Assassination Vacation

The Murder of the Century

Paul Collins2011

This account follows the 1897 investigation of a dismembered body and the tabloid war between Pulitzer and Hearst that sensationalized the case.

Same wry register, still history

pace0·prose0·bleak0

The Tin Drum

Günter Grass1963

A boy in 1920s Danzig decides to stop growing at age three. He observes the rise of Nazism and the war while screaming and playing a toy drum.

wry → sardonic

pace-1·prose+2·bleak+1

Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison

Michel Foucault

A philosophical history examines the shift from public torture to modern prison surveillance. It analyzes how power controls the body.

wry → clinical, still history

pace-1·prose+2·bleak+1

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 history

pace-1·prose+2·bleak+2

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?

Mindy Kaling2011

A collection of essays about the author's childhood, her career in comedy, and her observations on friendship.

Same wry register, still humor

pace0·prose-1·bleak-1

You're Never Weird on the Internet

Felicia Day2015

The actress and creator of 'The Guild' recounts her life as a homeschooled child, her gaming addiction, and her career in digital media.

wry → playful, still humor

pace0·prose-1·bleak-1

The Grass Is Always Greener over the Septic Tank

Erma Bombeck1976

A collection of essays observing the daily frustrations and domestic absurdities of suburban family life in the 1970s.

wry → playful, still humor

pace0·prose-1·bleak-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.

wry → tender

pace+1·prose-1·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+1·prose-1·bleak-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.

wry → playful

pace+1·prose-1·bleak-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

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

pace-2·prose+2·bleak0

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

pace-2·prose+2·bleak0

Auschwitz

Laurence Rees2005

A chronological history of the camp's evolution from a Polish barracks to a site of mass industrial murder, based on archival research.

wry → clinical, still history

pace-1·prose0·bleak+2

By Hands Now Known

Margaret A. Burnham2022

An investigation into racial violence and legal failures in the Jim Crow South using previously unexamined archives.

pace-1·prose+1·bleak+2

Hiroshima

John Hersey

The book follows six people in Hiroshima during and after the atomic bombing. It records their movements and physical symptoms.

wry → clinical, still history

pace0·prose+1·bleak+2