literature
Geek literature from the New York Times or the recesses of online. Our favorite stories showcase geeks.
"Go Tell it on the Mountain" by James Baldwin
The first time I ever read “Go Tell it on the Mountain” by James Baldwin I was probably about sixteen years’ old. The way in which I discovered the book was through reading a review about it in another book. Realising I hadn’t read the book it was talking about, I sought out the book, read the book and then re-read the review after falling absolutely in love with the novel. This book really did change the way I thought about African American Novels and opened up a whole new world of literature to me in which children and adults alike were well aware of the experience of growing up African American in a White American Society at what was a pretty turbulent period in modern history. It really influenced my view on African American writing and allowed me to keep it as the standard or the bar for what was to become my investigation into the Harlem Renaissance and its most famous novels.
By Annie Kapur6 years ago in Geeks
A Guide to the Works: JF Powers
Illinois born author JF Powers is probably best known for his work during the Catholic Revival Era of literature and his characters such as Father Urban from "Morte D'Urban" showcase this in some of the best ways possible. In his work on "The Catholic Imagination in American Literature", theorist Ross Labrie writes about Morte D'Urban as presenting the 'bifurcated nature of the role of the priest' (Labrie, p.183) - which is possibly the clearest way of explaining what most of Powers' fiction. It is a critique of how religion changed in America after the second world war and not only does it have themes of Christianity, it has themes that are linked to the changing view of Christianity at a critical turning point in American industry. There are so many great things about the works of JF Powers and we're going to discuss some of them here today on the anniversary of his death.
By Annie Kapur6 years ago in Geeks
Review of 'Nemesis and the Swan'
Synopsis From her prison cell in revolutionary Paris, nineteen-year-old aristocrat Hélène d'Aubign recalls the events that led her to choose between following in her parents' unforgivable footsteps or abandoning the man she loves. Despite her world of privilege, Hélène is inspired early on by the radical ideas of her progressive governess. Though her family tries to intervene, the seeds of revolution have already been planted in Hélène's heart, as are the seeds of love from an unlikely friendship with a young jeweler's apprentice. Hélène's determination to find true love is as revolutionary as her attempt to unravel the truth behind a chilling set of eye-shaped brooches and the concealed murder that tore her family apart. As violence erupts in Paris, Hélène is forced into hiding with her estranged family, where the tangled secrets of their past become entwined with her own. When she finally returns to the blood-stained streets of Paris, she finds everything-and everyone-very much changed. In a city where alliances shift overnight, no one knows who to trust. Faced with looming war, the mystery of her family's past, and the man she loves near death, Hélène will soon will find out if doing one wrong thing will make everything right, or if it will simply push her closer to the guillotine.
By Cyn's Workshop6 years ago in Geeks
“The Revenge for Love” by Wyndham Lewis
Wyndham Lewis’ “The Revenge for Love” is set in the days of the Spanish Civil War and stars a cast of characters who each have damning secrets, each of them fail to fit in with the rest and they each have some sort of Shakespearean Fatal Flaw that seeks to eat them up from the inside. The book bases itself on the deception of feelings, face, situations and the manipulations of power that are, in most ways, typical of a machiavellian character. Especially where the protagonist, Percy, is concerned - he goes as far as calling Machiavelli’s “The Prince” the book with the most truth ever written. Throughout the novel, masks and deceits play out as complex tensions between various characters and foremost, we have the fact that the protagonist is in jail. From this, the reader is spun off into a turmoil that threatens every character that has dared to become involved with him at all. Whilst the war becomes a political wave of destruction, the characters fail to keep up with the Spanish when it comes to revolution as fast as physically possible. The non-Spanish characters fail to also meet the standards required and find themselves lying even about their own identities to appear to be all on the same side. It is this that leads the reader to the end of the novel and yet, there is no real ending at all.
By Annie Kapur6 years ago in Geeks
"Less Than Zero" by Bret Easton Ellis
I first read “Less Than Zero” by Bret Easton Ellis when I was sixteen years’ old and I was just about to finish school and go to sixth form. I discovered the book on a shelf at the library whilst I was looking at Nick Cave’s “The Death of Bunny Munro”. It was a bright yellow, like a light bulb with pink capital letters that said “Less than Zero” across it. A silhouette of every American teenaged boy ever and a look of almost complete despair about the book even though it was brightly coloured, made me want to read that one and put Nick Cave on hold until the next day. Little did I know that I would become obsessed with this book for just over a year and everything I did, even to the way I spoke, contained lines that came from this text.
By Annie Kapur6 years ago in Geeks
Artemis fowl (book opinion)
Ok so I remember the very first time I read Artemis fowl, I was 13 and it was at summer camp and my mom has mailed me the book I would keep manipulating a fellow campers temper issue which would get him to causing events so I could sneak off and read the book (normally I’d get 5 chapters in before I was caught and I did this 7 times thru my time at the camp) and I would also stay up all night reading this book I just didn’t wanna put it down.
