literature
Geek literature from the New York Times or the recesses of online. Our favorite stories showcase geeks.
My Aims for 2025. Top Story - January 2025.
As we know, I have moments where I go in and out of deep-dives when it comes to literature. You only have to look at what I'm publishing to know whether I am in the midst or have just raised my head above the water of a in-depth analysis of some niche and odd topic such as: disasters on the sea, 18th Century French Enlightenment Politics, marketing, books about female friendship, books about men at war and many other things that have made their way into the last year or so.
By Annie Kapur2 years ago in Geeks
Book Review: "Can’t and Won’t" by Lydia Davis
Lydia Davis is not an author I am overly familiar with though I have read some of her funny vignettes on the internet from time to time. When I saw this book for some reason, I became drawn in. I thought that perhaps I had read too many upsetting books all at once and needed something light-hearted to fix me especially given the fact I had previously in the last four months spent an entire week of one crying over a Franz Kafka novel whilst on the phone to my mother. This was much to the humour of my brother who often finds my emotional instability when reading absolutely hilarious. However, I am glad to say, I have moved away from the darkness for a while though I do not know for how long. This book definitely helped...
By Annie Kapur2 years ago in Geeks
The Best Books I Read in 2024
This is going to be a fairly long article so be warned. There are many books this year that I have read that I would class as an amazing experience, both in fiction and in nonfiction. My goal this year was to read more nonfiction and as you have probably seen, I became pretty addicted to modern political philosophy which honestly, doesn't sound like me at all but here we are. I will list my very favourite books of the year, note whether they are fiction or nonfiction and tell you a little bit about them, linking reviews where I can. Now, let's begin this lengthy article without much further conversation on the topic. The books will appear in order of when they were read throughout the year.
By Annie Kapur2 years ago in Geeks
The Literary Entirety of 2024
Here are all the books I have managed to read this year. If you are looking for just the ones I have enjoyed the most then you will find that on a post entitled The Best Books of 2024. If you are here because you want to see all the books I've read this year then here we go. Here you will find books I have loved, books I have not loved so much and books that I haven't even reviewed. You will also find some re-reads among the books in the list. This includes books like The Amityville Horror by Jay Anson that, for some reason I had an urge to re-read earlier this year.
By Annie Kapur2 years ago in Geeks
Book Review: "The Harsh Voice" by Rebecca West
Rebecca West is an elusive figure to me, I have only encountered her once or twice throughout my life and every time I do, it seems to bring me a sense of joy. The first time I ever encountered her is when I looked into her coverage of the Nuremberg Trials. The second time I encountered her is when I bought a book entitled The New Yorker Fiction of the 1940s and one of her stories was within. This would be the third time in which I have sifted through many Penguin books at my mother's house and found a book of four stories by Rebecca West. Each of them as fantastic as the one before...
By Annie Kapur2 years ago in Geeks
Book Review: "The Stranger's Child" by Alan Hollinghurst
I don't know why I keep giving Alan Hollinghurst novels second chances. I was only a teenager when someone recommended I read The Swimming-Pool Library and I won't lie when I say it really was not my thing at the time. When it came to his latest effort entitled Our Evenings I think I was more won over, but it was still very much in the middle rather than being very good or not very good at all. With this book, I have to say it has been a better experience than most and has somewhat reminded me of Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh. Let's take a look...
By Annie Kapur2 years ago in Geeks
To The Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf
To the Lighthouse, published in 1927, is one of Virginia Woolf's most acclaimed novels and a seminal work in the modernist literary movement. Woolf wrote the novel during a particularly productive period of her career, drawing on her own childhood experiences and family dynamics to craft the narrative. The Hogarth Press, founded by Woolf and her husband Leonard Woolf, published the novel, allowing her to maintain control over its production and distribution. Upon its release, To the Lighthouse received widespread praise for its innovative narrative technique and profound psychological depth.
By Annie Kapur2 years ago in Geeks
The Reality of Fame: Lessons from Blake Lively's Journey
Over the past century, Hollywood has evolved from a hub for trailblazing women to a male-dominated industry. Given the high-profile cases that have revealed its misogynistic practices, it must address gender inequality. The existing system feeds a cycle of female exclusion and cultivates a toxic culture. In their lawsuit, Blake Lively claims that Justin Baldoni, the actor-director, acted improperly and made disparaging remarks about their 2024 film, It Ends With Us. It was an 80-page complaint that was first believed to be a public relations tactic to promote the movie. Given the high-profile cases that have revealed Hollywood's misogynistic practices, the industry needs to address gender inequality. By exposing misogynistic people and promoting women on and off screen, Hollywood can overcome its lengthy history of discrimination and alienation of women. Let's use Blake Lively's recent accusations to consider the subtleties of a toxic workplace and Hollywood's attitude toward women.
By Hridya Sharma2 years ago in Geeks
Book Review: "A Weekend with Claude" by Beryl Bainbridge
Yes I'm still reading Beryl Bainbridge novels and yes, I will continue to. Her style of being dark but witty at the same time seriously reminds me of other authors such as Yiyun Li, Eliza Clark and to some extent, Ottessa Moshfegh. There is something about novels that can keep a dark tone whilst also presenting us with bizarre situations and people that intrigues me. Keeping the realism whilst making everything seem to feel a bit wrong or 'off' is a key skill in writing that very few have and I have to say, Beryl Bainbridge deploys it so well in her novels. Let's now review A Weekend With Claude, a novel which again, has made me want to read more Beryl Bainbridge.
By Annie Kapur2 years ago in Geeks
Book Review: "The Turning" by Tim Winton
Well, don't be surprised that you're getting more of Tim Winton than ever before. Ever since I read the book Cloudstreet, I have become obsessed with his writing. I went on to read books like Dirt Music and The Riders and now I have read The Turning. Unlike his other books, The Turning did not grab me from the first page and it took me some time to appreciate what was really going on. Slowly, I gained the full picture and I have to admit, Tim Winton has done really well with this one. So without further introduction, I give you Tim Winton's The Turning.
By Annie Kapur2 years ago in Geeks
Book Review: "The Rock Pool" by Cyril Connolly
I found this book whilst searching amongst old penguin books in my mother's home. I have this thing about taking old books that look a bit tattered and reading them to see what all the fuss was about. This was certainly the case with The Rock Pool because I honestly had never heard of the book or the author before. I was interested in it (and I shudder to think it too) because of the cover - it looked so much like it should be a scene in Brideshead Revisited or something. I love books about wasteful rich people at the decline of the aristocracy. Here we go...
By Annie Kapur2 years ago in Geeks
Book Review: "Rites of Passage" by William Golding
Yes, before you ask I have read Lord of the Flies. I have actually read it so much I can quote the book. There is a lot to learn from that book but I don't think I have managed to delve into the other works of William Golding until now - seeing as they too, have moral lessons within. Rites of Passage, I have heard, is the first of a trilogy written about the madness of being on sea. I mean, I love those kinds of stories but whatever you write about this topic will automatically get compared to Billy Budd, Sailor and you're simply not going to win. Be that as it may, this book did fairly well.
By Annie Kapur2 years ago in Geeks
