literature
Geek literature from the New York Times or the recesses of online. Our favorite stories showcase geeks.
"The Talented Mr. Ripley" by Patricia Highsmith
When I was about twelve or thirteen, I found this book in the school library and obviously, due to the fact that it was bright red and the book next to it was bright greenish-blue (“Strangers on a Train”) I picked them both up and took them home with me. Both of them had an equally profound impact on the way I think about literature but I seem to remember more of my experience reading “The Talented Mr. Ripley”. I was not a huge fan of the film (and I didn’t get around to watching it until I was about fifteen) but the book was something else. When I read this book I felt all of this tension wash over me and I think this book is possibly the reason for many of my trust issues when it comes to meeting new people. All in all, in every re-read of this book I can honestly say that there is a tiny bit of me that feels some sympathy for Tom Ripley, but another bit of me that wants to just simply punch him. When you read it, you figure out how easy it is to become someone else, and yet how difficult it is to keep up the ruse. It’s one of those machiavellian novels where you cannot help but think about the fact that there may be someone out there, doing this exact same thing right now and nobody will ever know.
By Annie Kapur6 years ago in Geeks
Review of 'One True King'
Synopsis In this sixth and final installment in Soman Chainani's New York Times bestselling epic fantasy fairy tale series, the School for Good and Evil, Camelot's crown--and the fate of the Endless Woods--are up for grabs. Beyond Good and Evil. Beyond Ever Afters. The tale of Sophie and Agatha comes to a dramatic conclusion. Prepare yourself for the End of Ends. The first test was passed. Excalibur pulled from the stone. A new king named. But two claim the crown. The sword returns to the stone, for only one is the true king. Who? The future I have seen has many possibilities... So by my will, none shall be crowned until the Tournament is complete. The Tournament of Kings. Three trials. Three answers to find. A race to the finish.My last coronation test. Excalibur will crown the winner and take the loser's head. The first test is coming. Prepare . . . --King Arthur
By Cyn's Workshop6 years ago in Geeks
"The Beast Within" by Emile Zola
This book was one of my favourite books when I was a teen purely because I thought it was a raucous and raging event of pure irony. It really made me fall in love with Emile Zola’s works, even more than “Therese Raquin” and that’s saying something. It’s a deliciously dark book that you cannot help but love. It’s psychological, at moments it can be terrifying and in some parts it can even make you emotional. I think that this is possibly Zola’s greatest effort at the novel and has a brilliant sense of futurism to it that many fail to recognise. It is Zola’s magnum opus and I’ve read it quite a few times since. It’s a brilliant novel in which you learn a new thing about the psychological aspect every time you revisit it.
By Annie Kapur6 years ago in Geeks
Review of ‘A Touch of Gold’ (A Touch of Gold #1)
Synopsis Gold is wealth. Wealth is power. Power is a curse. This captivating fantasy adventure--the untold story of the daughter King Midas turned to gold--will dazzle you with the kind of action, adventure, twists, turns, and a bit of romance to make any fan of magic and mythology greedy for more. After King Midas's gift--or curse--almost killed his daughter, he relinquished The Touch forever. Ten years later, Princess Kora still bears the consequences of her father's wish: her skin shines golden, rumors follow her everywhere she goes, and she harbors secret powers that are getting harder to hide. Kora spends her days concealed behind gloves and veils. It isn't until a charming duke arrives that Kora believes she could indeed be loved. But their courtship is disrupted when a thief steals treasures her father needs to survive. Thanks to Kora's unique ability to sense gold, she sails off on her quest to find the missing items. Magic, mythology, fantasy, and pirate adventures charge through every page as Kora learns that not everything is what it seems--not her companions, not the thieves, and not even Kora herself.
