literature
Geek literature from the New York Times or the recesses of online. Our favorite stories showcase geeks.
Book Review: "The London Séance Society" by Sarah Penner
More than often, I will find one of these Victorian style gothic mystery novels that was written by someone in the 21st century and contains all of these gothic horror and crime tropes which are more suited to a Mike Flanagan show. After reading a ton of them, I found The London Séance Society and honestly, it started out pretty darn good. Following the first chapter though, it sort of went downhill as if it quickly had run out of steam. Apart from the scenes containing the actual séances the book falls a little bit flat. Filled with characters and increasing amounts of complex story arcs, this book often overcomplicates itself in hope of becoming more dramatic like a soap opera. This I understand, but I did not enjoy as much as I thought I would. I did not feel like I knew characters enough or that there was enough atmosphere to make me feel as though I were in 1873.
By Annie Kapur2 years ago in Geeks
Colonial Chorus Players 'As She Likes It' is a Theatrical Celebration of Women
Thou has to fight to be recognized. Colonial Chorus Players presents As She Likes It, a play consisting of six vignettes featuring various women characters from Shakespeare’s works. These six different stories explore the complex themes of women’s roles as the women realize their worth and fight to comprehend their situations.
By Marielle Sabbag2 years ago in Geeks
Book Review: "Nightmares and Dreamscapes" by Stephen King
Stephen King is one of my all-time favourite authors. When I was in my early teens I remember reading Salem's Lot after borrowing it from a library and I won't lie - I don't think I slept for about a week. I honestly thought that every furniture shop or antiques store had a Straker somewhere. I was terrified. Then, obviously, there was Christine, It, Carrie and a bunch more. I didn't read Gerald's Game until a few years' back and I also had a binge during my degrees with books such as 1922 and The Tommyknockers. I remember reading Dreamcatcher only a year or so ago and I was thoroughly disgusted - it was so gross and gruesome. There have probably been tons more but there is one thing that we can all be sure of: this guy should not ever stop writing. His books, his stories and even his essays are brilliant. Nightmares and Dreamscapes are no exception. They are awesome in every way, from vampires to shootings, from psychopaths to supernatural occurences, Stephen King has done it again. He has scared the crap out of everyone.
By Annie Kapur2 years ago in Geeks
COOL INVENTIONS YOU SHOULD SEE.
The recent GAC Tech Day exhibition in China was a resounding success. One of the participants unveiled an invention that can only be described as futuristic - a hybrid vehicle that combines a car and a drone. This unique vehicle has the ability to operate together or independently, both on the ground and in the air. Users can choose its route via a monitor or through voice commands. Additionally, it offers the convenience of vertical takeoff and landing, all powered by electricity. While successful tests have been conducted with a real passenger, specific production timelines and technical details have not yet been disclosed. For now, we can only rely on forecasts, such as Hyundai's belief that urban air transportation can be expected before the end of the decade. Nike, the renowned American brand, is introducing a remarkable addition to the world of smart clothing - the Origami Jacket. Made from Smart Fabric, this jacket intelligently responds to your body's sweat and temperature, adjusting itself accordingly by compressing or loosening up. It also features ventilation hulls for added comfort. Nike has kept things simple by avoiding batteries and other complex features, making it suitable for both casual wear and workouts. The female version of the jacket will be available in July, while the male version will be released in the fall. As for the price, there is currently no information available. However, how much would you be willing to pay for this innovative jacket?
By Manuel Sanz2 years ago in Geeks
Book Review: "Holy Ghosts" ed. by Fiona Snailham
Full title: Holy Ghosts: Classic Tales of the Ecclesiastical Uncanny ed. by Fiona Snailham Now, when it comes to British Library Classics of anything, I am already there and willing to read. For example, my love of the British Library Crime Classics is known far and wide because I am practically obsessed with devouring them whenever I can. Then we have, of course, the British Library Tales of the Weird. I have read many of these already and I have to admit that some of them are far better than others. This one is one of the better ones and I think that might be because it deals with stories that I have either read before or those upon themes I already find quite interesting. Personally, I cannot wait for Circles of Stone: Weird Tales of Pagan Sites and Ancient Rites - in other words folk horror is coming to December and we should all be very excited.
By Annie Kapur2 years ago in Geeks
Book Review: "Tom Lake" by Ann Patchett
“There is no explaining this simple truth about life: you will forget much of it. The painful things you were certain you’d never be able to let go? Now you’re not entirely sure when they happened, while the thrilling parts, the heart-stopping joys, splintered and scattered and became something else. Memories are then replaced by different joys and larger sorrows, and unbelievably, those things get knocked aside as well, until one morning you’re picking cherries with your three grown daughters and your husband goes by on the Gator and you are positive that this is all you’ve ever wanted in the world.”
