literature
Geek literature from the New York Times or the recesses of online. Our favorite stories showcase geeks.
Book Review: "Conversations with Friends" by Sally Rooney
Yes, I'm reading some more Sally Rooney because I really enjoyed Beautiful World, Where Are You? Even though I really didn't like Normal People - it doesn't matter, there's only one way and it's forward. Sally Rooney's universality is wild because she is definitely not, as a human being, someone who can comment on the common experience of everyone. Middle-class, white and privileged - it is actually a wonder how she can express these existential issues as common problems everyone has without having access to the common working-class person. I would say this is quite an achievement and, as we continue, we look at Conversations with Friends. Again, this book is painfully middle-class and white, but it does ask all the right questions.
By Annie Kapur20 days ago in Geeks
Book Review: "The Scapegoat" by Daphne Du Maurier
I've read many Daphne Du Maurier books and at the moment, I'm in the midst of a quick reread of Don't Look Now. I've reviewed a few over the years and some have been featured in 'Why It's a Masterpiece' with others coming up. You can see my previous reviews for the following books by clicking on their links in the titles:
By Annie Kapur21 days ago in Geeks
Book Review: "The Plague Stones" by James Brogden
Cheap books on my phone are great and this one was found after much sleuthing. The Plague Stones seems to be described as a great mixture between old and new, a folk horror (which as you know, is right up my street) and a descriptive story that moves between people and times. There's a lot of atmosphere in this book and so, I was completely immersed from start to finish. If you, like me, love the subgenre of folk horror then you'll probably be in for a right treat if you were to pick this book up. I know people who have this on audiobook and apparently it's free over there if you'd rather listen to it. But horror isn't just for Halloween and I want you to remember that...
By Annie Kapur22 days ago in Geeks
The Ragged-Trousered Philanthropists by Robert Tressell
The Ragged-Trousered Philanthropists was written by Robert Noonan under the pen name Robert Tressell and was first published posthumously in 1914. It is a great work of socialist literature and covers the economic hardships faced by the working class in early 20th century Britain. The author himself, born in 1870, was part of the working class. His life was marked by poverty and political activism in which he struggled to gain recognition as a writer (which was still seen as a middle class sport at this time). He became a house painter and a labourer and thus, he draws on these experiences in his novel. He sought to expose those responsible for the dehumanisation of the working class through his narrative, looking at the way these people would normally treat the poorer folk and why therefore, the lives of these lower classes was so incredibly horrid.
By Annie Kapur22 days ago in Geeks
Book Review: "Ghosts" by Dolly Alderton
Picking up cheap books should be considered a hobby because I found this one. A book I didn't think I'd like judging by the cover - it looked too much like what is usually dubbed as 'chick-lit'. But I know who Dolly Alderton is and I held my breath, hoping that perhaps she would not be as dull and droning as Bridget Jones's Diary. I was pleasantly surprised by Ghosts and eventually, I sort of came around to the idea of maybe reading some more of her books in the future. I'm just waiting for them to come down in price before I do. Let's take a look at the book then...
By Annie Kapur23 days ago in Geeks
Book Review: "Beautiful World, Where Are You?" by Sally Rooney
I read Normal People and I hated it. I almost didn't finish the book and this was some time ago. Surprisingly, Beautiful World, Where Are You? was much much better. I found it more refreshing, Rooney's prose was more lyrical and didn't feel like I was reading something that felt unfinished, or at the least, untied like you stepped on your own shoelaces. At the time of writing this review, my bed is covered in other books and I'm listening the the 1980s radio station on my phone which is playing the Pet Shop Boys' version of Always on My Mind. But I'm still thinking about Sally Rooney's book that, at this point, I finished a few days ago. That's probably something. There's a lot to unpack here...
By Annie Kapur24 days ago in Geeks
In Defense of the Makers: Why Disney Fandom Must Actively Support Human Creativity
Disney's enduring appeal lies in more than just stories; it sells feelings of wonder, nostalgia, and belonging — a century-long magic crafted by human artists, animators, and storytellers. However, this legacy now faces an urgent challenge as artificial intelligence is integrated into creative pipelines.
By Jenna Deedy25 days ago in Geeks
Book Review: "You Weren't Meant to Be Human" by Andrew Joseph White
Somebody needs to check on this author because honestly, what the hell did I just read? This book starts pretty uncomfortable and just gets more and more uncomfortable from then on. The storyline has its ups and downs, the characters are somewhat stocky and yet, the book itself is still compelling. Is it the writing that does it? Well, there's an apparent lack of atmosphere throughout the novel, so I don't believe so. Is it the characterisation of these people who serve as clear tropes for quite obvious things? Possibly not. Well, I can tell you what it is. Here's the thing, if I have said it once, I've said it a million times: a successful horror novel needs to have simplicity at its core. Too many random tangents and you get the reader mixed up and the horror quite literally drains from the book. The author's biggest advantage was his simplicity.
By Annie Kapur25 days ago in Geeks
Book Review: "The Good Samaritan" by John Marrs
You’re going to hate me because you’re going to think I’m back on my thriller train and I can assure you I am trying to push against it. Once I start reading thrillers, I start reading them all and I don’t slow down. If you want to know what happened last time then just search up my ‘British Library Crime Classics’ reviews in the search tab. It got so bad that it was all I was reading for ages. Well, we are here with a book called ‘The Good Samaritan’ by John Marrs which I found because I follow some out of touch page on Facebook and it was mentioned briefly in the comments section. Yes, it was that out there. Let’s take a look at it shall we?
By Annie Kapur26 days ago in Geeks
