Annie Kapur
Bio
190K+ Reads on Vocal.
English Lecturer
đLiterature & Writing (B.A)
đFilm & Writing (M.A)
đSecondary English Education (PgDipEd)
đBirmingham, UK
Stories (1942/0)
Book Review: "The Adolescent" by Fyodor Dostoevsky
In my time I have read and enjoyed many works by Fyodor Dostoevsky. One of my all time favourite novels is âThe Brothers Karamazovâ which I read at about sixteen and Iâm not going to lie when I said it took me some time, but I have read it a few times since and it never fails to amaze me. I have read the brutal and yearning âCrime and Punishmentâ and his dark âNotes from Undergroundâ - I have enjoyed âThe Idiotâ and now, I have just finished a book quite different to any Dostoevsky novel I have ever read - I had never even heard of it before I started reading it. It is called âThe Adolescentâ.
By Annie Kapur3 years ago in Geeks
Book Review: "The Night She Disappeared" by Lisa Jewell
In my time, I have read an awful lot of crime and thriller novels. Being a person to shovel through the paperback bin in the WH Smith or the Asda, I have never turned away from those cheesy âchick-flickâ thrillers you find in the store for one or two pounds. I have also never turned away from an authorâs next big novel. In the case of Lisa Jewell, the first novel I read by her was âThe Family Upstairsâ and I think it was a Reese Witherspoonâs Book Club Pick but donât quote me on that. âThe Family Upstairsâ was one of those books where I thought I would never find out what was actually going on because of the way the story kept spinning around. However, with âThe Night She Disappearedâ I did not quite feel the same way. There are advantages and disadvantages to this book (but mainly advantages to be perfectly honest) and I wonât be taking away points for personal preference because that is not entirely fair. Lisa Jewellâs newest novel made me feel different, but not bad and with its very âGone Girlâ and âGirl on the Trainâ atmosphere, she is already establishing herself to be the new superpower of crime/thriller novels.
By Annie Kapur3 years ago in Geeks
- Top Story - August 2021
10 Weird Books of 2021 (so far!)Top Story - August 2021
Over the past year, I have focused on different types of reading including: folk horror, nonfiction and crime/thrillers of the Golden Age of British Crime Fiction. But, one thing that I have noticed along my reading is that there are books I would say are very 'weird' as in, I have not read anything quite like them before. The storylines shocked me, the characters enveloped me and there are tons of stuff about these books I would recommend (I'll be tagging my full reviews unless they contain spoilers) and tons of themes and symbols you can really get stuck into.
By Annie Kapur3 years ago in Geeks
Book Review: "The Casebook of Victor Frankenstein" by Peter Ackroyd
When it comes to books about Mary Shelleyâs Frankenstein that either incorporate the main themes or rework the story, there are several that stand out to me as being brilliantly written and those include things like âFrankenstein in Baghdadâ and obviously, Peter Ackroydâs brilliant thriller of âThe Casebook of Victor Frankensteinâ. When we look at Peter Ackroydâs writing one of the books we see is the great, dark and terrifying novel âDan Leno and the Limehouse Golemâ which is, in my opinion, one of his greatest achievements. About a killing spree done by the infamous âLimehouse Golemâ there is a lot of similarities in Peter Ackroydâs writing style between that book and âThe Casebook of Victor Frankensteinâ. For example: both books employ a sense of punk violence. Someone is fighting a system of rules and so, the morality question gets underway - is this person in over their head or are they just trying to break the rigid rules of society by any means necessary? When does the reader decide that this has become far too much to handle? When does the character decide that they are going to be persecuted? Peter Ackroyd is the best person at asking these questions in extreme circumstances such as: arrest, isolation and situations in which the main character is running out of options.
