literature
Geek literature from the New York Times or the recesses of online. Our favorite stories showcase geeks.
Book Review: "Orpheus Builds a Girl" by Heather Parry
I am a big fan of the gothic genre and will read pretty much anything that is meant to give me the chills if it's well written. Orpheus Builds a Girl is most obviously named for the myth of Orpheus who travels to the underworld to try to rescue his love, Eurydice. The fact that the novel is stated to be creepy and enthralling made me love it even more than simply liking the title. However, I have got to say that after this read - I have mixed feelings about the book. Not everything was good, but more than often it did make me uncomfortable even if it was for all the wrong reasons and not for its Frankenstein-esque storyline.
Annie KapurPublished 7 months ago in GeeksBook Review: "Weyward" by Emilia Hart
This is a book that I have been waiting to read for a while. Written by Emilia Hart, Weyward is a book about both the term that refers to a person who goes against the grain and a family that is very special for its lineage of incredibly strong women. From the various tragedies that our three women encounter in the novel to the men that try to force them into corners, if there is one thing we learn it is that we should never simply trust our men for they do not always want the best for us. This book explores the extremes of those situations. Situations such as: unwanted pregnancy, rape, assault and domestic violence. Weyward may be a fantastic book, but it does not come without its oddities. These oddities may suit some but they left a little sourness in my mouth after the book was over.
Annie KapurPublished 7 months ago in GeeksBook Review: "Violeta" by Isabel Allende
I was only around eighteen years' old when I first read Isabel Allende's The House of the Spirits and I was stunned from start to finish. To this day, I cannot forget the terrifying, electric and often heartbreaking events of that novel from the death of Rosa the Beautiful all the way to the impassioned ending. Esteban's house lingers over me like a dark cloud, that book is one of the few that has changed my life. Violeta is another one of Allende's novels that has sought to do the same thing. It has changed me in a way I never expected to be changed. It has hardened me against trust (if I wasn't hardened against it enough) and made me realise that caution against love is not just a good habit - it is absolutely necessary for the survival of women everywhere. Violeta is a ruthless novel filled with horrifying truths that we either have to shield ourselves from or force ourselves to encounter.
Annie KapurPublished 7 months ago in GeeksJurassic Park (1993) is a Thrilling Movie Theater Experience
You’re joking when you say we’re returning to prehistoric times, right? Jurassic Park was released to theaters in 1993. Based on the fictional novel written by Michael Crichton, an eccentric billionaire John Hammond invites a team of paleontologists and a chaotician to Jurassic Park where he has genetically resurrected dinosaurs. It’s an island of unbelievable dreams until they end up in endless nightmares.
Marielle SabbagPublished 7 months ago in GeeksBook Review: "All the Murmuring Bones" by A.G Slatter
I have to admit that many things have got in the way of reading this book - like other books. I have owned this book for absolutely ages and only decided to pick it up yesterday. It's been at least a month or two - but I am glad that I waited. A book like this has to be devoured with utmost concentration and I am happy I had the time to sit and read it all in one or two sittings. The book itself is a masterpiece from start to finish with the correct blend of high fantasy, classic gothic and my favourite one of all - folk horror. A.G Slatter creates an entire underworld of betrayal and hurt beneath a backdrop of riches, power and heritage. It's definitely my kind of book and I think it has a little bit for everyone in it too.
Annie KapurPublished 7 months ago in GeeksMovies I absolutely love, but I HATE watching
It's been quite a while since I've talked about movies hasn't it? You might be asking yourself now, "Dyllon, why don't you like watching movies that you like? That sounds completely contradictory.". Trust me I'm aware of how it sounds and it's not click bait either. I do love every single one of these films but every time they come on I just think to myself "Oh boy, strap in. It's (insert film here)". Again you'll understand once you start reading.
Dyllon RodillonPublished 7 months ago in GeeksBook Review: "Take What You Need" by Idra Novey
When I bought this book, it sounded like the kind of book I would definitely get into. Not much happening, long descriptions and intoxicatingly deep conversation. Many of the books I read have a quality of what I like to call 'the deep afternoon' to them. They are almost over-the-top with their spacious, lengthy and intense sensory descriptions of the atmosphere, feelings are washed in tides of metaphors and finally, there is a protagonist that feels so connected with every single sound, smell and sight around them - almost in a detached-from-reality way. Unfortunately, this book had quite a bit of false advertising as it was none of those things and I am still struggling to find the point of it.
Annie KapurPublished 7 months ago in GeeksBook Review: "Wounded" by Percival Everett
Published in 2005, this novel covers the horse-tamers, the riders and the cowboys of the western states of the USA. African-Americans centralise this novel with almost a feeling of terror, like morbid violins, playing beneath as it is not only they who are viewed as out of the ordinary by the stark white supporting cast.
Annie KapurPublished 7 months ago in GeeksBook Review: "Clytemnestra" by Costanza Casati
If you love Greek Myths then there is a large chance you've come across the vengeful Clytemnestra of the Orestian Trilogy. Wife of Agamemnon, Queen of Mycenean Greece and arch-baddie. But is she really evil, or are there pieces of her story simply missing? Is her story simply unfinished and are her acts of vengeance completely and utterly justified?
Annie KapurPublished 7 months ago in GeeksBook Review: "The Grass Arena" by John Healy
John Healy's autobiographical novel may have been out of print for a few years, but it has been on my radar for a while - especially ever since I heard that Sir Daniel Day-Lewis had good things to say about it and that was shortly after it was released on DVD. I didn't know these comments had been shared almost a decade earlier and was pretty let down to know how late I was to the party.
Annie KapurPublished 7 months ago in GeeksBook Review: "Witchcraft: A History in 13 Trials" by Marion Gibson
Marion Gibson is a professor at the University of Exeter and specialises in Renaissance and Magical Literatures. That alone made me excited to read this book entitled: Witchcraft: A History in 13 Trials. I first imagined it would be like the book The Five and was initially won over by its attention to the lives of the women on trial rather than the men who sought to kill them. Interested as I was, I tried to make this book last over a couple of days instead of reading it in one sitting as I knew it was going to be quite a serious, academic text rather than one that was simply there to be entertaining.
Annie KapurPublished 7 months ago in GeeksBook Review: "The Prisoner" by B.A Paris
I have read a few of B.A Paris' books over the years including The Therapist, Behind Closed Doors and the even more thrilling, The Dilemma. I think that The Prisoner for me was an obvious choice when it came to which book I would take away with me for train journeys. I thought that this would also be a brilliant opportunity to reconnect with one of my favourite modern thriller writers since the last books I had read by her were very engaging.
Annie KapurPublished 7 months ago in Geeks