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: "House of Hollow" by Krystal Sutherland
Iâve read a lot of dark novels in my time. I have also had the pleasure of reading a lot of dark young adult (YA) fiction. From the novels of Oscar de Muriel to the books of V.E Schwab - Y.A dark fantasy is almost always a pleasure to read. Christina Henry and Danielle Paige and even the books of Gregory Maguire have always managed to put a smile on my face with their clever use of tropes from literature and fairytales from before their own time. The concepts too, suit the language use of the dark but sometimes funny and slightly modern teen-esque writing of dialogue and description. The first person narratives being pretty immersive if you ask me. This book, with its subversive concept and folklorish take upon the modernist fantasy and nightmare, is really no exception.
By Annie Kapur3 years ago in Geeks
Book Review: "Think, Write, Speak" by Vladimir Nabokov
It is finally official, I have completed reading all of the published works of the great Russian-American writer and poet, Vladimir Nabokov. My favourite book by him being âInvitation to a Beheadingâ - the social stigma around police corruption and political sway has been explored in depth in every novel but in that one, it has to be the very best he has ever written. The morality critique of âLolitaâ is one that has haunted readers ever since it was first published and then subsequently banned in several countries. It has since created a questionable sub-culture of the gothic entitled âLolita Cultureâ embraced from Japan to Lana Del Rey. It, in my opinion, has misunderstood the original content entirely. His poetry has constantly been under scrutiny by scholars with some calling it some of his weakest work. In my opinion, it is not but I do think he holds some animosity towards the writer of âDr. Zhivagoâ - Boris Pasternak because of his succession with poetry, Nabokov noted his prose as sub-par. With his books âPale Fireâ, âAda or Ardorâ and even âKing, Queen, Knaveâ Nabokov shows his more intense side, whereas, in âPninâ (another one of my personal favourites by him) he shows a side that is allowed to have a laugh and even seeks to make fun of his own personal achievements in literature.
By Annie Kapur3 years ago in Geeks
Book Review: "Homesick for Another World" by Ottessa Moshfegh
When we think of the modern short story, something makes us think of the stories of Hemingway down to the post-modern writings of Japanese Writers concerned with the quickening difference in technology from around twenty years before. Short stories are not for every writer and can be tricky for the ones who intend on creating amounts of atmosphere that are more typical of a full length novel. Ottessa Moshfegh is one of these writers who has a brilliance for creating atmosphere without overtly and overly using adverbs. There is no stronger way to write a modernist, realist atmosphere than to be as precise and concise with your wording as possible. For example, instead of describing the romanticised difference between happiness and sadness, she gives a comparison set in the everyday which may be short, but adds to the atmosphere as it is directly representative of that realism which has made modern life so âdullâ and emotionless:
By Annie Kapur3 years ago in Geeks
Book Review: "The New Me" by Halle Butler
When I talk about modern day satire, I will often talk about writers such as Anne Tyler with her books that I used to read at university and one of her more recent ones entitled âThe Redhead By the Side of the Roadâ which I thought was a fantastic look at modern day responsibility and how we see the difference between âlivingâ and âexistingâ. I could mention a few authors such as: Bret Easton Ellis if it were the late 20th century, Chuck Palahniuk, Matt Haig and his clever wit on the themes and metaphors of loneliness and disconnection and there are recent Man Booker Prize Winners such as Paul Beattyâs âThe Selloutâ (which actually won the prize whilst I was in university, I remember wholeheartedly opposing it. It was nowhere near as good as the other shortlisted novels) and obviously, the brilliance of the international Man Booker Prize winner, Han Kangâs âThe Vegetarianâ. Modern Day satire has been around for as long as realism has been around, since the days of Virginia Woolf and her contemporaries - the 20th and 21st centuries seem to be filled with things that are âfair gameâ to make fun of in the darkest ways possible.
By Annie Kapur3 years ago in Geeks
Book Review: "Girl in Pieces" by Kathleen Glasgow
There are not many books in the world that I would call âboringâ necessarily. But that does not mean the book is badly written and neither does it mean that you should not read it. The term âboringâ simply means that it did not appeal to me and it did not conjure any emotions or thoughts afterwards within myself. Apart from that, it does not mean anything about how well-written or how badly written the book is. I will give you an example or two. The first example is James Joyceâs âFinneganâs Wakeâ which is obviously, brilliantly written but, I have to say that I find it intensely boring. However, the book âMen Who Hate Womenâ by Laura Bates is the opposite; I found the concepts interesting and the arguments well thought out. But, I found the writing itself a bit all over the place and reductive for a nonfiction book on its particular topic of misogyny. So the term âboringâ does not apply to either of these situations but instead is purely my own opinion. I would actually encourage you, reader of this review, to read the book for yourself and offer your own view. I would love to read about what you think of this book.
By Annie Kapur3 years ago in Geeks
Book Review: "Imaginary Friend" by Stephen Chbosky
Stephen Chbosky is the writer of the great YA novel that served my generation with amazing quotations, brilliantly diverse characters and a film which we have all seen thousands of times - "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" was one of the most incredible books of my teen years. "Imaginary Friend" could not be further from that previous endeavour of his. An experiment in the nature of psychodrama, "Imaginary Friend" is one of the best bildungsroman I have ever read in terms of how a child gains and loses his imagination and what happens when children go missing.
