Sex on the Moon

Kingpin

Kevin Poulsen2011

A journalist tracks Max Butler, a hacker who took over rival underground forums to consolidate a digital crime empire.

Same propulsive register, still true crime

pace0·prose+1·bleak0

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.

propulsive → meditative

pace-2·prose+3·bleak-1

Antifragile

Nassim Nicholas Taleb2012

A philosophical exploration of systems that thrive under stress and disorder. It argues against fragility in economics and personal life.

propulsive → reflective

pace-1·prose+3·bleak0

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.

propulsive → mysterious

pace-2·prose+3·bleak0

The Emperors of Chocolate: Inside the Secret World of Hershey and Mars

Joël Glenn Brenner

A history of the corporate rivalry between the Hershey and Mars candy companies, detailing their differing cultures and leadership.

propulsive → wry

pace0·prose+1·bleak-1

Michael Jordan

Roland Lazenby2014

A biography of the basketball player from his childhood through his NBA career. It is based on interviews with his family and teammates.

propulsive → earnest

pace-1·prose+1·bleak-1

Heat: An Amateur's Adventures as Kitchen Slave, Line Cook, Pasta-Maker, and Apprentice to a Dante-Quoting Butcher in Tuscany

Bill Buford

A journalist leaves his job to work for free in the kitchen of a famous New York restaurant and later apprentices with a butcher in Italy.

propulsive → wry

pace0·prose+2·bleak-1

Catch Me If You Can: The True Story of a Real Fake

Frank W. Abagnale

A teenager poses as a pilot, doctor, and lawyer to cash millions in fraudulent checks. He evades the FBI across several countries.

propulsive → playful, still true crime

pace+1·prose0·bleak-1

Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever

Bill O'Reilly

A minute-by-minute narrative of John Wilkes Booth's plot to kill Abraham Lincoln and the subsequent manhunt for the conspirators.

pace+1·prose0·bleak0

Red Notice

Bill Browder2015

An American financier uncovers systemic corruption in Russia and becomes a political activist after his lawyer is killed in prison.

pace+1·prose+1·bleak+1

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.

propulsive → meditative

pace-2·prose+3·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.

propulsive → mysterious

pace-2·prose+3·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.

propulsive → dreamlike

pace-2·prose+3·bleak0

American Predator

Maureen Callahan2019

A true crime account of the hunt for Israel Keyes, a killer who hid 'kill kits' across the US. It follows the FBI's interrogation and discovery.

propulsive → clinical, still true crime

pace0·prose+1·bleak+2

Under the Banner of Heaven

Jon Krakauer2003

This account links a 1984 double murder to the history and evolution of Mormon fundamentalism.

propulsive → clinical, still true crime

pace0·prose+1·bleak+2

Columbine

Dave Cullen2009

A journalist reconstructs the 1999 school shooting using police records and the killers' journals to debunk common myths.

propulsive → clinical, still true crime

pace0·prose+1·bleak+2