literature
Geek literature from the New York Times or the recesses of online. Our favorite stories showcase geeks.
Book Review: "The Scape-Goat" by Lucy Hughes-Hallett (Pt. 3)
It is clear that Buckingham has a strong hold over the King. He is reimagined as the Trojan Ganymede - a younger man who has sex with an older one, as the people of the court begin to recognise how improper the King's relationship with him is. Hallett talks about the way in which Buckingham was most desirable to the King and that the King used the charges of Francis Bacon to deflect away from this relationship.
By Annie Kapur7 months ago in Geeks
What If Kitty Pryde Held the Phoenix: A Multiverse Story About Identity, Memory, and the Cost of Becoming Everything You Were Meant to Be.
This is one of those stories. At its center is Kitty Pryde–but not the version most Marvel readers grew up with. The absence, loss, and an altered history shape this Kitty, where the X-Men die before they can ever fully form the foundation she normally stands on. Without that grounding, her life doesn’t just become different--it becomes structurally incomplete.
By Jenna Deedy7 months ago in Geeks
Book Review: "The Scape-Goat" by Lucy Hughes-Hallett (Pt. 2)
Sexual activity may have been commonplace in a court of intrigue, but if it was between two men it was considered against nature. James would condemn it himself in the same way McDonald's might condemn ultra-processed foods. The author makes a point of James defending himself and his relationship with Buckingham by comparing it to the relationship Jesus had with John. I personally do not think those two things are the same, but each to their own. If James perhaps lived today, his relationship with Buckingham wouldn't be a problem because it was homosexual, it would be a problem because James was married. I still feel sorry a bit for Anne, though she was well looked after.
By Annie Kapur7 months ago in Geeks
Book Review: "The Scape-Goat" by Lucy Hughes-Hallett (Pt.1)
I have yet again turned my gaze towards large books about historical figures. So far, books such as Queen Victoria, Agatha Christie and Jane Austen at Home have caught my attention - all by Lucy Worsley. I have also been caught by The Palace by Gareth Russell - an almost 500 page book about Hampton Court. I have also a number of others to read yet. But as for now, we turn our attention to the book The Scape-Goat by Lucy Hughes-Hallett, a book that covers the life of George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham. At almost 700 pages, it is a brilliantly deep book which covers absolutely everything about this strange man from history. Let's investigate it therefore, in our classic new style: parts and sections.
By Annie Kapur7 months ago in Geeks
Money Rules EVERYONE Should Follow
It was 2:17 a.m. when I checked my bank account for no real reason. You know that feeling? Not quite panic, not quite curiosity—just this quiet pull, like maybe the number will look different this time. Like maybe something shifted while you weren’t looking.
By John Smith7 months ago in Geeks
Heroism in George R.R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire"
What more can be said about this incredible series that hasn't already been discussed? One might ask. A Song of Ice and Fire (ASOIAF) is George R.R. Martin's political war fantasy epic, an acclaimed book series that has inspired iconic TV adaptations like Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon, and most recently, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. A series that reimagines fantasy through the lens of realism with its myriad of complexly written characters, navigating a world of realistic cause and consequence.
By Andrei Babanin7 months ago in Geeks
Book Review: "Henry VIII: King and Court" by Alison Weir (Pt. 9)
Across Europe, Henry VIII is being called "The English Nero" and is getting on in his years. No longer is he the youthful diplomat, but now he's a paranoid and obese man who is getting old and no longer able to move the country as he once was. He's arresting people for speaking wrong of him, yes speaking, and he's basically now full sociopath. But he's also an emotional human and that's not only counting his rage. He can still be moved by art and sentimentality.
By Annie Kapur7 months ago in Geeks
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
Background and Context: I love this book, it is one of my favourite books of all time. I first read it in my teens and I had this notebook with all the characters and their personalities written down alongside important things they said and who they were married/related to. It spanned perhaps some fifty or so pages. It's a fantastic book which is written in a style that is immersive, emotional and quite literally makes you feel every single word. When it comes to this and War and Peace - I often have trouble deciding which one is better. I would say that you should skip the movie and simply read the book, the movie adaptations do not live up to the feeling of losing yourself in upper-class pre-revolution Russia.
By Annie Kapur7 months ago in Geeks
Book Review: "Henry VIII: King and Court" by Alison Weir (Pt. 8)
Remember when we talked about money and how Henry was supposed to be cutting back? Well, now he's the head of the church receiving all the taxes for religion and it's time for pregnant Anne's coronation. You can imagine the splendour. Alison Weir describes it as being one of the most splendid and regal events in the reign of this King. The falcon symbol of Anne was everywhere, the ground was freshly graveled and this was the cheapest stuff. Honestly, this man has no concept of saving money. Alison Weir's writing about Anne is slightly different to Hayley Nolan's though. It is less sympathetic and presents Anne as a machiavellian social climber as well as a woman who was a victim of societal circumstance. I don't think we will ever really know the truth.
By Annie Kapur7 months ago in Geeks
Book Review: "Henry VIII: King and Court" by Alison Weir (Pt. 7)
Henry VIII had a lot of ailments following 1528 and so, there are headaches, fevers, sores etc happening almost all the time. The King was a hypochondriac according to the author who thought he was an expert on illnesses. Well, I think that of course Henry would think he was an expert on illnesses, he thought he was an expert on everything else as well. Henry was determined to marry Anne Boleyn and so, the slowness of the decision from Rome was obviously making him frustrated - but that was added to by the lack of painkillers available back then. Falling ill is definitely seen as something to be avoided at any cost because without actual medication it could have meant certain death.
By Annie Kapur7 months ago in Geeks
Book Review: "Henry VIII: King and Court" by Alison Weir (Pt. 6)
Henry finally had a son and yet, it isn't the way we think. It was his mistress who gave birth to a child named Henry who would, in time become a member of the royal household because Henry was so insecure about the Kingship and whether it would continue. Alison Weir frames this as a situation that undoes Catherine of Aragon a bit due to the fact it puts her daughter, Mary Tudor, into peril for her own future. A legitimate daughter who must play second place to a child that was not born in wedlock? She was very upset. As we know, everyone still hates Wolsey but now, even the King is starting to suspect that perhaps, this man has too much power. When it comes to bringing the little boy into the royal household, the King is starting to notice the bickering amongst his men.
By Annie Kapur7 months ago in Geeks
Animal Farm
Animal Farm, written by George Orwell in 1945, is widely regarded as one of the most influential allegorical novels of the 20th century. Though it tells the story of a group of farm animals overthrowing their human owner, the novel is far more than a tale about animals—it is a profound commentary on political power, corruption, and the cyclical nature of oppression.
By Zain writes7 months ago in Geeks
