
After
Zero Fail
Carol Leonnig2021
- pace
- prose
- structure
- bleakness
6 of 6 directions open
More like it
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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.
Same clinical register, still investigative journalism
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- 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.
Same clinical register, still investigative journalism
pace0·prose0·bleak+1
- pace0prose0bleak0
All the President’s Men
Carl Bernstein1974
Two Washington Post reporters investigate the 1972 Watergate burglary and follow the trail of money and power to the White House.
clinical → tense, still investigative journalism
pace0·prose0·bleak0

- 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.
Same clinical register, still investigative journalism
pace0·prose0·bleak+2

1 more ↓ ↑
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The Premonition
Michael Lewis2021
A group of scientists and doctors identifies flaws in the American pandemic response. It tracks their efforts to bypass bureaucracy during COVID-19.
clinical → propulsive, still investigative journalism
pace0·prose0·bleak0

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

To recover
- pace0prose-1bleak-1
The Sentinel
Lee Child2020
A drifter helps an IT manager targeted by criminals after a cyberattack. He uses physical force to protect the man and uncover a conspiracy.
clinical → propulsive
pace0·prose-1·bleak-1

- pace0prose-1bleak-1
On a Pale Horse
Piers Anthony1983
After accidentally killing the personification of Death, a man must take over the office. He navigates the bureaucracy of the afterlife.
clinical → playful
pace0·prose-1·bleak-1

3 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose-1bleak-1
Royally Screwed
Emma Chase2016
A crown prince visiting Manhattan pursues a bakery worker who threw a pie at him. The story follows their class-clash courtship.
clinical → playful
pace0·prose-1·bleak-1

- pace0prose-1bleak-1
The Rooster Bar
John Grisham2017
Three law students realize their school is a scam and drop out to pose as lawyers. They steal identities to survive and pay off their debts.
clinical → sardonic
pace0·prose-1·bleak-1

- pace-1prose-1bleak-1
The Princess
Lori Wick2006
In the fictional land of Pendaran, a prince enters an arranged marriage with a commoner who must learn the ways of the royal court.
clinical → warm
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.
clinical → 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.
clinical → 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.
clinical → 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.
clinical → 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.
clinical → 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.
clinical → 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.
clinical → 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.
clinical → 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.
clinical → 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.
clinical → dreamlike
pace-2·prose+2·bleak0
Heavier
- pace-1prose+1bleak+2
The Coming of the Third Reich
Richard J. Evans2003
A historical account of the political and social conditions that allowed the Nazi party to take power. It covers Germany up to 1933.
Same clinical register, still political history
pace-1·prose+1·bleak+2

- 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.
Same clinical register, still investigative journalism
pace0·prose0·bleak+2

3 more ↓ ↑
- 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.
Same clinical register, still investigative journalism
pace0·prose0·bleak+2

- 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.
clinical → 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.
clinical → bleak, still investigative journalism
pace0·prose0·bleak+2