History of the Peloponnesian War

The Rising Sun: The Decline & Fall of the Japanese Empire, 1936-45

John Toland

A history of the Japanese Empire from 1936 to 1945, told primarily from the perspective of Japanese political and military leaders.

pace0·prose-1·bleak0

Starter Villain

John Scalzi2023

A substitute teacher inherits his uncle's secret supervillain business, including a volcano lair and talking cats.

clinical → wry

pace+1·prose-3·bleak-2

Playing with Fire

Gena Showalter2006

A barista gains elemental superpowers after being poisoned and must flee from a government agent. They eventually work together to escape.

clinical → playful

pace+1·prose-3·bleak-2

Digital Fortress

Dan Brown1998

The NSA's code-breaking supercomputer encounters an unbreakable algorithm. A cryptographer and a professor race to find the kill code.

clinical → propulsive

pace+2·prose-3·bleak-2

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.

clinical → earnest

pace+2·prose-3·bleak-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.

clinical → tender

pace+2·prose-3·bleak-2

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.

clinical → playful

pace+2·prose-3·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.

clinical → meditative

pace-1·prose0·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.

clinical → mysterious

pace-1·prose0·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.

clinical → dreamlike

pace-1·prose0·bleak-1

Enemy at the Gates: The Battle for Stalingrad

William Craig

A chronological account of the 1942-1943 battle between German and Soviet forces. It uses survivor interviews to detail the siege and starvation.

clinical → bleak, still military history

pace+1·prose-2·bleak+1

The Third Reich at War

Richard J. Evans2008

A chronological history of Nazi Germany from the 1939 invasion of Poland to the 1945 collapse. It details military strategy and the Holocaust.

Same clinical register, still military history

pace0·prose-1·bleak+1

The Forgotten Soldier

Guy Sajer1971

A teenager from Alsace joins the Wehrmacht and experiences the retreat from the Eastern Front during World War II.

clinical → bleak, still military history

pace+1·prose-1·bleak+1