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 (1970/0)
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
A Filmmaker's Guide: "Love is the Devil" (1998)
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
Book Review: "The Children Act" by Ian McEwan
I have spent a lot of my time this year reading books by different authors that I personally never would have read in my teen years. For example: when I was in my mid-teens, I read Ian McEwanâs book âAtonementâ. I am not going to lie to you when I say that âAtonementâ was one of the most boring books I had ever read. It was mainly because to me, it just did not feel realistic. I stuck it in the pile with other books I could not find any realism in though they claimed to depict realism - books such as: âThe Unbearable Lightness of Beingâ. However, this year I have read so many books by Ian McEwan that eighteen year old me would be mad as hell if she saw this. I did try to read âAtonementâ again but I just think that I personally donât like that book. But books such as âThe Cement Gardenâ and âOn Chesil Beachâ have been great reads to get stuck into. Often dark and tragic with an underlying extended metaphor of some kind, I really grew to appreciate the writing of Ian McEwan and his attempts to make a very literary kind of fiction where the main factors are the emotions that we cannot articulate for they are so complex.
By Annie Kapur3 years ago in Geeks
Book Review: "Damnable Tales: A Folk Horror Anthology" ed. by Richard Wells
You all know how I feel about folk horror. You all know that I sit there on a rainy day with a cup of coffee and a glass of Soya Milk, watching âThe Wicker Manâ over and over again. You all know how I feel about everything from Daniel Kehlmannâs âTyllâ to Mikael Niemiâs âTo Cook a Bearâ. You are aware of my ramblings about the films of Ari Aster and movies like âOnibabaâ and âKwaidanâ by the Japanese. Anyways, you get it - folk horror is my all-time favourite genre of anything ever. When it comes to folk horror you need a few things to make it just right: strange belief systems, odd almost folklore characters, weird behaviours that are seen as normal to the character performing them, signs and symbols that represent some sort of repressed thought and if you want to push the barriers, pick up your copy of âThe Republicâ by Plato and toss it out of the window because everything here is a representation of something. The almost ethereal and threatening quality of a folk horror piece is what keeps it alive. The idea that something that is considered so normal by the folk performing it is actually incredibly dangerous to an outsider can be absolutely terrifying. From black magic to the black plague, from maidens to the maypole and all the way down to the very creatures that walk with them - this anthology of folk horror leaves no gaps and is illustrated brilliantly.
By Annie Kapur3 years ago in Geeks
Book Review: "We Begin at the End" by Chris Whittaker
Thrillers have gotten a bad reputation lately as being part of the âpaperback binâ of various supermarkets, failing to actually excite, some are even dismissed as âchick-flicksâ. Well, some thrillers can be written brilliantly and be great champions and contenders for classic literature such as âIn Cold Bloodâ by Truman Capote - or its 21st century equivalent: âThe Brothersâ by Masha Gessen. But, I wager that there are thrillers out there that are not only contenders for classic literature but present to us what the real meaning of âthrillerâ actually is. It is a book that not only excites the emotions, but a book that also causes unparalleled tension and a book that can let us pour out our emotions as well as a book that defies our predictions. It is a book which has absolutely every emotion that we can think of and blends all these genres together to create something chilling and sorrowful at the same time. In his book âWe Begin at the Endâ - Chris Whitaker does just this. We have in this thriller, a blend of different other genres such as: romance, horror and drama in order to create the world in which the âthrillingâ aspect inhabits. Letâs take a look at what exactly this book is about thenâŚ
By Annie Kapur3 years ago in Geeks
Book Review: "In the Night Wood" by Dale Bailey
When it comes to atmospheric horror and ghost stories, the most iconic ones have already been written. For example: the stories of MR James and Mary Elizabeth Braddon, all the way down to stories by Shirley Jackson and Stephen King. However, there is still room for the classic ghost story yet. Given the fact that Susan Hill succeeded with her âThe Woman in Blackâ and, with my personal favourite book by her - âThe Man in the Pictureâ, we can see that there is not only room for ghost stories, but there is also a massive audience for them. Ghost stories, in the season of winter, have fascinated us for decades and decades, well over a century and still, we have many more to discover. Nowadays, ghost stories seem to be making a steady comeback with the ghosts not just being old and reminiscent of a different age, but also with a horror that was previously unknown and unavailable to us. For example: âThe Haunting of Hill Houseâ by Shirley Jackson uses the house to haunt the girl rather than a physical ghost. Ghosts have been manifestations and projections as in Kate Summerscaleâs âThe Haunting of Alma Fieldingâ and have since become commonplace as the unrested spirits of people far before ourselves. In the book âIn the Night Woodâ, this is something we see yet again.
By Annie Kapur3 years ago in Geeks
Book Review: "The Haunting of Alma Fielding" by Kate Summerscale
Over time, there have been many books about âhauntingsâ that have really peaked my interest. When I was 12, it was âThe Haunting of Hill Houseâ by Shirley Jackson mainly because the book scared me half to death. But as I read more and more about hauntings, I learned that normally they come from inside the person more than by some sort of outside force. From the books by Susan Hill such as: âThe Man in the Pictureâ and âThe Woman in Blackâ to the story âThe Shadow in the Cornerâ by Mary Elizabeth Braddon - I have read and re-read many ghost stories that I find to be interesting in their attempts to âreasonâ. By âreasonâ I mean that we are presented with a character who does not fully believe in what is going on until they encounter something incredibly raw that they cannot explain by any logic whatsoever. This leads them to investigate further and drop down the metaphorical rabbit hole into the psyche of the haunting that is happening to them.
By Annie Kapur3 years ago in Geeks
A Filmmaker's Guide: "Bicycle Thieves" (1948)
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
Book Review: "A Touch of Darkness" by Scarlett St. Clair
The trend at the moment is that Greek Mythology retellings from a more feminist perspective seem to be the rage. Honestly, I can relate - books such as: "Pandora's Jar" and "A Thousand Ships" both by Natalie Haynes are incredible. Then you have the book "Ariadne" by Jennifer Saint, based on the life of the woman abandoned by Theseus at the docks of the sea after he killed the monster, the Minotaur. There are right and wrong ways to do a retelling of a Greek Myth and so, I have given you three examples of the correct way to do it. The incorporation of a wide story from which you draw one the character-centred narrative in order to gain the most incite into their world, their happinesses and their woes. Now what I am about to show you is the wrong way to write a Greek Myth retelling. In steps "A Touch of Darkness" by Scarlett St. Clair.
By Annie Kapur3 years ago in Geeks
Book Review: "The King is Dead" by Hugh Morrison
As you probably know, I adore reading the British Library Crime Classics collection because of the way the books fit into the season. Imagine this: you are sitting under a lamp in a dimly lit room with your e-reader whilst drinking a cup of coffee, some mulled wine is on the table and itâs dark and raining outside. This is the exact time to pick up a British Library Crime Classic and get involved in a 1930s murder mystery. Last year, I had a bit of a binge of crime classic stories from this collection, reading some 20 or 30 in a row at a time. I just loved them that much. But when I finished what they had to offer in the collection, it was kind of deflating. That is, until now. The British Library are constantly releasing new books and murder mysteries of the golden age of British Crime and honestly, I can say nothing else apart from that I will definitely be trying to read all of them. Iâm not sure they are going to run out any time soon since there were many people publishing crime stories, short stories and novels in that era. So, let us now take a look at what this book is really about.
By Annie Kapur3 years ago in Geeks