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After

Changer l'eau des fleurs

Valérie Perrin2018

6 of 6 directions open

More like it

Same tender register, still contemporary

1 more ↓

  • Heart the Lover

    Lily King2025

    A college senior enters the social circle of two male students in a shared house. The story follows their academic and romantic entanglement.

    pace0·prose+1·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.

    tender → meditative

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak-1

  • 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.

    tender → bleak

    pace0·prose+2·bleak+2

  • The Salt Grows Heavy

    Cassandra Khaw2023

    A mermaid and a plague doctor flee a ruined kingdom and discover a village of ageless children. It is a dark reimagining of a fairy tale.

    tender → dreamlike

    pace0·prose+2·bleak+1

To recover

3 more ↓

  • Ayesha at Last

    Uzma Jalaluddin2019

    A modern Muslim retelling of Pride and Prejudice set in Toronto. A poet and a conservative man clash over their differing values.

    tender → playful, still contemporary

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak-1

  • Road to Tender Hearts

    Annie Hartnett2025

    tender → playful, still contemporary

    pace0·prose-1·bleak-1

  • While It Lasts

    Abbi Glines2013

    A college baseball player works on a farm over the summer to avoid jail after a DUI. He falls for a woman who is grieving her late fiancé.

    tender → warm

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak-1

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.

    tender → playful

    pace+2·prose-1·bleak-1

  • 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.

    tender → playful

    pace+2·prose-1·bleak-1

  • 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.

    tender → earnest

    pace+2·prose-1·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.

    tender → meditative

    pace-1·prose+2·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.

    tender → mysterious

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak0

  • 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.

    tender → dreamlike

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak0

Heavier

3 more ↓

  • A Child Called "It"

    Dave Pelzer1987

    A memoir of the author's childhood survival against severe physical and psychological abuse by his mother in California.

    tender → bleak

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak+2

  • Twelve Years a Slave

    Solomon Northup1853

    A memoir by a free Black man from New York who is kidnapped and sold into slavery. He details twelve years of labor on Louisiana plantations.

    tender → earnest

    pace+1·prose0·bleak+2

  • Hiroshima

    John Hersey

    The book follows six people in Hiroshima during and after the atomic bombing. It records their movements and physical symptoms.

    tender → clinical

    pace+1·prose+1·bleak+2