LitQueuelitqueue

After

The Comfort Book

Matt Haig2021

5 of 6 directions open — nothing to recover from

More like it

1 more ↓

  • You Can Heal Your Life

    Louise L. Hay1984

    The author argues that physical illness is caused by mental patterns and provides affirmations to change one's internal dialogue.

    Same warm register, still self-help

    pace0·prose0·bleak0

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.

    warm → meditative

    pace-1·prose+3·bleak+1

  • The Argonauts

    Maggie Nelson2015

    A memoir of the author's relationship with her partner and her pregnancy. It mixes personal narrative with academic theory on gender and family.

    warm → meditative, still memoir

    pace0·prose+3·bleak0

  • The Salt Grows Heavy

    Cassandra Khaw2023

    A mermaid and a plague doctor flee a ruined kingdom and discover a village of ageless children. It is a dark reimagining of a fairy tale.

    warm → dreamlike

    pace0·prose+3·bleak+2

Faster

3 more ↓

  • Poke the Box

    Seth Godin2011

    A short manifesto encouraging readers to start projects and take initiative. It argues that the greatest risk is staying in place.

    warm → earnest, still self-help

    pace+2·prose0·bleak0

  • 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.

    warm → playful, still memoir

    pace+2·prose0·bleak0

  • House to House: An Epic Memoir of War

    David Bellavia

    An American infantry sergeant provides a room-by-room account of the Second Battle of Fallujah. It focuses on close-quarters urban combat.

    warm → tense, still memoir

    pace+2·prose+1·bleak+2

Slower

3 more ↓

  • The Education of Henry Adams

    Henry Adams

    A man writes a sardonic third-person account of his life and his failure to adapt to the technological shifts of the late 19th century.

    warm → sardonic, still memoir

    pace-1·prose+3·bleak+2

  • No Archive Will Restore You

    Julietta Singh2018

    The author examines the history of her own body through the lens of race, desire, and pain. It is a collection of fragments and academic theory.

    warm → meditative, still memoir

    pace-1·prose+3·bleak+1

  • M Train

    Patti Smith2015

    A musician travels to various cafes and gravesites around the world. She reflects on her late husband, her favorite books, and her daily rituals.

    warm → elegiac, still memoir

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak+1

Heavier

warm → 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+2·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.

    warm → tense, still memoir

    pace+1·prose+1·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+1·bleak+3