By Dr. Dillion Veck6 years ago in Geeks
"The Island of Dr. Moreau" by HG Wells
The first time I read “The Island of Dr. Moreau” by HG Wells, I was possibly about twelve years’ old and really only read it because the cover looked really cool. It was pretty short and I asked myself how long it would really take me to finish and whether I could make it last the whole weekend because it was a Friday. I ended up taking two books home and the other one was ‘Heart of Darkness’ by Joseph Conrad, so I had a somewhat interesting weekend ahead of me. My first reading experience of Dr. Moreau was intense. I actually couldn’t put it down, I was scared I would miss something. I read it like it was the last book I was ever going to read. I was absolutely immersed in the story of Edward Prendick’s doomed journey. The book really did change my perspective on the fine line between adventure books and sci-fi/horror novels. There was a very fine line and I really couldn’t tell where this book was on it. Sometimes it felt like an adventure and other times it was absolutely terrifying.
By Annie Kapur6 years ago in Geeks
“2666” by Roberto Bolaño
This book is based around a series of murders that happen in the location of Santa Teresa whilst a strange German man is committing acts of hedonism through his life. The plot is very strange because the two, upon first glance, have little to no connection. The book is divided up into five different sections, starting with “the part about the critics” and ending with “the part about Archimboldi”. Along the way, we meet a series of wonderful and enlightening characters each with their own experience of being human and yet, each of them have had something to say about the way in which they perceive death as both a physical and an idea. The book’s genre eluded me to begin with. At first, I believed it was more of a thriller, maybe mixed with a saga or romance section here and there. But as I read on and on through the parts about Fate, crime etc. I came to the conclusion that the book itself is a piece of social commentary. Though the genre may be a psychological thriller, the book serves as social commentary on the safety of the individual when they are/are not connected to other individuals who do wrong and how you can often get dragged into things that do not directly involve you.
By Annie Kapur6 years ago in Geeks
Review 'Stitching a Life: An Immigration Story'
Synopsis It's 1900, and sixteen-year-old Helen comes alone in steerage across the Atlantic from a small village in Lithuania, fleeing terrible anti-Semitism and persecution. She arrives at Ellis Island, and finds a place to live in the colorful Lower East Side of New York. She quickly finds a job in the thriving garment industry and, like millions of others who are coming to America during this time, devotes herself to bringing the rest of her family to join her in the New World, refusing to rest until her family is safe in New York. A few at a time, Helen's family members arrive. Each goes to work with the same fervor she has and contributes everything to bringing over their remaining beloved family members in a chain of migration. Helen meanwhile, makes friends and--once the whole family is safe in New York--falls in love with a man who introduces her to a different New York--a New York of wonder, beauty, and possibility.
By Cyn's Workshop6 years ago in Geeks
Review of ‘A Heart So Fierce and Broken’ (Cursebreakers #2)
Synopsis In the sequel to New York Times bestselling A Curse So Dark and Lonely, Brigid Kemmerer returns to the world of Emberfall in a lush fantasy where friends become foes and love blooms in the darkest of places. Find the heir, win the crown. The curse is finally broken, but Prince Rhen of Emberfall faces darker troubles still. Rumors circulate that he is not the true heir and that forbidden magic has been unleashed in Emberfall. Although Rhen has Harper by his side, his guardsman Grey is missing, leaving more questions than answers. Win the crown, save the kingdom. Grey may be the heir, but he doesn't want anyone to know his secret. On the run since he destroyed Lilith, he has no desire to challenge Rhen--until Karis Luran once again threatens to take Emberfall by force. Her own daughter Lia Mara sees the flaws in her mother's violent plan, but can she convince Grey to stand against Rhen, even for the good of Emberfall? The heart-pounding, compulsively readable saga continues as loyalties are tested and new love blooms in a kingdom on the brink of war.
By Cyn's Workshop6 years ago in Geeks
"Anna Karenina" by Leo Tolstoy
I read the book “Anna Karenina” when I was around fifteen years’ old and I’m not going to lie to you when I say that I bought a special notebook in which I wrote down the names of the main characters and who they were married to, who they were related to, who they were friendly and not friendly with. I would write key points about the places they lived and their personalities, I would write things about their often strained marriages - starting with the obvious affair that Stefan Oblonsky had with a French Maid. Therefore, you can imagine that my first reading experience of this novel was pretty intense stuff. I was entirely consumed and obsessed with it. Every detail fascinated me and I spent ages looking for that very particular point for when Anna becomes ostracised from high society Russia. This book entirely changed my perception of sorrow and grief in literature because no matter what Anna did wrong, it was normally done in good faith in order to escape a lifestyle in which she was either dealt a bad hand, or pushed and coaxed towards dulling or muting herself for the sake of another. Whether these can therefore truly be called ‘mistakes’ on her part is still a question I have to answer.
By Annie Kapur6 years ago in Geeks
20 Books of 2020 (Pt. 29)
Today I would like to say a few words about pairing classic literature with a favourite drink. Now, I've always been one to love a drink whilst doing some classic reading not only because it helps with the mood and ease into it, but also because it helps somewhat with the atmosphere. I say 'somewhat' because it helps with the atmosphere when you've got the correct drink for the book. Now, you can interpret this 'correct drink' as you wish, but here are a few of mine that I would like to share with you:
By Annie Kapur6 years ago in Geeks
