literature
Geek literature from the New York Times or the recesses of online. Our favorite stories showcase geeks.
Houseki no Kuni
HOUSEKI NO KUNI Houseki no Kuni ( Land of the Lustrous ) is a manga series written and illustrated by Haruko Ichikawa. The manga was serialized in Kodansha's monthly Afternoon magazine from October 25, 2012 to April 25, 2024 and has been collected into 12, tankōbon volumes. It gained significant popularity and acclaim for its unique storytelling, intricate world-building, and stunning artwork.
Book Review: "Them" by Jon Ronson
Full Title: Them: Adventures with Extremists by Jon Ronson After reading The Psychopath Test I decided that I would take some sporadic time to read (and re-read) some of Jon Ronson's works. Honestly, I forgot how much I liked them. Littered with quirky anecdotes about travelling behind certain strange individuals in our society who seek to disrupt the social order, Jon Ronson puts his journalistic instincts in his pocket and his life on the line to bring the reader an interesting story with brilliant research. Though admittedly it is not as good as The Psychopath Test, Jon Ronson really goes out of his way to make this book as enjoyable as physically possible whilst presenting the very realistic threat of people with extremist or fundamentalist views and how they will have a negative impact on our societies and ways of life.
Annie KapurPublished 28 days ago in GeeksBook Review: "My Heavenly Favourite" by Lucas Rijneveld
What a wonderful treat to see that there is yet another book by the fantastic author of the disturbing yet intriguing novel, The Discomfort of Evening. I remember when I read this author's earlier novel and I could not stop singing it praises. A wonderful book about losing a sibling, I always felt like the key to this writer's novels was the fact that something traumatic was either happening to or was caused by the protagonist. The ending was a horrifying realisation of trauma and to this day, it has stayed burnt into my literary memory. I really wish I could have said the same thing after finishing his newest novel My Heavenly Favourite. But alas, sometimes we miss the mark. Maybe it is me who didn't understand this book in its entirety. But the uncomfortable subject matter alongside the writing style does not make for a great experience.
Annie KapurPublished 29 days ago in GeeksBook Review: "Pure" by Andrew Miller
'Over Paris, the stars are fragments of a glass ball flung at the sky.......The street lamps are guttering. For their last half-hour they burn a smoky orange and illuminate nothing but themselves' - Pure by Andrew Miller
Annie KapurPublished 29 days ago in GeeksThe Island of Dr Moreau by HG Wells
In my personal opinion, ‘The Island of Dr Moreau’ is HG Wells’ most perfect novel. In comparison, novels like ‘The Invisible Man’ and ‘War of the Worlds’ are close, but they do not have the scare factor, the horror qualities and the existential dread that ‘The Island of Dr Moreau’ has. Now, I know that many people have not actually read this book in comparison to his more well-known ones like ‘The Time Machine’. So I will have to ask you to read the book before you read the article as that will be the only way you will actually understand it and also, look out for spoilers. If we are breaking this book down then I am going to need all the information I can get and honestly, for such a short book, there is a lot of information there. From Edward Prendrick’s first meeting with the mysterious Dr Moreau to the rising of the creatures, there is tons of great themes to be analysed that have mystified and terrified readers for a over a century. Welcome to HG Wells’ only horror novel: ‘The Island of Dr Moreau’.
Annie KapurPublished about a month ago in GeeksBook Review: "Jonathan Abernathy You Are Kind" by Molly McGhee
Often I will skip over looking at the comedy section of the bookstore, I am not one for a laugh while I am reading and very rarely are authors actually funny in any way. (Let's also therefore, skip over how difficult it is to make me laugh - it's like getting blood from a stone). The book Jonathan Abernathy, You Are Kind was advertised to me as a dark comedy that was, according to the reviews (and I paraphrase) as if 'George Saunders had infiltrated the Severance writing room'. I was initially interested because I am one of those poor souls who became obsessed to the point of no return with the TV show Severance, and thus anything with any reference to it whatsoever gets a express-pass to the top of the 'to be read' list. So, here it goes - let's see what I really thought of this book.
Annie KapurPublished about a month ago in Geeks[Opinion] An Open Letter: Dear Miriam Margolyes...
"I worry about Harry Potter fans because they should be over that by now..." If you're not the kind of person who keeps one eye on news from the world of Harry Potter as I do, you might not have heard these words come out of the mouth of Ms. Miriam Margolyes who played Professor Pomona Sprout, head of Hufflepuff House, in the Harry Potter series. Fans are understandably upset by these words, which are yet another set of words from people behind the Harry Potter series that only serve to alienate the people for whom these stories are an important and integral part of life. I am one of those people, one of those who found a home in the pages of a story about a boy wizard and his snowy owl. I am one of those people who Ms. Margolyes has criticised and hurt with her words, inasmuch as someone can be hurt by the words of someone they don't know.
Meg IlsleyPublished about a month ago in GeeksBook Review: "Cassandra" by Christa Wolf
The story of Cassandra is almost essential to telling the story of Troy. I have read about her many, many times over the past 15 or so years and have found her to be underwritten or ignored. Thankfully, there is now a book just about her and my gosh, it was a book. For those of you who do not know who Cassandra is, here is a bit of a background: Cassandra was a priestess of Troy, dedicated to the god, Apollo and stunningly beautiful and intelligent. She was one of the daughters of King Priam and therefore, was also a Princess of Troy. Sister to the ill-fated Hector, breaker of horses - she became known as a rhetorical device rather than a person. Versions of the myth about her state that she made a small mistake (the mistake varies from story to story) and was cursed with being able to see prophecy whilst having nobody believe her.
Annie KapurPublished about a month ago in GeeksBook Review: "A Darker Shade of Noir" ed. by Joyce Carol Oates
Joyce Carol Oates is probably one of the foremost voices on women's fiction in the modern age and is perhaps one of the most influential women writers in the 20th century. Her writing of horror in the everyday world of being a woman is amazing and in this anthology, she forms a book of some of the best writers of her own era and those after her on the same subject. It's all about the body horrors of being a woman and with each story, there is a new perspective and a new idea. These stories are often horrifyingly addictive and have a special quality of being some kind of universal experience for women whether that be literally or through the metaphor that the story presents. The narratives are dark and often reflect the writings of Joyce Carol Oates and the way she interweaves the woman's body with her dangers and horrors.
Annie KapurPublished about a month ago in GeeksBook Review: "The Cloisters" by Katy Hays
As one of the most anticipated books of its year, it is clear that The Cloisters has bookshops everywhere writing reviews, going at marketing strategies, putting the book on a two-for-one offer so that more people buy it. But without all of this aggressive marketing, would the book have done well at all? Being in the bookish world means basically seeing this book ad nauseam and not wanting to read it because of the fact it was everywhere all the time.
Annie KapurPublished about a month ago in GeeksThe Disney Princess Tournament of Power
Who would win in a fight? It’s a question people have been asking for decades when it comes to their favorite fictional characters. It’s a question that spawned one of the most successful YouTube channels. It’s the question I asked myself when I was watching Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure.
Book Review: "The Romantic" by William Boyd
William Boyd is perhaps known as one of the greatest writers of this age and, if any of you have read “Any Human Heart” then you will know that very well. To be honest, I have only read one other book by him apart from this novel being reviewed and his magnum opus, but I am sure to read more of his novels in the future, especially after this particular experience. So without further interruption, I am simply dying to tell you all about this wonderful novel about a man named Cashel Ross. He was born in 1799 and has had the most wonderful adventures.
Annie KapurPublished about a month ago in Geeks