literature
Geek literature from the New York Times or the recesses of online. Our favorite stories showcase geeks.
Book Review: "Atalanta" by Jennifer Saint
I would like to begin with stating how fond I am of Jennifer Saint's writing. Her book Ariadne was one of the best Greek Mythology retellings I have read to date and her book Elektra was, well, electrifying. In terms of debut novels, not many get as good as Ariadne. It was an unforgettable blend of adventure and mysticism blended with a magical love for Ancient Greek folklore and fantastic writing. It only put my hopes high for reading Atalanta and if there is anything I am happy for it is that having high expectations for Jennifer Saint's books always pays off. This was a wonderful experience of a novel and an enchanting story based on one of the most famous adventure narratives ever told: Jason and the Argonauts.
By Annie Kapur3 years ago in Geeks
Book Review: "Normal Women" by Ainslie Hogarth
Thanks to NetGalley for this book. I remember I read Ainslie Hogarth's Motherthing and thought it was a bit here and there. I found the concept good and the black comedy quite clever, but on the whole something was lacking. It was as if the writing was not all that great or the characters were common tropes I had seen a thousand times before. Then it sort of hit me. Where I thought Motherthing should be in terms of genre were books that had better writing. Books like Mrs March by Virginia Feito are much better examples of black comedy in women's fiction. I thought I would give Ainslie Hogarth another go though, knowing there was another book coming out by her. This book is entitled Normal Women and has still left me with mixed feelings sitting on the fence about her. I cannot quite place it - but it feels a little cliché and all the characters are wholly unlikeable without any saving graces.
By Annie Kapur3 years ago in Geeks
Book Review: "Her Radiant Curse" by Elizabeth Lim
I have to admit that I am a big fan of the book Six Crimson Cranes. It is a clever fantasy novel filled with excitement and brilliant storytelling; the sequel The Dragon's Promise is a high-fantasy novel that definitely lives up to its predecessor. In the world of Six Crimson Cranes, we seem to have an off-shoot novel named Her Radiant Curse. About sisters, one who is beautiful and the other who looks monstrous - the elder has sworn to protect the younger but, keeping with the main themes and traditions that made Six Crimson Cranes so great, a sibling will have to put their life on the line for the other - often with intense consequences and incredible character development.
By Annie Kapur3 years ago in Geeks
Reviewing Disney+'s "Goosebumps" Revival, and My Hopes for Season 2
God, I love Goosebumps! Let me tell you a bit of a personal story. When I was in third grade, I saw nearly all of the kids with these books that said, "Goosebumps" on the front. I had no idea what they were; I did know that they were supposed to be horror stories directed at children. I also knew one other thing: I wanted those books! I finally bought a Goosebumps book about a year or two later, though I didn't collect them in order, mainly because there were a lot of them out at that time.
By Clyde E. Dawkins3 years ago in Geeks
Book Review: "Absolutely and Forever" by Rose Tremain
Rose Tremain's writing is always a treat to read. Her books of the Restoration series are awesome and I love the vivid historical atmosphere she creates. In this new book titled Absolutely and Forever, we see her grapple with 50s and 60s London in a way that seems almost a little too romanticised and a little too on the sentimental side. However, Rose Tremain also shows off her incredible writing talent and though the story itself seems a bit flawed and all over the place, the writing makes up for what it lacks. There are good and bad points to this narrative which is why I have awarded it such marks as above.
By Annie Kapur3 years ago in Geeks
Book Review: "Daughters of Sparta" by Claire Heywood
I have read many, many different retold stories of Greek Mythology. My favourites include but are not limited to: A Thousand Ships, Pandora's Jar, Stone Blind, The Children of Jocasta and Divine Might - all by the legendary Natalie Haynes. Then there is Ariadne and Elektra by Jennifer Saint. After this there is Clytemnestra by Costanza Casati and obviously any book by Madeline Miller or Mary Renault. When it comes to books about mythology or mythological retellings, the one thing I respect is the attention to story and truth. There are certain truths explored in each Ancient Myth on which the foundations of societies were once formed, built and constructed. I have to say though, after reading Daughters of Sparta, I am now in two minds about whether giving this a go after such great mythological retellings and explorations of truth was such a good idea after all.