By Annie Kapur3 years ago in Geeks
Book Review: "Terminal Boredom" by Izumi Suzuki
When it comes to the Japanese short story, there are many authors that you could mention with books that are clearly some of the best of all time because of their efforts to twist the old traditions on to their heads to create something entirely new and original. One of these is Yoko Ogawaâs âRevengeâ in which several stories are linked together by simple symbols, characters or minor events. Then there is âPeople From My Neighbourhoodâ by Hiromi Kawakami who has a similar concept in which the character goes through various people who live in their neighbourhood of interest. Each character is connected to another but not necessarily in order of how they are placed in the book. I think though, that this one entitled âTerminal Boredomâ by Izumi Suzuki is slightly different yet again in that it plays on the concept of sci-fi to the point that it is a strange, twisted and darkly comic piece of satire in which we internationally recognise. There are so many genres going on at the same time that it is very difficult to pin-point one that is explored completely.
By Annie Kapur3 years ago in Geeks
Book Review: "Everything Under" by Daisy Johnson
I feel like I should have read this book upon its release because I cannot understand why in the world I had not heard of it before. I had not heard of Daisy Johnson or the fact that âEverything Underâ was on the shortlist for the Man Booker Prize in the year 2018. I do not understand how I have overlooked this novel and now, I would like to offer my apology for overlooking it to Daisy Johnson. As her debut, Daisy Johnson penned this stunning work and honestly, when I say stunning I am not using the word lightly. It is an incredible novel which resonates an almost Virginia Woolf-esque atmosphere with all of its madness, emotion and realism. Within all of this though, is the spectacle of fantasy which is peeled directly off the back of a Mary Shelley-like style - monstrous and raw, filled with passion, hatred and many layers down to its very depths (pun intended if you read the book as well). Honestly, I cannot say that there is a better book from the 2018 Man Booker Shortlist that did not win than this one. It is incredibly passionate and the atmosphere is absolutely stifling. I really do have to say it but seriously, I give it about ten to fifteen years and this book will be a modern classic of our generation. Thank you Daisy Johnson, for supplying us with your amazing talent for literature.
By Annie Kapur3 years ago in Geeks
Book Review: "Before the Coffee Gets Cold" by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
Books that are set in public places never fail to amaze me at how private and closed they can actually feel with all of these people, most of which do not know each other, locked in this space together. Some getting up to leave, some refusing to leave without an answer, some connected to others by chance and others in love with the other one. This book, if I can say this logically, reminded me a little bit of the atmosphere in Carson McCullersâ âThe Ballad of the Sad CafĂ©â as it too has this almost private feel of a public place. The mood shifts between the situations of the characters but never changes massively. It is always a product of the environment being somewhat too quiet and undisturbed. Everything is just the way you need it to be, but then again that is the danger of the unexpected. It never arrives in moments of sheer panic and disillusion. Always when one least expects it.
By Annie Kapur3 years ago in Geeks
Book Review: "The Hair Carpet Weavers" by Andreas Eschbach
I have read many Sci-Fi novels in my time. From my favourite Sci-Fi novel (if you would call it of that particular genre) âThe Island of Dr. Moreauâ by H.G Wells to the more modern ideas portrayed in Ernest Clineâs âReady Player Oneâ. I have encountered everything from âFahrenheit 451â all the back to the original genius of language and narrative depth in Mary Shelleyâs âFrankensteinâ. If we count novels such as âBrave New Worldâ by Aldous Huxley, Margaret Atwoodâs âHandmaidâs Taleâ and the modern classic âThe Hitchhikerâs Guide to the Galaxyâ - yes, I can honestly say that I have read and enjoyed those two. But I will only ever admit here that I have never read the other modern Sci-Fi classic, âDuneâ. Instead, I decided to give a different Sci-Fi novel on my TBR a go. âThe Hair Carpet Weaversâ by Andreas Eschbach is something I thought at first sounded pretty tame but, it turned out to be one of the most engrossing and exciting Sci-Fi novels I have ever read.
By Annie Kapur3 years ago in Geeks
Book Review: "Men Who Hate Women" by Laura Bates
Before I read this book, I definitely had heard of Laura Bates before. Like other feminists that have since become more and more famous by the day - she has become steeped in the culture of female liberation from the very beginning. Since then, she has started to climb the ladder of being a person who is qualified to speak about gender and sex related issues but from time to time I will not lie and say that I donât worry about the way in which she presents herself as an academic writer of âessaysâ. Be that as it may, there are many good arguments within this book that too, deserve extra attention for their ability to not create a binary of Men vs. Women but show how the two are equally disadvantaged by the upholding of these blatantly sexist ideas that are held by the groups in question within the text.
By Annie Kapur3 years ago in Geeks
Book Review: "The Sleeping Beauties" by Suzanne O'Sullivan
I remember when I was at school and university and first started to read the books of Oliver Sachs. I was amazed to see what people were afflicted with and yet, how they managed to still keep in touch with themselves and try their best not to isolate themselves or lose hope. His writings were often narratives with emotional outpourings and stories which resonate with the empathy that one human being has towards another. I cannot say that this is exactly the same type of book but it follows the same guidelines of medical narratives and explorations in science. This book entitled "The Sleeping Beauties" traces one of our more modern ideas concerning health and wellbeing and that is psychological health. The health of the mind in times of chronic stress and/or trauma, the theories surrounding something called 'resignation syndrome' and the way in which the people around the suffering person become confused, riddled and often helpless when having to care for the person with the condition.
By Annie Kapur3 years ago in Psyche