By Annie Kapur3 years ago in Geeks
Book Review: "Christ Stopped at Eboli" by Carlo Levi
I have read some few books about exile in my lifetime and honestly, I have never read something as harrowing as this about exile. Normally, exile is something that is almost self-sustained, the protagonist just tries to get used to it whilst they wander around. In Shakespeareâs Richard II, we see that the exile of the two men impacts one far more than the other with Thomas Mowbray asking what this sentence is but death that ârobs (him) from breathing native breathâ and Henry Bolingbroke accepting the circumstances of his exile for hurting the Kingâs feelings and disturbing the peace. In this novel though, Carlo Levi never really gets used to his exile, he seems to just go with it with each chapter offering something new and harrowing in every case. Every time something massively emotional pops up, we get these massive speeches about how religion and civilisation have stopped as if nothing of faith has ever been let into Eboli. It is a really upsetting book in my opinion and after reading it, I just had to stop for a bit because all of that was a bit much to take in at once.
By Annie Kapur3 years ago in Geeks
Book Review: "Ninety-Six: Cleveland's Story" by James A Carter
I love reading independently published literature. People who write a novel and then publish it out of the want to actually get their story out and not for the marketing deals or to make money are some of the purest forms of literature you can find. Though they are few and far between, it is always a good idea to check out the Kindle Unlimited sections of Amazon in order to find some hidden gems. Amazon has really helped me find more and more independently published people, self-published authors and books which for some reason, hardly anyone has checked out yet. I have, in my time, found a ton of great books because of Amazonâs Kindle Unlimited sections and by looking at things such as âCreateSpaceâ (an independent publishing space) and I have also managed to find things published by friends and stories by people I have met online in these spaces. Recently, I have read a story called âNinety-Six: Clevelandâs Storyâ by James A Carter which starts with a prologue explaining who Cleveland is in almost a news-like style. Then, we get the real story and go back. It is here that we see the real history behind the family represented by the most turbulent parts of modern US history.
By Annie Kapur3 years ago in Geeks
Book Review: "The Stories They Wouldn't Let Me Do on TV"
Sir Alfred Hitchcock is one of the brightest film minds of the 20th century. The proclaimed âMaster of Suspenseâ has made some pretty great films with my own personal favourites including but not limited to: âVertigoâ, âStrangers on a Trainâ, âPsychoâ, âTo Catch a Thiefâ and âRear Windowâ. Some of the most iconic cinema shots of the 20th century were filmed by this one man. These include shots such as: the plane overhead in âNorth by Northwestâ which has been parodied by other filmmakers all the way down to The Simpsons, the shower scene from âPsychoâ that was famously reshot by Janet Leighâs own daughter - the Scream Queen, Jamie Lee Curtis and even the carousel scene from âStrangers on a Trainâ which has been copied by other movies in different styles such as the anti-gravity fight scene in âInceptionâ and even again, The Simpsonâs parodied the scene on their Halloween special dedicated to âStrangers on a Trainâ and âDial M For Murderâ. It is incredible how Sir Alfred Hitchcock has had such as indelible mark on the film world, with his stuff that may not be entirely original but has possibly been used in the best way he could think of to create the most amount of suspense. When I first watched âVertigoâ (1958), I have to say that I was completely bawled over at the greatness of the film. From actors such as the amazing James Stewart, to the handsome Cary Grant, the incredible Princess Grace Kelly and the legends that are Kim Novak, Tippi Hedren and amazing acting talents of Farley Granger - Sir Alfred Hitchcock was able to create some of the most unforgettable films of the 20th century.
By Annie Kapur3 years ago in Geeks
Book Review: An Ugly Truth by Cecilia Kang and Sheera Frenkel
Facebook was something fairly new when I was younger. My very first Facebook post was âyou guys are right, this is so much better than MSN MessengerâŚâ as I was still into chatrooms and MySpace. But, back then Facebook was still a baby and everyoneâs kids were trying to use it to set up chatrooms with their friends and share pictures from my 14th birthday party (which probably still exist on that site for some reason). But, I have to admit that at the age of twenty-two - I quit Facebook and my account is now defunct. However, at almost four yearsâ later - I can still find photographs from my 14th birthday party on the internet. It was about here that I realised there may have been something wrong with the concept of Facebook. Unfortunately, I have been blissfully ignorant of the issues concerning the social media monolith and the only reason I read this book is because I saw it in a magazine. I am no longer blissfully ignorant and yet, I am now horribly aware. This is a turbulent force of wrongdoing that has been apologised for again and again and even though nothing has changed, neither has the reaction towards it until now. People are beginning to think that maybe there are things that canât have a public apology bandaid fixed over it.
