literature
Geek literature from the New York Times or the recesses of online. Our favorite stories showcase geeks.
Book Review: "Heresy" by Catherine Nixey
Here we go! It's been a while since I have reviewed a work of nonfiction and it's been even longer since I've read a book by Catherine Nixey. More than often, Catherine Nixey's work has been a bit hard for me to read because of its constantly interlinking arguments and though I got through it this time - I think I might have picked quite a bad time to read it since I have so much to do. I like to read the book and then do the reading around the book so you could say that I make the job even more difficult for myself. So let's dive into the arguments Catherine Nixey presents in this book and what I thought of them.
By Annie Kapur2 years ago in Geeks
Book Review: "The Winter of Our Discontent" by John Steinbeck
You know that time where I said I had pretty much read everything by John Steinbeck? Yeah, it doesn't look that way now does it? Honestly, I did know this one existed but so many people had tried to ruin it for me because they didn't like it that they told me it wasn't worth the trouble. But, to be honest there are just those times where you need some Steinbeck in your life. It was the same way I felt before reading Tortilla Flat some years' ago - I had heard from some that it wasn't worth the read but it was absolutely fantastic and so now, I don't believe what others say about Steinbeck novels, especially if they say they aren't worth it. The Winter of Our Discontent was awesome as well so there we go.
By Annie Kapur2 years ago in Geeks
Book Review: "The Soft Machine" by William S Burroughs
You're probably wondering why I'm reading another William S Burroughs novel if I complain about his writing style so much. Well, there is method to the madness and the answer is simple because I recently read Rub Out the Words and ultimately thought I would give him another chance. Again and again, I keep giving this guy second chances but yes, here we are again with another Burroughs. This is a book aptly named The Soft Machine and showcases something called the 'cut-up method' (which is detailed in the book of letters Rub Out the Words). Let's try to get this done and see what I thought of it.
By Annie Kapur2 years ago in Geeks
Book Review: "The Devil and Sherlock Holmes" by David Grann
David Grann is perhaps one of those authors I read actually to learn something from because my reading experiences from his books have been rather boring - yet I keep coming back. This is a strange phenomenon yes, but it does go to show that you can still read books you don't like the writing of if you're somewhat interested in the topics they cover. In the case of The Devil and Sherlock Holmes, David Grann has turned himself and some of the cases into some sort of mythical fortification. There is something truly unbelievable about each tale and yet, they are completely true stories. It does make them slightly more interesting even if David Grann's writing style blands them out a bit. This book is 12 stories of this kind, so let's have a look at which ones were the best in my opinion.
By Annie Kapur2 years ago in Geeks
Book Review: “Lou Reed: King of New York” by Will Hermes
I have read perhaps two other books about Lou Reed in my time alive and both others where pretty good. There were very clearly high expectations for this one. Am I a big Lou Reed fan? I’m not sure that is for me to decide. I definitely prefer his solo songs to those by The Velvet Underground and I did listen to a lot of Lou Reed back when I was in university - perhaps the place where fans of his music actually really start to study his songs. I would call myself someone who deeply appreciates music that has been written from a place of intelligence - a piece of songwriting in which the songwriter is a balladeer or a troubadour, telling you a story where you can truly disappear into the narrative.
By Annie Kapur2 years ago in Geeks
Book Review: "Road Ends" by Mary Lawson
"It was the distance between herself and home that bothered her. . . . she could see herself here in five years' time. In ten. Her family going on its way without her. Thinking of her less and less, as she would probably think of them less and less. . . . The emptiness inside her gradually filling with other things, other people. The word 'home' taking on a different meaning, so that when she went back to visit she would no longer belong there. She would no longer be the person she would have been if she'd stayed."- Road Ends by Mary Lawson
By Annie Kapur2 years ago in Geeks
Invitation to a Beheading by Vladimir Nabokov
Invitation to a Beheading was first published in 1936 as Priglashenie na kazn' in the Russian émigré literary journal Sovremennye Zapiski in Paris. It was one of Vladimir Nabokov's early novels written while he was living in exile in Europe, before his emigration to the United States. Nabokov, an acclaimed Russian-American novelist, composed the book during a time of personal and political upheaval, reflecting the existential and absurdist themes that permeate the narrative. The English translation, completed by Nabokov himself in collaboration with his son Dmitri, was published in 1959, bringing the novel to a broader international audience.
By Annie Kapur2 years ago in Geeks
Book Review: "The Night Ship" by Jess Kidd
If you're like me then you've always been interested in the Wreck of the Batavia - a ship on which some horrifying things happened. I was not looking for this book when I found it, it was simply a recommendation and I was pretty glad I clicked on it whilst scrolling. The book takes place in two different timelines: one in which the Batavia is setting sail and it is clear there are dangers aboard, and then the other in which a young boy over 350 years' later is sent to live with his grandfather - he becomes very interested in the stories of the Batavia and how the seas cannot be tamed.
By Annie Kapur2 years ago in Geeks
Book Review: "A Thousand Feasts" by Nigel Slater
I wasn't planning on reading this at all. I don't tend to read books about food because I find that they can be a bit self-indulgent. But I think you and I both know that I was looking for a book that had a positive outlook on life because I have been reading so many sad books lately. From Franz Kafka's Amerika to Amanda Peter's The Berry Pickers, I really do think I need to get on with reading something a little bit happier. At least I had heard of Nigel Slater before, I wasn't completely unfamiliar with him. And this book is far from self-indulgent - I will tell you how. Welcome to my Saturday night.
By Annie Kapur2 years ago in Geeks
Book Review: “The Berry Pickers” by Amanda Peters
“I found it strange that no word exists for a parent who loses a child. If children lose their parents, they are orphans. If a husband loses his wife, he’s a widower. But there’s no word for a parent who loses a child. I’ve come to believe that the event is just too big, too monstrous, too overwhelming for words. No word could ever describe the feeling, so we leave it unsaid.”- The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters
By Annie Kapur2 years ago in Geeks
