LitQueuelitqueue

After

Say Nothing

Patrick Radden Keefe2019

6 of 6 directions open

More like it

Same tense register, still true crime

1 more ↓

  • There Will Be Fire

    Rory Carroll2023

    A journalistic account of the IRA's 1984 attempt to assassinate Margaret Thatcher and the subsequent police investigation.

    pace0·prose0·bleak-1

Denser prose

3 more ↓

  • Either/Or

    Søren Kierkegaard1992

    A collection of papers presents two life philosophies: the aesthetic pursuit of pleasure and the ethical commitment to duty.

    tense → meditative

    pace-2·prose+2·bleak-1

  • The Annals of Imperial Rome

    Tacitus1956

    A Roman historian chronicles the reigns of emperors from Tiberius to Nero. He focuses on the corruption of power and the decline of political liberty.

    tense → sardonic, still history

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak0

  • Orientalism

    Edward W. Said1978

    A scholarly critique of how Western academics and artists represent the Middle East to justify imperial power.

    tense → clinical, still history

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak-1

To recover

3 more ↓

  • Thoughtful

    S.C. Stephens2015

    Kellan Kyle falls for his best friend's girlfriend, Anna. The story retells the events of Thoughtless from Kellan's perspective.

    tense → earnest

    pace0·prose-1·bleak-2

  • This Time Together: Laughter and Reflection

    Carol Burnett2010

    The comedian shares anecdotes from her career in television and film. The book is a series of short chronological reflections.

    tense → warm

    pace-1·prose-1·bleak-2

  • Redshirts

    John Scalzi2012

    Low-ranking crew members on a starship realize they are disposable characters in a sci-fi television show. They attempt to escape their fate.

    tense → playful

    pace0·prose-1·bleak-2

Faster

3 more ↓

  • American Kingpin

    Nick Bilton2017

    This account follows Ross Ulbricht as he builds the Silk Road dark web market and the federal agents who spend years tracking him down.

    tense → propulsive, still true crime

    pace+1·prose0·bleak-1

  • 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.

    tense → earnest

    pace+1·prose-1·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.

    tense → tender

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak-2

Slower

3 more ↓

  • The Lessons of History

    Will Durant1968

    A concise survey of recurring patterns in human history across biology, religion, and economics. It summarizes themes from a ten-volume series.

    Same tense register, still history

    pace-2·prose0·bleak-1

  • Either/Or

    Søren Kierkegaard1992

    A collection of papers presents two life philosophies: the aesthetic pursuit of pleasure and the ethical commitment to duty.

    tense → meditative

    pace-2·prose+2·bleak-1

  • The Oxford Companion to Food

    Alan Davidson2014

    tense → wry, still history

    pace-2·prose+1·bleak-2

Heavier

3 more ↓

  • A Thousand Lives

    Julia Scheeres2011

    This history follows the members of the Peoples Temple from their beginnings in Indiana to the mass murder-suicide in Jonestown, Guyana.

    tense → bleak, still true crime

    pace0·prose0·bleak+1

  • The Blood of Emmett Till

    Timothy B. Tyson2017

    A historical account of the 1955 lynching of a Black teenager in Mississippi. It uses new interviews and recently found trial transcripts.

    tense → elegiac, still true crime

    pace-1·prose0·bleak+1

  • The Rape of Nanking: The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II

    Iris Chang

    A historical account of the 1937 Japanese invasion of Nanking. It documents systematic mass execution and sexual violence.

    tense → bleak, still true crime

    pace0·prose0·bleak+1