literature
Geek literature from the New York Times or the recesses of online. Our favorite stories showcase geeks.
An open letter to Stephen King
Hello, Mr. King. I am sure you will never read this, but I would like to set my words free to the world none the less. I am nothing but a Brazilian girl who has fallen in love with writing. I am part of a – I imagine so at least – large group of people who have been influenced by your work. I have known that for a long time now, but it wasn’t until my father’s untimely death that it became clear to me just how much you – most of all – has influenced my work.
By Nina Amaral4 years ago in Geeks
Book Review: "We Begin at the End" by Chris Whittaker
Thrillers have gotten a bad reputation lately as being part of the ‘paperback bin’ of various supermarkets, failing to actually excite, some are even dismissed as ‘chick-flicks’. Well, some thrillers can be written brilliantly and be great champions and contenders for classic literature such as “In Cold Blood” by Truman Capote - or its 21st century equivalent: “The Brothers” by Masha Gessen. But, I wager that there are thrillers out there that are not only contenders for classic literature but present to us what the real meaning of ‘thriller’ actually is. It is a book that not only excites the emotions, but a book that also causes unparalleled tension and a book that can let us pour out our emotions as well as a book that defies our predictions. It is a book which has absolutely every emotion that we can think of and blends all these genres together to create something chilling and sorrowful at the same time. In his book “We Begin at the End” - Chris Whitaker does just this. We have in this thriller, a blend of different other genres such as: romance, horror and drama in order to create the world in which the ‘thrilling’ aspect inhabits. Let’s take a look at what exactly this book is about then…
By Annie Kapur4 years ago in Geeks
Book Review: "In the Night Wood" by Dale Bailey
When it comes to atmospheric horror and ghost stories, the most iconic ones have already been written. For example: the stories of MR James and Mary Elizabeth Braddon, all the way down to stories by Shirley Jackson and Stephen King. However, there is still room for the classic ghost story yet. Given the fact that Susan Hill succeeded with her “The Woman in Black” and, with my personal favourite book by her - “The Man in the Picture”, we can see that there is not only room for ghost stories, but there is also a massive audience for them. Ghost stories, in the season of winter, have fascinated us for decades and decades, well over a century and still, we have many more to discover. Nowadays, ghost stories seem to be making a steady comeback with the ghosts not just being old and reminiscent of a different age, but also with a horror that was previously unknown and unavailable to us. For example: “The Haunting of Hill House” by Shirley Jackson uses the house to haunt the girl rather than a physical ghost. Ghosts have been manifestations and projections as in Kate Summerscale’s “The Haunting of Alma Fielding” and have since become commonplace as the unrested spirits of people far before ourselves. In the book “In the Night Wood”, this is something we see yet again.
By Annie Kapur4 years ago in Geeks
Book Review: Well-Offed in Vermont
I was given a free e-copy of this novel by NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. In bucolic small-town Vermont, Stella Thornton Buckley feels out of her element—and not just because she's fresh from Manhattan. Mere hours after moving to maple syrup country, she and her husband, Nick, find a dead man, Allen Weston, in their well. The police investigation forces the couple out of their lovely farmhouse and—since the motels are packed with leafpeepers—into a less than luxurius deer camp. Instead of mourning the loss of electricity and running water, Stella and Nick drive their Smart Car all over the Vermont hamlet to question the quirky locals about Weston, a shrewd businessman who rubbed a lot of folks the wrong way. Stella and Nick may never shed their flatlander reputation, but they just might be able to make a few friends and help Sheriff Mills solve a murder. (Goodreads synopsis)
By Caitlin Gonya4 years ago in Geeks
Book Review: "The Haunting of Alma Fielding" by Kate Summerscale
Over time, there have been many books about ‘hauntings’ that have really peaked my interest. When I was 12, it was “The Haunting of Hill House” by Shirley Jackson mainly because the book scared me half to death. But as I read more and more about hauntings, I learned that normally they come from inside the person more than by some sort of outside force. From the books by Susan Hill such as: “The Man in the Picture” and “The Woman in Black” to the story “The Shadow in the Corner” by Mary Elizabeth Braddon - I have read and re-read many ghost stories that I find to be interesting in their attempts to ‘reason’. By ‘reason’ I mean that we are presented with a character who does not fully believe in what is going on until they encounter something incredibly raw that they cannot explain by any logic whatsoever. This leads them to investigate further and drop down the metaphorical rabbit hole into the psyche of the haunting that is happening to them.
By Annie Kapur4 years ago in Geeks
Book Review: "A Touch of Darkness" by Scarlett St. Clair
The trend at the moment is that Greek Mythology retellings from a more feminist perspective seem to be the rage. Honestly, I can relate - books such as: "Pandora's Jar" and "A Thousand Ships" both by Natalie Haynes are incredible. Then you have the book "Ariadne" by Jennifer Saint, based on the life of the woman abandoned by Theseus at the docks of the sea after he killed the monster, the Minotaur. There are right and wrong ways to do a retelling of a Greek Myth and so, I have given you three examples of the correct way to do it. The incorporation of a wide story from which you draw one the character-centred narrative in order to gain the most incite into their world, their happinesses and their woes. Now what I am about to show you is the wrong way to write a Greek Myth retelling. In steps "A Touch of Darkness" by Scarlett St. Clair.
By Annie Kapur4 years ago in Geeks
Book Review: "The King is Dead" by Hugh Morrison
As you probably know, I adore reading the British Library Crime Classics collection because of the way the books fit into the season. Imagine this: you are sitting under a lamp in a dimly lit room with your e-reader whilst drinking a cup of coffee, some mulled wine is on the table and it’s dark and raining outside. This is the exact time to pick up a British Library Crime Classic and get involved in a 1930s murder mystery. Last year, I had a bit of a binge of crime classic stories from this collection, reading some 20 or 30 in a row at a time. I just loved them that much. But when I finished what they had to offer in the collection, it was kind of deflating. That is, until now. The British Library are constantly releasing new books and murder mysteries of the golden age of British Crime and honestly, I can say nothing else apart from that I will definitely be trying to read all of them. I’m not sure they are going to run out any time soon since there were many people publishing crime stories, short stories and novels in that era. So, let us now take a look at what this book is really about.
By Annie Kapur4 years ago in Geeks
Are You Ready for a Rip-Roaring Thrill Ride?
Synopsis In a refugee shanty town on the outskirts of a vast and opulent imperial capital city, an insidious sect of demon worshippers, the Cult of Ebon, began to prey upon the Gathered, a diaspora of peoples displaced from their nations in the aftermath of a
By Ashley Nestler, MSW4 years ago in Geeks
5 Great Books I Read in September '21
People always tell me I read too much. Nobody ever says anything about people who watch TV for hours on end, or people who spend hours and hours every day on their phones. Just those who read a book are considered to be 'anti-social'. Well, if that is what I am so be it.
By Annie Kapur4 years ago in Geeks
