After
Astoria
Peter Stark2014
- pace
- prose
- structure
- bleakness
6 of 6 directions open
More like it
Same propulsive register, still history
- pace0prose0bleak0
In the Kingdom of Ice
Hampton Sides2014
The USS Jeannette sails for the North Pole in 1879 but becomes trapped in the ice. The crew must trek across the frozen Arctic to survive.
pace0·prose0·bleak0
- pace0prose0bleak0
The Last Days of the Incas
Kim MacQuarrie2007
A history of the Spanish conquest of Peru. It follows the Pizarro brothers and the Inca resistance during the fall of the empire.
pace0·prose0·bleak0
- pace0prose0bleak0
Empire of Pain
Patrick Radden Keefe2021
A history of the Sackler family and their role in the opioid crisis. It tracks three generations of wealth and pharmaceutical marketing.
pace0·prose0·bleak0
- pace0prose0bleak0
Killing Lincoln
Bill O'Reilly2011
A chronological account of the final days of the Civil War and the plot to assassinate Abraham Lincoln. It follows both the victim and the killers.
pace0·prose0·bleak0
1 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose0bleak0
Mayor of Castro Street, The
Randy Shilts
A biography of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay elected official in California. It documents his activism and the rise of the Castro district.
pace0·prose0·bleak0
Denser prose
- pace-2prose+2bleak-2
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.
propulsive → playful
pace-2·prose+2·bleak-2
- pace-1prose+2bleak+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.
propulsive → bleak, still history
pace-1·prose+2·bleak+1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-2prose+2bleak-1
Either/Or
Søren Kierkegaard1992
A collection of papers presents two life philosophies: the aesthetic pursuit of pleasure and the ethical commitment to duty.
propulsive → meditative
pace-2·prose+2·bleak-1
- pace-1prose+2bleak0
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.
propulsive → clinical, still history
pace-1·prose+2·bleak0
- pace-1prose+2bleak-1
Orientalism
Edward W. Said1978
A scholarly critique of how Western academics and artists represent the Middle East to justify imperial power.
propulsive → clinical, still history
pace-1·prose+2·bleak-1
To recover
- pace+1prose-1bleak-2
The Martian
Andy Weir2011
A man does arithmetic to stay alive on Mars. Problem, attempt, result, repeat.
propulsive → wry, still survival
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-2
- pace0prose-1bleak-2
The Love Hypothesis
Ali Hazelwood2021
A biology PhD candidate enters a fake relationship with a young professor to satisfy a friend. They navigate academic politics and attraction.
propulsive → playful
pace0·prose-1·bleak-2
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose-1bleak-2
Beautiful Bastard
Christina Lauren2013
An MBA intern and her demanding media executive boss engage in a series of sexual encounters while competing at work. It is an erotic romance.
propulsive → playful
pace0·prose-1·bleak-2
- pace0prose-1bleak-2
The Hating Game
Sally Thorne2016
Two executive assistants at a publishing house compete for a single promotion through a series of psychological games and mutual sabotage.
propulsive → playful
pace0·prose-1·bleak-2
- pace0prose-1bleak-2
The Score
Elle Kennedy2016
A college senior has a one-night stand with a hockey player to get over a breakup. They continue the arrangement as graduation approaches.
propulsive → playful
pace0·prose-1·bleak-2
Faster
- pace+1prose-1bleak-1
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.
propulsive → earnest
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-1
- pace+1prose-1bleak-2
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.
propulsive → tender
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-2
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+1prose-1bleak-2
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.
propulsive → playful
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-2
- pace+1prose-1bleak-2
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.
propulsive → playful
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-2
- pace+1prose-1bleak-2
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.
propulsive → earnest
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-2
Slower
- pace-2prose+2bleak-2
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.
propulsive → playful
pace-2·prose+2·bleak-2
- pace-2prose+2bleak-1
Either/Or
Søren Kierkegaard1992
A collection of papers presents two life philosophies: the aesthetic pursuit of pleasure and the ethical commitment to duty.
propulsive → meditative
pace-2·prose+2·bleak-1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-2prose+2bleak-2
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.
propulsive → meditative
pace-2·prose+2·bleak-2
- pace-2prose+2bleak-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.
propulsive → mysterious
pace-2·prose+2·bleak-1
- pace-2prose+2bleak-1
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.
propulsive → dreamlike
pace-2·prose+2·bleak-1
Heavier
propulsive → elegiac, still history
- pace-1prose0bleak+1
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee
Dee Alexander Brown
A chronological history of the displacement and systematic destruction of Native American tribes in the late 19th century.
pace-1·prose0·bleak+1
- pace-1prose0bleak+1
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West
Dee Brown
A chronological account of the displacement and slaughter of Native Americans by the U.S. government in the late 19th century.
pace-1·prose0·bleak+1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-1prose0bleak+1
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.
propulsive → clinical, still history
pace-1·prose0·bleak+1
- pace-1prose+1bleak+1
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+1
- pace-1prose+1bleak+1
The Great Hunger: Ireland 1845 - 1849
Cecil Woodham-Smith
A detailed record of the Irish Potato Famine, focusing on the failure of British government policy and the resulting mass starvation.
pace-1·prose+1·bleak+1