literature
Geek literature from the New York Times or the recesses of online. Our favorite stories showcase 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
Review of ‘We Were Restless Things’
Synopsis Last summer, Link Miller drowned on dry land in the woods, miles from the nearest body of water. His death was ruled a weird accident, but Noemi Amato knows the truth: Link was killed. He told her so himself, because he's been texting her from beyond the grave, warning her to keep away from the forest. Amberlyn, Link's sister, can't shake the feeling that Noemi is hiding something, and Jonas, Noemi's new housemate, can't get past the walls that she has constructed around herself. Because Noemi has a dangerous secret even bigger than Link's ghost... Link drowned in an impossible lake that only she can find. Now, if the three don't work together to unravel the truth about what is happening in the woods, someone else may wind up dead. Set over the course of one heartbreaking, mystifying, and ultimately hopeful year, this remarkable debut heralds the arrival of an incredible new voice in young adult literature.
By Cyn's Workshop6 years ago in Geeks
Review of 'Watermark' (The Broken Bell Series, #1)
Synopsis The oldest child in a troubled Philadelphia family, Angel Ferente struggles to care for her three sisters while pursuing her goal of attending college on a swimming scholarship. She has a problematic relationship with her mother, Pic, who uses alcohol and drugs to self-medicate and at one point lost custody for a year, and an outright hostile relationship with her stepfather, the only father figure in her life. Angel is the center of stability in the household--making sure the younger girls get to school, ensuring that holidays are observed, doing the family's laundry at her part-time job at a Laundromat, and even taking care of Pic when she is sick or depressed. It's 1993, the midst of the crack epidemic, and Angel and her sisters are witness to the everyday events of life in a community beset by poverty and drugs: dealers on the corner, shoot-outs that kill bystanders, prostitutes on the job, and more. Then Angel goes to a team party on New Year's Eve--and doesn't come home afterward. In the wake of her disappearance, her teammates, her coach's church, and her family search the city for her. The result changes their lives forever.
By Cyn's Workshop6 years ago in Geeks
Review 'The Last Wish: Introducing the Witcher' (The Witcher #0.5)
Synopsis Geralt the Witcher -- revered and hated -- holds the line against the monsters plaguing humanity in this collection of adventures in the New York Times bestselling series that inspired the Netflix show and the hit video games. Geralt is a Witcher, a man whose magic powers, enhanced by long training and a mysterious elixir, have made him a brilliant fighter and a merciless assassin. Yet he is no ordinary murderer: his targets are the multifarious monsters and vile fiends that ravage the land and attack the innocent. But not everything monstrous-looking is evil and not everything fair is good...and in every fairy tale there is a grain of truth. The Last Wish story collection is the perfect introduction to a one of a kind fantasy world.
By Cyn's Workshop6 years ago in Geeks
