After
Either/Or
Søren Kierkegaard1992
- pace
- prose
- structure
- bleakness
4 of 6 directions open — nothing denser, nothing slower
More like it
- pace0prose-1bleak-1
The Prophet
Kahlil Gibran1900
A prophet waiting for a ship home delivers twenty-six sermons to a crowd. He speaks on topics like love, work, and death.
Same meditative register, still philosophical fiction
pace0·prose-1·bleak-1
- pace0prose0bleak0
The Mediterranean and the Mediterranean World in the Age of Philip II, Volume I
Fernand Braudel
A history of the 16th-century Mediterranean that prioritizes geography and long-term environmental trends over individual events.
Same meditative register
pace0·prose0·bleak0
- pace0prose-1bleak+1
Elizabeth Costello
J. M. Coetzee2003
An elderly novelist travels the world giving academic lectures on animals, realism, and evil. The book is structured as a series of formal speeches.
Same meditative register, still philosophical fiction
pace0·prose-1·bleak+1
- pace0prose-1bleak+1
Nausea
Jean-Paul. Satre1969
A historian living in a French port town becomes overwhelmed by the physical realization of his own existence and the world's indifference.
Same meditative register, still philosophical fiction
pace0·prose-1·bleak+1
1 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose0bleak0
In Search of Lost Time
Marcel Proust2001
A narrator examines his life through involuntary memories triggered by sensory experiences. It spans seven volumes of social observation.
Same meditative register, still philosophical fiction
pace0·prose0·bleak0
To recover
meditative → playful
- pace+2prose-3bleak-1
On a Pale Horse
Piers Anthony1983
After accidentally killing the personification of Death, a man must take over the office. He navigates the bureaucracy of the afterlife.
pace+2·prose-3·bleak-1
- pace+2prose-3bleak-1
Apprentice to the Villain
Hannah Nicole Maehrer2024
Evie Sage assists an evil overlord while a magical threat endangers their kingdom. The story follows their workplace dynamic and a looming siege.
pace+2·prose-3·bleak-1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+2prose-3bleak-1
Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything
Steven D. Levitt
An economist uses data to investigate the incentives behind real-world phenomena like cheating teachers and falling crime rates.
meditative → wry
pace+2·prose-3·bleak-1
- pace+2prose-3bleak-1
The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible
A.J. Jacobs
A journalist spends one year attempting to follow every rule and commandment in the Bible as literally as possible.
pace+2·prose-3·bleak-1
- pace+2prose-3bleak-1
Skinny Bitch: A No-Nonsense, Tough-Love Guide for Savvy Girls Who Want to Stop Eating Crap and Start Looking Fabulous!
Rory Freedman
The authors use aggressive language to argue for a vegan diet and the elimination of processed sugar and caffeine.
meditative → sardonic
pace+2·prose-3·bleak-1
Faster
- pace+3prose-2bleak0
Candide, or, Optimism
Voltaire2019
A naive young man travels the world and suffers a series of disasters. He tests the theory that everything happens for the best.
meditative → sardonic, still philosophical fiction
pace+3·prose-2·bleak0
- pace+3prose-3bleak0
The Sun and Her Flowers
Rupi Kaur2017
A collection of short, illustrated poems organized into five stages of growth. It covers themes of loss, trauma, and self-healing.
meditative → earnest
pace+3·prose-3·bleak0
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+3prose-3bleak-1
Pillow Thoughts
Courtney Peppernell2016
A collection of short poems and prose pieces organized by emotional state. It focuses on themes of heartbreak, healing, and loneliness.
meditative → tender
pace+3·prose-3·bleak-1
- pace+3prose-3bleak-1
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.
meditative → playful
pace+3·prose-3·bleak-1
- pace+3prose-3bleak-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.
meditative → playful
pace+3·prose-3·bleak-1
Heavier
- pace0prose0bleak+2
Doktor Faustus
Thomas Mann1948
A composer trades his soul for musical genius as his life and the rise of Nazi Germany are chronicled by a concerned friend.
meditative → elegiac, still philosophical fiction
pace0·prose0·bleak+2
- pace+2prose-2bleak+2
Animal Farm
George Orwell1945
Farm animals overthrow their human owner to run the farm themselves. The pigs gradually seize control and establish a new hierarchy.
meditative → sardonic
pace+2·prose-2·bleak+2
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+1prose-2bleak+2
The Diary of a Young Girl
Anne Frank2001
A Jewish teenager records her daily life and thoughts while hiding from the Nazis in a secret annex in Amsterdam.
meditative → earnest
pace+1·prose-2·bleak+2
- pace+2prose-3bleak+2
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.
meditative → bleak
pace+2·prose-3·bleak+2
- pace+2prose-2bleak+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.
meditative → earnest
pace+2·prose-2·bleak+2
