literature
Geek literature from the New York Times or the recesses of online. Our favorite stories showcase geeks.
Book Review: "Pseudoscience: A Very Short Introduction" by Michael D. Gordin
If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times: I love free books. I also love dipping my toes into the Very Short Introduction series, especially when I'm between bigger books. I've read those on Biblical History, I've read some on philosophy and now this one, is on pseudoscience. From UFOs to Anti-Vaxxers, from eugenics to how the Russians basically made up their own science during the height of communism, from the planets to the human body - pseudoscience is everywhere. But what is it, where did it come from, and what are the different forms it can arise in? Well, the truth is that pseudoscience is just as old as science itself...
By Annie Kapur14 days ago in Geeks
When Ice Becomes a Battlefield
For most of the world, Greenland exists as a blur on the edge of the map—vast, frozen, distant. A place of ice sheets and silence. A place you don’t think about unless you’re scrolling past climate headlines or watching a documentary late at night.
By KAMRAN AHMAD14 days ago in Geeks
Book Review: "Time After Time" by Chris Atkins
I'm quite interested in the prison systems across the world and how they work. Back when I read Let the Lord Sort Them a few months ago, I was surprised at how horrifying the American death row system actually was and how often it got things wrong and that doesn't just mean that they executed the wrong person - it means that the system is definitely rigged against some. Chris Atkins though, writes about the British prison system, where the death penalty thankfully doesn't exist (I don't trust the government to make the correct decisions on whether prisoners live or not). But there are so many damn things wrong that if you're not angry, then you're not paying attention. The British Government, no matter who is in charge, is the biggest joke in the country.
By Annie Kapur15 days ago in Geeks
Why I Trust Google More Than My Own Memory
I forgot my cousin’s birthday last year. Not just the date. I forgot the month. I stood in the middle of a grocery store, staring at my phone, typing her name into Google like it might gently remind me who I was supposed to be.
By John Smith16 days ago in Geeks
Book Review: "The Queen" by Andrew Morton. Top Story - January 2026.
You're probably wondering why on earth I would read this book. It was free and it was a fair length. That was basically it at first. But another reason is because I enjoyed the show The Crown and so, it only makes sense to read a book that goes through separating facts from fictions - and to be fair, there aren't a lot of fictions about the show it seems. From the birth of the little princess and the way in which her father was reluctantly to become the king, all the way to meeting and marrying the veteran prince, Duke of Edinburgh and even down to the death of her father, queendom and beyond, this book actually gives us a lot about a woman who basically embodied the greatness and modernisation of the British 20th Century.
By Annie Kapur16 days ago in Geeks
Book Review: "On 1984" by D.J Taylor
I was almost not going to review this book because I felt it was a bit short. But it is something that was interesting to read and so, why not? The story of 1984 by George Orwell does not stand alone in the world of dystopian literature, we know that. It was definitely a reflection of its time. However, what many do not know is that it didn't even stand alone in the author's life. It is an amalgamation, a fusion, a mirror of everything he had written up to that point. From Winston Smith being inspired by aspects of himself all the way to the way in which rats are used as a symbol of terror and disgust. There is something about how 1984 is a product of connected thinking that makes us see it in a whole new light through this text...
By Annie Kapur17 days ago in Geeks
Jacob’s Room by Virginia Woolf
Published in 1922, Jacob’s Room was Virginia Woolf’s third novel and marked a significant departure from her earlier, more traditional narratives. The book is considered Woolf’s first major experimental work, foreshadowing the stream-of-consciousness style that would define Mrs Dalloway (1925) and To the Lighthouse (1927). Jacob’s Room was published by the Hogarth Press, the small publishing house founded by Woolf and her husband, Leonard Woolf.
By Annie Kapur18 days ago in Geeks
Book Review: "Odyssey" by Stephen Fry
If you know anything about me you will know that Stephen Fry is one of my favourite people on this earth. He's a proper polymath and has a great personality with it - he also reminds me of Oscar Wilde in some ways. I've read the other books in the series but this is the one I was truly waiting for because I love the story of the Odyssey. I've read different translations over the years and of course, we all remember it being included in the 2016 Nobel Prize Lecture by Bob Dylan - it is truly one of the most impactful stories of all time. No wonder Christopher Nolan is currently directing the anticipated movie.
By Annie Kapur18 days ago in Geeks
Book Review: "Madness Explained" by Richard P. Bentall
Some books take longer than others, and for me that means any books where there is a lot of in-depth science terminology. This book took me a while and so, instead of taking it around with me, I left it on my bedside table and read a few chapters here and there if I didn't have a headache. I had to go back and forth to an online dictionary sometimes and yes, there are tables and graphs in this book. BUT atop of all of this, I got through it and now here we are, with more knowledge and more understanding of the history of mental illness, and what that means for humanity.
By Annie Kapur19 days ago in Geeks
Book Review: "Tell No One" by Harlan Coben
“Don't show me paradise and then burn it down” - Tell No One by Harlan Coben Harlan Coben's stories are great. I've read many of his books and the American author has also had his works as the inspiration for many a Netflix show (which I have also seen the majority of). Many people don't know that I like his works and apart from going off on weird tangents in his books (which I have slowly come to appreciate) - his output into the world of thriller is at least, less formulaic than James Patterson (though, the Woman's Murder Club was a huge part of my late-teens - I loved 5th Horseman it was probably my favourite from the series). But Tell No One by Harlan Coben was not only a great thriller - it was also free on my phone. Yes, that is why I read it!
By Annie Kapur20 days ago in Geeks
