literature
Geek literature from the New York Times or the recesses of online. Our favorite stories showcase geeks.
20 Books of 2020 (Pt.32)
Well, we're underway into the 600s now and I can honestly say that it has been a great ride, but we're not stopping here! In this article introduction, I want to talk shortly about reading books and reading kindle books/ebooks etc. and the way in which we see differences between them.
By Annie Kapur6 years ago in Geeks
"Kafka was the Rage" by Anatole Broyard
The first time I ever read “Kafka was the Rage” by Anatole Broyard, I was sitting on a coach on my way to a university trip for five days of intense work. I was in the second year of my undergraduate degree and had just about turned twenty years’ old. My first experience of reading it was brilliant and I read the whole thing in one sitting, much to the confusion of my lecturer since I was the only one not talking on the coach ride. It ended up with me talking to my lecturer about how good the book was - and it was awesome. “Kafka was the Rage” really influenced my world view of how the planet worked after the second world war. It made me believe less in the fact that everything went back to normal and believe more in the fact that there were actually a great number of problems after the war, especially concerning these displaced soldiers pretty much left to their own devices. It is one of those stories that simply touches you with its realism.
By Annie Kapur6 years ago in Geeks
"Tess of the D’Urbervilles" by Thomas Hardy
It has been just about ten years since I first read Thomas Hardy’s magnum opus “Tess of the D’Urbervilles” and I read it mostly because it was everywhere. I remember it being in bookstores with these amazing clothbound covers on the copies and I managed to save come money in order to get myself one. This was how I discovered the book. I was simply in a bookstore looking at the clothbound edition of “Anna Karenina” when near it was Thomas Hardy’s “Tess of the D’Urbervilles” and simply realising I hadn’t read it and it looked interesting, I bought it. (Since I also already had a copy of “Anna Karenina” - nobody was letting me buy another one). My first reading experience of “Tess” was pretty disturbing because I found myself really upset for a few days afterwards because of the way I believe Tess was treated unjustly. The book managed to change my opinion of what could happen to people who were the protagonists of their own novels, and I thought that sort of stuff only happened in Shakespeare’s plays. How wrong I was.
By Annie Kapur6 years ago in Geeks
Review of ‘Admission’
Synopsis From the New York Times bestselling author of Tell Me Three Things comes an of-the-moment novel that peeks inside the private lives of the hypercompetitive and the hyperprivileged and takes on the college admissions bribery scandal that rocked the country. It's good to be Chloe Wynn Berringer. She's headed off to the college of her dreams. She's going to prom with the boy she's had a crush on since middle school. Her best friend always has her back, and her mom, a B-list Hollywood celebrity, may finally be on her way to the B+ list. It's good to be Chloe Wynn Berringer--at least, it was, until the FBI came knocking on her front door, guns at the ready, and her future went up in smoke. Now her mother is under arrest in a massive college admissions bribery scandal. Chloe, too, might be facing charges, and even time behind bars. The public is furious, the press is rabid, and the US attorney is out for blood. As she loses everything she's long taken for granted, Chloe must reckon not only with the truth of what happened, but also with the examination of her own guilt. Why did her parents think the only way for her to succeed was to cheat for her? What did she know, and when did she know it? And perhaps most importantly, what does it mean to be complicit?
By Cyn's Workshop6 years ago in Geeks
If Beale Street Could Talk: a review. Third Place in Lifelong Learning Challenge.
The murder of George Floyd was a modern-day lynching. As such, the United States has been forced (again...) to confront racism – the skeleton in America’s closet that never actually died, especially for Black and Brown people.
By Pallavi Juneja6 years ago in Geeks
World Refugee Day: Ten Books on Refugee and Immigrant Voices
Every year on the 20th of June, World Refugee Day is celebrated internationally as it is a day where we respect and honour the most vulnerable members of our society who constantly risk their lives in hope that they can find safety.