By Annie Kapur3 years ago in Geeks
Book Review: "The Drift" by C.J Tudor
A couple of years ago, I read The Chalk Man by C.J Tudor and not only was I impressed at the difference to your everyday psychological thriller, but I was also impressed at the attention to the writing style. Usually, a psychological thriller is far more interested in telling the story, setting the pace and twists and turns than it is in actually making for really good writing. But, C.J Tudor proves that great writing can make all the difference as well. In Tbe Drift, C.J Tudor not only proves that great writing is important yet again, but also shows how she can write in several different tones in order to create some very memorable characters with twists that are entirely unexpected.
By Annie Kapur3 years ago in Geeks
Book Review: "Suddenly at His Residence" by Christianna Brand
The British Library Crime Classics are a series of books edited by Martin Edwards which are mainly novels both famous and assumed lost from the golden age of British Crime. This means that more than often you will find stereotypes and even more than often, links, crosses and similarities between them. This does not mean that they are badly written for, at the time, there were certain tropes that were part of popular fiction. The golden age of crime is a wide and expansive time and place of novels with the most obvious ranging from Agatha Christie and across the water there was Dashiell Hammett, all the way down to a woman I have never heard of: Christianna Brand.
By Annie Kapur3 years ago in Geeks
Book Review: "1722" by Amy Cross
As I have said before, reading horror makes me feel at ease because I know that whatever I am about the read has come out of the consciousness of someone who is intentionally trying to frighten people. As I have also said before, whatever horror you are thinking about making it is best if the storyline is essentially simple because that way, you can develop twists and turns. If your storyline is too complex to begin with, your audience/reader won't even care if there are twists and turns because they will be too busy trying to figure out what the story is and who all of these zombies are. For those of you who recognised the reference to the story by Heinlein, good for you.
By Annie Kapur3 years ago in Geeks
Book Review: "Our Haunted Shores" ed. by Emily Alder et al.
Full Title: Our Haunted Shores: Tales from the Coasts of the British Isles by Emily Alder, Jimmy Packham and Joan Passey As we have all known for a while now, my love for the British Library Tales of the Weird is pretty expansive. I love reading scary stories, some of which have no author named, others only published in Blackwood's Magazine and everything in between. The anthologies often cover a vast amount of different stories on a particularly weird theme. My recent reads in the series have included The Uncanny Gastronomic and Dead Drunk - both of which I have enjoyed a lot. This anthology I have just read is entitled Our Haunted Shores: Tales from the Coasts of the British Isles and is especially weird for me because I thoroughly dislike beaches and coasts (but mainly I dislike beaches) so everything in here only justifies my discontent with the beach. However, that is not to say it isn't frightening and weird at some points.
By Annie Kapur3 years ago in Geeks
Book Review: "Normal Women" by Philippa Gregory
Full Title: Normal Women: Nine Hundred Years of Making History by Philippa Gregory As you may or may not know by now, I have practically read everything that Philippa Gregory has ever written. As my favourite living writer, she has made a career out of writing some incredible historical fiction about figures I would have never dreamed were worthy enough of telling the stories of. Philippa Gregory proved me wrong and wrote one of the most endearing works of historical fiction ever (in my humble opinion) - The Lady of the Rivers. Now, although my favourite book by Philippa Gregory is The Wise Woman, The Lady of the Rivers is a close second with The King's Curse being third.
By Annie Kapur3 years ago in Geeks
Book Review: "Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent" by Judi Dench
Is it true that when Trevor was asked if the Macbeths were the Nixons...He said, "No, they're the Kennedys." They're the golden couple. They adore each other. And she'll do anything for him. If he wants to be king then it'll come to pass. 'You are glamis, you are Cawdor, and we know what's been promised next. You're going to be the effing King, darling.'
By Annie Kapur3 years ago in Geeks
