Bonobo Handshake: A Memoir of Love and Adventure in the Congo

As You Wish

Cary Elwes2014

The lead actor of The Princess Bride shares memories and interviews from the film's production. It covers casting, stunts, and onset accidents.

pace0·prose0·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.

warm → bleak, still memoir

pace-1·prose+2·bleak+2

The Argonauts

Maggie Nelson2015

A memoir of the author's relationship with her partner and her pregnancy. It mixes personal narrative with academic theory on gender and family.

warm → meditative, still memoir

pace-1·prose+2·bleak-1

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.

warm → sardonic, still memoir

pace-2·prose+2·bleak+1

Smokin' Seventeen

Janet Evanovich2011

A bounty hunter investigates bodies found in her boss's lot while choosing between three suitors. The story follows her daily mishaps in New Jersey.

warm → playful

pace0·prose-1·bleak-1

The Martian

Andy Weir2011

A man does arithmetic to stay alive on Mars. Problem, attempt, result, repeat.

warm → wry

pace+1·prose-1·bleak-1

A Walk in the Woods

Bill Bryson1997

Two out-of-shape friends attempt to hike the Appalachian Trail. The narrative mixes their travel mishaps with the history and ecology of the woods.

warm → playful, still memoir

pace0·prose0·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.

warm → 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.

warm → 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.

warm → playful

pace+1·prose-1·bleak-1

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.

warm → sardonic, still memoir

pace-2·prose+2·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.

warm → meditative, still memoir

pace-2·prose+2·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.

warm → meditative

pace-2·prose+2·bleak-1

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.

pace0·prose+1·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.

warm → tense, still memoir

pace0·prose0·bleak+2

A River in Darkness

Masaji Ishikawa2018

A man describes his thirty-six years living in North Korea after moving there from Japan. He recounts extreme poverty and his eventual escape.

pace0·prose0·bleak+2