By Annie Kapur3 years ago in 01
Book Review: "The Man From London" by Georges Simenon
I love reading a book by Georges Simenon every now and again. It has yet only been a year or so since I actually found out who he was and started reading his books. I have to admit, I did not really enjoy them at first and then, when I read âThe Man Who Watched the Trains Go Byâ, my perspective began to change. I started to notice the darkness of some of Simenonâs writings and that at times, characters could be in a very noir-esque peril, which I enjoyed seeing on the screen and so, I enjoyed reading in these books. I have come across numerous Simenon books which I have enjoyed thoroughly: âThe Man Who Watched the Trains Go Byâ, âThree Bedrooms in Manhattanâ and one of the more recent ones I have read âBettyâ. Simenonâs characters always seem to be those who have a choice between what they should do and what they want to do, which takes them down a morally unjust rabbit hole. In this newest addition to my Simenon bookshelf, âThe Man From Londonâ, I have to say that this was far darker and far more morally complex than a lot of the ones even from my list of favourite novels by him.
By Annie Kapur3 years ago in Geeks
Book Review: "The Many Lives of Marilyn Monroe" by Sarah Churchwell
Over the time I have been into reading, I have probably read around five books on Marilyn Monroe and that is not because I was never really interested in her but instead I felt like everyone had made up their mind in terms of opinions. Everyone seemed to have something to say on Marilyn Monroe that the subject matter got almost tiring - especially opinions and conspiracies surrounding her death with the newest addition to the bookshelf âBombshellâ being released only this year. Now, as she has been written about so much, it is actually difficult to sift through all the bullshit and find something that is actually worth the near-400 page print that the book promises, complete with analysis, evidence and pictures. Many people think that they donât want a critical look at Marilyn Monroe, but I think that amongst all of the conspiracy books and the people who assume various things, it may be time to have that critical analysis text that treats Marilyn as if she were a book to be read closely, or a puzzle to be cracked. Above all, I personally think that Marilyn did a great job of fooling the world as the woman Marilyn was probably very much an entirely different person to the woman Norma Jean and yet nobody ever really realised it in the audience. A businesswoman who played the cards and as a matter of fact, won. Now, almost sixty years after her death, we are still puzzling over who she really was - as this book does as well.
By Annie Kapur3 years ago in Geeks
5 Books I Didn't Like Reading
Yes, there are books that I did not like reading. Even though I say that I enjoy all books and that books are pretty much of equal value in my eyes, some books are more equal than others. But jokes aside, there are books where my experience of reading them was so bad that I did not even want to look at them again. I will explain my processes of reading and then trying to re-reading some of them, but mostly just reading them that put me off wanting to read anything about that particular book ever again.
By Annie Kapur3 years ago in Geeks
Book Review: "Who the Hell's In It?" by Peter Bogdanovich
Just when I thought I had read most great books about Hollywood in its Golden Age does Peter Bogdanovich come along and surprise me with his amazing classic âWho the Hellâs In It?â - A book not just about Golden Age Hollywood, but something that humanises its most timeless classic stars and the encounters he had with them. Each of these stories alongside well-worded talks, memories and brilliant amounts of emotion will have you believing that there is nothing more incredible than reading the stories of some of the most talented actors of the 50s to the 70s and learning about their intimate human lives as people and not just as Hollywood names. It is one of the most incredible books about the topic I have read because since, I have learned a lot about some of my own favourite actors of the age. When I look at the writing style, there is almost something very personal about it and not just because the writer met a lot of these people. There are memories that connect one person to another, from one star to a random person in the street or to the writer themselves, or even to another star. It is something that is a pretty good moment for style in the book.
By Annie Kapur3 years ago in Geeks