literature
Geek literature from the New York Times or the recesses of online. Our favorite stories showcase geeks.
Book Review: "Love in a Wych Elm and Other Stories" by H.E Bates
I haven't read much H.E Bates. I think it's been roughly five or six years at least since I read Fair Stood the Wind for France. H.E Bates can be a quite interesting writer and when I noticed the book in the library which was labelled under short story anthologies - I couldn't help but think if it would be any good. For those of you who don't know, Bates was an author during the mid-20th century and wrote a whole host of novels and anthologies. For some reason this is only my second reading of any of his works. And so, let's take a look at Love in a Wych Elm and Other Stories by H.E Bates.
By Annie Kapurabout a year ago in Geeks
Book Review: "Home is Where the Bodies Are" by Jeneva Rose
Ooh I've been patiently waiting for the right time to read this book and let me tell you, it did not disappoint. Home is Where the Bodies Are is an intense scrutiny of truth and lies, set in two different timeliness and covering about four different people. We have alternating narratives in the present day between three adult children named Beth, Nicole and Michael. Then, we have a narrative from 1999 from their mother, Laura. Concerning their father's disappearance into thin air, this book really gets twisted. I absolutely loved it.
By Annie Kapurabout a year ago in Geeks
Book Review: "Love on the Dole" by Walter Greenwood
As you know by now, I've been back to the library (which seems to probably be closed throughout August so I'm going to need to sort myself out for the whole month). But, I found quite an interesting red spined book and not only had I not seen this one before, I'd never heard of it. I used to go through the websites which listed the red spines and made sure I'd read as many as I could but here we are. I can't believe I missed this one. It's called Love on the Dole and of course, it's a tragedy. It's upsetting. It's so damn emotional.
By Annie Kapurabout a year ago in Geeks
Manhattan Transfer by John Dos Passos
John Dos Passos’s Manhattan Transfer, published in 1925, is a landmark modernist novel that captures the pulse of New York City during the early 20th century. Dos Passos, heavily influenced by his experiences as a young man in the 1910s and 1920s, sought to depict the complexities of urban life and the fragmentation of modern society.
By Annie Kapurabout a year ago in Geeks
Book Review: "Mr Perrin and Mr Traill" by Hugh Walpole
As you know I've recently been to the library and picked up quite a few books. I was on the phone to my mother and she asked me why I needed so many - mother, don't you know me by now? Well, I've moved on from Kindle deals, though I don't know for how long because there's a book on The Borgias right there and...yes, I am now a proud owner of it. I knew I couldn't keep away long. This book we are looking at today is different to my usual requests but honestly, I really enjoyed it.
By Annie Kapurabout a year ago in Geeks
Book Review: "Pitch Dark" by Renata Adler
I've been back to the library and it really does feel like forever since I went last time but thankfully, I've got some books I think I'm going to enjoy. One of those books was Pitch Dark by Renata Adler. I've never heard of this author, I've never heard of the book but the afterword is by Muriel Spark and so, I was sold immediately. This book is not just the story of a love affair but a story about language itself. I don't think I've read so much mundane-as-beautiful in a recent read. Although it's pretty short, it was still as hard-hitting as any book.
By Annie Kapurabout a year ago in Geeks
Book Review: "Question 7" by Richard Flanagan
Richard Flanagan is not really an author I choose to read often but I'm definitely glad I picked this one up. Question 7 was not a book I had heard a lot about but it was always popping up on recommendations lists on Amazon. Since reading it, I have seen some mighty prose written, some great side stories investigated, some incredible histories looked into and more. I'm going to say this: if you like straight-forward memoirs then this probably isn't for you - Flanagan blends the imperfection of history with his own and his family's. I thought it was such a great book. A genuinely experimental achievement.
By Annie Kapurabout a year ago in Geeks
"Little Women" - Book vs. Movie
Book: Little Women by Louisa May Alcott Generations of readers, young and old, male and female, have fallen in love with the March sisters of Louisa May Alcott’s most popular and enduring novel, Little Women. Here are talented tomboy and author-to-be Jo, tragically frail Beth, beautiful Meg, and romantic, spoiled Amy, united in their devotion to each other and their struggles to survive in New England during the Civil War.
By Kristen Barenthalerabout a year ago in Geeks
Book Review: "A Very Short Introduction to Heidegger" by Michael Inwood
As you know even though I've been to the library I can't seem to stay away from a good Kindle book as well. Back when I was in university, there was a bookshop on campus that sold a whole collection of these books and I never bought them because they were so short that I really couldn't get my money's worth. Anyways, enough history - I finally managed to get a couple of them for cheap on Kindle. This one is on the philosopher Martin Heidegger and apart from the obvious (the fact that he was an avid supporter of the Nazi Party), it also covers what he did in terms of the subject he was a part of.
By Annie Kapurabout a year ago in Geeks
Book Review: "Happy" by Derren Brown
I've only recently finished this and honestly, I was surprised. I've read books by Derren Brown in the past but none were like this one and it definitely made me realise that perhaps I was wrong to put it off for so long. It's June 2025 and I've been thinking about this book for a while. I mean I did finish reading it a couple of days before writing this review and I was wondering where I stood on the whole thing. I can confirm that I did very much enjoy it, however for the topic it was about, sometimes it did feel like the author was dragging out some of the points beyond where they needed to be. Let's take a look...
By Annie Kapurabout a year ago in Geeks
Book Review: "Heaven and Hell" by Bart D Ehrman
Kindle Books has some of the best stuff on sale, on Kindle Unlimited sometimes or even just on for cheap. One of those books was Heaven and Hell by Bart D. Ehrman and as I'm always interested in looking at the psychology of why people believe the things they do, I was drawn to this book. Is it really about religion? Not throughout. Instead, it lets us question our beliefs and our paranoias about the way in which heaven and hell operate within the psyche. It really is a cultural thing and it definitely made me think. To be honest, I was pleasantly surprised by this book.
By Annie Kapurabout a year ago in Geeks
Book Review: "Take Arms Against a Sea of Troubles" by Harold Bloom
Harold Bloom has always been a contentious figure if you've studied literature at university. I mean there are two types of people you'll meet: people who think he's right and people who think he's wrong. I've been quite the former to be honest, he makes some really good points and the way he states that for him, Shakespeare replaced God, was something I could definitely get on board with. Harold Bloom wrote many books, some of which I have read (such as: The Western Canon and The Art of Reading Poetry - both on my degrees. Then there's The Anatomy of Influence which I want to read again if I can find it) but there are others that I simply didn't get to read in their entirety, and so am only familiar with bits and pieces. So I am quite happy to place myself as a Harold Bloom fan - I too believe that literature is a way of life.
By Annie Kapurabout a year ago in Geeks
