Pirates, elder gods, magic items, and a ten-gallon hat. What else do you need for a horror western?
Category: Book Reviews
Crustaceous Corner: Stories Within Stories — House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski
Have you ever wanted to read a book within a book that makes you feel like you're cracking a code? A story that is not one, but many at once? Then allow me to introduce the book that took me more than 5 years to finish. House of Leaves is experimental fiction in form and… Continue reading Crustaceous Corner: Stories Within Stories — House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski
Crustaceous Corner: War of the Spark [Spoilers]
War of the Spark: Ravnica is the conclusion to MtG's latest long-running story, and what a finale. The dragon Nicol Bolas is poised to regain his godlike power by slaughtering all who oppose him. Gideon Jura, Jace Beleren, Chandra Nalaar, and others have to find some way to bring him down while caught in his… Continue reading Crustaceous Corner: War of the Spark [Spoilers]
Crustaceous Corner: The Suicide Shop
IMPORTANT WARNING! The following piece will be a discussion on the novel The Suicide Shop by French author Jean Teulé. With a title like that, there will be references to self-harm and suicide. We'll also briefly go over the plot of the novel, so there will be spoilers. Reader discretion advised. Worst of Times Most post-apocalyptic… Continue reading Crustaceous Corner: The Suicide Shop
Crustaceous Corner: The Heroic Villain — The Great Train Robbery
Picture, if you will: a dashing rogue with a British accent sets up a year-long plan to steal money from a corrupted government. Everything seems covered, the plans are laid, and the heist goes off with only minor inconveniences. The rogue flees the government and is never captured. The money, taken from a government train,… Continue reading Crustaceous Corner: The Heroic Villain — The Great Train Robbery
TGE Ep 56 – Reads: Becky Chambers’ “The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet”
Greetings, Geeks! Welcome to The Geek Embassy Reads! In this episode, we discuss Becky Chambers' novel, "The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet." * Book Description Follow a motley crew on an exciting journey through space — and one adventurous, young explorer who discovers the meaning of family in the far reaches of the… Continue reading TGE Ep 56 – Reads: Becky Chambers’ “The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet”
Crustaceous Corner: Shine On, You Scary Diamond — Stephen King’s “The Shining”
When I was younger, I liked to read. Scratch that, I loved to read. If I found a book I loved or a story I adored, I wouldn't put it down. Seriously, bookworms know of the learned skill of successfully navigating crowded hallways and classrooms with your nose stuck between pages. (Books are great, kids.… Continue reading Crustaceous Corner: Shine On, You Scary Diamond — Stephen King’s “The Shining”
TGE Ep 41 – Reads: Jim Butcher’s “Storm Front”
Welcome to the first episode in our new series, The Geek Embassy Reads! This series is the official book club for the site. We will read a book and then come together to share our thoughts about it. Storm Front For the first installment, we read Storm Front by Jim Butcher. This is the first… Continue reading TGE Ep 41 – Reads: Jim Butcher’s “Storm Front”
Read Comics, Learn Lit (Guest Post)
Recently at the grad school where I teach, I attended a prospective-student event in which the faculty introduced ourselves by including not where we got our Ph.D.s, but by something much more important: our favorite cartoon characters. The first words out of my mouth were “Wonder Woman,” whose history veiled in mystery Smithsonian Magazine disclosed… Continue reading Read Comics, Learn Lit (Guest Post)
Books That Made Me a Reader
As my days fill up with activities and I seem to have less and less time to read recreationally (reading is a big part of my day job), There are certain books that stand out in my long, long list of books I’ve read during my life. They are books that opened my mind to… Continue reading Books That Made Me a Reader