After
The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry
Jon Ronson
- pace
- prose
- structure
- bleakness
6 of 6 directions open
More like it
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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
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Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers
Mary Roach
This book explores the history and scientific uses of human corpses. It covers decomposition, surgical practice, and crash test research.
Same wry register, still investigative
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Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me): Why We Justify Foolish Beliefs, Bad Decisions, and Hurtful Acts
Carol Tavris
Two social psychologists explain the mechanism of cognitive dissonance. The text shows how people justify their own errors to protect their ego.
Same wry register, still psychology
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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
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1 more ↓ ↑
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Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion
Robert B. Cialdini
A social psychologist explains six principles that lead people to say yes. It uses case studies from sales, marketing, and cults.
Same wry register, still psychology
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Denser prose
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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, still psychology
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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
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3 more ↓ ↑
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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
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The Righteous Mind
Jonathan Haidt2012
A social psychologist examines the intuitive origins of human morality. He explains how these instincts drive political and religious divides.
wry → analytical, still psychology
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Memoirs of my nervous illness
Daniel Paul Schreber1955
A German judge documents his elaborate delusions and theological theories during his confinement in a mental asylum.
wry → elegiac, still psychology
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To recover
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Atomic Habits
James Clear2018
This guide provides a system for building small daily routines and breaking bad ones. It focuses on the science of incremental behavior change.
wry → earnest, still psychology
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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.
wry → earnest
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3 more ↓ ↑
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Neon Gods
Katee Robert2021
In a modern city-state, Persephone flees an arranged marriage to Zeus by entering the underworld. She strikes a deal with Hades to stay there.
wry → tense
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The Gifts of Imperfection
Brené Brown2010
A guide to living through the concepts of courage, compassion, and connection. It focuses on embracing vulnerability to achieve self-acceptance.
wry → earnest, still psychology
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Love Is Blind
Lynsay Sands2006
A clumsy woman removes her glasses to appear attractive to a suitor, resulting in physical comedy and accidents. They navigate a Regency romance.
wry → playful
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Faster
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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
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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
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3 more ↓ ↑
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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
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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
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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
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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
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, still psychology
pace-2·prose+2·bleak0
3 more ↓ ↑
- 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
- 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
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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
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Heavier
wry → clinical, still journalism
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Hiroshima
John Hersey
The book follows six people in Hiroshima during and after the atomic bombing. It records their movements and physical symptoms.
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Columbine
Dave Cullen2009
A journalist reconstructs the 1999 school shooting using police records and the killers' journals to debunk common myths.
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3 more ↓ ↑
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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
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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
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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
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