By Cyn's Workshop6 years ago in Geeks
Book Review - Stepsister
Hot Key Books are rising stars in the world of YA publishing, releasing numerous fantasy and fairy tale themed books into the market. Last year, they had a major hit with Stepsister, the most recent novel published by the prolific Jennifer Donnelly. Coming to prominence with her 2004 novel A Gath ering Light, Donnelly begun by focusing on historical fiction, but has moved into fantasy over recent years, writing the mermaid-filled Waterfire Saga series and a spin-off novel for Disney’s live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast. Stepsister marks a new direction for her. An unapologetically feminist reinterpretation of the timeless story of Cinderella, it turns the attention to one of the ugly stepsisters. Stepsister has been nominated for literary awards such as the Carnegie Medal, and a film adaptation is in development.
By Fairy Tale Fanboy6 years ago in Geeks
“The House of the Spirits” by Isabel Allende
I first read this book whilst I was in university, I was about 20 years’ old and it was the first semester of the new year. I spent a lot of time reading this book and so, I got it completed in just under two days. The reading experience of it was absolutely brilliant and so very immersive. For the next year and half I could not stop talking about it. I kept recommending it to everyone and everyone I knew who had read it, loved it so very much. I was completely enamoured with the characters, the atmosphere and the whole rich cultural history of the book. I read it more than once obviously because this book changed my perception of the entire aspect of Latin American Fiction altogether. It was one of those books which allowed my scope to expand ten-fold and after that, I proceeded to read everything by Isabel Allende. But nothing was quite as an experience as “The House of the Spirits”.
By Annie Kapur6 years ago in Geeks
"Pensées" by Blaise Pascal
Pensées by Blaise Pascal, also known as “thoughts” in English, is one of the most heavily disputed texts in the history of Catholic Theology. This is mostly because of the order of the text since it was published after the death of its author. Initially, the second and complete edition was first published in 1670 but the more popular translation of the text into English by WF Trotter was published in 1958 and there have been other translations in between, each with their own approach to not only the translations of certain more philosophical French phrases, but they also have differentiating interpretations of the order of the text and the way in which they are organised.
By Annie Kapur6 years ago in Geeks
8 Fiction Books With Black Lead Characters For All Children
I'm going to cut to the chase... Books With Black Lead Characters Are For Everyone! We need to raise children that see colour, appreciate cultural differences, and understand that whilst different people face different types of obstacles, there is greatness in everyone.
By Keysha Jordan6 years ago in Geeks
“The Heart is a Lonely Hunter” by Carson McCullers
I first read this book in my teens after finding it in the local library and I was absolutely enamoured with it. I fell in love with the book almost immediately and there was something incredibly inspiring about it. Carson McCullers is an incredible writer and her style of prose has always been so emotionally driven that she is possibly one of my favourite writers of all time. My first reading experience of this book was sublime. I didn’t need anyone to tell me to read it or recommend it to me, I found it and it was well worth the find. I felt like I’d stumbled across a goldmine. It totally changed my opinion of American Literature, I realised that there was a whole world out there I hadn’t read yet and that Carson McCullers was one of the authors who started the process for me. You would not believe how happy I was.
By Annie Kapur6 years ago in Geeks
"Barkskins" by Annie Proulx
“Barkskins” by Annie Proulx, the writer of “Brokeback Mountain” and “The Shipping News” has often been described as ‘bold and visionary’ or ‘energetic’ with hints of ‘uncompromising splendour’ and ‘extraordinary power’ by various reviews. The reason for these powerful adjectives in use here is primarily because of the way in which nature is depicted throughout the novel. The novel centres around nature as the destruction of the forests seems to be the main point of concern throughout the entire novel for almost every generation of character and yet, the characters cannot seem to stop the violent push-backs that nature is giving them with brute force. Much like the push-back of the natural world in “Frankenstein” when the doctor tries to work nature to his own plans, “Barkskins” demonstrates that humans are a minor part of the natural landscape and however long we are here, the landscape will outlive us, it will be more powerful than we are and ultimately, it will always be above us in ways we could never comprehend. A sublime take on the destruction of the forest, this book seeks out characters who live and die by harvesting wood and ultimately they pay great prices for it. The natural world does not though, just include the forest areas, it also includes the natural landscape, the weather and the way in which night and day are described as being different atmospheres to different characters at different times.
By Annie Kapur6 years ago in Geeks
