After
Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil
Tom Mueller2012
- pace
- prose
- structure
- bleakness
5 of 6 directions open — nothing to recover from
More like it
- pace0prose0bleak+2
Tomatoland: How Modern Industrial Agriculture Destroyed Our Most Alluring Fruit
Barry Estabrook
An investigation into the Florida tomato industry. It covers the chemical engineering of flavor and the labor abuses of migrant workers.
Same earnest register, still investigative journalism
pace0·prose0·bleak+2
- pace-1prose0bleak0
The Address Book
Deirdre Mask2020
A history of how street addresses were invented and used by governments to track, tax, and provide services to citizens.
Same earnest register, still microhistory
pace-1·prose0·bleak0
- pace0prose0bleak+1
The Secret Race
Tyler Hamilton2012
A professional cyclist details the systematic doping and deception within the U.S. Postal Service team during the Lance Armstrong era.
Same earnest register, still whistleblower
pace0·prose0·bleak+1
- pace0prose0bleak+1
Chasing the Scream
Johann Hari2015
A journalist travels 20,000 miles to investigate the history and efficacy of the global war on drugs. He profiles users, dealers, and officials.
Same earnest register, still investigative journalism
pace0·prose0·bleak+1
1 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose0bleak+1
Stolen Innocence: My Story of Growing Up in a Polygamist Sect, Becoming a Teenage Bride, and Breaking Free of Warren Jeffs
Elissa Wall
A memoir of life inside the FLDS Church, detailing the author's forced marriage at age fourteen and her eventual legal testimony.
Same earnest register, still whistleblower
pace0·prose0·bleak+1
Denser prose
- pace-2prose+2bleak0
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.
earnest → playful
pace-2·prose+2·bleak0
- 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.
earnest → meditative
pace-2·prose+2·bleak+1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-2prose+2bleak0
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.
earnest → meditative
pace-2·prose+2·bleak0
- pace-1prose+2bleak+1
Antifragile
Nassim Nicholas Taleb2012
A philosophical exploration of systems that thrive under stress and disorder. It argues against fragility in economics and personal life.
earnest → reflective
pace-1·prose+2·bleak+1
- 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.
earnest → mysterious
pace-2·prose+2·bleak+1
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.
Same earnest register
pace+1·prose-1·bleak+1
- pace+1prose-1bleak0
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.
earnest → tender
pace+1·prose-1·bleak0
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+1prose-1bleak0
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.
earnest → playful
pace+1·prose-1·bleak0
- pace+1prose-1bleak0
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.
earnest → playful
pace+1·prose-1·bleak0
- pace+1prose-1bleak0
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.
Same earnest register
pace+1·prose-1·bleak0
Slower
- pace-2prose+2bleak0
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.
earnest → playful
pace-2·prose+2·bleak0
- 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.
earnest → meditative
pace-2·prose+2·bleak+1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-2prose+2bleak0
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.
earnest → meditative
pace-2·prose+2·bleak0
- 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.
earnest → 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.
earnest → dreamlike
pace-2·prose+2·bleak+1
Heavier
earnest → clinical, still investigative journalism
- pace0prose0bleak+3
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.
pace0·prose0·bleak+3
- pace0prose0bleak+3
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.
pace0·prose0·bleak+3
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose0bleak+3
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.
earnest → bleak, still investigative journalism
pace0·prose0·bleak+3
- pace-1prose+1bleak+3
Ordinary Men: Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland
Christopher R. Browning
A clinical study of how middle-aged German reserve policemen became mass killers in occupied Poland. It uses trial records to track their actions.
earnest → clinical, still microhistory
pace-1·prose+1·bleak+3
- pace-1prose0bleak+3
999
Heather Dune Macadam2020
The true account of the first transport of Jewish women to Auschwitz. It follows their lives from childhood in Slovakia through the camp.
earnest → elegiac, still microhistory
pace-1·prose0·bleak+3
