LitQueuelitqueue

After

The Unspeakable

Meghan Daum2015

6 of 6 directions open

More like it

1 more ↓

  • Conditional Citizens

    Laila Lalami2020

    A Moroccan immigrant explores how race, gender, and religion create different tiers of American citizenship through personal essays.

    wry → meditative, still essays

    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.

    wry → meditative

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak0

  • 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.

    wry → meditative, still memoir

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak0

  • The Gulag Archipeligo 1918-1956: An Experiment In Literary Investigation I - Ii.

    Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

    A history of the Soviet forced labor camp system based on survivor reports and the author's own imprisonment. It documents state-run repression.

    wry → bleak, still memoir

    pace0·prose+1·bleak+2

To recover

3 more ↓

  • Tuesdays with Morrie

    Mitch Albom1994

    A journalist reconnects with his dying college professor for weekly lessons on life. They discuss aging, regret, and love as the professor declines.

    wry → tender, still memoir

    pace0·prose-2·bleak-1

  • The Pioneer Woman

    Ree Drummond2011

    A city woman moves to a remote cattle ranch after falling in love with a cowboy. She details her transition to country life and farm chores.

    wry → warm, still memoir

    pace+1·prose-2·bleak-1

  • Twenties Girl

    Sophie Kinsella2009

    Lara is visited by the ghost of her great-aunt Sadie, who appears as a 1920s flapper. They search for a missing necklace and chase a former lover.

    wry → playful

    pace+1·prose-2·bleak-1

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.

    wry → earnest

    pace+2·prose-2·bleak0

  • 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+2·prose-2·bleak-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+2·prose-2·bleak-1

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.

    wry → sardonic, still memoir

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak+1

  • 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.

    wry → meditative, still memoir

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak0

  • 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.

    wry → elegiac, still memoir

    pace-1·prose0·bleak0

Heavier

3 more ↓

  • When Rabbit Howls

    Truddi Chase1987

    A woman and her ninety-two distinct personalities document her history of severe childhood trauma and her journey through therapy.

    wry → bleak, still memoir

    pace0·prose-1·bleak+2

  • 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.

    wry → bleak, still memoir

    pace+1·prose0·bleak+2

  • 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.

    wry → tense, still memoir

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak+2