literature
Geek literature from the New York Times or the recesses of online. Our favorite stories showcase 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 Kapur2 months 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 Kapur2 months 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 Deedy2 months 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 Kapur2 months 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 Kapur2 months ago in Geeks
Book Review: "Nudge" by Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein
This book is mentioned in another book I was reading as something you should probably read in order to have a greater understanding of certain concepts. I'm not telling you what the other book is because it's kind of a surprise for 2026. Nudge is a great book and tells the story of choice architecture and the way in which we make decisions. It is a pretty good book considering the fact that I picked it up for the cheapest possible price (I'm not saying cheap books are bad, if you read this blog then you will know how great cheap books are). Let's take a look that the book Nudge and what I thought of the ideas being presented within...
By Annie Kapur2 months ago in Geeks
Book Review: "A Sense of Belonging" by Dr Holan Liang
As you can tell, I'm still riding the train of social media, loneliness and how the world went to hell. If you remember from a few years back, I was doing the same thing with consumerist culture and did a deep-dive into books like Naomi Klein's No Logo among others. This shouldn't surprise you by now but if you're looking to get on this train with me then you are perfectly welcome. You can trace the trace the train tracks through the previous articles I have done over the last week. Before you ask, no I'm not reading and finishing one a day, these reviews are normally written as I'm reading them and I have different books for different things I'm doing. Good ol' neurodivergence. It's hard to explain. Let's investigate the book...
By Annie Kapur2 months ago in Geeks
Book Review: "The Cure for Loneliness" by Dr Bill Howatt
Another cheap find. I'm still reading about how our world went to hell and though I don't agree with it all (I'm a fairly unsociable person in real life, I prefer to spend time alone), I can understand why some people may feel the need for more realistic and physical communities. I've read a number of books about how social media has basically broken humanity. Books such as Selfie by Will Storr, Amusing Ourselves to Death and Technopoly by Neil Postman, Bowling Alone by Robert Putnman among a number of others. This book is called The Cure for Loneliness and focuses on the way in which we can have workable solutions in our lives. I'm quite interested in this as it is normally the case that only the conclusions of other books deal with solutions and still, they seem a bit far from an achievable reality. Let's see if this book has any better ideas that focus more on sociology than regulation and misguided optimism.
By Annie Kapur2 months ago in Geeks
This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald
This Side of Paradise isn't regarded as one of Fitzgerald's best books but it was published bang on 1920, marking the beginning of his fascination with the on-coming Jazz Age. It's semi-autobiographical and details his experiences of elite social circles at Princeton University. It made him famous overnight.
By Annie Kapur2 months ago in Geeks
Open Letter to Disney: Prioritizing Human Creativity in the Age of AI
Disney's recent partnership with OpenAI, which will allow Sora to use over 200 characters—from Mickey Mouse to Yoda—to generate short, user-prompted videos, is being presented by the company as a major step in storytelling innovation. CEO Bob Iger claims this move is about "thoughtfully and responsibly extending the reach of our storytelling through generative AI, while respecting and protecting creators and their works." A curated selection of these fan-created, Sora-generated clips featuring Disney, Marvel, Pixar, and Star Wars characters will even appear on Disney+. The official line suggests this deal, which includes content guardrails and a commitment to "human-centered AI" and protecting "the rights of creators," is a way to engage fans and broaden creativity while still honoring the creative industries.
By Jenna Deedy2 months ago in Geeks
Book Review: "The Chaos Machine" by Max Fisher
As you can see, I'm still reading books about the way in which society has basically been destroyed. So far I've read books like Technopoly and Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman, Bowling Alone by Robert Putnam, Selfie by Will Storr and a couple of others in the past such as Stolen Focus by Johann Hari. Now, it's time for The Chaos Machine by Max Fisher which deals with the social media age. I mean the subtitle of the book is quite literally: "The Inside Story of How Social Media Rewired Our Minds and Our World" and so, I'm holding out quite a bit of hope to learn something new and connect ideas to things I have already read.
By Annie Kapur2 months ago in Geeks
