literature
Geek literature from the New York Times or the recesses of online. Our favorite stories showcase geeks.
why I read Banned Books
The first time I picked up a banned book, I felt like I was doing something illegal. My palms were actually sweating. It was just a paperback. No alarm wires. No secret cameras. Just a story someone, somewhere, had decided other people shouldn’t read.
By John Smith14 days ago in Geeks
Book Review: "Cranford" by Elizabeth Gaskell
"I could perceive she was in a tremor at the thought of seeing the place which might have been her home, and round which it is probable that many of her innocent girlish imaginations had clustered" - "Cranford" by Elizabeth Gaskell
By Annie Kapur14 days ago in Geeks
‘Curiouser and Curiouser: The Creepy, Captivating, Magical and Mysterious at Whitby Museum’. Content Warning.
Introduction Whitby Museum curators have chosen a selection of the most macabre and unusual treasures together with local tales of folklore to create this new exhibition. Discover stories rooted in superstition that accompany some of the objects held at the museum. From the Ruswarp Witch to the Gytrash of Goathland join us for this most curious exhibition. Exhibition opens 7th February 2026 and runs until December 2026.
By Mike Singleton 💜 Mikeydred 16 days ago in Geeks
Book Review: "The Defence" by Steve Cavanagh
This book was recommended to me by Twitter and I’m seriously reconsidering taking recommendations from that hellscape. The first novel in a series is supposed to be the one that hooks you in, makes you fall in love with characters and themes and establish real in-depth parts of the backstory to you. This book does none of those things and yet, is so confident about itself that it completely fails to give the reader a coherent story that they can get lost in. I would say the audience of this book is basically people who don’t like to read - why? There’s no atmosphere, there are no in-depth concepts, there is no real story and the characters are hollow as hell. I was quite underwhelmed after reading this, it just felt so forgettable.
By Annie Kapur16 days ago in Geeks
Disney’s Next Era: A Fan-Centered, Creator-Driven Vision for the Company That Once Imagined the Future.
Disney is at a crossroads. Not in the dramatic “end of an era” way people say every few years, but in a quieter, more important way. Disney has more money, more platforms, and more fandom franchises than ever before, and yet something feels off.
By Jenna Deedy17 days ago in Geeks
Book Review: "Modern Man in Search of a Soul" by Carl Jung
What happens when we strip human life of meaning? Well, according to Jung, everything begins to go wrong for us. From the moment we started to have control over nature, we start to descend in meaning and value. Rationalism may have brought us comfort in understanding, but it has also brought us less meaning in our soul. I'm not going to lie, if a book doesn't define what a 'soul' or a 'spirit' is, then I have no interest in the argument. The issue is that Jung takes us on a journey in which we start to understand what the soul is - or at least, what it is meant to consist of. So even though I don't agree with all of it, I understand where he is coming from when he talks about the subject of a 'soul'. Science can provide us with understanding but cannot answer the larger, more existential questions regarding ourselves.
By Annie Kapur17 days ago in Geeks
Book Review: "The Road Less Travelled" by M. Scott Peck
This book sort of details the same ideas The Marshmallow Test states but with a spiritual flair to it. Whenever someone mentions the 'human spirit' I usually ask for a definition as you'll probably see in that, they can't actually define what it is. With all the 'spiritual' stuff and the illogical thinking which roots itself in clearly, some sort of religious lexicon, I definitely went into the book telling myself I probably wouldn't be agreeing with many of the points put forward and thus, was cynical about the 'spirit' perspective that the book was pushing. However, it did make some interesting arguments regarding everything from delayed gratification to how incredibly important parenting is.
By Annie Kapur18 days ago in Geeks
The Ballad of Peckham Rye by Muriel Spark
A dark-comic novel which is often regarded as 'sharp', The Ballad of Peckham Rye (1960) displays all of the notes regularly associated with the author Muriel Spark. Set in post-war London, the novel follows the arrival of Dougal Douglas, an enigmatic and manipulative Scottish outsider who disrupts the mundane lives of the working-class community in Peckham. The layered narrative, the explorations of human weakness and the wit are all part and parcel of what makes the novel what it is.
By Annie Kapur19 days ago in Geeks
Book Review: "A Voyage for Madmen" by Peter Nichols
"They were neither sportsmen nor yachtsmen. Only one of the nine crossed the finishing line after ten months at sea. The rest encountered despair, sublimity, madness and death". - "A Voyage for Madmen" by Peter Nichols
By Annie Kapur19 days ago in Geeks
Book Review: "The Beats: A Very Short Introduction" by David Sterritt
The series of A Very Short Introduction books are always great for learning new things, but they are also great for checking out things you already knew as well. In this one, I investigated the beat poets, a group of people I have met and met again over the course of the last decade and a half (at least). I read my first ever beat poetry book in my late teens and yet, ever since - I have never really been able to get enough of them. I have often fallen in love with the works of Kerouac whilst not really falling as hard for William S. Burroughs' novels.
By Annie Kapur20 days ago in Geeks
