
After
So You've Been Publicly Shamed
Jon Ronson2015
- pace
- prose
- structure
- bleakness
6 of 6 directions open
More like it
- pace0prose0bleak0
So You've Been Publicly Shamed
Jon Ronson2015
A journalist interviews people whose lives were upended by viral social media shaming. He examines the mechanics of collective outrage.
Same wry register, still journalism
pace0·prose0·bleak0

- pace0prose0bleak+1
Everyday Sexism
Laura Bates2014
A collection of real-life accounts detailing the daily harassment and discrimination women face. It documents systemic sexism across society.
wry → earnest, still journalism
pace0·prose0·bleak+1

- pace0prose0bleak+1
Tightrope
Nicholas D. Kristof2020
Journalists document the decline of working-class American towns through the lives of people in the author's childhood hometown.
wry → earnest, still journalism
pace0·prose0·bleak+1

- pace0prose0bleak-1
The Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth
Alexandra Robbins2011
A journalist follows seven high school students to examine how social exclusion and 'outcast' traits translate to success in adulthood.
wry → earnest, still journalism
pace0·prose0·bleak-1

1 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose0bleak0
Confederates in the Attic: Dispatches from the Unfinished Civil War (Vintage Departures)
Tony Horwitz
A journalist travels through the American South to observe how the Civil War is remembered. He interviews reenactors and local residents.
Same wry register, still journalism
pace0·prose0·bleak0
Denser prose
- pace-2prose+2bleak-1
Gödel, Escher, Bach
Douglas R. Hofstadter1979
An exploration of how cognition emerges from hidden neurological patterns. It uses math, art, and music to explain self-referential systems.
wry → playful
pace-2·prose+2·bleak-1

- pace-2prose+2bleak0
Either/Or
Søren Kierkegaard1992
A collection of papers presents two life philosophies: the aesthetic pursuit of pleasure and the ethical commitment to duty.
wry → meditative
pace-2·prose+2·bleak0

3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-2prose+2bleak-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.
wry → meditative
pace-2·prose+2·bleak-1

- pace-1prose+2bleak0
Antifragile
Nassim Nicholas Taleb2012
A philosophical exploration of systems that thrive under stress and disorder. It argues against fragility in economics and personal life.
wry → reflective
pace-1·prose+2·bleak0

- pace-2prose+2bleak0
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

To recover
- pace0prose0bleak-1
The Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth
Alexandra Robbins2011
A journalist follows seven high school students to examine how social exclusion and 'outcast' traits translate to success in adulthood.
wry → earnest, still journalism
pace0·prose0·bleak-1

- pace0prose-1bleak-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.
Same wry register, still journalism
pace0·prose-1·bleak-1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose-1bleak-1
The Lost Causes of Bleak Creek
Rhett McLaughlin2019
Two friends investigate a reform school in 1990s North Carolina after a classmate disappears. It is a mystery involving local conspiracies.
wry → playful
pace0·prose-1·bleak-1

- pace0prose-1bleak-1
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.
wry → playful
pace0·prose-1·bleak-1

- pace+1prose-1bleak-1
The Da Vinci Code
Dan Brown2003
A symbologist and a cryptologist flee the police while solving puzzles hidden in art. They search for a secret regarding the Holy Grail.
wry → propulsive
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-1

Faster
- pace+1prose0bleak0
Bad Blood
John Carreyrou2018
A journalist tracks the rise of Elizabeth Holmes and the eventual exposure of her multibillion-dollar blood-testing startup as a fraud.
wry → propulsive, still journalism
pace+1·prose0·bleak0

- pace+1prose-1bleak0
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.
wry → earnest
pace+1·prose-1·bleak0

3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+1prose-1bleak-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.
wry → tender
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-1

- pace+1prose-1bleak-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.
wry → playful
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-1

- pace+1prose-1bleak-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

Slower
- pace-2prose+2bleak-1
Gödel, Escher, Bach
Douglas R. Hofstadter1979
An exploration of how cognition emerges from hidden neurological patterns. It uses math, art, and music to explain self-referential systems.
wry → playful
pace-2·prose+2·bleak-1

- pace-2prose+2bleak0
Either/Or
Søren Kierkegaard1992
A collection of papers presents two life philosophies: the aesthetic pursuit of pleasure and the ethical commitment to duty.
wry → meditative
pace-2·prose+2·bleak0

3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-2prose+2bleak-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.
wry → meditative
pace-2·prose+2·bleak-1

- pace-2prose+2bleak0
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

- pace-2prose+2bleak0
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
Heavier
wry → clinical, still journalism
- pace0prose+1bleak+2
Hiroshima
John Hersey
The book follows six people in Hiroshima during and after the atomic bombing. It records their movements and physical symptoms.
pace0·prose+1·bleak+2

- pace0prose0bleak+2
Columbine
Dave Cullen2009
A journalist reconstructs the 1999 school shooting using police records and the killers' journals to debunk common myths.
pace0·prose0·bleak+2

3 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose0bleak+2
And the Band Played on
Randy Shilts1987
A journalistic account of the early AIDS epidemic. It tracks the spread of the virus and the political response from 1980 to 1985.
wry → earnest, still journalism
pace0·prose0·bleak+2

- pace0prose+1bleak+2
My War Gone By, I Miss It So
Anthony Loyd1999
A journalist reports on the Bosnian War while grappling with his family's military legacy and a personal addiction to heroin.
wry → bleak, still journalism
pace0·prose+1·bleak+2

- pace0prose0bleak+2
Missoula
Jon Krakauer2015
A journalist investigates several sexual assault cases at the University of Montana. He follows the victims, the accused, and the legal process.
wry → earnest, still journalism
pace0·prose0·bleak+2
