literature
Geek literature from the New York Times or the recesses of online. Our favorite stories showcase geeks.
Book Review: "William the Conqueror" by David Bates
The one thing I like about reading historical nonfiction is that there is so much scope. You don't have to just write about the facts, you can use primary and secondary resources to assess something and draw conclusions based on various facts - especially if the person you are writing about is far back in history like William the Conqueror.
By Annie Kapur4 years ago in Geeks
Book Review: "The Red and the Green" by Iris Murdoch
I have read a few books by Iris Murdoch over the last few years and for me, her books are really a hit or a miss. For example: I loved her books, The Sea, The Sea and The Book and the Brotherhood. I also liked her novels Under the Net and The Severed Head. But there are other books that I felt like I couldn't become fully invested in. I have to say I was half in and half out when it came to The Red and the Green. Apart from being set during a time in which I have no real interest in, each of the characters seemed to have a lot of self-loathing to some degree and in the end, I didn't think I liked the way certain characters treated other characters, especially when Millie was asked to marry and Christopher was basically thinking about the way she might say yes, but not mean it. That had to be one of the weirdest paragraphs in the whole text.
By Annie Kapur4 years ago in Geeks
Book Review: "Florence Stories" ed. by Ella Carr
I have always loved stories about Florence, set in Florence and a bunch of other things to do with Florence. For the past almost fifteen years I have been wanting to go to Florence and, for the first time in that period - I had finally saved enough money to go - that was in January of 2020. You can only guess what happened to my luck next. When Italy shut itself down, I wash crushed and before you ask, no I don't have the money to go anymore. But, I still have the want and I will go someday - or I won't, I don't know. It really just depends how Fate wants it to go. But one thing I can be sure of is that these stories were really exciting to read even though I had read many of the books they are from before.
By Annie Kapur4 years ago in Geeks
Book Review: "Adèle" Leïla Slimani
I don't normally do reviews of books that I don't like but I see that sometimes, you need to give your opinion even when you don't think the same thing as everyone else. From what I have read about this book, it is mostly good reviews - and I'm taking nothing away from that. There are people out there that have definitely enjoyed this book and I am not going to argue with them about it. When it comes to a review though, I feel like I have to be honest with you about what I personally thought of it. This does not mean avoid the book, this does not mean hate the book and this does not mean that you shouldn't think for yourself. This simply means, here is my opinion and check out the book to see if you think the same way or not. Hopefully you can understand.
By Annie Kapur4 years ago in Geeks
Book Review: "Michael Kohlhaas" by Heinrich von Kleist
In a world rattled by corruption, there are a few things that a protagonist may choose. The most popular theme in this kind of literature is probably the redemption figure - the character who seems to absolve themselves of wrongdoings in their life and then dies in an almost heroic fashion. These characters include but are not limited to: Jean Valjean in Les Miserables by Victor Hugo, the Kuragin siblings from War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy and Paul from All Quiet on the Western Front (who we all know is something of a morally questionable character at times, come on people).
By Annie Kapur4 years ago in Geeks
Life Lessons From Three Struggling Authors Who Made It to the Top
Do you know why writers rise to the top and become successful? They stick to their craft no matter what. For any writer, writing isn’t a smooth journey. So many factors can adversely affect the pursuit of their dreams.
By Kristina Segarra4 years ago in Geeks
Looking for Alaska & Morality and Invincibility of Youth
“Someday no one will remember that she ever existed” is the only line I have underlined in John Green’s Looking for Alaska, and while annotating is hit or miss for me, there is something to be said with that line (pg186). I am petrified for death. Petrified of not waking up someday, being lost in my own oblivion for eternity. Whenever someone dies, I get overwhelmed in the moments of thought - much like Pudge and the Colonel - but it leaves my mind relatively soon - much unlike Pudge and the Colonel.
By Victoria Brown4 years ago in Geeks
Book Review: "Dante" by Alessandro Barbero
When I read a biography, especially about a person who has been dead for over a certain amount of time, I want to see some intense amounts of research. I want to see people reading the documentation where available from this time, I want to see other biographies coming into play and I especially want to see drawn conclusions from the pros and cons of each primary and secondary source. Whilst reading Dante by Alessandro Barbero, I realised one thing - that all of this can be done and all of it can be argued and critiqued while the book covers context and ideas of the time in which our subject lived.
By Annie Kapur4 years ago in Geeks
Book Review: "The Betrothed" by Alessandro Manzoni
I was told that this is one of the seminal books from Italy and though I have not actually read the book before this, I have actually heard of the book. The book was written in 1827 and was a part of the bibliography of the man who was once the senator of Italy. However, it is set in Lombardy during the Spanish Rule in the 1620s and 1630s. The one thing that I think was probably the most notable thing about the book was the fact that this narrative was about people who are not rich, politically powerful or wealthy in any way, shape or form. The two main characters are incredibly unremarkable and thus, represent a sort of everyman through their ability to relate to the masses of the time at which they lived and the time at which the book was written.
By Annie Kapur4 years ago in Geeks
Daughter of the Deep by Rick Riordan Review
Daughter of the Deep by Rick Riordan Review A year, one of the longest years, to wait for a new Rick Riordan book release. After a year of political uproar, sickness, and the possibility of never returning to normal, Uncle Rick published Daughter of the Deep, bringing back a sense of normalcy to our world. Reading about a group of sarcastic teenagers who have to overcome obstacles is refreshing and easy to relate to.
By Victoria Ward4 years ago in Geeks
