more you find yourself wondering how you didnât notice this book before.
By Annie Kapur3 years ago in Geeks
A Filmmaker's Guide: "Belle De Jour" (1967)
In this chapter of âthe filmmakerâs guideâ weâre actually going to be learning about literature and film together. I understand that many of you are sitting in university during difficult times and finding it increasingly hard to study and I understand that many of you who are not at university or not planning on it are possibly stuck of what to do, need a break or even need to catch up on learning film before you get to the next level. This guide will be brief but will also contain: new vocabulary, concepts and theories, films to watch and we will be exploring something taboo until now in the âfilmmakerâs guideâ - academia (abyss opens). Each article will explore a different concept of film, philosophy, literature or bibliography/filmography etc. in order to give you something new to learn each time we see each other. You can use some of the words amongst family and friends to sound clever or you can get back to me (email in bio) and tell me how youâre doing. So, strap in and prepare for the filmmakerâs guide to film studies because it is going to be one wild ride.
By Annie Kapur3 years ago in Geeks
Disturbing the Peace
The warmth of spring was really no warmth at all when the sale sign on the house across the street from me came down. Iâm a rational man, I go to work, once a week I go to church and then after all of that, I come home in the evening to my two-bedroom house - a small affair big enough for me and a guest - to lie down and sleep. I felt myself compelled to see who was moving in across the way and so, I got out a set of binoculars - I will have to inform you about my deteriorating eyesight, it is not what it used to be. I waited all day on my day off for that van to arrive moving the new people into that large, gothic piece of architecture fit for a family of four. But nobody arrived. Not a single person went in or out on that day. I waited the next day and the next but there was still no sight of a family. Then, one day I came home after work and church to find the lights were on in the house opposite. Now this was strange because our town is a quiet little town. It was ten at night as well. Lights normally go off all across town by nine with only the street lights staying on for safety reasons. I didnât see anyone new at church and I hadnât seen any vans or cars pull in or out of the driveway recently. But, alas, I had been at work all day - working on renovating the church to its former glory. Whatever was inside was going to have to wait until the next morning - but I swear on my life, I could not believe my eyes when I saw it.
By Annie Kapur3 years ago in Fiction
Book Review: "Ghostland" by Edward Parnell
October is the time for ghost stories and Halloween tales and I always get into the spirit by trying to read something that is a bit different once in a while. Not just the MR James ghost stories or the Edgar Allan Poe, Shirley Jackson or Stephen King. I like to see new stuff that challenges what we understand to be horror fiction and ghost stories. Last year, I read a book called âThe Monster Showâ which is a book about Hollywood Monsters and the way in which Horror Film was made from the early ages of Hollywood all the way down to the 90s and onwards. The year before that, I really enjoyed the workings of the movie tie-in book âThe Wicker Manâ by Anthony Shaffer and Robin Hardy. So we can definitely tell that during the October season of spooks and ghosts, I like to delve deeply into different ideas concerning the genre, looking at different subgenres such as: speculative fiction, sci-fi horror and of course my favourite, folk horror. When it comes to Edward Parnellâs âGhostlandâ, I was very excited to see this newer, more critical and more biographical take on the genre rather than simply focusing on the essence of horror fiction. It was a wildly interesting read filled with beautiful passages and an amazing plot line.
By Annie Kapur3 years ago in Geeks
5 Beautiful Passages from Books
Books are filled with beauty. From short story anthologies and poetry anthologies all the way through the longest novels ever written. There is normally something that we can find that is beautiful to us. Maybe it is a character, or a theme, or something we relate to. But in this article, I want to show you how beautiful language can be and how beautifully novels can be written.
By Annie Kapur3 years ago in Geeks
- Top Story - October 2021
20 Books That Terrified MeTop Story - October 2021
Halloween is my favourite season not just because everything is scary and dark, but also because of the flavours. These include: ginger, pumpkin, dark chocolate, almond, apple and so many more. They are such delicious flavours and you can eat them warm. But in reality, everything is still scary and dark.
By Annie Kapur3 years ago in Horror
Book Review: "Most Secret" by Nevil Shute
I have read many books by Nevil Shute in my time and honestly, I can say that he is possibly in my top twenty favourite writers at the moment, alongside his more post-modern counterpart, Ian McEwan. Nevil Shute is probably best known for his 1950 novel âA Town Like Aliceâ and his 1957 novel âOn the Beachâ. But there are more of his novels that are worth reading than just those. I remember when I read his early 1939 novel âWhat Happened to the Corbetts?â And I was absolutely taken. I proceeded to read books like âLandfallâ and âBeyond the Black Stumpâ, âThe Far Countryâ and one of my favourites, âRequiem for a Wrenâ. The last Nevil Shute book I read before this one was âTrustee from the Toolroomâ and though that too, was just as good - I think it is safe to say that this next one I will be talking about is definitely in my top three Nevil Shute books of all time. Nevil Shute may not just be known for his ability to write so emotionally about the war times, but he is also known for making his novelsâ characters especially heartbreaking and upsetting from time to time. But wherever there is heartbreak there is also hope afterwards, and that is something I love about these books.
By Annie Kapur3 years ago in Geeks
Book Review: "Tenderness" by Alison MacLeod
I have read some pretty good books about the impact other pieces of literature have on the world and some of these include the legendary âReading Lolita in Tehranâ by Azir Nafisi all the way down to Peter Ackroydâs biography of William Shakespeare. The one thing I have always been surprised about is the constant way in which the authors reinvent the purpose of the writerâs life and works by establishing it in a different context. For example: the banned book âLolitaâ has one context, but attempting to read it in Tehran has a whole different meaning altogether. Alison MacLeod attempts to do the same for the latter works of D.H Lawrence in her seminal work: âTendernessâ. A book about the exile of an author, she attempts to piece together the character of D.H Lawrence on his way out of life whilst also showing the impact his magnum opus and downfall: âLady Chatterleyâs Loverâ had on the growing world. Especially looking at different times and places, this book is basically a testament not just to Lawrenceâs own work but to the very nature of banned books themselves, showing that when literature becomes contraband, it just becomes more widely read amongst the public who wonder exactly what it could possibly do to us. When it came to âLady Chatterleyâs Loverâ - well letâs just say there are still places where it is not entirely acceptable to be seen reading it, probably not banned but not socially accepted.
By Annie Kapur3 years ago in Geeks
Book Review: "Dreamcatcher" by Stephen King
Stephen King is one of the greatest writers ever and I for one am glad I live in a time where he is still alive. As a teen, I was pretty obsessed with reading all the Stephen King I could get my hands on because it was considered contraband. I went to a school for girls and so, as young women, we werenât supposed to be reading something as profane as Stephen King and my English Teacher was surprised when I would turn up with one of his books. I read âMiseryâ when I was a teen and so, I think that really set of the spark to read more. As you know, I didnât finish âPet Semetaryâ when I was a teen, instead only actually reading the whole thing about a few weeks ago, wondering why I never finished it. A decade ago, I was absolutely terrified of that novel - needless to say, I didnât remember that when I picked it up a few weeks ago. I read âThe Shiningâ and âThe Dreamcatcherâ. I read âSalemâs Lotâ and âCarrieâ. I read a lot of them well into my early 20s. But here I sit now about to tell you of the second time I read Stephen Kingâs âDreamcatcherâ and why it is a highly underrated book by him.
By Annie Kapur3 years ago in Horror