By Annie Kapur6 years ago in Geeks
Review of ‘A Curse So Dark and Lonely’ (Cursebreakers #1)
Synopsis Fall in love, break the curse. It once seemed so easy to Prince Rhen, the heir to Emberfall. Cursed by a powerful enchantress to repeat the autumn of his eighteenth year over and over, he knew he could be saved if a girl fell for him. But that was before he learned that at the end of each autumn, he would turn into a vicious beast hell-bent on destruction. That was before he destroyed his castle, his family, and every last shred of hope. Nothing has ever been easy for Harper. With her father long gone, her mother dying, and her brother barely holding their family together while constantly underestimating her because of her cerebral palsy, she learned to be tough enough to survive. But when she tries to save someone else on the streets of Washington, DC, she's instead somehow sucked into Rhen's cursed world. Break the curse, save the kingdom. A prince? A monster? A curse? Harper doesn't know where she is or what to believe. But as she spends time with Rhen in this enchanted land, she begins to understand what's at stake. And as Rhen realizes Harper is not just another girl to charm, his hope comes flooding back. But powerful forces are standing against Emberfall . . . and it will take more than a broken curse to save Harper, Rhen, and his people from utter ruin.
By Cyn's Workshop6 years ago in Geeks
Review of 'The Beholder'
Synopsis "Sparkles with beauty, intrigue, and romance."--Kiera Cass, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Selection series Selah has waited her whole life for a happily ever after. As the only daughter of the leader of Potomac, she knows her duty is to find the perfect match. But after an excruciatingly public rejection, Selah's stepmother suggests an unthinkable solution: Selah must set sail across the Atlantic to visit a series of potential suitors--and if she doesn't come home engaged, she shouldn't come home at all. From the gardens of England to the fjords of Norge, Selah's quest will be the journey of a lifetime. But her stepmother's schemes aren't the only secrets hiding belowdecks...and the stakes of her voyage may be higher than any happy ending. Lush landscapes, dazzling romance, and captivating intrigue await in this stunning alternate historical YA debut--perfect for fans of The Selection or Caraval.
By Cyn's Workshop6 years ago in Geeks
"Storybound" by Emily McKay - Review
Book review Besides having brilliant world-building and phenomenal characters, McKay wrote a fantastic story that challenges the idea of destiny and builds unique relationships. I absolutely loved this book! It made me laugh more times than I could count, it pulled me into the world and didn’t let me go. The main character was fierce and formidable while still being realistic and relatable. One of the biggest things that annoys me in fiction is secondhand embarrassment and while the main character may have done embarrassing things, I never felt the need to walk away and take a moment to process, the story moved on and didn’t dwell on the situation.
By Mary Knutson6 years ago in Geeks
"Doctor Faustus" by Christopher Marlowe
I first read this book when I was twelve years’ old and I’m going to admit that it was very difficult to read, even as a girl who had already studied Shakespeare by that age - I had some difficulty and had my dictionary on hand and my Latin dictionary on hand when they were required. I discovered this book literally because I found it. When I say I found it I mean that I was looking through the Shakespeare books and it was amongst them. I thought it looked fairly interesting and so I picked it up and began to read. I understood nothing and so, I took it home to the comfort of my dictionaries. For the next twelve years, I would read “Dr. Faustus” at least once every year because of the fact it had enthralled me and I was always one of those people who were trying to work out whether I was seeing an actual ending or one of the possible endings to the play. It’s an intriguing script with a ton of grand references, speeches and monologues. I love the entire thing and to this day, it is my favourite play of all time.
By Annie Kapur6 years ago in Geeks
Review of ‘The Fascinators’
Synopsis A magic-infused YA novel about friendship, first love, and feeling out of place that will bewitch fans of Rainbow Rowell and Maggie Stiefvater. Living in a small town where magic is frowned upon, Sam needs his friends James and Delia--and their time together in their school's magic club--to see him through to graduation. But as soon as senior year starts, little cracks in their group begin to show. Sam may or may not be in love with James. Delia is growing more frustrated with their amateur magic club. And James reveals that he got mixed up with some sketchy magickers over the summer, putting a target on all their backs. With so many fault lines threatening to derail his hopes for the year, Sam is forced to face the fact that the very love of magic that brought his group together is now tearing them apart--and there are some problems that no amount of magic can fix.
By Cyn's Workshop6 years ago in Geeks
