literature
Geek literature from the New York Times or the recesses of online. Our favorite stories showcase geeks.
Book Review: "How to Change Your Mind" by Michael Pollan . Top Story - November 2025.
I had the entirely wrong idea about this book. I was reading on my phone when I finished the last book and wanted to start a new one. Thus, I quickly bought this on the cheap and started reading. I thought it was going to be about changing your mind, like actually changing it by using therapy techniques and the like. It's about LSD and psychedelics. But it's also about depression, anxiety, dying, terror, mythologies of humanity etc. Interesting and actually pretty well-written - I have absolutely no regrets of not reading the blurb when it came to this book even though I don't particularly agree with everything within. Let's take a look at what it is about then...
By Annie Kapur4 months ago in Geeks
Book Review: "Oleander, Jacaranda" by Penelope Lively
“When you do not know what to expect of the world—when everything is astonishing— then anything is possible and acceptable. Children are aliens in a landscape that is entirely unpredictable; they are required to conform to the dictation of a mysterious code while finding their way around a world which is both dazzling and perverse. I wanted to see if it was possible to uncover something of this experience”. - "Oleander, Jacaranda" by Penelope Lively
By Annie Kapur4 months ago in Geeks
Book Review: "As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning" by Laurie Lee
Cider with Rosie I admit, did not move me too much - though I have to admit it was good. But when it comes to sequels I have to say that As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning is probably one of the better examples of one. It is a testament to travel and self-discovery and of course, I read books like this because I hate travelling and self-discovery is something of a side-note for me. I prefer to read about other people who take trips to find themselves philosophically, however unbelievable I think it would be to actually do in real life unless you ran into something like a war-zone and saw someone die (see: Orlando). Let's take a look at what makes this book extra special...
By Annie Kapur4 months ago in Geeks
Book Review: "Scotland Yard: A Bloody History" by Simon Read
How do I explain this? I was bored and got a book on my phone again! This book, entitled Scotland Yard: A Bloody History, gives us a history of one of the most famed institutions in Britain in various crimes that are gruesome to say the least. But, from ignoring a letter concerning how to do fingerprinting some decades before fingerprinting would be a method to solving crimes all the way to crimes that were probably on par of that of Jack the Ripper in terms of horror - this book holds no punches. It gives us a fun, intriguing and yet, informative narrative about the birth of a police system which not only has its successes but also its drawbacks.
By Annie Kapur4 months ago in Geeks
Three Lives by Gertrude Stein
Gertrude Stein’s Three Lives was published in 1909 by the Sunwise Turn publishing house. The novel was Stein’s first major work of prose fiction and represents a move away from traditional narrative structures of the past American literary landscape. Before writing Three Lives, the author had lived in Paris, where she was influenced by Cubism, post-impressionist art, and avant-garde movements. The book reflects her involvement with these movements, mostly through her use of language and form, both of which were quite radical for the time and place in which she lived.
By Annie Kapur4 months ago in Geeks
Book Review: "The Knot of Vipers" by François Mauriac
I'm not going to lie, more than often it is a title that draws me to a book and this one was quite intriguing because it didn't give anything away. The only thing I could figure out is that it wasn't going to be a romantic comedy or something along those lines. The Knot of Vipers is François Mauriac's novel written in the style of a confession, about a family falling apart and the members like 'vipers'. They deceive, they are poison to each other, they are hypocritical and selfish. All I can say is that this psychologically twisted novel was not quite what I was expecting but it was amazing nevertheless.
By Annie Kapur4 months ago in Geeks
Book Review: "Ageless" by Andrew Steele
Who loves cheap books they can read on their phone? I do. This book wasn't too expensive when I found it and well, I'm not going to lie when I say I'm not overtly interested in biology. HOWEVER, I am also aware that this book is an important read and so, I wanted to get in there. What happens when we have to confront ageing and all of the horrors that come with it? Well, if you're like me you normally turn to the fact that you don't feel like you're too old but you also have to admit that there are things you simply can't do anymore - things you used to do about ten or fifteen years' ago. Andrew Steele gets into the argument about why we should treat this concept, where our bodies work against us, rather than just looking at diseases we can see straight away. How do we cure ageing? Oh, and why should we?
By Annie Kapur4 months ago in Geeks
Book Review: "Auschwitz: A Doctor's Eyewitness Account" by Miklós Nyiszli
There's something really upsetting, something really emotional, about reading books regarding the experiences of those at the concentration camps during the Second World War. But this book is something else entirely. Miklós Nyiszli writes with such incredible amounts of this sadness, this incredibly dark emotion that we cannot help to be drawn into the book, no matter how disgusting and horrifying the subject matter. The man worked for and with the infamous Dr Mengele and was subjected to some gruesome sights. The even more horrific thing though was that the prisoners of the camp were obviously looking at him, recognising him and knowing that he too, was Jewish.
By Annie Kapur4 months ago in Geeks
Toy Story 5: Pixar’s Beloved Franchise Returns with New Adventures and Familiar Hearts
After years of speculation, Pixar has officially confirmed that Toy Story 5 is in development — marking the return of one of the most iconic animated franchises in cinematic history. Following the emotional farewell of Toy Story 4, fans wondered if Woody, Buzz Lightyear, and their friends had truly said goodbye. Now, it seems there’s still one more story to tell.
By KAMRAN AHMAD4 months ago in Geeks
Book Review: "From Here to the Great Unknown" by Lisa Marie Presley and Riley Keough
There are few things more embarrassing than having such a book covering the experiences of living with Elvis Presley on the day it came out and not reading it until *checks notes* yesterday. Basically, it's been little over a year since it's release. I'm not going to lie, I bought it on my phone and kind of forgot it was there until now and well, it isn't too long but it is definitely heartbreaking and beautiful. There are very few autobiographies I have enjoyed reading in my time, often being very choosy about which ones I spend my time with but I have to say, I can't believe I waited so long to read this one - it's fantastic.
By Annie Kapur4 months ago in Geeks
