LitQueuelitqueue

After

This Is Your Mind on Plants

Michael Pollan2021

5 of 6 directions open — nothing to recover from

More like it

1 more ↓

  • A Swim in a Pond in the Rain

    George Saunders2021

    A fiction professor analyzes seven classic Russian short stories. He breaks down the mechanics of how each narrative functions.

    meditative → warm, still essays

    pace0·prose0·bleak0

Denser prose

3 more ↓

  • Consider the Lobster and Other Essays

    David Foster Wallace2005

    Ten essays covering topics from the Maine Lobster Festival to adult film awards. The author uses extensive footnotes to analyze cultural events.

    meditative → wry, still essays

    pace0·prose+1·bleak+1

  • Self-Reliance and Other Essays

    Ralph Waldo Emerson1993

    A collection of 19th-century lectures advocating for individualism and nonconformity. The prose is dense, formal, and philosophical.

    Same meditative register, still essays

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak0

  • 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.

    Same meditative register

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak0

Faster

3 more ↓

  • 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-2·bleak0

  • 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.

    meditative → playful

    pace+2·prose-2·bleak0

  • 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.

    meditative → propulsive, still journalism

    pace+2·prose-1·bleak+1

Slower

3 more ↓

  • 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.

    Same meditative register

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak0

  • 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.

    meditative → mysterious

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak+1

  • Self-Reliance and Other Essays

    Ralph Waldo Emerson1993

    A collection of 19th-century lectures advocating for individualism and nonconformity. The prose is dense, formal, and philosophical.

    Same meditative register, still essays

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak0

Heavier

meditative → clinical, still journalism

3 more ↓

  • 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.

    meditative → earnest, still journalism

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak+3

  • 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.

    meditative → bleak, still journalism

    pace+1·prose0·bleak+3

  • 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.

    meditative → earnest, still journalism

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak+3