
After
The Premonition
Michael Lewis2021
- pace
- prose
- structure
- bleakness
6 of 6 directions open
More like it
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Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup
John Carreyrou
An investigative reporter tracks the rise and fall of the blood-testing startup Theranos. It follows the whistleblowers who exposed the fraud.
Same propulsive register, still investigative journalism
pace+1·prose0·bleak0
- pace0prose0bleak0
Zero Fail
Carol Leonnig2021
An investigative history of the Secret Service from the Kennedy assassination to the Trump administration. It details security lapses and culture.
propulsive → clinical, still investigative journalism
pace0·prose0·bleak0

- pace0prose0bleak0
Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us
Michael Moss2013
An investigation into how food companies use laboratory science to optimize the addictive qualities of processed snacks and meals.
propulsive → clinical, still investigative journalism
pace0·prose0·bleak0

- pace0prose0bleak+1
Three Cups of Deceit
Jon Krakauer2011
An investigative report into Greg Mortenson and the Central Asia Institute. It details financial mismanagement and fabricated memoir claims.
propulsive → clinical, still investigative journalism
pace0·prose0·bleak+1
1 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose0bleak+1
Catch and Kill
Ronan Farrow2019
A journalist tracks the history of sexual assault allegations against Harvey Weinstein. He documents the surveillance used to stop the story.
Same propulsive register, still investigative journalism
pace0·prose0·bleak+1

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.
propulsive → 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.
propulsive → 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.
propulsive → 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.
propulsive → 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.
propulsive → mysterious
pace-2·prose+2·bleak0

To recover
- 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.
propulsive → 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.
Same propulsive register
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-1

3 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose-1bleak-1
Fifty Shades of Grey
E.L. James2000
A college student enters a sexual contract with a wealthy businessman. The story focuses on their power dynamics and BDSM encounters.
propulsive → earnest
pace0·prose-1·bleak-1

- pace+1prose-1bleak-1
The Martian
Andy Weir2011
A man does arithmetic to stay alive on Mars. Problem, attempt, result, repeat.
propulsive → wry
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-1

- pace+1prose-1bleak-1
Ready Player One
Ernest Cline2008
A teenager in a dystopian future hunts for a digital easter egg inside a massive simulation. The quest relies on 1980s pop culture trivia.
Same propulsive register
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-1

Faster
- 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.
propulsive → earnest
pace+1·prose-1·bleak0

- 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.
propulsive → tender
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-1

3 more ↓ ↑
- 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.
propulsive → 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.
propulsive → playful
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-1

- pace+1prose-1bleak-1
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.
propulsive → earnest
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.
propulsive → 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.
propulsive → 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.
propulsive → 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.
propulsive → 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.
propulsive → dreamlike
pace-2·prose+2·bleak0
Heavier
propulsive → clinical, still investigative journalism
- pace0prose0bleak+2
Evicted
Matthew Desmond2016
Desmond follows eight families in Milwaukee as they face eviction. It documents the mechanics of the private rental market and extreme poverty.
pace0·prose0·bleak+2

- pace0prose0bleak+2
The Jakarta Method
Vincent Bevins2020
A history of the US-backed mass killings of Indonesian leftists and how that strategy was exported globally during the Cold War.
pace0·prose0·bleak+2

3 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose0bleak+2
Escape from Camp 14
Blaine Harden2012
The biography of Shin Dong-hyuk, the only person born in a North Korean political prison camp known to have escaped.
propulsive → bleak, still investigative journalism
pace0·prose0·bleak+2

- pace0prose0bleak+2
Kill Anything That Moves: The Real American War in Vietnam
Nick Turse
A journalist uses declassified documents and veteran interviews to document systemic violence against civilians during the Vietnam War.
propulsive → bleak, still investigative journalism
pace0·prose0·bleak+2
- pace-1prose0bleak+2
None of Us Were Like This Before: American Soldiers and Torture
Joshua E.S. Phillips
Interviews with veterans of an infantry battalion reveal how ordinary soldiers became involved in the torture of detainees during the Iraq War.
propulsive → bleak, still investigative journalism
pace-1·prose0·bleak+2