LitQueuelitqueue

After

A Hope More Powerful Than the Sea

Melissa Fleming2017

6 of 6 directions open

More like it

1 more ↓

  • Going Infinite

    Michael Lewis2023

    A journalist follows Sam Bankman-Fried during the rise and sudden collapse of his cryptocurrency exchange, FTX.

    earnest → sardonic, still journalism

    pace0·prose0·bleak-1

Denser prose

3 more ↓

  • The Gulag Archipeligo 1918-1956: An Experiment In Literary Investigation I - Ii.

    Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

    A history of the Soviet forced labor camp system based on survivor reports and the author's own imprisonment. It documents state-run repression.

    earnest → bleak

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak+1

  • No Archive Will Restore You

    Julietta Singh2018

    The author examines the history of her own body through the lens of race, desire, and pain. It is a collection of fragments and academic theory.

    earnest → meditative

    pace-2·prose+2·bleak-1

  • Confessions

    Augustine of Hippo

    A 4th-century bishop writes a spiritual autobiography addressed to God. He recounts his sinful youth and his eventual conversion to Christianity.

    earnest → meditative

    pace-2·prose+2·bleak-2

To recover

3 more ↓

  • Smokin' Seventeen

    Janet Evanovich2011

    A bounty hunter investigates bodies found in her boss's lot while choosing between three suitors. The story follows her daily mishaps in New Jersey.

    earnest → playful

    pace0·prose-1·bleak-2

  • The Martian

    Andy Weir2011

    A man does arithmetic to stay alive on Mars. Problem, attempt, result, repeat.

    earnest → wry

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak-2

  • The Duke and I

    Julia Quinn2000

    A duke and a debutante enter a fake courtship to avoid social pressure. They navigate Regency London's marriage market while hiding their deal.

    earnest → playful

    pace0·prose-1·bleak-2

Faster

3 more ↓

  • Astrophysics for People in a Hurry

    Neil deGrasse Tyson2017

    A summary of the origin of the universe, the laws of physics, and the nature of space and time.

    earnest → playful

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak-2

  • Steal Like an Artist

    Austin Kleon2012

    A series of short, illustrated principles for creative work. It focuses on remixing existing ideas and establishing productive daily habits.

    earnest → playful

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak-2

  • Bad Blood

    John Carreyrou2018

    A journalist tracks the rise of Elizabeth Holmes and the eventual exposure of her multibillion-dollar blood-testing startup as a fraud.

    earnest → propulsive, still journalism

    pace+1·prose0·bleak-1

Slower

3 more ↓

  • Confessions

    Augustine of Hippo

    A 4th-century bishop writes a spiritual autobiography addressed to God. He recounts his sinful youth and his eventual conversion to Christianity.

    earnest → meditative

    pace-2·prose+2·bleak-2

  • How to Read a Book

    Mortimer J. Adler1940

    This is a guide to active reading techniques for different genres. It outlines levels of reading from basic literacy to syntopical analysis.

    earnest → mysterious

    pace-2·prose+2·bleak-1

  • The Red Book: Liber Novus

    C.G. Jung2009

    A psychologist records his visions and internal dialogues in an illuminated manuscript created during a period of intense self-exploration.

    earnest → dreamlike

    pace-2·prose+2·bleak-1

Heavier

3 more ↓

  • Columbine

    Dave Cullen2009

    A journalist reconstructs the 1999 school shooting using police records and the killers' journals to debunk common myths.

    earnest → clinical, still journalism

    pace0·prose0·bleak+1

  • And the Band Played on

    Randy Shilts1987

    A journalistic account of the early AIDS epidemic. It tracks the spread of the virus and the political response from 1980 to 1985.

    Same earnest register, still journalism

    pace0·prose0·bleak+1

  • My War Gone By, I Miss It So

    Anthony Loyd1999

    A journalist reports on the Bosnian War while grappling with his family's military legacy and a personal addiction to heroin.

    earnest → bleak, still journalism

    pace0·prose+1·bleak+1