By Annie Kapur2 years ago in Geeks
Book Review: "When I Sing, Mountains Dance" by Irene Solà
Now, as I have said, I am starting my list of authors and books I have never heard of again. I deleted everything from the list and I'm remaking it slowly, more or less about three books in advance to when I read them. This book entitled When I Sing, Mountains Dance, has both good points and bad points. The good points revolve around its experimental storytelling techniques and poetic writing style which is both beautiful and descriptive. The bad points revolve around the fact that I simply do not care about the main story enough and would like to know more about the other side-stories that feature within. The book was too short and terse with its chapters, it offered me very little to get lost in.
By Annie Kapur2 years ago in Geeks
Book Review: "The Woman Who Lied" by Claire Douglas
There are times in my life when I think about how much paperback thriller literature I read. I come to the conclusion that it is a lot. One of my Amazon recommendations was Claire Douglas' book The Woman Who Lied and I was not all to enthusiastic about it to begin with but when the book started to get going, it got really good. I only found it a shame that there were so many details in the book that made no difference whatsoever to what happened. I understand intricacy and description because those are two things I love, but this kind of description ruins the pace of what could be a very good thriller novel. It took so long to get into the actual story of the situation and what was going on due to the random intricacies here and there that were not brought back later on and therefore, made no real difference to the plot. In scenes where it is vital that the writer builds up pace, the book is often let down by its inability to do so. As for the characters, most of them are unrelatable and terrible people, there is really little redeeming factors for this story. It upsetted me because I was so looking forward to reading it.
By Annie Kapur2 years ago in Geeks
Book Review: "Demon Copperhead" by Barbara Kingsolver
I have been waiting for this book for a long time, from when it came out I was putting it off for some reason or another. Some years ago I read The Poisonwood Bible and from that moment I was hooked. I have to say though, Demon Copperhead took me longer to read and longer to actually get started because of all my other reading in the way. Released in 2022 and then immediately nominated for awards, it is an epic novel which tells the modernised version of Charles Dickens' David Copperfield which pulls out all the stops when it comes to writing, plot devices, characters and more.
By Annie Kapur2 years ago in Geeks
Book Review: "Briefly, a Delicious Life" by Nell Stevens
I was initially confused about what I should or should not be reading and my 'one book from an author I've never heard of' list started to dwindle and rock with uncertainty. I had to take a break from watching re-runs of Seinfeld or replaying Oliver Stone's JFK to amend my list. I deleted everything on there and went right back to the beginning because I had noticed that my list was biased to horror. Instead of having everything doom and gloom, even though that's what I enjoyed, I thought that I should make the list more about genres I did not know about as well. So, I started the list again with 'books by authors I have never heard of writing in genres I do not know about'. I think that this might be off to a good start as well. My list at the moment may not be as good as I would have hoped, but it still has some promise. Just take a look at this book entitled Briefly, A Delicious Life.
By Annie Kapur2 years ago in Geeks
Book Review: "Printer's Devil Court" by Susan Hill
I have read quite a bit by Susan Hill in the past with my favourites being The Woman in Black (obviously) and The Man in the Picture. She is, as we know, a keen writer of ghost and horror stories and Printer's Devil Court is no exception. Born in 1942 in England, she was raised in a convent school and eventually studied English at King's College, London. The Woman in Black is probably her most well-known work which was published in 1983 and then adapted for film, television and a stage play at Covent Garden. In 2012, Susan Hill received a CBE for her services to literature and continues to write. Her writing is often characterised by atmospheres of ominous darkness and characters that are in denial, confused or confounded by the supernatural realities they are faced with. Beyond the ghost story though, Susan Hill has also authored many works for children, many works of nonfiction and much more than just horror in the literary stratosphere.
By Annie Kapur2 years ago in Geeks
Book Review: "Study for Obedience" by Sarah Bernstein
This book was nominated for the Booker Prize in 2023 and so, I am astonished at the lack of people who have actually read it. It's a poetic book with prose written in lengthy paragraphs relating to all sorts of things from paintings and artists to the notion of obedience in following orders. Bernstein creates great landscapes and pictures through her words and manages to interpret and gather the landscape as a means of freedom and yet, it is still an isolating atmosphere. The pervading and impending doom underneath the storyline gets slowly louder and quieter as we hit different parts of the story, from the present to the past - the unnamed (and rather unreliable) narrator takes us back and forth. The text is constantly emotionally jarring the reader but maintains the pace of a jittering train travelling constantly against its will, begging to be repaired before it bursts open.
By Annie Kapur2 years ago in Geeks
