literature
Geek literature from the New York Times or the recesses of online. Our favorite stories showcase geeks.
Can You Combine Two Lousy Ideas to Make a Bestselling Series?
A heated debate on main story concepts led to Jim Butcher’s bestselling series The Codex Alera. One side of the argument claimed that a good enough central premise would make a great book, even if you were a lousy writer. The other side contended that the central concept was far less important than the execution of the story, and that the most overused central concept in the world could have life breathed into by a skilled writer. It raged back and forth in an ALL CAPITAL LETTERS FLAMEWAR between a bunch of unpublished writers, and finally some guy dared me to put my money where my mouth was, by letting him give me a cheesy central story concept, which I would then use in an original novel. Me being an arrogant kid, I wrote him back saying, “Why don’t you give me TWO terrible ideas for a story, and I’ll use them BOTH.” The core ideas he gave me were Lost Roman Legion and Pokémon.” — Jim Butcher.
By Sandi Parsons5 years ago in Geeks
Book Review: "The Splendid and the Vile" by Erik Larson
When I think of Erik Larson, I normally think about the book he wrote on the world's fair entitled "The Devil in the White City" and honestly - that stands to be one of my favourite books of the 21st century. Erik Larson is a great writer and can write history in a way that is inviting for all to read and not just the scholars who have studied the topic. One thing I noticed about his writing style is that it is not usual for nonfiction as it contains moments of very full, very overwhelming pieces of emotion. It is something that I adore about his writing because you can really feel each and every move being made over so many years ago that you might as well be standing there with them. "The Splendid and the Vile" is no exception to that. It is a brilliantly written book that illuminates war-time London in its darkness and its glory. It has a way of drawing you into the stories of not just the war, but of the characters surrounding you: Winston Churchill, the politicians etc. all these people were real people and you are drawn to each and every single one's experience of life, love, war and death.
By Annie Kapur5 years ago in Geeks
5 Great Books I Read in March '21. Top Story - March 2021.
It has been one whole year since lockdown started here in the UK and now, I feel like everyone has really found their special books. Whether it be the realms of fantasy, classic literature, dining with Dracula in the gothic or even in the helpful images of the comic book - there are books out there for everyone and I believe a lot of people have tried to find their own interests when it comes to literature.
By Annie Kapur5 years ago in Geeks
Darkness and Light in "A Tale of Two Cities", by Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens’s “A Tale of Two Cities” is a story about contrasts, as is evident from the very title. We are shown the two cities, namely London and Paris, in very different lights, with Paris being the city of revolution and danger and London as the place of peace and sanctuary. Along with this contrast are the themes of night and day, darkness and light, running through the book.
By John Welford5 years ago in Geeks
Book Review: "The Hotel Years" by Joseph Roth
Joseph Roth is probably best known for his book "The Radetzsky March" - which is a brilliant family saga about 20th Century Europe and its money woes, depression, problems and war divisions. But, this book entitled "The Hotel Years" is far more autobiographical, with Joseph Roth writing about his stays in various hotels all over Europe in between World War One and World War Two. Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, Joseph Roth meets some incredibly interesting people and observes some unusual situations, it gives rise to the independence of the day and the class differentiation with the rich being overwhelming wealthy and the poor being practically forgotten. But it also paints a picture of the time in between the wars being one of a sort of hope: the hope that another war will not come and the hope for reconciliation with others. A blessing, this book is short stories, written through diary entries, composed over travels in complete over a decade. It is beauty, it is personality and it is time and space all at once.
By Annie Kapur5 years ago in Geeks
Review of ‘Magic Dark and Strange’
The Bone Witch meets Sherlock Holmes in this thrilling historical fantasy about a girl with the ability to raise the dead who must delve into her city's dangerous magical underworld to stop a series of murders. Catherine Daly has an unusual talent. By day she works for a printer. But by night, she awakens the dead for a few precious moments with loved ones seeking a final goodbye. But this magic comes with a price: for every hour that a ghost is brought back, Catherine loses an hour from her own life. When Catherine is given the unusual task of collecting a timepiece from an old grave, she is sure that the mysterious item must contain some kind of enchantment. So she enlists Guy Nolan, the watchmaker's son, to help her dig it up. But instead of a timepiece, they find a surprise: the body of a teenage boy. And as they watch, he comes back to life--not as the pale imitation that Catherine can conjure, but as a living, breathing boy. A boy with no memory of his past. This magic is more powerful than any Catherine has ever encountered, and revealing it brings dangerous enemies. Catherine and Guy must race to unravel the connection between the missing timepiece and the undead boy. For this mysterious magic could mean the difference between life and death--for all of them.
By Cyn's Workshop5 years ago in Geeks
Book Review: "Bogart" by A.M Sperber and Eric Lax
The first thing that this book points out in its opening is that the two writers have never met each other in person. However, the seek to write a biography about one of the greatest figures of 20th Century Cinema - Humphrey Bogart. It is going to be an interesting experience to say the least because after reading that they had never met, I was initially holding some cynicism about the book being any good. But it not only subverted my expectations, but it wholeheartedly made me disagree with my initial opinion. I personally adore Humphrey Bogart's movies and when reading something about him, I want it to be incredibly informative. This was exactly that. From his parents to his upbringing, from his early failures to his great successes and even afterwards up to his death - this book covers everything that could possibly be researched about Humphrey Bogart's interesting and often turbulent life.
By Annie Kapur5 years ago in Geeks
