LitQueuelitqueue

After

Cultish

Amanda Montell2021

6 of 6 directions open

More like it

1 more
  • All Joy and No Fun

    Jennifer Senior2014

    A sociological study of how having children affects the lives and identities of parents. It focuses on the daily experience of raising a family.

    wry → earnest, still sociology

    pace-1·prose0·bleak-1

Denser prose

3 more
  • Seeing Like a State

    James C. Scott1998

    An analysis of how large-scale state projects fail by ignoring local knowledge. It covers forestry, city planning, and forced villagization.

    wry → analytical, still sociology

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak+2

  • The Argonauts

    Maggie Nelson2015

    A memoir of the author's relationship with her partner and her pregnancy. It mixes personal narrative with academic theory on gender and family.

    wry → meditative

    pace-1·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.

    wry → dreamlike

    pace-2·prose+2·bleak0

To recover

wry → playful

3 more
  • She Went All the Way

    Meg Cabot2002

    A screenwriter and an actor survive a helicopter crash in the Alaskan wilderness and must hike to safety while being pursued by a killer.

    pace0·prose-1·bleak-1

  • The Taming of a Wild Child

    Kimberly Lang2013

    A socialite and a journalist have a one-night stand. They must navigate their mutual dislike while avoiding tabloid exposure.

    pace0·prose-1·bleak-1

  • Nice Girls Don't Bite Their Neighbors

    Molly Harper2012

    A librarian prepares for her wedding while managing a newly turned teenage vampire she is legally responsible for. Her fiancé becomes jealous.

    pace0·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.

    wry → playful

    pace+1·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.

    wry → playful

    pace+1·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.

    wry → earnest

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak-1

Slower

3 more
  • Rough Sleepers

    Tracy Kidder2023

    A doctor and his team provide medical care to the homeless population of Boston, navigating the limits of the healthcare system.

    wry → tender, still sociology

    pace-2·prose+1·bleak+2

  • 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.

    wry → meditative

    pace-2·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.

    wry → mysterious

    pace-2·prose+2·bleak0

Heavier

3 more
  • Rough Sleepers

    Tracy Kidder2023

    A doctor and his team provide medical care to the homeless population of Boston, navigating the limits of the healthcare system.

    wry → tender, still sociology

    pace-2·prose+1·bleak+2

  • Waking up white

    Deborah Kittredge Irving2014

    The author recounts her personal realization of her own racial biases and the systemic nature of white privilege in America.

    wry → analytical, still sociology

    pace0·prose+1·bleak+2

  • Conquest: Sexual Violence And American Indian Genocide

    Andrea Lee Smith

    An analysis of the historical and ongoing use of sexual violence as a tool of colonialism against Native American women.

    wry → bleak, still sociology

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak+2