literature
Geek literature from the New York Times or the recesses of online. Our favorite stories showcase geeks.
Book Review: "Mephisto" by Klaus Mann
I've been back to the library and as I'm writing this review, I'm listening to the Conspiracy Theories podcast and drinking a cup of peppermint tea. I can't say I've been the mentally healthiest human being but it has been nice getting out for a bit, walking about here and there and eating some fruit. It's been a simple day and yet, I still seem to have a chesty cough for some unknown bloody reason. It is definitely still a heatwave here in England and that might be why I'm not feeling great - I really quite dislike summer. But at least I've got a good book like Mephisto by Klaus Mann to read.
By Annie Kapurabout a year ago in Geeks
Miscellaneous Stories Related to Carney: Fascinating Tales You’ve Never Heard
Who is Carney? The name Carney has popped up across many chapters of history — sometimes as a surname, sometimes as a nickname, but always with a hint of mystique. Whether it’s tied to people, places, or professions, the stories associated with Carney are often rich, unpredictable, and captivating.
By Kageno Hoshinoabout a year ago in Geeks
Book Review: "After Annie" by Anna Quindlen
It's mid-July and if you haven't noticed yet, I'm running an unofficial writing competition where you basically tell me the story behind a song which has an important meaning to you. There have been some brilliant entries so far and it's getting very difficult to even see who is going to win. I'll have to make a spreadsheet or something but I am really not sure. Anyways, After Annie is a book about familial resistance done in a way which I have never seen before. I only had a few issues with this one but I think I can put most of them aside for the sake of the heart of the book. If you've enjoyed books like The Berry Pickers then I think this should be somewhere on that TBR.
By Annie Kapurabout a year ago in Geeks
Book Review: "Dis Mem Ber" by Joyce Carol Oates
Yes, it's another book of Joyce Carol Oates' short stories and of course, they are still weird and conceptually terrifying. Currently, we are in the first few weeks of July and I have to say, the climate in England is becoming unbearable more and more often. This is what happens when you don't recycle and you let rich people dart around in private jets. We get climate change. I think we do have to admit everywhere that it is heating up - I definitely do not like this at all. Everything is just sticky and hot and as you know, in England, we do not have air conditioning in homes 99% of the time. Anyways, on to the book...
By Annie Kapurabout a year ago in Geeks
Book Review: "The Age of Diagnosis" by Suzanne O'Sullivan
I think the only problem I've ever had with the 'Age of Diagnosis' was the fact that people are definitely starting to diagnose themselves. Those who aren't doctors or mental health professionals should not be diagnosing conditions on themselves such as depression, anxiety and/or autism. When it comes to medical professionals making those diagnoses for themselves, I am on the side of it. I understand that these diagnoses can, at times, be upsetting or cause anxiety in especially younger people. But, I think we know more about these disorders today and so, that is why doctors are diagnosing them more often. Let's have a look at what our author has to say about this...
By Annie Kapurabout a year ago in Geeks
Book Review: "You Invited It In" by Sarah Jules
I was quite surprised to find this on Kindle Unlimited because it looks and feels very similar to a book I read by Sara Gran called Come Closer and that, when I read it, didn't come cheap. You Invited It In is probably not your run-of-the-mill possession horror, but definitely has some familiar tropes to keep the reader involved with the text. One thing Sarah Jules gets right is that, especially with something that is based within folklore, it has to be familiar to the reader - for example: most of us know that vampires suck blood and/or kill people doing it. If you're doing a demonic possession horror and you're planning to be original about it - it is also best to formulate some back-and-forth with the reader so that they don't feel as though you're making it up as you go along. The lore is there to use.
By Annie Kapurabout a year ago in Geeks
Book Review: "It Lasts Forever and Then It's Over" by Anne De Marcken
I didn't think I'd read any book that I could possibly compare to The Wall by Marlen Haushofer but this one seems like a good idea when it comes to alternate realities. This book however deals less with the landscape and more with the visceral experience of realities changing. There's something less 'utopian vs. dystopian' about this book and something a bit more 'apocalyptical'. Now, usually I'm not one for apocalypse fiction, I am a firm believer that there are only so many possibilities that we can come up with for that happening. But here, I have been proven wrong...
By Annie Kapurabout a year ago in Geeks
Book Review: "The Drinking Den" by Émile Zola
I've read countless books by Emile Zola, including the famed Therese Raquin which is basically a really messed up dark romance novel. But I think my favourite novel by this particular writer has to be The Beast Within because of the psychological terror it insinuates. I wrote about it about five years' ago in my 'reading experiences' series which has been turned slowly into 'why it's a masterpiece' and so, expect it to return soon since I loved it so much. The book The Drinking Den is written in this same psychological style even though it is not obvious straight away. Emile Zola uses descriptions, especially those concerning poverty and squalor to force the reader to confront the atmosphere and realities of those who do not have. It's more rustic and gritty than Dickens, I believe. So, let's get on with what makes this novel so great.
By Annie Kapurabout a year ago in Geeks
A Way of Life, Like Any Other by Darcy O'Brien
Darcy O’Brien’s A Way of Life, Like Any Other was first published in 1977, drawing heavily on the author’s personal experiences. O’Brien was born into a Hollywood dynasty: his father, George O’Brien, was a silent film star, and his mother, Marguerite Churchill, was a leading actress in early talkies. The novel is widely regarded as a thinly veiled autobiographical account of his unconventional upbringing in the glamorous yet turbulent world of mid-20th-century Los Angeles.
By Annie Kapurabout a year ago in Geeks
Book Review: "The Only Story" by Julian Barnes
I've read quite a bit by Julian Barnes and every time I pick up a book by him I just know it is going to contain a big moral and philosophical question that we never really get entirely answered. Instead, we have about three or four different ways of thinking about it. In Before She Met Me we are forced to confront this through dark humour and narcissism. The Lemon Table definitely has many of these questions alongside characters who are friends with rather odd conditions from time to time. However, this book being reviewed does not change the fact that Julian Barnes' magnum opus in all respects is still The Man in the Red Coat. A book which to this day, I have not been able to forget.
By Annie Kapurabout a year ago in Geeks
Book Review: "Immaculate Conception" by Ling Ling Huang
Ling Ling Huang might be one of the most exciting names in modern horror at the moment. The term 'wellness horror' was basically born out of her novel Natural Beauty - a novel I thought was incredible. There is another book by her which takes the idea of technology, wellness, class divide and the intrusion of capital on to our real lives, to a whole new extreme. Immaculate Conception has the same amount of body horror but also mixes it in with a question about whether a technology can be helpful or parasitic. It feels so modern and appropriate for our own times. Let's take a look at what it entails.
By Annie Kapurabout a year ago in Geeks
