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After

Abraham Lincoln: The Prairie Years and the War Years

Carl Sandburg1961

6 of 6 directions open

More like it

1 more ↓

  • Oscar Wilde

    Richard Ellmann1969

    A chronological account of the writer's life, from his Irish upbringing to his imprisonment and death. It details his social and literary rise.

    Same elegiac register, still biography

    pace0·prose0·bleak0

Denser prose

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.

    elegiac → meditative

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak-2

  • Antifragile

    Nassim Nicholas Taleb2012

    A philosophical exploration of systems that thrive under stress and disorder. It argues against fragility in economics and personal life.

    elegiac → reflective

    pace0·prose+1·bleak-1

  • 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.

    elegiac → mysterious

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak-1

To recover

elegiac → earnest, still biography

3 more ↓

  • The Longest Ride

    Nicholas Sparks2013

    An elderly man trapped in a car crash remembers his late wife while a young couple's romance develops nearby.

    elegiac → tender

    pace0·prose-2·bleak-2

  • Warrior Rising

    P.C. Cast2008

    Goddesses transport a modern woman to ancient Troy to seduce and distract Achilles. It is a lighthearted fish-out-of-water romance.

    elegiac → playful

    pace+1·prose-2·bleak-2

  • Phule's Company

    Robert Lynn Asprin1990

    A wealthy captain is court-martialed and sent to lead a group of military misfits on a remote frontier planet.

    elegiac → playful

    pace+1·prose-2·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.

    elegiac → playful

    pace+2·prose-2·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.

    elegiac → playful

    pace+2·prose-2·bleak-2

  • Poke the Box

    Seth Godin2011

    A short manifesto encouraging readers to start projects and take initiative. It argues that the greatest risk is staying in place.

    elegiac → earnest

    pace+2·prose-2·bleak-2

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.

    elegiac → meditative

    pace-1·prose+1·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.

    elegiac → mysterious

    pace-1·prose+1·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.

    elegiac → dreamlike

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak-1

Heavier

3 more ↓

  • The Coming of the Third Reich

    Richard J. Evans2003

    A historical account of the political and social conditions that allowed the Nazi party to take power. It covers Germany up to 1933.

    elegiac → clinical, still political history

    pace0·prose0·bleak+1

  • Adolf Hitler

    John Toland1976

    A detailed chronological account of Hitler's life based on interviews with his associates and previously private documents.

    elegiac → clinical, still biography

    pace0·prose0·bleak+1

  • Escape from Camp 14

    Blaine Harden2012

    The biography of Shin Dong-hyuk, the only person born in a North Korean political prison camp known to have escaped.

    elegiac → bleak, still biography

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak+1