LitQueuelitqueue

After

The Argonauts

Maggie Nelson2015

4 of 6 directions open — nothing to recover from, nothing denser

More like it

1 more ↓

  • West with the Night

    Beryl Markham1942

    A female aviator describes growing up in colonial Kenya among the Kipsigis people and her 1936 solo flight across the Atlantic.

    Same meditative register, still memoir

    pace0·prose-1·bleak0

Faster

3 more ↓

  • 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+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.

    meditative → tender

    pace+2·prose-3·bleak0

  • 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+2·prose-3·bleak0

Slower

3 more ↓

  • 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.

    meditative → playful

    pace-1·prose0·bleak0

  • Braiding Sweetgrass

    Robin Wall Kimmerer2013

    A botanist and member of the Potawatomi Nation weaves together indigenous legends and scientific study. It focuses on ecological interconnectedness.

    Same meditative register, still memoir

    pace-1·prose-1·bleak0

  • A river runs through it

    Norman Maclean1976

    A man recalls his youth in 1920s Montana. He and his brother bond with their father through the technical details of fly fishing.

    meditative → elegiac, still memoir

    pace-1·prose-1·bleak+2

Heavier

meditative → bleak, still memoir

3 more ↓

  • Wasted

    Marya Hornbacher1998

    A detailed memoir of the author's decade-long struggle with anorexia and bulimia. It documents hospitalizations and the physical decay of the body.

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak+3

  • A House in the Sky

    Amanda Lindhout2013

    A freelance journalist is kidnapped in Somalia and held for fifteen months. The memoir details her captivity and the conditions she endured.

    meditative → tense, still memoir

    pace+1·prose-2·bleak+3

  • A River in Darkness

    Masaji Ishikawa2018

    A man describes his thirty-six years living in North Korea after moving there from Japan. He recounts extreme poverty and his eventual escape.

    pace+1·prose-2·bleak+3